James Brady sentenced for manslaughter of Timothy Hourihane

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

James Brady was sentenced to 13 years in prison, with the final two years suspended, for the manslaughter of Timothy ‘Timmy’ Hourihane. Ms Justice Deirdre Murphy imposed the sentence at the Central Criminal Court on 25 April 2022.

Brady, of Shannon Lawn, Mayfield, Cork, had pleaded not guilty to murder. He later admitted manslaughter. After a trial at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Waterford, a jury unanimously convicted him of manslaughter in favour of the murder charge pursued by the State.

Hourihane, 53, was attacked by Brady and another man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, at a homeless camp on Mardyke Walk, Cork, in the early hours of 13 October 2019. A witness testified that both men repeatedly stamped on his head and body and kicked him in the groin. Brady maintained that his involvement was limited to punching Hourihane in the face, but the judge said three witnesses had contradicted that account.

The judge described the attack as brutal and savage and said Brady’s continued denial that he had repeatedly kicked Hourihane while he was prone meant she was not persuaded to reduce the headline term. She suspended the final two years to encourage further rehabilitation. Defence counsel Vincent Heneghan SC said Brady had expressed remorse.