Pair have 20-year sentences for aggravated burglary reduced on appeal

Two Dublin men have had their sentences reduced on appeal following convictions for aggravated burglary at a rural Tipperary home in November 2013. Patrick Gately and Dean Byrne, both convicted alongside five others for the offence at the Corcoran residence near Killenaule, each received 20-year sentences in October 2015 at Clonmel Circuit Criminal Court. The Court of Appeal reduced both sentences to 18 years, with the final four suspended, on grounds that the divergence between their tariffs and those of co-accused was excessive. Three appeal judges found the sentencing judge correctly categorised the burglary as exceptionally serious, noting the home invasion involved multiple attackers armed with weapons and resulted in significant violence against the householder and threats to his family. The appeals of three other convicted men were dismissed. Their sentences remain unchanged.