One of Cork's most "vicious and violent criminals" has been jailed for 12 years for the brutal killing of an epileptic man who "innocently" wandered into his company.
Jailing William "Buster" Carroll (55) Mr Justice Carney said the portrayal of the accused during his trial as "a "jolly happy buster" took everybody in, including the jury and himself.
In March, the Central Criminal Court found Carroll- who has has 84 previous convictions - not guilty of murder but guilty of the manslaughter of Thomas Harte (40) in a derelict house in Leitrim Street, Cork between May 19th and 20th 1997.
Mr Harte, of Allen Square, Ballmacthomas, Cork was described by gardai as a "harmless and innocent" man from a respectable family. He suffered 67 external injuries to the head and body and died from inhalation of blood due to blunt force trauma to the head.
The court heard that weapons used during the brutal attack included a toaster, flowerpot holder and whiskey bottle and that the accused had exhorted another man "to dance on" Mr Harte's head and chest. At the sentencing hearing today, the court heard that Carroll, of no fixed address, has 84 previous convictions stretching back to 1965, many of which were for assaulting police officers here and in the UK and causing actual bodily harm.
He is currently serving a 10-year sentence for robbery at knifepoint.
Superintendent Martin Shanahan told the court the accused "is one of the most violent, if not the most violent" criminals that he has known in Cork in 30 years. "I don't say that lightly", the superintendent added. Referring to evidence of the accused's alcoholism, Superintendent Shanahan agreed that Mr Carroll has an alcohol problem, but said the killing was not caused by drink. "He was a very violent man, it was not all drink", he told the court.
Describing Mr Carroll's litany of convictions as "truly appalling", Mr Justice Paul Carney said the accused portrayed himself as happy jolly buster who raised £100 a night from busking in Cork. This, he said, took everybody in.
Mr Justice Carney said he had to respect the jury's verdict of manslaughter which was "probably on the basis of being taken in" by the "jolly buster" depiction. But "in reality", Buster Carroll is one of Cork's most "vicious and violent criminals" over the past 30 years.
As Mr Justice Carney ordered the 12-year sentence, the accused began shouting at the bench before being restrained by prison officers.