A 24-year-old man has been sentenced to nine years in prison for the manslaughter of Galway teacher and publican John Kenny in 2011.

Last January, a jury found Marian Lingurar Jr guilty of the manslaughter of Mr Kenny in Oughterard in September 2011.

Lingurar, with an address at Loughgeorge, Claregalway, Co Galway, worked as a doorman at a pub run by Mr Kenny.

A detailed garda investigation traced his movements on the night of the killing and he was convicted unanimously, following a two-and-a-half week trial.

The court heard that Mr Kenny sustained severe blows to the trunk and torso in the early hours of 25 September 2011.

His body was found in a toilet of the pub by his wife and daughter later that day. His hands had been bound with an electrical cable and a jacket was tied around his head.

Court told Marian Lingurar Jr does not plan to appeal today's sentence

A post-mortem examination revealed he had multiple rib fractures as well as head and neck injuries.

Judge Rory McCabe imposed a nine-year sentence today at Galway Circuit Criminal Court,.

In a lengthy victim impact statement, Mr Kenny's wife, Kathleen, said the "senseless killing" had left a huge void in the life of all those who knew her husband.

She said she was addressing the court so that the voice of her husband could be heard.

Mrs Kenny said the 56-year-old was a "wonderful, caring, loving man" who made everyone feel valued and important. She said "an atrocity had taken place" on the night he was killed.

She said the life that was taken could never be replaced and Mr Kenny's death would haunt his family for the rest of their lives.

Lingurar, who was 16 when the offences took place, displayed no emotion as the detailed impact statement was read to the court.

His sentencing comes after a protracted legal process, during which he fled the country, assumed a new identity, returned to Ireland and fraudulently claimed social welfare payments in Cork.

The court was told he does not plan to appeal today's sentence.