A man was found guilty of manslaughter in the Central Criminal Court yesterday.
Andrew Brennan (28), St Munchin's Street, St Mary's Park, Limerick, was found guilty of the manslaughter of father of eight Mr Sean Colbert (53) Lenihan Avenue, Prospect, Limerick, who was killed outside his home on August 9th, 1996.
The jury deliberated for over six hours. They returned just before midday with a majority of 11 for the verdict and one against. Brennan was found not guilty of murder.
The court had heard that Brennan's mother had been having an affair with the dead man and that just before the fatal shots were fired by another man, Brennan had shouted at Mr Colbert to "stay away" from his mother.
The court also heard that on the evening of his death, Mr Colbert was returning from a public house and was walking up the steps of his home when he was shot.
Bullets found at the scene and injuries to Mr Colbert's body indicated a .22 revolver was used. State Pathologist Dr John Harbison confirmed he had removed two bullets from the body, which corresponded to two entry wounds he found.
He said the cause of death was internal bleeding caused by the puncturing of the right lung.
Mr Justice Quirke thanked the jury "on behalf of the community" for their diligence in their "painstaking task".
He apologised for the "considerable inconvenience" the trial had caused the jury and relieved them from jury service for 10 years.
Brennan was remanded in custody until July 30th.