Judge says higher proportion of murders from Limerick

Limerick has a higher proportion of murders coming before the Central Criminal Court than all other counties except Dublin, a leading High Court judge said today.

Mr Justice Paul Carney expressed the hope that the Central Criminal Court will soon be able to deal with Limerick killings on a current basis - within ten weeks of indictment.

At present, the Central Criminal Court has a 16-month waiting list for murder and rape trials.

He said a new crop of High Court judges due to sit in October, coupled with procedural changes contained in the 1999 Criminal Justice Act, should make it possible to deal with these killings within ten weeks.

His comments came as he sentenced Michael Sage to ten years for the brutal killing of John Carroll, a young deaf man from Limerick who was bludgeoned to death over a few pounds.

Mr Sage, from Killaloe, Co Clare, is one of two men convicted of the killing.

William Roche, originally from St Mary’s Park, Limerick City is already serving a life sentence for Mr Carroll’s murder.

"This is the third case I have tried this year from this area of the country in which a gang beat to death a person under a disability for a trifling sum of money or none at all," Mr Justice Carney said.

"The wholly disproportionate number of killings coming before this court is totally out of line with every other county in the country except Dublin."

He said the trials of Sage, Roche and Sage’s wife, Deidre Rose - who was convicted in connection with the killing but subsequently had her conviction quashed - had occupied lengthy court time.

This resulted in "great difficulties" in getting rape cases to trial.

He described the Carroll’s murder as a "gang killing of a person under a disability" but said Michael Sage was not some "drug crazed dysfunctional person on the streets of Limerick".