Man jailed for arson and robbery months after release over killing of teen girl
Sonya McLean
A man who had just served a jail term for his role in killing a 16-year-old girl in 2012 has been jailed for setting fire to a car and robbery of a shop last year.
Keith Hall (37) had just been released from serving a sentence after he was convicted of the manslaughter of Melanie McCarthy-McNamara, who was shot dead as she sat in a car in Tallaght on February 8, 2012.
She was in the passenger seat of a car with her boyfriend and another man when she was shot with a double-barrelled sawn-off shotgun.
The Central Criminal Court heard that her boyfriend, Christopher Corcoran, and another man, Paul Byrne, were the intended targets. Hall’s role was to throw a rock at the window of the house to lure the occupants out of it.
Hall, of Kells Road, Crumlin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to arson of a Volkswagen Passat in Whitestown Way in Tallaght on July 10, 2025 and to robbery of Halfords in Belgard Retail Park, also in Tallaght on July 17, 2025. He has a total of 112 previous convictions.
The court heard the three males were caught on CCTV footage setting the car alight at 1.20am on July 10, 2025. Gardaí were able to identify the suspects and confirmed that Hall was one of those responsible for the arson after the doors in the vehicle were smashed and accelerant was poured in before it was set alight.
Garda Elaine Markham told Carol Doherty BL, prosecuting, that the following week Hall was spotted by the deputy manager in Halfords filling a bag with car valeting products. Hall then moved to another section of the shop and took more items from the camping section.
He was approached by the deputy manager and threatened him. He was told to get out of the shop and Hall left without any “further interaction”, Gda Markham said. The items taken, which were worth €800, were never recovered.
Sentencing Hall, Judge Orla Crowe said Hall was present when the car was set alight and accepted that he had made admissions when he was arrested.
She noted that he had only been released from prison when he got involved in the two offences before the court.
Judge Crowe accepted Hall had “consistent poly-substance abuse issues” throughout his life and had spent most of his life in custody. She acknowledged that he has been on methadone since his remand in custody and is on an enhanced prison regime.
She said a report from the Probation Service puts Hall at “a very high risk of re-offending” but acknowledged that he has also demonstrated a positive attitude towards working with them and the service “feel they could work with him into the future”.
Judge Crowe imposed concurrent terms of three years and six months on each of the offence. She suspended the final six months on condition that Hall engage with the Probation Service for one year upon his release from prison.
