Man gets life for murder over sausage
A 21-year-old Co Tipperary man has been jailed for life after being found guilty of murdering his friend in a row over a battered sausage.
At the Central Criminal Court today Charlie Maher, originally from Clonmel, Co Tipperary, with an address at Grange Cohan, St John's Park, Waterford was convicted of the murder of John Paul Ryan (aged 20) at Grange Cohan Park, Waterford on 11 March, 2002.
The murder trial jury deliberated for almost four hours before returning a majority guilty verdict of 11-1.
During the trial, a witness told the jury that "all war broke loose over a sausage" prior to the murder of Mr Ryan. On the night of the killing a group of friends, including the deceased and the accused, were drinking together on the grounds of a football pitch on the outskirts of the city.
Later, they went to a friend's house and continued to drink before going to a local takeaway for some fast food.
According to witnesses, John Paul Ryan took a sausage out of the accused's bag and he "took it the wrong way". In the ensuing row, both men struck a number of blows, the court had heard.
The fight broke up and the accused walked home alone, but met up with John Paul Ryan on the roadway in front of his house. The trial heard that Charlie Maher stabbed the deceased twice, once in the heart and once in the thigh.
The trial also heard that Charlie Maher had armed himself with two knives and had told his girlfriend, Ciara Gater, "there will be damage done tonight".
At the Central Criminal Court Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns imposed the mandatory life sentence for murder.
