A 24-year-old Dublin man was given a six-year prison sentence yesterday for the manslaughter of a man who was kicked and stamped to death in a row on St Stephen's Green, Dublin, last April.
At the Central Criminal Court, Thomas Corway, with an address in Coolock, Dublin, was jailed for the unlawful killing of Mr Patrick (Paddy) Pepper on April 9th last year at the Wolf Tone monument at St Stephen's Green. Corway had pleaded guilty to the charge last October.
Sentencing Corway, Mr Justice Carney said that the "extreme level of violence in the case" had come about as a result of the combination of the abuse of cannabis and alcohol.
Mr Pepper, originally from Ringsend, Dublin, was 40 years old and was living in Ranelagh at the time of his death.
Det-Sgt Michael Fitzgerald told the court that Corway had admitted his part in the killing to gardaí and had claimed that he attacked Mr Pepper because he had threatened to smash a bottle over his head when he asked him for some of his drink.
"I think I cracked him in the head, I just started hitting him in the head with my fists and kicking him," Corway told gardaí. "When I knocked him out, I just kept kicking . . . I didn't think he was dead, I just thought he wasn't moving."
On the night of the incident, Corway had been drinking cider in the park with Mr Pepper and another man, Robert Whelan.
After Corway had fled the scene, Mr Whelan alerted the gardaí, but Mr Pepper died shortly afterwards.
A Garda investigation was begun and Corway was arrested in Finglas three days later.
Det-Sgt Fitzgerald reminded the court of forensic evidence which showed that the deceased man had been subjected to a "ferocious assault" in which his head and chest had been kicked and stamped on. He had died from the inhalation of blood as a result of serious facial injuries consistent with stamping on his face. Both his jaws were broken and boot-marks on his chest showed the "enormous force" used in the attack, the witness said.
Mr Pepper was separated from his wife and although he spent some nights on the streets he was in a relationship at the time of his death. His sister was in court to hear the sentence.
Defence counsel Mr Hugh Hartnett SC told the court that Corway had an unhappy family life and had been in contact with the psychiatric services from the age of six. He appealed for the judge to take Corway's guilty plea and remorse into account.
Mr Justice Carney agreed to suspend 18 months of the sentence.