Man convicted of murdering shop worker

A 28-year-old Polish man, who stabbed a shop worker to death outside a nightclub in Galway, has been convicted of murder.

Alexsander Nadwodny, formerly of Renmore Park, will serve life for killing Kieran Cunningham in the early hours of the morning of June 3, 2009.

Alexsander Nadwodny stabbed Kieran Cunningham three times outside the Karma nightclub, penetrating his heart and lungs in a killing described by the victim’s family as a pointless, brutal murder.

The attack was captured on CCTV cameras around Williamsgate Street and the footage proved a key element of the prosecution case against the 28-year-old.

On the stand, the accused gave evidence that he was extremely drunk and that the incident arose after he had heard anti-Polish comments while sitting on the kerb with his friend Jolanta.

He said he was falling asleep, when she pointed at a young man shouting at her across the street and showed him a knife in her bag and told him to "do something".

This was denied by Jolanta Zlotnik in her evidence.

After two and a half hours of deliberations the jury today returned a unanimous guilty verdict.

Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy has jailed Alexsander Nadwodny for life for murder.

Speaking after the verdict, Kieran's uncle Martin Cunningham said any other outcome would not have been acceptable to his family.

"Kieran's was an absolute joker, a joy…He was a dote...Any other verdict would have cast aspersions on him. This is the only verdict we would have been happy with," he said.