A Limerick man who threatened to kill a woman, just hours after his brother was murdered in the city's notorious feud, has been jailed for eight months.
Paul Crawford (33), O'Malley Park, Limerick, shouted: "My brother Noel is dead, ye are all dead too," just hours after his older brother was killed, Limerick District Court heard yesterday.
Crawford pleaded guilty to threatening to kill Elizabeth Sparling in O'Malley Park on December 18th and to threatening to cause criminal damage.
In his evidence to the court yesterday, Det Garda Dave Burke said he heard Crawford make the threats to Ms Sparling while gardaí were investigating the scene of another shooting in O'Malley Park on the morning of Noel Crawford's murder.
Pointing to three houses, Paul Crawford had shouted: "That will be done tonight, children and all. That one as well, that one too," the court heard.
Defence solicitor Ted McCarthy told the court that his client "was in a state of shock" that morning as his brother had just been murdered.
He said there had been a number of other events leading up to Noel Crawford's murder, including the shooting of his five-year-old nephew and another shooting at the Crawford family home in O'Malley Park.
Mr McCarthy said Crawford was subjected to taunts on the morning of his brother's murder and that he "vented his frustration" on Ms Sparling, who was not part of these taunts but who "was in the wrong place at the wrong time".
Ms Sparling had given evidence at a previous bail hearing that she was no longer in fear of Crawford.
Mr McCarthy said his client had been in custody since his arrest on December 18th and it had been "extremely difficult" for him. He had missed his brother's funeral and had not been able to see his children over Christmas which was a "particularly traumatic period" for the family.
Judge Tom O'Donnell described the threats made by Crawford as very serious and added that they were made at a time when tensions were running high. He had to take into account that the Crawford family had suffered a terrible loss, but he said Crawford's reaction as "over the top and completely uncalled for".
Judge O'Donnell jailed Crawford for eight months on both charges to be served concurrently.