A Dublin man has been jailed for five years for the manslaughter of a father of six children in 1992. Mr Patrick Joseph Craig (51) died in hospital on July 10th, 1992, from gunshot wounds received three months earlier when two masked men burst into his home in St Mark's Lane, Clondalkin.
At the Central Criminal Court yesterday, Mr Justice Carney accepted that one of the masked men, Kenneth Wilson (29), did not go to Mr Craig's home intending to cause serious harm. A garda had earlier told the judge he believed Wilson was acting under the influence of the other man, later convicted of the murder.
Mr Justice Carney said he had to take into account his participation in what was "a brutal and vicious assassination".
Mr Craig was shot as he lay in bed. His wife, Mary, five of their six children and other family members were in the house.
In October 1993, a jury found John Kavanagh (46) guilty of the murder of Mr Craig. Kavanagh, a brother-in-law of Mrs Craig, is serving a life sentence.
In court yesterday, Sgt Anthony McHugh told Mr Justice Carney the attack stemmed from a long-running feud between two families in the Clondalkin area. Mr Craig was a member of an extended family in a dispute with the Kavanaghs, but he was not the intended victim.
Sgt McHugh said Mr Craig's family regarded Kavanagh as the murderer and gardai believe Wilson, who at the time was going out with one of Kavanagh's daughters, was acting under his influence "because of the family relationship and Kavanagh's experience".
He said that when arrested two days after the killing, Wilson made a number of confessional statements.
After questioning, he was released without charge and a file was sent to the DPP. He later went to England, where in April 1993 he was convicted of assaulting a police officer and received a seven-year sentence.
Sgt McHugh told Mr Desmond Zaiden, prosecuting, that although he had eight previous convictions dating from 1988, Wilson had not reoffended since spending five years in prison in England.
The witness said he accepted Wilson had no intention of causing harm when he went to Mr Craig's home. Wilson believed he was there to provide back-up and support for Kavanagh, who was going to frighten someone.
Mr Hugh Harnett SC, defending, said Wilson had been under significant threat and pressure from Kavanagh while in custody awaiting sentence.
In 1997, when extradition proceedings were lodged to return him to Ireland to face a murder charge in relation to Mr Craig's death, he came without attempting to challenge the extradition.
He initially complied with the bail conditions set down when brought before Irish courts.
But on the day his trial was due to begin on February 1st this year, he had failed to turn up in court. Arrested i two days later, he was brought before the court and entered a plea of guilty to unlawfully causing serious injury to Mr Craig, thereby causing his death.
