Legal landmark as Dublin man jailed for murdering friend

A 26-year-old Dublin man has today been jailed for life for murdering his friend Ian Kenny, who he shot during an afternoon in South Dublin in 2007.

The conviction of Jonathan Dunne of Windmill Park, Crumlin, is a legal landmark, as he was previously serving 12 years for attempting to murder the same person.

Dunne shot Kenny in his head and shoulder before throwing him from the passenger seat of a car near shops at Lakelands Road, Stillorgan, South Dublin.

The victim remained in a coma until his death two years later on July 31, 2009.

Ian Kenny's father John said that the 26-year-old was paid to murder his son, and he believes it was a botched job.

While Ian Kenny was alive, Dunne was jailed for 12 years for attempted murder but this evening's unanimous guilty verdict means he now stands convicted of murder.

It is the first case of its kind since the law changed in 1999. Prior to that, a murder charge could only be brought against a person if the victim died within a year and a day of the offence.