Courts / Waterford / Report

Man jailed for life for Waterford murder

Summary

In a Central Criminal Court hearing on 14 June 2021, Stephen Keane, aged 31, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of 60‑year‑old John Lowe in Portlaw, Waterford, on 13 December 2018. The court heard victim impact statements from three of Lowe's sisters, who described the loss of their brother and the emotional devastation caused by his brutal death. Keane had pleaded guilty to manslaughter but not to murder, claiming a single punch after an alleged argument over a silver box and that Lowe had approached him with a knife – evidence that gardaí could not confirm. The jury heard that Keane had attempted to resuscitate Lowe and that he was heavily intoxicated on the day of the incident. The life sentence was back‑dated to the date of the murder. The judge offered condolences to Lowe's family. The hearing concluded with the sentence imposed. Stephen Keane was found guilty.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Man jailed for life for Waterford murder. Charges or matters: manslaughter but not guilty to Mr Lowe's murder. Procedural stage: sentence. Findings: Found guilty

When:

• December 13, 2018 Hearing Or Sentence
• 2021-06-14 Publication

Why: Keane had claimed to have hit Mr Lowe with "one punch" and said that he "knew he had killed him because he caught him clean". CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Sentence Violent Crime

Related court reports

• Conviction for 'brutal, horrendous murder' of 60-year-old is upheld
• Murderer's admissions while intoxicated should not have been admissible, lawyers argue
• Man who killed own father in fist-fight jailed for 4 years
• Teen tells court of being woke to news of father's death at hands of brother

Read the original CNI report