Courts / Dublin / Report
Two sentenced for roles in unexplained murder of dad with "Heart of Gold"
Summary
Two men have been sentenced to a combined total of sixteen-and-a-half years imprisonment at the Central Criminal Court for facilitating a criminal organisation in the fatal shooting of Thomas McCarthy. Charles McClean, aged thirty-four, of Clondalkin in Dublin, received ten years, to run consecutively after an eight-year sentence for conspiracy to murder. Mark Lee, aged thirty-two, from Lucan in Dublin, received nine years with the final twelve months suspended. Mr McCarthy, a fifty-five-year-old father of five from England, was shot dead at his mother's home in Ballyfermot on twenty-seventh July two thousand twenty after answering the door. He had no involvement in criminality and was shot nine times with no established motive for the killing. Mr Justice Paul McDermott found that McClean played a prominent role in the carefully planned murder, monitoring the victim's movements and signalling the shooter. Lee demonstrated loyalty to the criminal organisation involved whilst showing little empathy for the victim's family. Both men pleaded guilty to the charges.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Two sentenced for roles in unexplained murder of dad with "Heart of Gold". Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- July 27, 2020 Hearing Or Sentence
- January 25 Hearing Or Sentence
- July 26 Other
- September 2019 Incident
- November 2019 Incident
- April 17 Hearing Or Sentence
- July 27 Other
- August 3, 2020 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2019 and 2020 Incident
- 2023-04-27 Publication
Why: The judge said that gardai had received no motive for the murder of Mr McCarthy and that he was not known to them for any criminal behaviour. CNI source report
Case subjects
Defendant
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Mr Justice Paul McDermott said today that it would be a failure on the court's part to run McClean's eight-and-a-half year sentence for the facilitation offence into his conspiracy to commit murder sentence. McClean was sentenced to ten years in prison and the judge said he had to consider whether this was to run concurrently or consecutively to the eight-year sentence he is presently serving for conspiracy to commit murder.
Defendant
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Having regard to the gravity of the offence, the judge set a headline sentence of 13 years for Lee. Lee was sentenced to nine years in prison with the final 12 months suspended for a period of three years.
Places mentioned
- Central Criminal Court
- St Mark's Drive
Topics
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