Liam Keane jailed for five months

A 19-year-old Limerick man, who walked free from court last year after a murder trial dramatically collapsed, has been jailed for five months today on charges relating to a stolen motorbike.

Liam Keane, of Singland Gardens, Ballysimon, Limerick, walked free from the Central Criminal Court in Dublin last November, where he had been accused of the murder of 19 year-old Eric Leamy in August 2001.

Today, Limerick District Court heard that Keane was arrested by Garda John Divilly last Wednesday morning in the Old Cork Road area of the city.

Inspector Pat Connolly told the court that Keane was apprehended after the motorbike he was driving struck a ditch.

Keane was very abusive when he was taken by patrol car to Henry Street garda station where he then refused to provide a breath sample to gardaí, the court heard.

Last Wednesday, Keane’s solicitor Ted McCarthy asked the court to deal with the case the following day as his client was going to take a "certain course of action".

However, when the case was called last Thursday Keane did not appear in court and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest.

He did appear at Limerick District Court last Friday and his solicitor Mr McCarthy told the court that there had been a "misunderstanding".

However, Judge Tom O’Donnell revoked his bail conditions and remanded Liam Keane in custody to appear in court again today.

At today's sitting, Judge O’Donnell sentenced Keane to five months in prison on the charge of using the motorbike without lawful permission.

He was also sentenced to concurrent sentences of four months and three months on the charges of abusive behaviour and refusing to give a sample.

Liam Keane was also banned from driving for a period of four years.

Last November, Keane was before the Central Criminal Court in Dublin facing a murder charge.

However, the trial collapsed after three witnesses denied making statements to gardaí identifying Liam Keane as the killer of Eric Leamy, who was fatally stabbed in the Lee Estate area of Limerick.

At the time Mr Justice Paul Carney remarked that a number of people were "suffering from collective amnesia in the case".

The DPP ordered that a "nolle prosequi" be entered with Keane’s presumption of innocence still intact.