A 50-year-old County Limerick man who murdered a rival motorbike club member over a territorial dispute has been jailed for life.
Last July Alan McNamara from Mountfune, Murroe was found guilty of murdering 51-year-old Andrew O’Donoghue on June 20, 2015. A mandatory life sentence, backdated to December 2015, was imposed by Mr Justice Paul McDermott in the Central Criminal Court earlier today.
After the sentence was passed, Mr McNamara said he would regret the killing for the rest of his life.
His stepson, 28-year-old Robert Cusack, from Abbington, Murroe, who admitted hiding the shotgun used to shoot Mr O’Donoghue at close range will be sentenced this afternoon.
The killing was linked to a row between rival motorcycle clubs called the Road Tramps and the Caballeros.
McNamara, also known as “Cookie”, was a former member of the Road Tramps who joined the Caballeros. The day before the shooting, he went to a pub in Doon, Co Limerick wearing a jacket with the Caballeros club crest. This was seen as a provocative act by the Road Tramps.
As McNamara left the pub with his wife he was set upon by three men and his jacket was taken from him.
The following day, armed with a sawn-off shotgun, he went to the Road Tramps’ headquarters in Murroe where he shot Mr O’Donoghue who was guarding the gate leading to the clubhouse. He sustained severe facial and head injuries and was pronounced dead in hospital a few hours later.
In a victim impact statement, Mr O’Donoghue’s family said they struggled every day to understand why he was taken away from them. They said his partner and daughter, who was 12 at the time, continue to suffer emotional trauma.
The statement added that his last words to his partner and daughter before his death was “I’ll be back soon”.
“Our confidante is gone, Ava’s father is gone. Catherine has lost her partner, a mother is without her son.”
“We will continue to uphold his good name. He is our hero and will never be forgotten.
In a letter read to the court, Mr McNamara apologised and said he did not mean to cause his death.
He said the incident at the pub the previous night had changed their lives forever.
“I’m sorry that Andrew died, I did not mean to cause his death I will regret this for the rest of my life,” he said.
He added that he was truly sorry for bringing so much pain to Mr O’Donoghue’s partner, daughter and brothers. He also apologised to his own family.
