A Co Clare man who bludgeoned to death a young deaf man then left his body in a lonely boreen was jailed for ten years today.
Michael Sage (26) of Glenacre, Killaloe, Co Clare was convicted last month of the manslaughter and false imprisonment of Mr John Carroll (21) of Cappamore Co Limerick on December 4th, 1998 at Garraun, near Ballinahinch, Tipperary. The jury acquitted him of murder.
He was sentenced to ten years for manslaughter and a further seven for false imprisonment, both sentences to run concurrently.
Another man, William Roche, is already serving a life sentence for the murder of Mr Carroll. Ms Deirdre Rose, who is married to Michael Sage, was also convicted in connection with the killing but the Court of Criminal Appeal quashed her conviction.
During Michael Sage’s trial the jury heard that Mr Carroll was beaten to death with a heavy duty iron ratchet one stone in weight. Post mortem results showed that fragments of his skull were found embedded in his brain tissue.
Death was not instantaneous. After bludgeoning him about the head and face Sage and Roche drove off leaving Mr Carroll - dressed only in a T-shirt and jeans - in the muddy boreen. He lay in freezing temperatures until his body was found hours later by a local farmer out feeding his cattle.
The court heard that Sage and Roche rummaged through Mr Carroll’s pockets as he lay on the ground dying but all they got was his free travel pass. During his trial, William Roche admitted that Mr Carroll was killed for "a few lousy pounds". Earlier that night they had tried to rob him after they met up in a pub in Clarisford, Co Clare. Mr Carroll had bought drinks throughout the evening and they believed he was "flush".
Sentencing Sage, Mr Justice Paul Carney said he felt an attempt was made in court to sanitise the brutal manner of Mr Carroll’s death. Sage was from a good farming background and was the last person that should have become involved in "the gang killing" of a person under a disability. The accused had been "in a good job earning good money".
Suspending the final two years of the manslaughter sentence, Mr Justice Carney refused leave to appeal.