Killer jailed for 12 years over hurley assault

A Dublin man who killed a father of three by savagely beating him with a hurley in a road rage incident two years ago has been sentenced to 12 years by the Central Criminal Court.

Karl Donohoe, aged 31, of Boulevard, Bealing Village, Tyrellstown, was charged with the murder of Raymond Bates, aged 49, at the junction of Tritonville Rd and Sandymount Rd on Sept 30, 2010.

On Feb 20, Donohoe pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. This plea was accepted by the DPP.

Delivering sentence this morning, Mr Justice Paul Carney said the “savagery” of the beating administered by Donohoe and the fact that he had appointed himself “sheriff and enforcer” in response to Mr Bates’s “bad and drunken driving” merited a sentence of 12 years.

He said he also took into account Donohoe’s words in the aftermath of the attack and the “devastating effect” the incident had on Mr Bates’ family. There were shouts of “yes” and applause followed by sobbing from the public benches as Mr Justice Carney delivered his sentence.

The court heard Donohoe hit Mr Bates on the head with a hurley after an argument which stemmed from Mr Bates tailgating Donohoe’s car along the road.

At a Garda station after the attack, Donohoe told gardaí: “I hope he fucking dies, he got what he deserved.” He added that he “could have annihilated” Mr Bates but did not, saying Mr Bates “got away lightly”.

Speaking outside court, Mr Bates’ sister-in-law, Vivienne Sanderson, said Donohoe had not only destroyed the Bates family but his own. She said that, as a family, they hoped Donohoe would be “as big and proud now” as he was when he said Mr Bates deserved to die.

Mr Bates had met friends in a nearby pub and drank up to 10 pints of Guinness over a six-hour period before driving his Mitsubishi Pajero. He tailgated Donohoe’s Toyota RAV 4, in which Donohoe was carrying a passenger and his 18-month old daughter.

The first argument was verbal, and occurred when Mr Bates tailgated Donohoe’s car when he did not move away from a set of traffic lights quickly. There was a second encounter after Mr Bates overtook Donohoe and mounted a traffic island. Donohoe took a hurley from his vehicle and began hitting Mr Bates’s vehicle.

A witness said she heard a man with an English accent saying: “Don’t be braking like a fucking fanny, just drive your fucking car.” Other witnesses said Donohoe was shouting and had “a long stick” in his hand.

Witnesses said Donohoe struck Mr Bates on the head, causing him to fall down, and then hit Mr Bates continuously while he was on the ground.

Donohoe maintained that he only hit Mr Bates once on the head.

Another witness said they saw Donohoe hitting Mr Bates with full force on the left temple, and saw him hit Mr Bates two or three times while on the ground.

Another witness said they heard a man with a Dublin accent saying “I’m going to fucking kill you”.

Mr Justice Carney said that, having regard to Donohoe’s plea of guilty and evidence that his employer is willing to rehire him on the completion of his sentence, he would suspend the final two years of the sentence.