A 51-year-old man has been given a life sentence for shooting Dublin publican Charlie Chawke during an armed robbery in 2003.
Frank Ward of Knockmore Avenue, Tallaght had pleaded guilty at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to charges arising out of the robbery and shooting of Mr Chawke at his public house, The Goat Grill, in Dundrum on October 6th, 2003.
Ward, who was defending himself in the proceedings, had dramatically changed his plea to guilty to all the charges before him on the second day of his trial last month arising out of the robbery and shooting.
Mr Chawke was shot in the leg by Ward during the robbery of €48,652 in cash and cheques from the pub. Mr Chawke was taken to hospital where his right leg was amputated five days later.
During the trial, the court heard Ward had six previous convictions including three for robbery and firearms offences.
In sentencing Ward, Judge Pat McCartan described Ward as "a career criminal" who appeared to have no insight into the consequences of his actions.
He imposed two life sentences for the charges of intentionally causing serious harm to Mr Chawke and robbery.
Judge McCartan also imposed sentences of 12 years on two further charges of possession of a shotgun with the intention of resisting arrest and one count of possession of a shotgun with the intention to commit robbery. All sentences are to run concurrently.
In response, Ward said "a pox on all your houses" before being brought away to begin his sentence.
Ward, a married father of three, had six previous convictions, including three armed robberies. He was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment at the Special Criminal Court in 1981 for an armed robbery at Bank of Ireland in Stillorgan during which two gardaí were shot and wounded.