A Dublin man who "executed" a father of five children because he wanted revenge was jailed for two terms of life imprisonment yesterday for murder and possession of a gun.
After deliberating for more than four hours at the Central Criminal Court the jury unanimously convicted Shay Wildes (35) of the murder of Mr Joseph Cummins and possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Wildes was sentenced to the mandatory term of life imprisonment for murder and was also jailed for life for possession of a .22 semi-automatic handgun - described in court as the murder weapon. On two further counts of possession of ammunition, he was jailed for 10 and five years respectively.
After the guilty verdict, the deceased's partner Ms Martina Murphy - a cousin of the guilty man - said: "I hope he rots."
Jailing Wildes, Mr Justice Carney said: "The unfortunate Joseph Cummins was executed on High Street, Tallaght, on December 26th, 2001," by a gunman who made his getaway in a car. Referring to a key eyewitness, Mr Patrick O'Reilly, the judge praised this "concerned citizen", who, despite being "gravely traumatised", managed to get the registration number of the getaway car which he gave to the gardaí.
As a result, at 10.10 p.m. - just three hours after the murder - the gardaí arrested Wildes at his home and seized the murder weapon and ammunition.
The jury had heard that Wildes shouted "Merry Christmas" as he shot Mr Cummins in the head at close range shortly after the murder victim left the Dragon Inn, Tallaght, on St Stephen's Day 2001. As the victim was falling Wildes fired a second shot at him and a third as he lay fatally wounded on the ground.
Wildes had emerged from the passenger seat of a blue Peugeot and pulled out the semi-automatic handgun.
As Mr Cummins lay dead, he got back into the car and he and the driver - whom Wildes refused to name - escaped from the scene.
Mr O'Reilly wrote down the car registration number.
Gardaí traced the car to Ms Valerie Reid, Corbally Park, Tallaght, where she lived with Wildes.
During a series of interviews, Wildes admitting shooting Mr Cummins and said he did so because he wanted "revenge". He claimed that some 18 months earlier, Mr Cummins had attempted to sexually assault his sister Catherine Wildes and hit her with a crowbar. However, the court heard that no such complaint had been made to the gardaí.
The jury was told Wildes procured the .22 semi-automatic gun for £200 from a man in a pub whom he refused to name. Both Wildes and the unnamed man were drinking in the Dragon Inn when the deal was made. The jury heard the man gave him lessons on how to use the gun in the pub lavatory.
Wildes had denied murdering Mr Cummins (48), Donomore Crescent, Tallaght. He also denied three further charges of possession in suspicious circumstances of a .22 Bersa handgun, seven rounds of .22 calibre ammunition and five rounds of 38 calibre ammunition at Corbally Park, Tallaght, on December 26th, 2001.
After the verdict, Ms Murphy said: "I hope he rots". She said Wildes left her "with five babies", the youngest of whom was just 11 months when his father was murdered.
Thanking the jury members for their consideration "to this distressing case", Mr Justice Carney released them from further service for life.