Tipperary father of two jailed for firing shots into cousin's Limerick home

Larry O’Connor, 33, with an address at The Lodge, Great National Hotel, Ballykisteen, Co Tipperary, fired two shots using a pump-action shotgun at his first cousin Danny Harty’s home, before breaking into the house and firing two more shots from inside.

A father of two was jailed for 12 years today after a court heard he blasted four shots into a relative’s house where infant twins were sleeping.

Larry O’Connor, 33, with an address at The Lodge, Great National Hotel, Ballykisteen, Co Tipperary, fired two shots using a pump-action shotgun at his first cousin Danny Harty’s home, before breaking into the house and firing two more shots from inside.

Mr Harty and his partner, Noreen Dooley, and their ten-month-old twins, were asleep in an upstairs bedroom when the premeditated attack occurred at their home, at Deelside, The Quay, Askeaton, Co Limerick, at around 3.30am, on July 13, 2019.

Larry O’Connor was driven to and from the scene by his older brother Daniel O’Connor, 42, of Hassetts Villas, Thomondgate.

Larry O’Connor initially fired shots from outside the two-storey house hitting guttering just above a balcony near the victim's bedroom.

He broke into the house, firing a shot into the kitchen, hitting a fridge and a window, and he also fired a shot up through a ceiling onto the first floor, where the victims had been asleep, but no one was injured.

Background

Gardaí said they believed the shooting was linked to “animosity” between the cousins.

Mr Harty had previously lived with the two accused men who are his first cousins, and he had been in a previous relationship with a sister of the two defendants and had fathered two of her children, the court heard.

Larry O’Connor pleaded not guilty to six charges including recklessly discharging a pump-action shotgun, possession of a gun, possession of ammunition, and aggravated burglary, however he was convicted by a jury following a two-week trial before Limerick Circuit Criminal Court last March.

Daniel O’Connor was today jailed for seven years with the final year suspended. He pled guilty to one count of burglary with intent to committing reckless discharge of a firearm during the early stages of the trial. However, the State accepted he did not fire a shot nor enter the house on the night.

Larry O’Connor who is currently serving a two-year sentence for a separate burglary in Co Kerry, had 79 previous convictions, while Daniel O’Connor had 38 convictions, mostly for road traffic offences.

The court heard while Larry O’Connor does not accept the jury’s verdict against him, Daniel O’Connor wrote a letter of apology to the victims and was remorseful.

'No remorse'

Judge Pat Meghan said he could not reduce any part of Larry O’Connor’s sentence due to him showing “no remorse” nor accepting he was the gunman.

“This was clearly a premeditated attack, a gun and ammunition were sought, the car did not have registration plates, the gun was not found, the defendant’s face was covered, and as he occupied the house, Noreen Dooley, Daniel Harty, and their ten month old babies, were in a very vulnerable place asleep; the use of a firearm, the discharging of four shots,” the judge said.

Both defendants were given credit by the court for having already served fifteen months while awaiting the outcome of their case.

Noting the victims were not in court nor had they provided victim impact statements, the judge said, “one can only imagine the terror outlined by Noreen Dooley in the 999 call, and the lasting effect it has had on the parties”.