'Crack crazy' shooter in 'meticulously planned' killing gets seven years

A man has been sentenced to seven years in prison at the Central Criminal Court after pleading guilty to conspiracy to murder. Joseph Richards, aged 35 and from Lanesborough Square in Finglas, was convicted in connection with the death of Robert Sheridan, 45, who was shot at his front door in Ballymun on 5 October 2018. Mr Justice Paul McDermott found the killing was meticulously planned and involved considerable coordination to lure the victim to answer the door. Richards, who initially faced a murder charge, will serve the seven-and-a-half-year sentence, with six months suspended, after completing his current prison term, resulting in an effective sentence exceeding twelve years. The judge noted Richards has ninety-nine previous convictions and acknowledged his guilty plea and efforts to address drug addiction while imprisoned. The victim's family delivered impact statements describing the lasting trauma caused by his death.