A judge says there is a lack of precedent in the case of a man found guilty of a murder committed while he was a juvenile.

The man, who cannot be named by order of the court, was one of six people found guilty of the murder of 43-year-old Thomas Dooley at a cemetery in County Kerry in 2022.

A Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork heard the man has now accepted his role in the murder of Thomas Dooley on the 5th of October 2022 and said he is ‘genuinely sorry’ in a handwritten letter.

The court heard the father-of-seven had suffered stab and chop wounds during the attack in Rath Cemetery.

Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring heard there is no case law and the DPP had given no guidance in terms of sentencing.

The judge said she was ‘anxious to get this right’ and asked for any reports or guidance from any jurisdiction which could guide her decision making.

Judge Ring noted the victim’s wife, Siobhan, was in court and said she understands the family are keen for the matter to be dealt with.

She remanded the man in custody until the 31st of March.

Main image: The courthouse in Cork. Picture by: David Creedon / Alamy Live News.