Pair who killed schoolteacher to have sentences increased

The Court of Criminal Appeal has ruled that sentences handed down to two men for killing a Co Clare schoolteacher are too lenient.

Harry Dinan with an address at Waterpark Heights, Ennis, was jailed for five years while his nephew Kevin Dinan of Clarehill, Clarecastle, was handed down four years in prison for the manslaughter of Brian Casey on St Stephen's night two years ago.

Brian Casey died from head injuries after he was set upon during a fight on O'Connell Square in Ennis on December 26, 2009.

The 26-year-old schoolteacher was an innocent bystander and today Mr Justice Liam McKechnie described the attack as cowardly and reprehensible.

Harry and Kevin Dinan were each jailed for five and four years after pleading guilty to manslaughter last year.

Today, lawyers for the DPP argued the sentencing judge made a mistake in twice giving the Dinans credit for the fact this was a "one punch" type case; first by reducing their sentences from 10 to seven years and then by knocking even more time off their prison terms.

The three-judge court believes an error has been made and the two men will have their sentences reviewed at a yet to be fixed date.