A nephew of murdered Limerick crime figure Kieran Keane has been jailed for 10 months for stealing a high-powered car worth €37,000.
Liam Keane (23), Singland Gardens, Ballysimon, Limerick, pleaded guilty yesterday to stealing the 2007 Audi A4 from Philip Collopy at his home in St Mary's Park in Limerick, on September 2nd.
Limerick District Court heard that Keane drove the Audi to a sulky rally in Roscrea, Co Tipperary, before continuing on to Dublin where the car was later found burned out.
Insp James Ruane told the court that Keane - who has 50 previous convictions - was at a party in the Collopys' house on the night of the incident.
He said Keane took the keys from Mr Collopy's bedroom and drove the car to Dublin where it was located crashed and on fire on Casement Road, Finglas.
Defence solicitor John Herbert said his client had admitted from the beginning that he took the car but denied either crashing it or setting it on fire.
He said his client had parked the car outside a friend's house in Finglas with the engine running and the keys inside.
He added that Keane was a heroin addict and that his problems related to his drug addiction.
Before imposing the sentence, Judge Tom O'Donnell said he would have refused jurisdiction in the case had Keane been charged with causing criminal damage to the car, which was worth €37,000.
Judge O'Donnell also disqualified Keane from driving for two years.
Keane walked free from a murder trial at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin on November 2003 after several prosecution witnesses denied making statements to gardaí identifying him as the killer of Eric Leamy (19).
Keane had denied the murder at Lee Estate, Limerick, in August 2001.
A nolle prosequi was entered in the case and Mr Keane was freed from custody.