One of Cork's most "vicious criminals" jailed for 12 years

One of Cork's most "vicious and violent criminals" who has 84 previous convictions was today jailed for 12 years for the brutal killing of an epileptic man who "innocently" wandered into his company.

Jailing William "Buster" Carroll (55) Mr Justice Carney said the portrayal of the accused during his trial as "a "jolly happy buster" took everybody in, including the jury and himself.

In March, the Central Criminal Court found Mr Carroll not guilty of murder but guilty of the manslaughter of Thomas Harte (40) in a derelict house in Leitrim Street, Cork between 19th and 20th May 1997.

Mr Harte, of Allen Square, Ballmacthomas, Cork was described by gardai as a "harmless and innocent" man from a respectable family.

He suffered 67 external injuries to the head and body and died from inhalation of blood due to blunt force trauma to the head.

Blood splashes on the wall behind where his body was found lying next to a mattress suggested that the fatal attack continued as he lay in the position in which he was found.

The court heard that weapons used during the brutal attack included a toaster, flowerpot holder and whiskey bottle and that the accused had exhorted another man "to dance on" Mr Harte's head and chest.

At the sentencing hearing today, the court heard that Buster Carroll, of no fixed address, has 84 previous convictions stretching back to 1965, many of which were for assaulting police officers here and in the UK and causing actual bodily harm.

He is currently serving a 10-year sentence for robbery at knifepoint.

Superintendent Martin Shanahan told the court the accused "is one of the most violent, if not the most violent" criminals that he has known in Cork in 30 years.

"I don't say that lightly", the superintendent added.

Referring to evidence of the accused's alcoholism, Superintendent Shanahan agreed that Mr Carroll has an alcohol problem, but said the killing was not caused by drink.

"He was a very violent man, it was not all drink", he told the court.

Describing Mr Carroll's litany of convictions as "truly appalling", Mr Justice Paul Carney said: "I have never come across a case where the picture of an accused person painted in the course of the trial differed so markedly from the reality when the constraints are lifted."

He said this accused portrayed himself as happy jolly buster who raised £100 a night from busking in Cork.

This, he said, took everybody in.

Mr Justice Carney said he had to respect the jury's verdict of manslaughter which was "probably on the basis of being taken in" by the "jolly buster" depiction.

But "in reality", Buster Carroll is one of Cork's most "vicious and violent criminals" over the past 30 years.

Apart from personally inflicting an appalling catalogue of injuries on Mr Harte, "he exhorted his nephew to dance on the unfortunate" victim's head, Mr Justice Carney added.

Requesting leniency, the defence gave evidence that the accused was sent to Greenmount Industrial School at the age of seven and was then transferred to Upton.

He had an "unhappy existence" and because of his alcohol problem," has not much left of his future," the court heard.

Paula Harrington, Thomas Harte's sister, told Mr Justice Carney that the family was "devastated" by her brother's death.

He suffered from epileptic fits and would often go missing from home.

As a result, the rest of the family was very protective of him. "He was childlike," she said.

"He was very innocent, he would talk to anyone; he would never suspect danger."

Anyone meeting him would know "within five minutes" how innocent he was and this must have been "very obvious to the accused", she told the court.

Ms Harrington said Thomas had cared for their elderly mother, a semi invalid, and because of his death she was forced to move into sheltered accommodation.

Asked by Mr Justice Carney how the family felt about the benign image of the accused portrayed during the trial, she replied it was "extremely difficult to listen to. We knew of his history."

During the trial, the jury heard that Thomas Harte was on heavy medication at the time of his killing and had wandered from home.

A day before the killing, he met Buster Carroll who invited him to take shelter in a derelict house.

He was coming out of an epileptic fit and was in a very vulnerable state when he was brutally attacked by the accused and his 19-year-old nephew, Patrick Carroll.

The court heard that a nolle prosequi was entered against Patrick Carroll, who was also charged with the Mr Harte's murder.

He is on a life support machine as a result of a subsequent incident.

As Mr Justice Carney ordered the 12-year sentence to run from 8 March, the accused began shouting at the bench before being restrained by prison officers.

After the hearing, Paula Harrington, her sister Theresa Cooney and brother Harry Harte said they were "very happy with the sentence".