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'Beggars belief': Assassin gets life for gunning down grandad on doorstep of mother's home
Summary
Cailean Crawford, 28, was convicted by a Central Criminal Court jury of murdering Thomas McCarthy, 55, at his mother's home in Ballyfermot on 27 July 2020. Crawford pleaded not guilty but was found guilty of the murder and of perjury during the trial. He had a prior conviction for conspiring to murder gangland figure Wayne Whelan, for which he served five years. The jury deliberated eight hours and twenty minutes before returning a unanimous verdict that Crawford fired several shots from a blue Ford Fiesta, killing McCarthy. Judge Tony Hunt sentenced Crawford to mandatory life imprisonment, backdating the sentence to 1 June after his previous term ended. The sentencing followed the prosecution's case that Crawford was the assassin who carried out the execution and that he had lied in court to avoid responsibility. The judge noted Crawford's prior criminal history and the seriousness of the murder.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: 'Beggars belief': Assassin gets life for gunning down grandad on doorstep of mother's home. Charges or matters: the murder of Thomas McCarthy (55) on July 27, 2020 at Croftwood Park, Ballyfermot, Dublin 10 but was unanimously convicted by a Central Criminal Court jury earlier this month. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- July 27, 2020 Hearing Or Sentence
- September 2021 Incident
- September 2019 Incident
- October 2020 Incident
- June 1 Other
- 2024-12-20 Publication
Why: He said he was glad the panel had rejected certain matters that were put to them by Mr Crawford during the trial, in particular the suggestion that because he was seen back at work delivering parcels "in a normal manner" a couple of hours after the killing that they should draw the inference that he was a "normal person" who was unlikely to have been involved in "a grotesque outrage like this". CNI source report
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Charges: the murder of Thomas McCarthy (55) on July 27, 2020 at Croftwood Park, Ballyfermot, Dublin 10 but was unanimously convicted by a Central Criminal Court jury earlier this month (Alleged Or Contested)
Plea: Not guilty
Outcome: Photo: Collins) A violent criminal who "assassinated" a grandfather by emptying "the contents of a pistol" into him when he answered the front door at his mother's home and later perjured himself at trial has been sentenced to life in prison. That sentence expired in June, Det Sgt McDermott said, but Crawford remained in custody, having been arrested in relation to this offence in October 2020.
Defendant
Outcome: McClean, who was already serving consecutive sentences of 16.5-years for facilitating the murder of Thomas McCarthy and conspiring to murder Wayne Whelan, was jailed for an additional three-and-a-half years for impeding the apprehension of the person who murdered Mr Desmond.
Places mentioned
- Croftwood Park
- Dublin park
- Central Criminal Court
- Clifden
- Clifden Terrace
- St Mark's Drive
Topics
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