Getaway driver to be sentenced for role in murder of innocent family man

Eric Shorthall, aged 23 and resident in Ballyfermot, Dublin, is to be sentenced at the Central Criminal Court for his role as getaway driver in the May 2015 murder of Alan O'Neill in Tallaght. Shorthall pleaded guilty to impeding the apprehension or prosecution of Warren Nolan, who was convicted of the shooting in December 2018. Detective Garda evidence indicated that Shorthall, then 18, drove a strategically positioned second getaway vehicle in convoy with the primary hit car. CCTV footage showed communication between the drivers before the shooting. O'Neill, described as a devoted family man with no criminal connections, was shot in his Kiltalown Road driveway. The court heard victim impact statements from O'Neill's family members. The defence submitted that Shorthall had experienced significant personal tragedy and highlighted his early guilty plea. The investigation remains ongoing, though only Shorthall and Nolan have faced court proceedings. Sentencing is scheduled to conclude the hearing.