Court of Appeal increases Aaron Brady sentence

The Court of Appeal has ruled that the three-year sentence given to convicted garda killer Aaron Brady for perverting the course of justice was too lenient, increasing it to five years.

Brady is already serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 40 years for the capital murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe during a robbery at Lordship Credit Union, Bellurgan, Co Louth, on January 25, 2013. He is also serving a 14-year sentence for the robbery.

In April 2024, Brady admitted interfering with the murder trial by recording and publishing footage of a garda interview with witness Ronan Flynn, who had told gardaí that Brady admitted shooting Detective Garda Donohoe, a native of Kilnaleck. The video was posted online accusing Mr Flynn of being a “rat”.

Brady also sent parts of witness Daniel Cahill’s statement to fellow prisoner Dean Byrne, who passed them on in an attempt to pressure Mr Cahill’s family into persuading him not to give evidence. Mr Cahill later testified at the trial.

Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy said the offences involved careful planning, were committed during Brady’s murder trial, and represented an attempt to undermine the administration of justice. She said the original sentence placed too much emphasis on the absence of violence or threats and failed to reflect the need for deterrence.

The court said the appropriate sentence was nine years, reduced to six and a half years because of Brady’s guilty plea. It was further reduced to five years under the principle of totality.

The sentence will begin after Brady’s 14-year robbery sentence and will run alongside his 40-year minimum term for capital murder.