A MAN HAS been sentenced this morning to life imprisonment at the Central Criminal Court for the murder of a 60-year-old man in Waterford three years ago.

In May of this year, Stephen Keane (31) of Coolfin Meadows, Portlaw, Co Waterford, was found guilty by a unanimous jury verdict of the murder of John Lowe (60) at his Portlaw home on December 13, 2018.

Today at the Central Criminal Court, Mr Justice Paul McDermott said that the only sentence that could be imposed was life imprisonment.

Victim impact statements from three of John Lowe’s sisters were read into the court by prosecution barrister John O’Kelly SC.

John Lowe’s sister, Margaret Power, in her victim impact statement, said that she and the family were “devastated” by the “horrendous” murder of their only brother.

She said that John Lowe was of such a good nature that he even “defended the defendant before he [John Lowe] was brutally murdered”.

Another sister, Violet Sutcliffe, said in her victim impact statement that John Lowe had such an adoration for another sister, Georgina, that the family didn’t have the heart to tell her what happened. She passed away still believing that Mr Lowe, also known as ‘Buck’ was alive and well.

Members of the deceased’s family and of Keane’s family were present in the court for this morning’s sentence hearing.

After imposing the life sentence, Mr Justice McDermott offered his condolences to the family of John Lowe.