A Dublin man who beat a man to death with a pickaxe handle was today sentenced to ten years in prison for manslaughter.
Terence Keogh (37), from Pine Brook Vale in Blanchardstown, Dublin, had pleaded guilty to the unlawful killing of John Murphy on April 15th, 2002.
The Central Criminal Court heard he chased down and cornered Mr Murphy and then hit him repeatedly with the pickaxe handle for five minutes.
Judge Paul Carney said he had taken into account the "unmitigated brutality" of the attack. He added that he could see and hear the suffering of Mr Murphy's family, who gave evidence that their lives had been ripped apart by the killings.
He suspended the final year of the ten-year sentence and refused Keogh's lawyers leave to appeal.
There were angry scenes in court in the wake of the verdict. Keogh claimed he was the victim and that he had been attacked by Murphy and his friends.
"How can yiz sit there, yiz f*****g liars?" he shouted at Mr Murphy's family, who were seated in court. He was escorted from the court by gardaí, along with his wife who broke down in tears when the verdict was announced.