A LIMERICK criminal, convicted of the murder of Daniel Fitzgerald in 2009 after he shot him in the head and leg, is to appeal his conviction and sentence at the Court of Criminal appeal. 22-year-old Kenneth Collopy, with an address at Kilonan, Ballysimon, is serving a life sentence in the Midlands Prison after he was convicted by a jury at the Central Criminal Court in March of last year. The jury found him guilty of shooting 25-year-old Daniel Fitzgerald twice, in the head and leg, as he left his uncle’s caravan in Ballysimon on December 8, 2009.
Collopy denied the murder and that he intended to kill anyone but he had admitted firing the shots in revenge for an earlier arson attack on his mother’s van.
Collopy was in Limerick Circuit Court last week defending two charges of reckless endangerment by driving a scrambler type motor bike on a footpath in the direction of a pedestrian.
He denied the charge and was acquitted on a first charge of driving with reckless endangerment by forcing a car to swerve and mount the footpath during a high-speed chase in St Mary’s Park in May 2009.
He was identified by gardai in a patrol car who said they were forced to brake suddenly when the scrambler emerged from a side road and crossed in front of them.
A chase ensued and Collopy drove at speed along the footpath towards the pedestrian who was forced to jump out of the way.
The jury found Collopy guilty of that reckless endangerment charge but not guilty of forcing the car to swerve suddenly a short time later during the same chase.
Sentencing him to four years in prison, Judge Carroll Moran acceded to a defence request that he serve the sentence in Limerick Prison due to his grandmother’s ill-health.
