2013-10-22 · Limerick
Man convicted of Limerick breadman's murder
John Coughlan, 33, of Moyross, was found guilty of murdering Daniel Treacy, 35, at a Limerick petrol station on 22 February 2010. Coughlan pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter; the prosecution rejected the plea and a jury heard a two‑week trial. Treacy, who regularly visited the station for tea, was shot three times in the head and once in the groin. Coughlan claimed he was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time, a defence that was not accepted. The jury, after 3½ hours of deliberation, returned a unanimous verdict of guilty. Mr Justice Paul Carney imposed a mandatory life sentence, back‑dated to 1 March 2010, and thanked the jury before excusing them. The case was heard in the Limerick County Court.