One of three men who held a family hostage before shooting a man in the arm and face has been jailed for four years by Judge Dominic Lynch at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Judge Lynch told James Manning that he would be serving an eight-year sentence had it not been for mitigating circumstances in the case.
Det Garda Eamonn Moloney told the court that Manning and the gang held Mr Pascal Kelly's sister, brother-in-law, four-year-old nephew and 14-year-old niece hostage while they waited for him to return to his home in Drimnagh. When he arrived, his arm was almost severed after he raised it against a sawn-off shotgun blast. Mr Kelly then hid under a car and refused to come out. The gunman fired again and grazed his face with the second blast.
Manning (31), Belclare Avenue, Ballymun, Dublin, pleaded guilty to possession of a shotgun with intent to endanger life and four counts of false imprisonment at Lissadel Road, Drimnagh, on May 2nd, 1995. He had a number of previous convictions, including one for dangerous driving causing death when he was 16. Det Garda Moloney told Mr Brendan Grehan, prosecuting, the gang was well known to Mr Kelly.
He agreed with Mr Rory MacCabe SC, defending, that Manning was not the person who shot Mr Kelly and he had spoken freely to gardai after the attack. Det Garda Moloney agreed that Manning bought burgers and chips for the hostages, but said the family had been traumatised. None of them was physically injured.
Judge Lynch said he had to take the overall circumstances of the case into account and refused leave to appeal.