Ross Allen jailed for eight years for manslaughter

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

Ross Allen received a 10-year prison sentence for manslaughter, backdated by 15 months, with the final two years suspended provided he kept the peace, behaved well and cooperated with probation services for four years after release. Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy imposed the sentence at the Central Criminal Court on 27 July 2016.

In June 2016, Allen was acquitted of murder and convicted of manslaughter over the killing of Christy Daly beside his caravan at Bog Lane in Clara, Co Offaly, on 29 December 2013. The judge explained that the jury had not accepted that Allen shared a purpose to kill, so he treated the offence as assault manslaughter.

The report linked the attack to cannabis Allen had hidden which subsequently disappeared, with Daly blamed for its loss. Allen said he feared being blamed himself and believed his life was at risk. The report said he collected the car, attended a meeting before the attack and recovered a sawn-off shotgun. He also knew another occupant had a semi-automatic pistol, which the judge identified as the fatal weapon.

Allen kept watch during the attack on Daly, who sustained eight gunshot wounds, and burned the car the following day. He told gardaí he believed the weapons were for protection rather than killing Daly. He admitted involvement after arrest but withheld the killers' identities, saying he owed them drug debts and was afraid. The judge said others had murdered Daly, but considered Allen highly culpable because he knowingly assisted anticipated violence involving firearms and serious criminals.

The judge acknowledged Allen's troubled upbringing, foster care and homelessness, as well as his employment record, courses and charitable work in custody. His partner's reference described their young child as a stabilising influence.