Seven and a half years in jail for Limerick man who beat man to death with a shovel

On the night of the incident, Joseph Cahill, aged 46, told the emergency services call-taker: "I beat a shovel off his head and I kept beating, to tell you the truth."

The Central Criminal Court. File Picture.

A father-of-four who beat a man to death with a shovel and later told gardaí: "I hope the c**t is dead" has been jailed for seven and a half years.

Joseph Cahill, aged 46, earlier this year pleaded guilty to the unlawful killing of 43-year-old Gerard 'Ger' Curtin. The plea was accepted on the basis that Cahill honestly believed that he was protecting himself, his property, and his children — but that the force he used in striking Mr Curtin was excessive.