A Dublin man has been sentenced to life in prison for shooting publican Charlie Chawke during a robbery.
Frank Ward (54), Knockmore Avenue, Tallaght, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for his role in the incident outside Mr Chawke's restaurant and bar, The Goat Grill in Goatstown, south Dublin, on October 6th, 2003.
Mr Chawke was seriously injured in the shooting and his right leg was amputated five days later.
Asked by Judge Patrick McCartan after the sentence had been handed down if he had anything to say, Ward replied: "A pox on all your houses."
Ward, who defended himself, had changed his plea to guilty to the charges before him on the second day of his trial last month.
Judge McCartan imposed two life sentences for the charges of intentionally causing serious harm to Mr Chawke and robbery of €48,652 in cash and cheques.
He imposed sentences of 12 years on two further charges of possession of a shotgun with the intention of resisting arrest and one count of possession of a shotgun with the intention to commit robbery, with all sentences to run concurrently.
Larry Cummins (54), Mellows Road, Finglas, was given a 15-year sentence in July 2006 for his role in the same offences.
Judge McCartan described Ward as a "career criminal" and said he was imposing the maximum sentence available to him to ensure that he would not be released until the authorities were satisfied that he "no longer represents the threat to others that he currently does".
He would also then be monitored under licence.
The judge praised what he called the "brave and single-minded actions" of the gardaí who pursued and apprehended Ward, knowing he was armed.
He described the gardaí and Mr Chawke, who he said made a "valiant but vain attempt" to grab the shotgun from Ward, as the "real heroes who make life possible for all of us".
Det Sgt Michael Gibbons told prosecuting counsel Patrick McCarthy SC that Ward, a married father of three, had six previous convictions, including three for armed robbery.
Mr Chawke previously told the court he was getting into his silver Mercedes outside The Goat with a bag containing cash and cheques when he noticed in the driver's mirror two men running towards him from a red Volkswagen.
He said the man who got out of the driver's side had a shotgun hanging from his shoulder. This man opened the driver's door of his car with the gun pointing downwards and said "give me the f**king money".
Mr Chawke said that he saw an opportunity and "dived" for the gun but missed and fell to the ground.
He said the man told him "you are a f**king smart ass" before he took aim "from a distance of 12 inches and blew my knee away".
Ward told Judge McCartan that he had intended to "go easy" on Mr Chawke and asked why, if he was a man disposed to violence, he had not just shot him in the head. He accepted that he discharged his weapon at gardaí but said he was trying to get them to "back off".