Brother-in-law in law in trouble after threatening to kill brother-in law

The brother- in-law of a man who stabbed a garda at a south Dublin nightclub was jailed yesterday after he told him to ‘kill him’.

The man’s brother- the brother-a former IRA member and a convicted terrorist was sentenced to eight years for the stabbing of the man’s son at the Ballymacke nightclub on June 6 last year.

It was the first time the judge in the case heard how the brother, who is a former member of the Provisional IRA, had threatened to kill his son’s father-in‑law.

Judge Michael Fitzgerald said the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was an innocent bystander when he was attacked by the man, who has a history of antisocial behaviour.

The victim, aged 21, told gardai at the scene that he had been walking home at about 5pm when the man approached him in a car with his brother and his mother.

He said the man was drunk and he was holding a knife when the attack happened.

The father- in‑law was hit by the knife as he was trying to intervene.

‘I told him if he stabbed me again he would kill me,’ the victim said.

‘He then got out of the car and punched me in the face, in the stomach and in the back of the head.

I thought he was going to stab me again but then he took the knife and stabbed me in my face and chest.’

The victim sustained injuries to his head, face and arms and died on the way to the Royal Victoria Hospital.

‘The man was a notorious criminal with an extensive criminal record,’ the judge said.

Judge Fitzgerald said it was the second time the defendant had threatened the victim’s son, who was 17 at the time, but this time he used a knife.

‘It is a matter of great concern that this individual has displayed a complete disregard for human life in his actions, and it is only in the last few days that the matter has come to light,’ he said.

The defendant was previously convicted of being involved in the planning of an armed robbery at the Royal Hotel in Dublin and for possessing a knife with intent to use it in a serious manner.

The court heard the victim was also stabbed once in the shoulder and once in his arm.

He was taken to hospital with serious facial injuries.

‘This is a case of murder committed in the most despicable way imaginable,’ Judge Fitzgerald told the victim.

The accused’s brother, from Donegal, was jailed for 18 years for his part in the crime.

He has already served eight years in prison.

The man is the son of a former Provisional IRA member who was also a convicted killer, who he has known since childhood.

Judge Fitzpatrick said the family was shocked at the sentence.

‘There is nothing I can do for this individual other than to ask you to forgive me,’ he told the man.

‘You have no business to be the kind of person that you are.

‘In no way do I condone your actions.

It is in your best interests to make a change.’

He said he was sorry for the victim and his family, but he did not want his actions to impact their lives.

The incident came just days after a man from Donellaghaghy, Co Clare, stabbed his neighbour in the chest.

He pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was given a three-year sentence.

The neighbour’s father was stabbed twice in the neck and suffered serious head injuries, including a fractured orbital bone.

He is in a stable condition in hospital.