A 26-YEAR-OLD north Dublin criminal has been jailed for 11 years for the manslaughter of an Estonian man attacked as he sat with his girlfriend watching aircraft take off from Dublin airport.
Ian Daly, Moatview Drive, Priorswood, was on trial at the Central Criminal Court for the murder of Valeri Ranert (28), of Westend Village, Blanchardstown, on April 30th, 2007, at Naul Road in Swords. He had pleaded not guilty to murdering the divorced father-of-one and to hijacking the victim’s Volkswagen Golf on the same occasion.
However, Daly, also a father-of-one, changed his plea to not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter, on day four of his trial yesterday.
This was accepted by the Director of Public Prosecutions and the jury of nine men and three women was excused.
Daly had 65 previous convictions. Two of these were for firearms offences and one was a conviction for possession of drugs for sale or supply.
Prosecuting counsel Michael Durack read a victim impact statement prepared by Ranert’s mother, who still lives in Estonia with his father and sister.
“For any parent, the worst fear is to bury your own child. . . My only son brutally beaten to death thousands of miles from home. I’m a heart-broken woman,” she said. “All his hopes and dreams died with him.”
Mrs Ranert said the family home and mortgage in Estonia had been in her son’s name, had been uninsured and went to the bank after his death. “He chose Ireland to make a better life for his family. He loved Ireland and had great friends there.”
She said she now worries for her granddaughter’s future. “Our hearts bleed each time she asks why her father is not here anymore. That’s the question we ask ourselves every day.
“I’m so proud of who Valeri was,” she said, explaining that he knew right from wrong and was a caring member of society.
Her last words were for the members of Swords Garda station, whom she thanked. “God bless you all,” she said.
Mr Justice George Birmingham said this killing was on the upper end of the manslaughter scale, which is “on the cusp of murder”. “The offence involved gratuitous violence.” He said this crime, where a number of men set upon a couple minding their own business, was in a different category to a manslaughter arising from a fight or public disorder.
“This happened during intentional serious criminality,” he said, adding that death was not an unforeseeable consequence.
“The level of violence was gross. Very considerable force was required to kick in a car window and to kick a person on the head through a window.” This first kick stunned Mr Ranert at the very least, he said, and he wasn’t in a position to defend himself.
He noted that the first statements Daly made were self-serving, but he later made a more helpful admission. “The admissions are of value, although the accused then embarked on a challenge of their admissibility.
“To his credit, he didn’t seek to invent some cock-and-bull story regarding his phone.”
He said Daly was remorseful and noted that he had been described as having a conscience by one of the investigating gardaí.
He imposed a 13-year sentence backdated to January 6th, and suspended the final two years.