A female Continuity IRA assassin who shot dead an innocent father-of-two as he prepared to go to work has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Special Criminal Court.
Rose Lynch (50) confessed to gardai that she "executed" David Darcy (39) and had "emptied a handgun" during the murder of the van driver, who the non-jury court heard was "wholly blameless" and was not involved in criminality.
Passing sentence, presiding judge Ms Justice Elizabeth Dunne said the incident could only be described as "a premeditated, calculated and cold-blooded murder".
She said a matter of great hurt to Mr Darcy’s family was the manner in which the victim’s good name was subject to attack from the unlawful organisation of which Lynch was a member.
However, Ms Justice Dunne said the evidence was “crystal clear” David Darcy was wholly innocent, was not involved in criminality and was a man “going about his business”, concerned about earning a living, his family and his social life.
“The court accepts fully that he [Mr Darcy] was an innocent victim of an appalling crime,” Ms Justice Dunne said.
She said the court noted the victim impact statements of Mr Darcy’s partner Amanda Haverty, who described how “the love of her life” had survived a brain tumour before his murder, and the victim’s father Henry Darcy, who described how his wife could not comprehend how a mother could kill another mother’s son.
Ms Justice Dunne said although the court noted that Lynch had pleaded guilty, saving the victim’s family the ordeal of a lengthy trial, it also observed the defendant had not offered “any single expression of remorse” for the murder of Mr Darcy.
Lynch repeated her refrain of “tiocfaidh ár lá” as she was led away from the dock by prison officers, which was answered by a sustained round of applause from the family and friends of David Darcy who had attended the sentence hearing.
Mother-of-four Lynch, who studied for a degree in applied social studies and psychology, also received concurrent sentences totalling 31 years after she pleaded guilty to IRA membership and the possession of firearms and ammunition.
Lynch, with an address at Oakleigh Wood, Dooradoyle, Limerick, pleaded guilty to possession of a shotgun and revolver with intent to endanger life on November 28th 2011, possession of a Walther pistol and eight rounds of ammunition on a date between November 25th and December 14th, 2011 and possession of 25 rounds of 9mm ammunition at the Naas Road, Dublin on December 15th, 2011.
Asked how she pleaded to a charge of membership of an illegal organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army, otherwise the IRA, otherwise Oglaigh na hEireann on November 28th, 2011, Lynch replied: "I'm guilty but I'm very proud of it".
Counsel for the State, Mr Paul Greene SC, had told the court that Lynch and a male accomplice used a stolen Opel Astra car to “stake out” and surveil Mr Darcy’s home and were lying in wait for him on the morning of the murder.
The senior investigating officer in charge of the investigation, Detective Inspector Colm O’Malley, said that in the fifth of thirteen interviews with detectives, Lynch admitted to her involvement and told officers: “I executed David Darcy.”
Det Insp O’Malley agreed with Mr Greene that Lynch had denied anybody else was with her when she carried out the killing but told the court that gardai were “absolutely satisfied” that she was with a male accomplice at the time.
Det Insp O’Malley said that Lynch told gardai that she had emptied a handgun during the assassination and that Mr Darcy had been killed in retaliation for the death of Dublin CIRA “Officer Commanding” Liam Kenny.
He told Mr Greene that gardai were “absolutely satisfied” that the allegations against David Darcy were lies, that he was not involved in any criminality and was an “honest man going about his daily routines”.
Det Insp O’Malley agreed with Mr Greene that when asked whether she was a member of the Continuity IRA, Lynch replied that she was not ashamed to admit she was a “volunteer”.
“I am a true volunteer and I will die that way; we were on active service when we murdered David Darcy,” Lynch told gardai.