Peadar Keating and Jack Kavanagh were this afternoon sentenced at the Old Bailey

Mr Keating’s solicitor, Ciaran Shiels of Madden & Finucane, said outside court:

“Ultimately, the sentencing Judge, His Honour Judge Katz KC considered there was merit in our submissions, that our client Mr Keating:
1. Acted under direction;
2. Demonstrated a marked lack of reluctance to initially become involved;
3. That he responded to a general message that there was going to be a ‘cracking of heads’ if weapons were not quickly acquired to be found by the NCA;
4. that the conspiracy was to ultimately reduce the length of Thomas Kavanagh’s sentence rather than kill anyone; and
5. That the defendant had for a long time, entirely severed his own links with the Organised Crime Gang concerned.

“The net effect of today’s ruling is that in extradition proceedings, an English court could not impose a consecutive sentence on an Irish national already serving a sentence for an offence committed in Ireland, upon which an Irish court had already imposed a sentence of imprisonment. It is an important ruling for many other cases going forward.

“Mr Keating’s Early Date for Release (EDR) will therefore not be interfered with.”