The family of a young deaf man whose skull was beaten in during an attempted robbery, yesterday said "justice has been done" as his killer was jailed for life after being convicted of murder.
In a majority verdict of 11-1, the jury at the Central Criminal Court found William Roche (23) guilty of murdering Mr John Carroll (21), whose badly beaten body was found dumped in an isolated country boreen. Roche had given evidence that Mr Carroll's skull was crushed with an iron ratchet "over a lousy few pounds" but blamed another man for killing him.
Roche, a native of Limerick, with an address at Millstream, Killaloe, Co Clare, was also jailed for 2½ years for the false imprisonment of Mr Carroll.
Last month, Deirdre Rose (21), of Clarisford, Killaloe, had her conviction for the murder of Mr Carroll overturned by the Court of Criminal Appeal. On Wednesday she had the remaining four months of her sentence suspended for assaulting the deceased. A third defendant is due to stand trial for murder next month.
During the four-week trial, the jury heard that Mr Carroll, from Cappamore, Co Limerick, was beaten by the accused and another man in Clarisford in a row over £30. The three had just returned from a local pub where the deceased man had bought them drink all evening. In the pub, Roche noticed Mr Carroll's "wallet full of money" lying on the table. It was the State's case that he and the second man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, decided to "ambush" Mr Carroll.
The jury heard evidence that Mr Carroll, having been kicked and punched and left gasping for breath, was then put into the second man's car. The accused punched and kicked Mr Carroll in the back of the car as the second man drove through back roads until they reached an isolated boreen at Garraun, near Ballinahinch.
Roche had told the jury that the second man took a foot-long ratchet from the boot of his car and hit Mr Carroll several times on the head while demanding money. The jury heard that Mr Carroll. "who was helpless" was left lying on the ground dying as Roche and the second man drove away.
Roche had said that Mr Carroll was murdered "over a lousy few pounds" but claimed he had not assaulted him.