A 45-year-old Cork man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a young man in his flat in Cork city over two years ago.
John Paul Walsh, originally from Carrigmore Place, Ballinlough, was convicted yesterday by a jury at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork of the murder of John McManus in October 2008.
Today Mr Justice Paul Carney imposed a mandatory life sentence on Walsh to commence on the completion of an eight-year sentence he is currently serving for drugs offences.
Det Sgt Vincent O'Sullivan told the court Walsh was out on bail when he murdered Mr McManus. He was facing charges of possessing drugs for sale or supply in April 2008 and had secured High Court bail in June 2008.
Under current legislation, if somebody commits an offence while on bail for another offence, the sentence for the second offence is made consecutive to that for the first offence.
Prosecution counsel Tom Creed applied to have the life sentence made consecutive to the eight year sentence which Walsh is currently serving for drugs offences.
The court also heard that Walsh had a previous conviction for assault causing harm where he stabbed a woman in the back for which he got three years in jail.
Mr McManus's 18-year-old sister Mary read out an emotional victim impact statement on behalf of her family in which she said their lives had been changed forever by her brother's death.
