A Limerick man was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment at the Central Criminal Court yesterday for the manslaughter of a man who was shot dead by masked gunmen in the city in 1995.
Anthony Broderick (23) of O'Malley Park, South Hill, pleaded guilty last July to the manslaughter of Mr James Doyle (49) also of O'Malley Park, on September 3rd, 1995.
Mr Justice Flood said he must mark the seriousness of the offence by a sentence of eight years, but he backdated it to July 4th and suspended the final year. The judge said he was suspending the final year because he believed an opportunity should always be left to a man who shows remorse and who intends to go straight. He also wanted to take into account the two years that Broderick has already spent in custody.
He said he had come to the conclusion that perhaps the most tragic figure remaining in the "sad saga of tragedy" was the accused man, adding that from the very comprehensive probation report prepared on Broderick "the absolute tragedy has finally and fully impacted" on him. The judge said "a poor innocent man lost his life" but he accepted that it was not intended that he should lose his life.
Mr Patrick McEntee SC, for Broderick, said his client wished to "unreservedly apologise" to Mr Doyle's family.