A father-of-4 has been jailed for life for shooting dead his best friend in his North Dublin apartment.

Peter Donnelly of The Green, Larch Hill Apartments in Santry has been found guilty of the murder of Edward Flanagan on June 16th 2011.

The Central Criminal Court heard the 52-year-old can not recollect or explain why he shot his friend in the back of the neck.

The pair had been drinking with 2 other men at a field in Belcamp before returning to watch films at Peter Donnelly's apartment.

When the jury returned an 11-1 guilty verdict on the murder charge this afternoon, Mr. Justice Paul Carney asked Detective Garda Shay Woods if he could advance the mystery of what the case was all about.

Garda Woods said the only reason he could think of was that there was noise and people dancing around Peter Donnelly's apartment and he wanted them out.

He said Eddie Flanagan was sitting back enjoying a can of beer and wasn't getting off his chair.

Court told family lives were torn up

The victim's sister Marie Flanagan gave victim impact evidence her family's lives were torn up having to tell her 12-year-old nephew that his father had died.

''His little face was heartbreaking'' she said.

Defence barrister Patrick Marrinan, SC, told the court his client had acted out of character, that the deceased was genuinely his best friend and that Peter Donnelly deeply regrets his actions.

He described the father-of-4 as a model prisoner and an artist of outstanding talent who has given paintings to charitable institutions and is putting his time in prison to good use.

Mr. Justice Carney handed down the mandatory life sentence and backdated it to June 2011 when the accused went in to custody ahead of his trial.

The victim's sister Marie Flanagan spoke about her brother after the verdict.