A homeless man (21) who beat a man to death with a wooden stick was today found guilty of murder at the Central Criminal Court.
Gary Gleeson, of no fixed abode, killed Paul Farrell (46) from Coolock, Dublin, in a derelict shed at Coke Lane in Smithfield in July last year.
The jury of eight women and four men returned a verdict after more than three hours of deliberation.
Mr Justice Barry White said the crime of murder carried a mandatory life sentence. "I here and now impose that sentence upon you. It is entirely a matter for the executive as to the length and duration of that sentence," he said.
Mr Justice White back dated the sentence to when Gleeson was taken into custody in July 2003. Gleeson had pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder.
The court earlier heard that Gleeson had met his victim in a bar along the quays in Dublin. The pair were seen leaving together and went to a derelict shed in Smithfield.
Mr Farrell was later found dead with severe head injuries. The court heard that Gleeson claimed to have received unwelcome sexual advances from Mr Farrell.
A post-mortem by the state pathologist Doctor Marie Cassidy found he died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head and face.
PA