Courts / Dublin / Report
Man who killed his best friend should have got credit for giving CPR
Summary
In 2010, 30‑year‑old Shane Millea stabbed his cousin Paul Harris to death with a flick knife. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was originally sentenced to ten years, with two years suspended, on the condition he never possessed a knife again. Millea appealed in 2014, arguing that his immediate remorse, staying at the scene, contacting emergency services and attempting CPR were mitigating factors. The Court of Appeal agreed, reducing the sentence to eight years with the final three years suspended. The court noted that Millea had acted in self‑defence after Harris attacked him with an axe handle, and that the offence was not at the upper end of the scale. The appeal court set aside the original ten‑year sentence and imposed the revised eight‑year term with a suspended portion, subject to good behaviour for four years. The decision was made without reference to any subsequent developments.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Man who killed his best friend should have got credit for giving CPR. Charges or matters: the manslaughter of his cousin Paul Harris (33) at the Cannonbrook estate in Lucan, Co Dublin on December 2, 2010. Procedural stage: appeal
When:
- December 2, 2010 Incident
- May 2012 Other
- December 2014 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2016-05-06 Publication
Why: Counsel for Millea, Mr Paul Burns SC, had told the Court of Appeal that Millea's mother was ill but the applicant could not secure temporary release to visit her as the prison service did not consider him appropriate for temporary release because of his pending appeal. CNI source report
Case subjects
Appellant
Charges: the manslaughter of his cousin Paul Harris (33) at the Cannonbrook estate in Lucan, Co Dublin on December 2, 2010 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: He was accordingly re-sentenced to eight years imprisonment with the final three suspended. Ms Justice Mary Finlay Geoghegan, presiding at the Court of Appeal, had said the court found that the trial judge did err in principle in the sentence he imposed, and the court was satisfied that Millea was entitled to succeed in his appeal against the severity of the sentence.
Places mentioned
- Court of Appeal
Topics
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