A convicted killer who acted as a getaway driver in a murder that sparked a ten-year gangland feud in Limerick 23 years ago, "accidentally" fired a shotgun that injured his friend, his lawyers have told the Central Criminal Court.
Paul Coffey has 100 previous convictions, the court heard, including one for manslaughter for his role in the shooting dead of Eddie Ryan in 2000.
At a sentencing hearing today for a charge relating to the discharge of a firearm in 2021, his lawyer Michael Bowman SC said that Coffey had been asked to remove the firearm from a car when it went off, causing a superficial injury to his friend Alan Murphy's abdomen.
Coffey (46) of Lord Edward St, Limerick City, was initially charged with attempting to murder Alan Murphy at Long Pavement, Watch House Cross, Limerick on June 11th 2020.
The Director of Public Prosecutions earlier this month agreed to drop the attempted murder charge and accepted a plea of guilty to discharging a firearm, being reckless as to whether any person would be injured, at Long Pavement on June 11th 2020.
Coffey also pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm in such circumstances as to give rise to a reasonable inference that he did not have it in his possession for a lawful purpose on the same occasion.
Cathleen Noctor SC, for the prosecution, told Mr Justice Paul Burns that the discharge offence carries a maximum sentence of 14 years with a "presumptive minimum" of five years.
She said the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) places the offence in the mid-range, carrying a headline sentence of seven to ten years.
Mr Justice Burns will sentence Coffey on April 18th.
Firearms residue
At today's hearing, Sgt Dave Barry told Ms Noctor that Coffey was linked to the shooting by CCTV footage and firearms residue that was found on his clothing and that matched residue in the car in which Mr Murphy suffered the injury. Mr Murphy was later treated at Limerick University Hospital for superficial injuries to his abdomen.
Coffey was interviewed 17 times and said that he was a friend of Mr Murphy's and denied any involvement. In his final interview gardaí asked him to account for his presence at the scene of the shooting but he remained silent.
He was due to go on trial but the DPP agreed to drop the attempted murder charge and accepted a plea to the lesser charges of discharging a firearm and possession of a firearm. Sgt Barry said that Coffey has 100 previous convictions including a number for the misuse of drugs and for road traffic offences.
His most serious offence was from 2003 when he was convicted of manslaughter for the killing of Eddie Ryan Snr who was shot dead while having a drink with his son in the Moose Bar in Limerick in 2000.
Coffey was the getaway driver, the sergeant said, and after the shooting dropped the two gunmen to a house and burned out the car in a deserted laneway.
He was sentenced to 15 years with the final seven years suspended for that offence.Sgt Barry agreed that the killing was a "gangland related murder" and is regarded as having begun a feud between rival families in Limerick that lasted ten years.
The sergeant agreed with Michael Bowman SC, for the defence, that Coffey told gardaí that on the day of the shooting, Mr Murphy was facilitating Coffey by driving him to different locations to buy drugs.
He also said that Mr Murphy would often give Coffey money to buy drugs and at the time Coffey was addicted to heroin and crack cocaine.
Coffey said he had been friends with Mr Murphy for a long time and Mr Murphy, who was also questioned by gardaí, confirmed that they had been friends since childhood. Mr Murphy also told gardai that he knew Coffey had a drug habit and would help him from time to time to "get a fix".
Mr Murphy also told gardaí that a person owed him €30,000 but was not responding to his texts or calls. On the day in question, the firearm was in Mr Murphy's car, Mr Bowman said, and Coffey was "summoned to attend and remove the firearm and it went off".
The firing, Mr Bowman said, was "accidental". Sgt Barry said Coffey had never given an account of what happened.
Sgt Barry agreed that Coffey is now in "much better condition" than he was in 2020 when his lifestyle was "truly chaotic" and he was sleeping wherever he could find a bed and living "hand to mouth in terms of his drug use".
The sergeant also agreed that he was not aware of any animus between Coffey and Mr Murphy.
Drug treatment
In his submissions to the court, Mr Bowman said that his client had been involved in drug treatment in 2019 but during the covid lockdowns he "slipped back into drug addiction".
Since his arrest, Mr Bowman said Coffey, who has been in custody since 2021, is an enhanced prisoner on a drug-free landing and is working within the prison.
He said that on the day of the shooting, Mr Murphy had been intending to meet one of the men with whom he had a "difficulty" but that man did not show. Mr Coffey, counsel said, went to the car driven by Mr Murphy having been asked to remove the firearm which then discharged as he attempted to remove it.
Mr Bowman accepted that his client had not offered that explanation to gardaí but, he told the court, it is "not inconsistent with the plea".
Mr Bowman said he does not take issue with the DPP putting the offence at the mid-level, but he asked the court to consider that Coffey was "chronically addicted" to drugs at the time but has made progress through drug rehabilitation and no longer requires methadone or other drug assistance.
He asked the court to impose a sentence that would incentivise Coffey's ongoing rehabilitation.
