A 46-year-old father of two has been handed a 10-year sentence in the Central Criminal Court for the manslaughter of a young Glenamaddy man last year.
Glasgow native Patrick Doherty, with an address at Cloncoon West, Glenamaddy, Co Galway, was found not guilty of murder but guilty of the manslaughter of Frank Fahy (20 ) last July.
Mr Fahy, of O’Keeffe Park, Glenamaddy, died from a single stab wound following an altercation in the village on December 15, 2008.
Doherty was also convicted of assaulting Gerald Costello, who was injured in the incident.
During the trial the court heard Doherty had been drinking in the same pub as Mr Fahy and Mr Costello on the night of the killing. After leaving the pub Doherty drove home, took a kitchen knife, and returned to the village centre where he stabbed both men. Mr Costello suffered a number of stab wounds while Mr Fahy died from a single stab wound to the back.
Doherty claimed during his trial that he was provoked by Mr Costello earlier in the night. However Mr Justice Paul Carney said that the most aggravating factor was that Doherty left the scene of the row, returned home, and armed himself with a kitchen knife before returning to the scene to carry on the row.
The judge said the killing had a devastating effect on the Fahy family, and he noted that Doherty had pleaded guilty to manslaughter and had expressed remorse.
Doherty was sentenced to 10 years for the manslaughter of Mr Fahy, and to four years for the assault on Mr Costello, to run concurrently. The sentences were backdated to December 16 2008.
