Says it all really...

Bosh

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/courts/dying-garda-cried-out-for-girlfriend-and-his-parents-2991781.html

deadwood

Terrible waste of a young life.

MagicSean

7 years. Out in 5? It's a sad display of the protection given to those on the frontline.

meathstevie

Ah sure, a couple of years in jail will get him nicely looked after medically, nicely feeded up, teeth all fixed and ready to collect convinction number 93 in a few years....sickening.

msg11

Not only did Martin McDermott kill a Garda he started telling the emergancy workers at the scene to in his own words "**** of f".

A 7 year sentence, is an insult to every person in the front-line , let alone the family. 92 convictions also? Is there a reason the judges don't hand down bigger sentence or something, like is that the max he can get for killing a person..

I am sure it won't be the last the Garda will hear from this guy, I say in 5 years he will be out. Then 6 months on he will be up too something or other, racking up the convictions.

Maybe someday owl Martin might be screaming out in pain for his family just like what he done to that young lad.

My thoughts are with the family.

nikkibikki

Absolutely sickening that this gob$hite only got 7 years.....

I'm sure the Irish Times will have something to say about them driving on the hard shoulder...

eroo

Hard to believe it's over 2 years since that happened, and almost 3 years since Robbie McCallion was killed. Thoughts go out to their families and colleagues. RIP lads.

kub

Disgracefull, that is probably the strongest word which I can use on this public forum.

The judicial system has as usual not only let AGS and emergency service workers down but also society.

Sometimes I wonder is there a vested interest at work here, the judge ensuring that there is plenty of work for defence solicitors.

Terrontress

foreign wrote: »

I'm sure the Irish Times will have something to say about them driving on the hard shoulder...

It's hardly the sort of subject to score cheap points off.

goldie fish

Terrontress wrote: »

It's hardly the sort of subject to score cheap points off.

It hasn't stopped em before.

Terrontress

goldie fish wrote: »

Terrontress wrote: »

It's hardly the sort of subject to score cheap points off.

It hasn't stopped em before.

I agreed with the Irish Times article about parking although it has to be said I do not know all the facts.

But if they were to try something similar about a Garda who lost his young life in the execution of his duty, I'd never buy their paper again and would encourage all my friends and colleagues to do likewise.

Which is why they are unlikely to do so.

Terrontress

goldie fish wrote: »

Terrontress wrote: »

It's hardly the sort of subject to score cheap points off.

It hasn't stopped em before.

And, by the way, I was referring to the poster scoring cheap points and not the newspaper.

Cuddlesworth

kub wrote: »

Disgracefull, that is probably the strongest word which I can use on this public forum.

The judicial system has as usual not only let AGS and emergency service workers down but also society.

Sometimes I wonder is there a vested interest at work here, the judge ensuring that there is plenty of work for defence solicitors.

Fair balls to the judge. No point in giving him a huge sentence, because precedent would have it shot down in appeals and him out in one or two years. A serious and hard look needs to be taken at how our law system works with actual changes. Minor drug convictions filling cells when violent repeat offenders can stroll in and out without consideration to the huge conviction rate and horrible effect on our society.

MagicSean

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

Fair balls to the judge. No point in giving him a huge sentence, because precedent would have it shot down in appeals and him out in one or two years. A serious and hard look needs to be taken at how our law system works with actual changes. Minor drug convictions filling cells when violent repeat offenders can stroll in and out without consideration to the huge conviction rate and horrible effect on our society.

There is a point giving him a huge sentence. He murdered a Garda. this has nothing to do with minor drug convictions. Take your soapbox to after hours.

Cuddlesworth

MagicSean wrote: »

There is a point giving him a huge sentence. He murdered a Garda. this has nothing to do with minor drug convictions. Take your soapbox to after hours.

Sentence wouldn't stick and he would end up with a lesser sentence then 5-7 years on appeal. Its not a soapbox, its a fact of life in Ireland. Its a travesty of the highest order and its caused by a system based on Precedent law taken to the extreme in Ireland.

