A homeless deaf man has been jailed for seven years for killing an acquaintance by knocking him under a bus in Dublin.

Edward Connors (30) of no fixed abode was described in court as 'having a primitive personality'.

However, the court heard no suitable rehabilitation services are available for him.

Eoghan Dudley (28) died from "catastrophic...injuries" after he went under the wheel of a bus on Dawson Street during rush hour in December 2012.

Connors was convicted of his manslaughter last year - in part because CCTV footage appeared to show him punching the deceased before he fell off the footpath. He then fled the scene.

In jailing him for seven years, Judge Patrick McCartan noted that the accused man has been dealt a very sad deck of cards: he has been deaf almost since birth and later wound up on drugs living a chaotic life on the streets.

The judge spoke of how after his conviction every effort had been made by lawyers, carers and Deaf Ireland to find him a suitable scheme of secure rehabilitation staffed by people with sign language - but nothing was available.

Efforts were made to have Connors assessed in the UK, but there were legal difficulties.

The government has promised that rehabilitation services for deaf people will come on stream next year.

This may yet benefit Connors, who was described as at serious risk of re-offending by the probation services.

Judge McCartan said his drug status is unclear and his record is peppered with aggression and violence - but the door of the court is open to the prosecution and the defence if, at some stage, a secure place of counselling and rehabilitation becomes available.

Brendan Lennon from the group DeafHear, which advocates for specialist services and supports to deaf and hard of hearing people.