Killer back in district court

THE North Louth man who killed Aidan Myers more than ten years ago has appeared in court in Dundalk again charged with a public order offence that happened six months after he was released in 2016.

Angelo O’Riordan, (29), with an address at Horan Hall, Belgard Square, Tallaght, admitted last week offences arising out of an incident at the Dublin Road in Dundalk on August 9.

O’Riordan, from Point Road, Bellurgan, was 19 when he killed Mr Myers from Farndreg in an unprovoked attack during which he was dragged along a road under a car after being attacked with a machete.

In November 2010, O’Riordan was sentenced to ten years, with the final year suspended, for the manslaughter of Mr Myers, who was 37 when he was killed. Justice Patrick McCarthy at the Central Criminal Court described the December 12 2006 killing at Faughart as ‘quite shocking’.

O’Riordan told the district court last week that he had been released in February 2016. Details were given of the Dublin Road incident where Gardai said there had been reports of a man ‘running in front of traffic’.

They arrested O’Riordan at the scene. Judge Flann Brennan was told O’Riordan has 23 other convictions, including a number for dangerous driving. Solicitor Dermot Monahan said his client’s previous convictions ‘speak for themselves’ and O’Riordan had ‘significant issues in the past and he has served his time’.

Mr Monahan said on this occasion, O’Riordan had ‘consumed alcohol’ and had no money for a taxi home. He was ‘grateful for the Gardai coming which saved him injuring himself ’.

The solicitor added that O’Riordan is unemployed and is not getting social welfare.

Mr Monahan asked the judge to take into account O’Riordan’s plea of guilty and said: ‘He has been very unfortunate in his life and a lot of it is probably of his own making’.

Judge Brennan said he wanted to see a probation report before finalising the matter and adjourned the case to May 3.