SNAKEDOC

So it all boils down to the fact that a garda's life is worth 5-7 years of a criminals life. what did the guy that hit Robert Mc Callion get, it was some stupis sentence too. both gardai doing their job and got killed for it. I was a member at the time of Robert's death and spoke to his unit colleagues shortly before he passed at the hospital. brave men and women to go through that and get back to it. It was a sad time and it made me reevaluate my position in the force. for too long society has deemed it acceptable to judge the gardai on every little mistake yet when they get it right the criminals they catch are back on the streets laughing at them, 92 previous convictions on the lad who killed Gary, if it was in the states he would get the lethal injection.

dipper.meath16

Jasus, We are far to lienient in this country.. This lad sould never see light of day again, Life for a life and all that.. The Judicial system needs a complete overhaul, scum are being let out onto the streets far to early in my opinion

McCrack

I think people have blinkers on here.

This guy was charged with manslaughter not murder. The DPP obviously considered the facts and opted for a manslaughter charge and the judge sentenced accordingly.

I appreciate people feel 7 years is not enough but then what is? People will say life, 20 years, cut his legs off, pull his teeth out etc etc but the harsh reality is these type of circumstances do not warrant the same gravity of sentence as a murder conviction would.

john reilly

McCrack wrote: »

I think people have blinkers on here.

This guy was charged with manslaughter not murder. The DPP obviously considered the facts and opted for a manslaughter charge and the judge sentenced accordingly.

I appreciate people feel 7 years is not enough but then what is? People will say life, 20 years, cut his legs off, pull his teeth out etc etc but the harsh reality is these type of circumstances do not warrant the same gravity of sentence as a murder conviction would.

given that if it was a ordinary joe soap. he wouldnt have got half that

charlemont

McCrack wrote: »

I think people have blinkers on here.

This guy was charged with manslaughter not murder. The DPP obviously considered the facts and opted for a manslaughter charge and the judge sentenced accordingly.

I appreciate people feel 7 years is not enough but then what is? People will say life, 20 years, cut his legs off, pull his teeth out etc etc but the harsh reality is these type of circumstances do not warrant the same gravity of sentence as a murder conviction would.

I agree with your post but a sentence of 18 Years would have done nicely as it would have kept him inside for at least 14 Years. 93 previous is an awful lot and should clearly have been used to give him a longer sentence, His driving alone deserved a sentence of 7 Years and I'd be suspicious of the crash itself because it seems to show an intent on his behalf.

goldie fish

john reilly wrote: »

given that if it was a ordinary joe soap. he wouldnt have got half that

That's just it. It isn't the job of an ordinary joe soap to put themselves between maniacs like the culprit and the rest of society.

Potential-Monke

This country is renowned for assaults on Gardai being given lenient sentences. It happens on a nearly daily basis. I personally know of 2 Gardai who were assaulted badly, and the people who assaulted them have a lot of convictions. They got a suspended sentence. This is another typical sentence.

The law needs to be overhauled in relation to assaults on Gardai. He deliberately drove at the Garda car, which was in the hard shoulder on the left, going slowly. The bastard deliberately drove at them. That's murder in my book. Same as that other lad, deliberately drove at him, and said so in interview. Both got minuscule sentences in comparison to the hurt and pain they've caused, not just to the families of the Gardai, but to the force itself.

Corruptable

Another tragic and pointless loss of life, just like that of Gda Robbie McCallion.

As for the sentence, I'm sure that it's about the norm for a manslaughter sentence in this country, however as I've said countless times before, it's far too short in this (and many other) cases, for a crime which up to life imprisonment can be handed down. Even the Supreme Court noted that in certain cases that a instance of manslaughter could be more serious from a sentencing point of view than murder in DPP v Conroy [1989] IR 160. There can no doubt needs to be serious reform of the whole area of homicide, in terms of acts which show reckless disregard for human life.

I my view, a more fitting punishment in light of the defendant's actions on the night would have been for those gardai and paramedics to honour his refusal of treatment and leave him where they found him although I've no doubt that negligence would be alleged against those workers by some.