A Co Longford man was sentenced to life imprisonment at the Central Criminal Court yesterday for the murder of an elderly publican.
Ivan Neary (20), of Rhymount, Clondra, was sentenced to mandatory life imprisonment after pleading guilty to murdering Mr Tom Croghan (70), of Croghan's public house, Clondra, Co Longford, on December 27th, 1998.
Mr Croghan had worked a small farm and ran the public house on a part-time basis, opening in the evenings for some friends and locals. He lived alone above the public house and was not married.
Giving evidence before the court, Insp Aiden Glacken, of Sligo Garda station, said Mr Croghan had been found alive on December 27th, 1998, inside the front door of his bar at around 8.50 p.m by locals returning from Mass in the village.
He was assisted by the locals who thought he had suffered a heart attack until they saw he had suffered a puncture wound to the chest. Mr Croghan had been stabbed and had his main artery punctured. He later bled to death.
At around 10.30 p.m that evening, Neary "approached the Garda station and said `I did it'," according to Insp Glacken. Neary, 18 at the time of the killing, told gardai he had gone to rob the pub when he saw Mr Croghan and he "didn't like the look of him and stuck the knife in him".
Neary later told gardai he knew where the murder weapon was and that he had thrown it away nearby. The area pointed out by Neary to gardai was sealed off and an 8-inch steak knife was found.
The court heard that Neary was arrested and brought to the Garda station and interviewed, where he told gardai he had been drinking in another local bar before the stabbing and had gone to Croghan's pub "for money".
Gardai said there was no evidence of a robbery at the scene.
Neary had been a resident in the care of the West Midlands Health Board but since turning 18 had lived in a flat.
Mr Justice Carney said the sentence was to run from Neary's arrest on December 27th, 1998.