Man jailed over armed attack on house where infant twins were sleeping

A father of two was jailed for 12 years today after a court heard he fired four shots into a relative’s house where infant twins were sleeping.

Larry O’Connor (33) with an address at The Lodge, Great National Hotel, Ballykisteen, Co Tipperary, fired two shots using a pump-action shotgun at his first cousin Danny Harty’s home, before breaking into the house and firing two more shots from inside.

Mr Harty, his partner, Noreen Dooley, and their 10-month-old twins, were asleep in an upstairs bedroom when the premeditated gun attack occurred at their home, at Deelside, The Quay, Askeaton, Co Limerick, at about 3.30am, on July 13th, 2019.

Larry O’Connor was driven to and from the scene by his older brother Daniel O’Connor (42) of Hassetts Villas, Thomondgate.

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Larry O’Connor initially fired shots from outside the two-storey house, hitting guttering just above a balcony outside the victims’ bedroom.

Larry O’Connor broke into the house, firing a shot into the kitchen, hitting a fridge and a window, and he also fired a shot up through a ceiling on to the first floor, where the victims had been asleep, but no one was injured.

Gardaí said they believed the shooting was linked to “animosity” between the cousins.

Mr Harty had previously lived with the two accused men who are his first cousins, and he had been in a previous relationship with a sister of the two defendants and had fathered two of her children, the court heard.

Larry O’Connor pleaded not guilty to six charges including recklessly discharging a pump-action shotgun, possession of a gun, possession of ammunition, and aggravated burglary. However, he was convicted by a jury following a two-week trial before Limerick Circuit Criminal Court, last March.

Daniel O’Connor was jailed on Tuesday for seven years with the final year suspended. He pled guilty to one count of burglary with intent to commit the reckless discharge of a firearm during the early stages of the trial. The State accepted he did not fire a shot or enter the house on the night.

Larry O’Connor who is currently serving a two-year sentence for a separate burglary in Co Kerry, had 79 previous convictions, while Daniel O’Connor had 38 convictions, mostly for road traffic offences.

The court heard while Larry O’Connor does not accept the jury’s verdict against him, Daniel O’Connor wrote a letter of apology to the victims and was remorseful.

Judge Pat Meghan said he could not reduce any part of Larry O’Connor’s sentence due to him showing “no remorse” or accepting he was the gunman.

Both defendants were given credit by the court for having already served 15 months while awaiting the outcome of their case.

Noting the victims were not in court and had not provided victim impact statements, the judge said, “one can only imagine the lasting effect it has had on the parties”.