A young man was jailed for six years at the Central Criminal Court yesterday for the manslaughter of a father of five who died after he was stabbed with a scissors. Ms Justice McGuinness suspended the final three years of the sentence imposed on Nigel McNamara after he agreed to keep the peace and be of good behaviour from his release date in July 2000.
McNamara (19), of O'Malley Park, Limerick, was cleared by a jury of the murder of Mr Gerard Power (34), also of O'Malley Park, in Limerick on May 1st, 1995.
In a unanimous verdict delivered on July 3rd, the jury convicted him of Mr Power's manslaughter.
Sentence on the manslaughter charge was adjourned until yesterday to allow for the preparation of reports.
I in every respect and he was not aware of any ill will between the McNamara and Power families.
The judge said Mr McNamara was 17 years old at the time of his offence and the fight started because he was accused of burgling his neighbour's house. There was no evidence he had committed that crime.