Gang sentenced over death of Irishman

A GANG was yesterday given sentences of up to 35 years for an armed robbery in London that left a Cork businessman dead.

English-born Thomas Fahey, who lived in Fermoy and had a business in Cork city, died in January 2006, six months after he was shot in the stomach during an attempted robbery at his brother’s roofing business in London, on June 24, 2005.

His brother Laurence Fahey was out of the office at the time of the robbery. Thomas, on a visit from Cork, and a group of workers chased the gang from the scene, but one of the men turned back and shot the father-of-one in the stomach.

Former Sheffield United and Grimsby Town footballer, Ashley Sestanovich, who has acted as Thierry Henry’s body double for advertisements, was jailed for eight years for masterminding the robbery yesterday.

Damien Ennis, 26, and Hallroy Reid, aged 41, who pulled the trigger, were found guilty of murder. Judge Giles Forrester and sentenced, respectively, to 30 and 35 years. The judge also recommended the pair be deported to Jamaica.

Mr Fahey’s mother Katherine said in a victim impact statement: “I put on an outer appearance of strength and courage. Underneath this there is an unrelenting pain, anguish and lots of tears.”

Thomas Fahey’s daughter Ella was just six months old when he died in hospital and his

During the trial, it emerged that Premiership footballers had signed a petition calling for Sestanovich to be released.

The petition was signed by West Ham’s Bobby Zamora, Carlton Cole and Paul Konchesky, and by Jon Fortune, Lloyd Sam and Kevin Lisbie of Charlton.