Life sentence for murder of Cork postman

A 21-year-old man has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Cork postman Barry Daly, in what the judge described as a "brutal action".

Alex Deady of Glenview, Convent Road in Doneraile, was convicted of murdering Mr Daly, a father-of-five, in the early hours of Sunday 12 October last year, outside his home at Rockview Terrace in Doneraile. Mr Daly, who was 44, died of catastrophic head and facial injuries inflicted with a golf club.

The trial and pleas

Deady and two teenage boys, who cannot be named because of their age, went on trial in June charged with the murder. Deady and the 17-year-old pleaded guilty to manslaughter but not guilty to murder. The 16-year-old entered a plea of not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter, a plea accepted by the Director of Public Prosecutions.

In July, Deady was found guilty of murder. His 17-year-old co-accused was also found guilty of murder at a retrial in Cork last month, after the jury in the first trial was unable to reach a verdict. The 16-year-old had pleaded guilty to manslaughter during the first trial.

The attack

Mr Daly was found in a pool of blood at Rockview Terrace in the early hours of 12 October. Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster told the jury that Mr Daly died of injuries inflicted with a golf club, including a catastrophic jaw injury that left him unable to breathe as he was effectively swallowing blood.

The attack followed a dispute in which Mr Daly had hit Deady's partner. Accounts varied as to whether the blow was accidental or deliberate.

The sentencing

Ms Justice Siobhán Lankford imposed the mandatory life sentence for murder, backdated to 3 July, and directed credit for any time Deady had previously spent in custody. She acknowledged that Deady does not accept the verdict of murder but accepts he caused Mr Daly's death.

Describing the circumstances of Mr Daly's death as "brutal", the judge said that while the action that took his life was not prolonged, it was a "brutal action". She said the case had affected the local community and "changed Doneraile forever".

Victim impact

The judge said it was clear from victim impact statements that Mr Daly, who worked as a postman, cared for the community and was an exceptional person who showed kindness to older people while working. She noted many examples of his kindness "over his short life", including one elderly man who said Mr Daly made time to chat with him and bring him the newspaper, and that he felt alone as never before following Mr Daly's death.

Judge Lankford said Mr Daly's death had left a "huge hole" in the lives of his family and his partner Katie O'Reilly. She praised gardaí for carrying out an "extraordinary" investigation into Mr Daly's death.

A letter of apology from Deady to the Daly family was read into the record. The judge noted that Deady had offered a plea to manslaughter which the DPP did not accept. Probation reports on the two younger accused detailed their feelings of deep sadness about what had occurred.

The two juveniles convicted in connection with Mr Daly's death will be sentenced on 11 September.