Man sentenced for threatening to kill next-door neighbours

A Limerick father-of-six has today been sentenced to two years in prison for threatening to kill his two next-door neighbours following a row over their children’s behaviour.

He later murdered the children’s father.

Richard Higgins (aged 42) of New Houses, Lattin, Co Tipperary had pleaded not guilty to threatening to kill or seriously harm Seán Murphy and Paula Hassett at their home in October 2009.

He had also denied murdering 29-year-old Mr Murphy on January 17, 2010.

However a Central Criminal Court jury sitting in Limerick found him guilty of all crimes last week, reaching a unanimous verdict on the murder count and a majority on the others.

Garda Martin Steed yesterday told the court, sitting in Dublin, that Ms Hassett, Mr Murphy and their two children lived next door to Higgins, Emma Butler, their two children and one of his other children.

On October 20, 2009, Ms Butler went to complain to Ms Hassett and Mr Murphy about their children. Ms Hassett went to the gardaí and told them of the complaint.

She was home with her partner that evening, when Higgins came to the garden wall between their properties, calling Mr Murphy out. Mr Murphy did not go out and gardaí were called.

Two patrol cars came and gardaí spoke to both men, who were now shouting across the wall at each other. Both men were told to go back inside and did so.

One of the patrol cars left and when the second car left half an hour later, Higgins came back outside, again shouting at Mr Murphy.

“Bang, bang. You’re dead Seán and tell Paula she’s dead too,” he threatened, while making a gesture in the shape of a gun.

Three months later, he stabbed Mr Murphy to death in the victim’s front garden.

The court heard Higgins was originally from the Prospect area of Limerick city and had 36 previous convictions.

Ms Hassett still lives in the home she shared with her partner while Ms Butler has moved away. Ms Hassett declined to make a victim impact statement yesterday.

Brendan Nix SC, defending Higgins, said his client was heartily sorry Mr Murphy had lost his life and would turn the clock back if he could. He said he regretted it every day of his life and was not a threat to society.

Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy said the threats against the couple were part and parcel of the murder transaction.

He imposed a two-year sentence to run concurrently with the mandatory life sentence for murder, which he imposed last week.

“It would be substantially in excess of this if these were free-standing matters, but they’re effectively dwarfed by the murder conviction,” he said,

He backdated the sentence to January 17, 2010 when Higgins went into custody.