Court of Appeal increases Lorcan Merriman’s sentence for firearm disposal

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

The Court of Appeal increased Lorcan Merriman’s sentence for disposing of the firearm used in the killing of Thomas Farnan, substituting six years’ imprisonment with the final 18 months suspended. Merriman is to be supervised by the probation service during the suspended period.

The proceedings were reported on 19 January 2023. Farnan, 37, was shot dead at the front door of his home at Kilcronan Close, Clondalkin, Dublin, on 25 April 2016.

Merriman, of Lealand Close, Clondalkin, went on trial for murder before the Central Criminal Court in October 2021. He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of disposing of the firearm on the 11th day of the trial.

Trial judge Mr Justice David Keane sentenced him to four years’ imprisonment with the final 18 months suspended. The Director of Public Prosecutions sought a review on grounds of undue leniency.

Court of Appeal president Mr Justice George Birmingham said the reduction from six years with 18 months suspended, which the trial judge had identified as appropriate before making a further reduction, was unjustified and failed to reflect the seriousness of the offence. The appeal court quashed the original sentence.

Merriman had been charged in March 2018 and subsequently pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing firearms and ammunition in suspicious circumstances. In July 2018 he was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment, backdated to March 2018. Mr Justice Birmingham said the firearm found in that investigation was not the weapon used to kill Farnan.