A young Dublin man has been jailed for life for his involvement in the abduction and "execution" of a friend after a drug deal went wrong. Scott Delaney (22), unemployed, of Palmerstown Park, Palmerstown, Dublin, was given a second 10-year sentence, to run concurrently, after being found guilty of falsely imprisoning the victim.
After sentence was imposed by Mr Justice Morris, Delaney shouted angrily at him, saying: "I was f . . . set up for those drugs. And I'm to spend the rest of my life in prison?"
As prison officers tried to silence him he continued: "Why don't you give me 10 life sentences? I was set up. I want the death penalty."
The Central Criminal Court jury retired at 2 p.m. on Thursday and took almost seven hours before reaching its verdicts shortly before 4 p.m. yesterday.
Delaney had pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Mark Dwyer (22), of Foster Terrace, Ballybough, Dublin, on December 14th, 1996, and also denied falsely imprisoning him at Foster Terrace.
The body of Mr Dwyer, who had been shot in the back of the head after being abducted from his flat by a gang of three, was found in a field on the morning of December 14th at Scribblestown, Finglas.
The State Pathologist, Dr John Harbison, told the jury that Mr Dwyer died from a laceration to the brain due to a single shotgun wound in the back of the head discharged at virtual contact range.
He said the victim had received a "severe punishment beating before his death". He had been stabbed in the arms and threatened with a shotgun. "There were muzzle imprints over his heart."
During the five-day trial the court was told that a major drugs dealer believed Mr Dwyer had "ripped him off" after 40,000 ecstasy tablets said to be worth £20,000 went missing.
The dealer arranged to have Mr Dwyer abducted from his flat by a gang of three masked men, one armed with a shotgun.
The prosecution said Delaney had not pulled the trigger but helped to set up the abduction and knew Mr Dwyer was to be killed or caused serious injury.
The jury found Delaney guilty of murder by a majority of 10 to two and was unanimous in its verdict of guilty on the second count of false imprisonment.
Delaney stood in silence as Mr Justice Morris imposed the mandatory life sentence for murder. Imposing the 10-year sentence for false imprisonment, Mr Justice Morris told him the circumstances of the case were "quite horrific".
Delaney had deliberately set up a man of whom he purported to be a friend to be taken away for at least questioning and possibly death.