Alan McNamara found guilty of murder

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Alan McNamara was found guilty of murdering Andrew O'Donoghue. He had pleaded not guilty. The proceedings were reported on 31 July 2017.

The jury returned a unanimous verdict after deliberating for two hours and 43 minutes. McNamara was remanded in custody pending sentencing in October.

O'Donoghue was shot on 20 June 2015 at the Road Tramps motorcycle clubhouse in Murroe, Co Limerick. The report said the killing was linked to a dispute between the Road Tramps and the rival Caballeros club.

After his arrest, McNamara told gardaí that Road Tramps members had come to his home the night before the shooting, brandishing firearms and threatening him and his family. Defence counsel Hugh Hartnett said McNamara acted in self-defence because he was panicked and frightened, and feared his family could be attacked.

Hartnett said only a third of the shotgun pellets struck O'Donoghue, consistent with McNamara's account that he did not aim at anyone or mean to kill. The prosecution said McNamara had gone to the clubhouse seeking retribution.

Earlier in the trial, McNamara's stepson Robert Cusack admitted assisting an offender.