A young man who stabbed and killed an intruder who had attacked him in his home in the middle of the night has been jailed for three-and-a-half years by the Central Criminal Court.
Mr Justice Paul McDermott said Dean Kerrie, 21, was entitled to use force in defence of himself, his family and his home, but the force he used was "grossly" excessive given that the victim, Jack Power, was unarmed.
Taking into account that Kerrie, who was 17 at the time, showed genuine remorse and that he did not expect or instigate the violence on the night, the judge imposed a sentence of four years and six months with the final year suspended for two years. The sentence is backdated to June 30 of this year to take into account time Kerrie has already spent in custody.
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Dean Kerrie, 21, with an address at St Brigid's Square, Portarlington in Co Laois, was twice tried for murder but convicted by a jury of manslaughter for killing Mr Power after the deceased had entered his home at Shanakiel in Dunmore East, Waterford in the early hours of July 26, 2018.
Delivering sentence today, Mr Justice McDermott said that in impact statements made to the court, Jack Power's family had said that they felt their son had no voice in the courtroom. Trials, the judge said, focus on rules and evidence and provide "cold comfort for relatives whose loss is profound and life-long."
