A Dublin man was sentenced to 10 years in prison at the Central Criminal Court yesterday for the manslaughter of another man at a football pitch in Tallaght.
Michael Doyle (22) of Tonduff Close, Greenpark, Greenhills, Tallaght had denied the murder of Mr Mark O'Keefe (20) on May 30th, 1997, in Dublin.
There was cheering in the courtroom after the sentence was passed. During the proceedings the father of the deceased shouted : "My son will never walk again. He's in a coffin. He'll never walk again. Scumbag."
Passing sentence, Mr Justice Kearns told Doyle he was a "menace to society".
The court heard that Doyle had a previous conviction for a "horrific assault" in which he "mutilated the face of a taxi driver" by biting him.
Taking his previous conviction into account, Mr Justice Kearns said that it was "incredible to believe someone could behave with such savagery".
Mr Justice Kearns said it was an "extraordinary aspect to the case" that the killing took place while Doyle was on bail.
The judge said he took into consideration the childhood abuse inflicted upon Doyle.
Doyle was convicted of the manslaughter by stabbing on October 22nd last by unanimous verdict. During the 10-day trial the court heard that following a fight involving a gang of youths attacking Doyle and another man with metal bars and a Stanley knife, Doyle fled the scene and later returned with long kitchen knives in his clothing.
Mr Justice Kearns refused Mr Padraig Dwyer, defending, leave to appeal against the severity of the sentence.