Dean Kerrie jailed for manslaughter of home intruder

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

Dean Kerrie was sentenced at the Central Criminal Court on 26 October 2022 to four years and six months for manslaughter, with the final year suspended for two years.

The sentence was backdated to 30 June 2022 to account for time already spent in custody. Kerrie was 17 when he killed Jack Power at Shanakiel, Dunmore East, on 26 July 2018.

Kerrie pleaded not guilty to murder. After a retrial, a jury acquitted him of murder and found him guilty of manslaughter. The proceedings were reported on 13 July 2022. His first trial had ended in February when the jury could not agree on a verdict.

Mr Justice Paul McDermott said Kerrie was entitled to use force to defend himself, his family and his home, but that the force used was grossly excessive given that Power was unarmed. The judge said Kerrie had not instigated or expected the violence and took his age, remorse and response after the stabbing into account when setting sentence.

Kerrie was required to work with probation services and engage with anger and violence management if deemed appropriate after his release.