A 32-year-old man has been jailed for 11 years for the manslaughter of “a harmless inoffensive man” whom he didn’t know until he met him by chance in a pub, only to kick him to death less than six hours later.Aaron Wolfe of Glentransna Court, the Glen, Cork, had been charged with the murder of Florrie O’Sullivan (69), at Glentrasna Court on March 11th, 2023, but earlier this year he pleaded guilty to manslaughter and the plea was accepted by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).On Wednesday at the Central Criminal Court in Cork, Judge Siobhan Lankford sentenced Wolfe to 12 years with the final year suspended after agreeing with the DPP’s assessment that the manslaughter was at the higher end of the scale – particularly in light of the difference in the men’s ages – and she fixed a headline sentence of 17 years.However, she agreed with defence counsel Brendan Grehan that the killing was not planned, did not involve a weapon, and that the fatal assault was of a short duration. Accordingly she reduced the headline sentence to 13½ years.She reduced it by a further 18 months to take account of Wolfe’s longstanding psychiatric issues and a suicide attempt while in prison, which led her to believe he had certain vulnerabilities that would make prison more difficult for him than for most prisoners.Lankford earlier recalled the evidence of Det Sgt Caitriona Molloy that Wolfe had been drinking alone in the Linen Weaver pub in Cork city centre from about 3pm. At about 4pm he struck up a conversation with O’Sullivan, even though they did not know each other previously.They later caught a taxi together to Glentrasna Court, where Wolfe lived with his grandmother, Eileen Karluk, and later to Mahon before returning by taxi to Glentrasna Court. Wolfe had a total of six pints and two Jagermeisters, while O’Sullivan had no alcohol at all.Lankford said gardaí found CCTV footage of the pair at various locations that afternoon and evening and had spoken to both taxi drivers, and there was nothing to suggest there was any animosity or issue between the men throughout the time they spent together.The pair returned to Glentrasna Court at 7.38pm and went into the house, but at 8.09pm the emergency services received a call to say there was a man lying outside the house covered in blood. At 8.15pm they received a second call alerting them to an incident.[ Conviction for Dublin rioter who set Garda car alight upheld by Court of AppealOpens in new window ]The second caller told the emergency services, “There’s a man thrown down on the ground outside Glentrasna Court, he’s covered in blood, and there’s a fellow still kicking him on the ground – his name is Aaron,” said Molloy.The emergency services arrived to discover O’Sullivan with his head covered in blood and his face swollen. He was taken by ambulance to Cork University Hospital, where he “unfortunately passed away from his injuries” on April 6th.A post-mortem by Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margot Bolster found O’Sullivan had suffered extensive injuries to his head. The cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head consistent with multiple blows.On responding to the emergency call, gardaí found Wolfe in a highly intoxicated state, stripped to the waist and with his hands covered in blood. His grandmother reported that he had begun wrecking the house and he was arrested as he was a danger to himself.Later questioned about what happened, Wolfe said he had had a row with O’Sullivan in the house and assaulted him inside the building. He made no admissions about assaulting him outside the house or on the roadway.Defence counsel Grehan said his client – who, the court heard, had 78 previous convictions including one for violent disorder and one for assault causing harm – was deeply remorseful for what had happened and wanted to apologise to the victim’s family. He said Wolfe had got into a row with O’Sullivan because he wanted him to leave the house and O’Sullivan had either refused or taken too long to go. Wolfe had admitted assaulting O’Sullivan in the house but had a blackout and could not remember what happened outside the house.Imposing the 12-year sentence with the final year suspended, Lankford recalled the moving victim impact statement of O’Sullivan’s brother Paddy and she commiserated with the O’Sullivan family on their loss, describing the deceased as “a very kind and gentle person”.