Court report: Five Limerick men have been jailed for life after being convicted of the murder of Limerick crime boss, Kieran Keane, and the attempted murder of his nephew, Mr Owen Treacy.
After deliberating for more than 15 hours over three days in the Central Criminal Court, the jury of seven men and five women on Saturday returned unanimous guilty verdicts on the five accused for the murder of Keane at Drombana, Limerick, on January 29th last.
The jury also found them guilty of the attempted murder of Mr Treacy and of two counts of falsely imprisoning the two men on the same date. The men are Desmond Dundon (20), Hyde Road, Limerick; David Stanners (31), Pineview Gardens, Moyross; James McCarthy (24), Delmege Park, Moyross; Christopher Costelloe (20), Moylish Avenue, Ballynanty Beg, and Anthony McCarthy (21), Fairgreen, Garryowen.
Keane (36), Garryowen, Limerick, had his hands tied behind his back and was shot once in the head in an execution-style killing. There was evidence that he had been tortured. Mr Treacy (31), Munchin's Street, St Mary's Park, Limerick, was stabbed 17 times.
The State's case was that the five men acted as part of a joint enterprise and, as such, were all involved in the murder and abduction.
Mr Justice Carney paid tribute to the jurors for their courage and sacrifice. He sentenced all five accused to the mandatory life sentence for murder and deferred sentence on the remaining three counts until February 3rd when the court will sit in Limerick city. Leave to appeal will be "entertained" at that sitting.
The court was told from the outset that this was a one-witness case, with the charges depending on the evidence and credibility of Mr Treacy.
During eight days in the witness box, in which he was subjected to intense cross-examination by five defence teams, Mr Treacy alleged that four men were to be murdered on the night. Keane was shot dead and Mr Treacy was left fighting for his life.
The court heard that he and Keane arrived at Anthony McCarthy's house in Fairgreen, Limerick, at 7 p.m. on the night of the killing and were led inside by Mr X, who was not before the court.
Dundon placed hoods over their heads and taped their hands behind their backs. McCarthy pointed a handgun at them and ordered them to sit. Two others came in from the kitchen: although they were wearing balaclavas he said he recognised Stanners by his eyes and voice.
They were then told to lure brothers Kieran and Philip Collopy "out the road" but they refused. Mr Treacy said it was clear they intended to kill the Collopys as well as himself and Keane.
After about an hour in Fairgreen they were ordered into the boot of a silver Micra at gunpoint. The car was driven by Anthony McCarthy, with Mr X in the passenger seat. They were taken to another house in Roundwood where they were again asked to make a call to the Collopys to get them "out the road" to the Sandmall Bank.
McCarthy then walked them at gunpoint to a waiting Hiace van. Stanners drove, James McCarthy sat in front and Costelloe sat in the back with a gun. When the van stopped at a lonely road at Drombana, Stanners pulled Keane out while Costelloe held the gun.
Mr Treacy had told how he watched his uncle "being pushed to the ground like a dog and shot like a dog with his hands tied behind his back".
Costelloe then came at him with a knife and stabbed him in the neck at which point Stanners grabbed it and began stabbing him "almost to death".
Mr Treacy claimed that as he stabbed him, Stanners looked him in the eye and said: "This is the last face you're going to see." He told the court he heard James McCarthy saying, "Come on, he's dead", and the three left the scene.
Mr Treacy said he heard his uncle moaning and he ran for help. While in the van, he had managed to loosen his hands.
State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy told the court that Keane died from a single gunshot wound to the head. He also sustained six stab "torture-type wounds" to the left ear.
Evidence in the 31-day trial was heard in Cloverhill Courthouse, attached to Cloverhill remand prison, for security reasons. It was the first time in the history of the State that the Central Criminal Court has heard a trial in Dublin outside the Four Courts or the Special Criminal Court.
Each day the jurors were given an armed Garda escort as they were driven to and from court in a minibus with blacked-out windows.