12 Years For Killer Of Lifelong Friend

31-year-old Aidan Finnegan has been jailed for 12 years for the killing of a lifelong friend.

Mr Finnegan of Whitestown Avenue, Hartstown in Blanchardstown had pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Dara McCormack, 24, just over six years ago.

However his trial last year for the murder of Mr McCormack collapsed after a prosecution witness refused to answer questions under cross examination.

Mr McCormack was shot in the back near his home on 11 February 2006.

Mr Justice Paul Carney said he did not accept Finnegan's "self- serving version of events".

The judge said the accused and his victim had been lifelong friends, but this had not prevented Finnegan from taking part in a vicious attack over a squalid drugs debt.

Adding that normally a convicted person would be entitled to a significant discount in relation to a plea of guilty, however he said he was not going to apply that in this case, as the acceptance of a guilty plea was forced on the prosecution.

Afterwards, Mr McCormack's family said the attack had been callous and premeditated and felt they had not got justice.

They said 12 years was too lenient for the death sentence Finnegan had given their brother and son and the life sentence he had given his family.

(H)