One of Cork's "most vicious and violent" criminals, who has 84 previous convictions, was yesterday jailed for 12 years for the brutal killing of an epileptic man who "innocently" wandered into his company.
Jailing William Carroll (55), Mr Justice Carney said the portrayal of the accused during his trial as "jolly and happy" took everybody in, including the jury and himself.
In March the Central Criminal Court had found Carroll not guilty of murder but guilty of the manslaughter of Mr Thomas Harte (40) in a derelict house in Leitrim Street, Cork, on May 19th/20th, 1997.
Mr Harte, of Allen Square, Ballymacthomas, Cork, was described by gardaí 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, a flowerpot-holder and a whiskey bottle, and the accused had exhorted another man to "dance" on Mr Harte's head and chest.
The court heard that Carroll, of no fixed address, had 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.
Describing his litany of convictions as "truly appalling", Mr Justice Carney said the accused portrayed himself as a happy and jolly man who raised €100 a night from busking in Cork. This, he said, took everybody in.
The judge said he had to respect the jury's verdict of manslaughter, which was "probably on the basis of being taken in" by the depiction. But, in reality, Carroll had been one of Cork's most vicious and violent criminals over the past 30 years.
Requesting leniency, the defence gave evidence that the accused had been sent to Greenmount Industrial School at the age of seven and was then transferred to Upton. He had had an unhappy existence and, because of his alcohol problem, had not much left of his future.
Ms Paula Harrington, Mr Harte's sister, told Mr Justice Carney that the family was "devastated" by her brother's death. He suffered from epileptic fits and would often go missing from home. As a result, the rest of the family was very protective of him.
During the trial the jury heard that Mr Harte was on heavy medication at the time of his killing and had wandered from home. A day before the killing, he met Carroll, who invited him to take shelter in a derelict house. He was coming out of an epileptic fit and was in a very vulnerable state when he was brutally attacked by the accused and his 19-year-old nephew, Mr Patrick Carroll.
The court heard that a nolle prosequi had been entered against Mr Carroll, who was also charged with Mr Harte's murder. He is on a life-support machine as a result of a subsequent incident.
As Mr Justice Carney ordered the 12-year sentence to run from March 8th, the convicted man began shouting at the bench before being restrained by prison officers.