Two Brazilian men were sentenced to life imprisonment after being found guilty, at the Central Criminal Court today, for the murder of a fellow countryman.
The two Jose Claudio Batista (30), Ruanbeg Close, Kildare and Adriano Martins Costa (24), of Greencove Apartments, Newbridge, Kildare were both found guilty of the murder of Paulo Cesar Siqueria (39) at Ruanbeg Close, Kildare, following a drink-fuelled row on the 4th of June 2005 following a lengthy trial.
A third man, Alessandro De Almeida Mata (30) also of Ruanbeg Close, Kildare, was found not guilty. All three had denied the charge.
At the Central Criminal Court today, the jury of six men and six women returned their verdicts, shortly before 3pm, after deliberating for over six and a half hours.
All three verdicts were unanimous. Mr Siqueria's "blood soaked" body was discovered in a housing estate in the town in the early hours of June 4th last.
An autopsy revealed that he died as a result of a number of serious blows to the head. He received more than 50 injuries, five of which were inflicted by a wooden stake, which was found close to the scene.
The jury, in a trial that commenced on June 16th, retired to consider their verdict shortly after 2-40pm, yesterday afternoon, and spent the night at a hotel after they failed to reach a decision.
After the verdicts were read out Mr Justice Barry White imposed the mandatory life sentence on both Batista and Costa.
Neither man showed any emotion when the verdicts were read to the court. Several family members of the three accused were upset, and sobbed outside the court, as the two were lead away. The two South Americans have been in custody for over a year, and their sentences were backdated to begin from June of 2005.