Man gets 16 years for unprovoked killing

A Louth man who killed a teenager in Dundalk over two years ago after he attacked, punched, and kicked the 18-year-old “like a rag doll”, bouncing his head off a road several times following an unprovoked altercation, has been sentenced to 16 years, with the final three suspended.

Unemployed father of three Douglas Ward, aged 36, with an address at Loughantarve, Knockbridge, Co Louth, had pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Niall Dorr, on Oct 13, 2010, at the Central Criminal Court on the morning of his trial on Oct 30 last.

Mr Justice Paul Carney said that alcohol does not afford a defence and that an aggravating feature was that Ward had killed Mr Dorr while he was in Dundalk answering a bail hearing that morning.

The court had heard that a number of 999 calls were made at around 9pm stating a young man was lying unconscious on the footpath in Castle Rd, Dundalk, partially dressed and underneath a parked car.

The teenager was identified as Niall Dorr and was rushed to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda where his condition deteriorated rapidly. He was transferred to Beaumont Hospital where it was discovered he had irrecoverable brain damage and surgical intervention was not possible.

The court heard Ward, who had been drinking all day after his court hearing, was with four males and two females who were trying to gain access to a house party at Castle Rd when Mr Dorr and his two friends were walking by making their way home.

Detective Pat Marry told prosecution counsel Brendan Grehan, SC, that an incident at a fair ground the previous night, which Mr Dorr and Ward were not involved in, may have sparked the row between the groups. “It was a chance encounter between the groups,” said Det Marry. “During the fracas, Mr Dorr becameisolated with Mr Ward and he was assaulted in a very violent fashion.

“Mr Dorr was trying to keep the peace.”

A witness told gardaí she saw Ward “bouncing” Mr Dorr’s head off the road up to 10 times and kicking him in the head a number of times. She said Mr Dorr was “like a rag doll and was totally unresponsive”.

Another witness gave a graphic account to gardaí saying it was a “continuous beating with vicious kicking and punching”.

A third witness said he saw a “fella on the ground who looked like he was lifeless and a man kicking and stomping on his head”. He said Ward was “banging” Mr Dorr’s head off the wheel of a parked car.

After the incident, Ward and another male got a taxi to an off-licence where they purchased more alcohol.

Niall’s father David, mother Veronica, and brother Shane, said “nothing can ever bring Niall back”.

“Niall was the peacemaker and didn’t want harm to come to anyone. Little did he know he was dealing with blood-thirsty thugs.”