We did not get justice, says family

THE FAMILY of a young man who requires permanent hospital care after being shot in the head has criticised the 12-year sentence given to the gunman involved in the incident. Ian Kenny was shot while travelling in a car by his friend Jonathan Dunne in Stillorgan, Co Dublin last July.

Mr Justice Paul Carney yesterday said he considered sending Dunne to jail for life for the attempted murder, but because of his age, background and plea he decided to give him 12 years. The Kenny family told RTÉ news the sentence was not a deterrent but a disgrace and it sent out the wrong message that if you shoot someone, you will not spend very long in jail.

Speaking outside the court yesterday Mr Kenny's mother Kathleen said the judgment did not reflect justice for her son. "The judge is letting them off, the Government is letting them off, and the Minister for Justice is letting them off. We did not get justice in that court . . . Have we to take our own justice?" she said.

RTÉ's Livelinebroadcast an interview with Ms Kenny on Tuesday afternoon, and Mr Justice Carney said in court yesterday that the show's presenter Joe Duffy had interfered in the case while sentencing was still a live issue.

The Kenny family said the judge was more interested in what Joe Duffy had to say about the incident than he was in what had happened to their son. RTÉ yesterday said it had "no comment" on the matter.

Mr Kenny's father, John, was also disappointed by the sentence imposed on Dunne. He said the shooting had destroyed both his and his son's family. "The law in this land for murder or attempted murder is life imprisonment . . . the judge gives him 12 years, he'll probably do about six in prison for murdering my son," he said.