Killer of Clare teacher is jailed for 62 months for drug-dealing

The sentence of five years and two months is longer than the jail term the man received for the 2009 manslaughter of Lissycasey school teacher Brian Casey

44-year-old Harry Dinan, formerly of Oakwood Drive, Ennis, has been jailed for having in his possession a total of €50,106 of cannabis and cocaine with intent to supply at locations in Ennis on November 14, 2022. File picture

The convicted killer of a Co Clare school teacher has been jailed for five years and two months for drug dealing.

At Ennis Circuit Court, Judge Francis Comerford imposed a 62-month prison term as part of a number of concurrent sentences on 44-year-old Harry Dinan, formerly of Oakwood Drive, Ennis, for having in his possession a total of €50,106 of cannabis and cocaine with intent to supply at locations in Ennis on November 14, 2022.

The drug dealing sentence is two months more than the five years in jail Dinan initially received at Ennis Circuit Court in 2010 for the manslaughter of Lissycasey school teacher Brian Casey on December 26, 2009.

That court heard that Dinan struck 26-year-old Mr Casey “a haymaker” in an unprovoked assault in O’Connell Square, Ennis, on St Stephen’s night, 2009. The blow broke Mr Casey’s jaw in two places.

The Lissycasey man  hit the ground with the back of his head and never regained consciousness. He died two days later.

The DPP appealed the undue leniency of the sentence and the Court of Criminal Appeal increased the prison term by two years.

Detective Garda Aoife O’Malley told Ennis Circuit Court the Drugs Unit of the Clare Garda Division had targeted Dinan and witnessed him attend a secluded area of Ballybeg Woods on the western outskirts of Ennis on November 14, 2022.

Det Gda O’Malley said that, after Dinan exited from the woods, an unmarked Garda car gave chase and while driving at high speed, a package was thrown from the passenger window of Dinan’s car. It was later found to be cannabis worth €4,970. Dinan’s car eventually came to a stop at a roundabout near Ennis NS, as school had just finished and traffic was heavy.

Det Garda O’Malley said Dinan’s ex-partner and his then five-year-old son were in the car at the time.

Dinan was arrested and gardaí recovered a tick-list from a note on his phone which showed that he was owed €16,215 for drugs. She said a search of his home found drug-dealing paraphernalia including baggies and scales and cash totalling €2,365 including €500 that was found on him earlier.

Det Gda O’Malley said the value of drugs recovered from Ballybeg Woods totalled €18,882, which was subject to the 62-month prison term for the Section 15 (a) drugs offence being drugs valued in excess of €13,000.

She said the value of all the drugs removed from Dinan’s house and car and the location in Ballybeg Woods totalled €46,606 in cannabis and €3,500 in cocaine resulting in the overall total of €50,106.

She said Dinan, who is a father of three, has 82 previous convictions including 54 for road traffic offences, and six for the sale and supply of drugs.

Counsel for Dinan, Patrick Whyms, instructed by solicitor Tara Godfrey, said his client has no trappings of wealth and was dealing drugs to feed his cocaine addiction. He said Dinan is quite entrepreneurial and was in the process of setting up a bouncy castle business at the time of his arrest.

Judge Comerford said there was no evidence that Dinan was involved at high levels in a criminal operation but he was not at the lowest level either.

• On Sunday, July 13, Lissycasey GAA will honour the memory of deceased members of the club’s 2007 Clare Senior Football Championship-winning team, including Brian Casey, with the unveiling of a memorial plaque at the club grounds.