Car thief left owner dying on the road
Crime spree brute Murphy caged for manslaughter
A THUG who killed a car owner by stealing his vehicle and throwing him from the bonnet was jailed for nine-and-a-half years yesterday.
Adam Murphy, 22, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Ian Mcdonnell, who was 50, on January 23, 2022.
He admitted two counts of attempting to take a vehicle, stealing three vehicles, attempting to steal property from a vehicle and stealing a bike at locations in Dublin on the same date.
Co-accused Keith Mccormicksmith, 22, pleaded guilty to two counts of attempting to take a vehicle, stealing three vehicles, attempting to steal property from a vehicle and stealing a bike at locations in the city on January 23, 2022.
Mccormick-smith, of Mulhuddart, West Dublin, further admitted possession of stolen property in the form of a car key at his address on February
8, 2022. The pair had been committing a “spree” of crimes, where they were stealing cars and planning to sell them.
Murphy, of Ballyfermot, West Dublin, had stolen Mr Mcdonnell’s car while he was in his place of work, before driving off with him on the bonnet.
The father of three was thrown from the car and onto the roadway.
Sentencing the men yesterday, Judge Dara Hayes said Mr Mcdonnell had been “callously killed by Murphy”.
He added the two men “left him dying on the roadway as they fled to continue their spree of thefts” which had been done “for the sake of whatever sum of money he hoped to get for a sixyear-old family car”.
Murphy was sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment but Judge Hayes suspended the final two and a half years in order to incentivise rehabilitation.
Judge Hayes said although Mccormick-smith had not been charged with manslaughter, he was “involved in a chain of events that led to the death of an innocent man”. He sentenced
Mccormick-smith to three years and two months’ imprisonment, but suspended the final 12 months.
Murphy was disqualified from driving for 12 years from yesterday’s date and Mccormick-smith was disqualified for seven years. At the end of sentencing, Judge Hayes expressed his condolences to the Mcdonnell family.
At an earlier sentence hearing, the court heard the victim had stopped at his business Ozone Car Sales, on Robinhood Road, South Dublin, on the day in question. He pulled his car onto the forecourt and left the car running while he went inside.
Murphy and Mccormick-smith were seen on CCTV on Robinhood Road driving a car that had been stolen earlier in the afternoon.
They were seen driving past the car garage, doing a U-turn and finally pulling into a nearby business.
Murphy got out of the car and got into Mr Mcdonnell’s car.
He began driving off in the vehicle with Mr Mcdonnell on the bonnet. The car could be seen accelerating, and Mr Mcdonnell was carried 46 metres.
He was then thrown from the bonnet of the car and onto the roadway.
He was taken to Tallaght Hospital, but never regained consciousness and died on January 28, 2022. Mccormick-smith was arrested on February 14, 2022. He was interviewed on four occasions. He made full admissions and said: “We didn’t set out to kill anyone. I might seem like a scumbag but I have emotions.”
Murphy was arrested on February 16, 2022 and interviewed on four occasions. During his second interview he said: “If I had seen him on the bonnet, I would have stopped.”
Mr Mcdonnell’s wife Monica read her victim impact statement to the court and said they were “childhood sweethearts”.
She described how Ian becoming a father was the “proudest day of his life” and that “his greatest passion was his family”.
Left Mr Mcdonnell dying on the roadway as they fled JUDGE DARA HAYES
DURING SENTENCING