"Gross negligence" conviction for shooting wife dead is upheld

A man convicted of killing his wife in a shooting at their home in Bailieborough, County Cavan has had his appeal dismissed by the Court of Appeal. Oliver Kierans was found guilty of manslaughter by majority jury verdict in relation to the death of Patricia Kierans on September 5th, 2013. He had pleaded not guilty to murder. Kierans was also convicted of possessing an illegal shotgun and of pointing the weapon at a member of An Garda Síochána during a subsequent incident at a public house in Bailieborough. The trial court imposed concurrent sentences totalling nine years. The Court of Appeal upheld both the conviction and sentence, with Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy finding that the trial judge properly instructed the jury and that the sentencing fell within appropriate range. The court rejected submissions that greater credit should have been afforded for personal circumstances.