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Axe-murderer has life-sentence backdated by appeal court
Summary
Oliver Doran, aged 24, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the axe murder of 76‑year‑old Kwok Ping Cheng in Dublin's Robinson's Court. Doran initially pleaded not guilty but later changed to guilty and was sentenced on 8 May 2023. The Central Criminal Court, presided over by Mr Justice David Keane, described the killing as "senseless" and imposed the maximum life sentence. The sentence was backdated to 17 January 2023, the date of Doran's guilty plea, and the Court of Appeal later further backdated it to 6 May 2021, the day Doran was first taken into custody. This adjustment allows Doran to apply for parole in 2033 instead of 2035. The case involved CCTV footage of Doran entering Cheng's apartment, forensic evidence of axe wounds, and Doran's prior 98 convictions. The appeal court upheld the backdating, noting that guilty pleas in murder cases are rare and that backdating is standard practice.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Axe-murderer has life-sentence backdated by appeal court. Charges or matters: the murder of Kwok Ping Cheng (76) at Robinson's Court on the same Dublin street, on a date between April 28 and 29, 2021, and his trial began last January. Procedural stage: appeal
When:
- April 28 Hearing Or Sentence
- May 8 Hearing Or Sentence
- May 6, 2021 Hearing Or Sentence
- January 17, 2023 Hearing Or Sentence
- April 28, 2021 Hearing Or Sentence
- April 29, 2021 Other
- May 4, 2021 Incident
- 2023-12-08 Publication
Why: In passing the sentence at the Central Criminal Court, Mr Justice David Keane said this was "a senseless" murder with no motive, and ruled that he was required to impose the maximum sentence of life imprisonment. CNI source report
Case subjects
Appellant
Charges: the murder of Kwok Ping Cheng (76) at Robinson's Court on the same Dublin street, on a date between April 28 and 29, 2021, and his trial began last January (Alleged Or Contested)
Plea: Not guilty
Outcome: A person jailed for life can first apply for parole having spent 12 years in custody. Although Doran had gone into custody on May 6, 2021, Mr Justice Keane said that bearing in mind the dreadful circumstances of the case, in which a vulnerable, elderly man in sheltered accommodation had been murdered with no motive, the life sentence would only be backdated to January 17, 2023, when Doran entered his guilty plea.
Places mentioned
- Dublin street
- The appeal court
- Central Criminal Court
- Court of Appeal
- The Central Criminal Court
Topics
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