A man has been jailed for life for a murder that took place last year in front of a crowd of shocked-onlookers in his local Dublin pub.
Bernard Dempsey (48), Golden Lane, Dublin, had denied murdering James Curran (42) in the Green Lizard Pub, Francis Street, Dublin, in April 2005.
The jury of 10 men and two women returned a unanimous verdict in the Central Criminal Court yesterday after deliberating for just over one hour.
Dempsey merely scratched his ear as the verdict was read out and showed no sign of emotion.
Mr Justice Paul Carney imposed the mandatory life sentence on Dempsey, saying this was the third murder he had seen where somebody undisguised in a pub put a bullet into somebody else's head in front of a crowd of people.
"These people think they are invincible and that they can commit these kinds of acts with impunity," he said. He said that due to the bravery of witnesses in two out of the three cases, those responsible for the murders were successfully convicted. "It is totally socially unacceptable that someone loses their memory in trials such as these," he said.
The court heard during the trial that April 3rd was a Sunday night "just like any other" in the Green Lizard.
About 30 local people gathered in the small pub as Bernard Kinsella, a karaoke operator who had never worked in the pub before, cajoled customers to get up and sing.
Dempsey arrived in the pub with a group of family and friends sometime after 9pm.
At about 10.15pm, Dempsey, who had been drinking at the bar, walked calmly towards the table where Mr Curran was sitting with a number of other people and shot him in the head three times at point-blank range.
He then gestured to the crowd of shocked onlookers with his gun and walked out of the pub as calmly as he had walked up to his victim moments before.
The prosecution's case rested largely on the evidence of two key witnesses, Bernard Kinsella, the karaoke operator, and Mary Kennedy, a sister of the accused, neither of whom, prosecuting counsel Brendan Grehan SC said, had "an axe to grind with anyone".
Mr Kinsella, who had a bird's- eye view of the shooting, told the court he was organising a karaoke track when he saw Dempsey walk calmly over to the table where James Curran was sitting.
"He seemed to bend down as if to say something to him. I was singing, then I heard a 'bang' as if it was a cap-gun. I looked up and I saw the man standing over him with a gun in his hand. I saw two shots being fired."
After that, he said he stood in disbelief. "I couldn't hear because the speakers were beside me. He seemed to gesture with the gun but I didn't hear what he said.
"There was absolute panic. Then the gentleman walked calmly out the door."
When gardaí arrived, he was one of a handful of people left in the pub and he gave a description of the culprit.
Two weeks later when gardaí had arrested Dempsey, Mr Kinsella picked him out in an identification parade at Kevin Street Garda station.
Mary Kennedy, Dempsey's sister, was one of three women sitting at the table with Mr Curran when he was murdered. She was talking to one of the other women when she heard a bang.
"I looked at Jim Curran. There were splatters of blood coming from the back of his head. His eyes appeared horrible," she said.
She told the court her brother Bernard was standing directly behind him with his arms outstretched as the two other shots were fired. Later, she broke down in the witness box as she told Mr Grehan that although she did not see his hands, his actions could not have been an attempt to help the victim.
In his victim impact statement, Brendan Curran, a brother of the murdered man, told the court his entire family had been "traumatised by this act of wanton destruction on a young life."
Speaking directly to Dempsey he said: "You've put a hole in my mother's heart. You've put a hole in all our hearts and they have been filled with grief which is everlasting. I hope you can live with that."
After the verdict he said: "I feel shocked. There are no words for it." He added: "Justice is served."