The Central Criminal Court has jailed two men for the manslaughter of a Co Louth man during a drunken attempt to steal his Christmas social welfare bonus.
Mr Justice Paul Carney sentenced father-of-two Martin Myles (33) of Ferdia Park, Ardee, Co Louth to 17 years imprisonment and Kevin Reilly (19), of Hurlestown, Ardee, Co Louth to 14 years for the manslaughter of Mr Patrick ('Paig') Clinton (59), a father of six children, at his home in Ballybaille, Ardee, on December 19th 2000.
The pair went to the caravan where Patrick and his brother Mr Noel Clinton were living at the back of their elderly parents' garden and drank with them for a while before Kevin Reilly stabbed the deceased.
Reilly, a drug dependent who lived with his parents in a rural area outside Ardee, was in debt to a Dundalk drug dealer and this provided the motive for the attack.
Martin Myles admitted to gardaí that he and Reilly had planned to rob the brothers of their Christmas double Social Welfare payment and then to each stab one of them.
Reilly stabbed Patrick Clinton twice in the back but it was said that Myles did not to have the bottle to stab Noel. He told gardaí he believed Mr Clinton would have given him money, had he asked.
In court, a defence counsel for Myles, Mr Anthony Sammon SC, described the case as "outstanding in terms of the violence administered".
The deputy state pathologist, Dr Marie Cassidy, found that Mr Clinton's injuries would not normally have resulted in death, but he had a severe heart condition, which made him less able to survive the wounds and would have rendered cardiac resuscitation more difficult.
Myles had previous convictions in Ireland for assault, forgery, and possession of a firearm. He escaped detention in Loughnan House and absconded to England, where he gathered 21 convictions, including one for possession of an imitation firearm.