A judge has jailed two criminals for seven years and six months each for their parts in a murder conspiracy, saying they preyed upon their innocent victim "in an evil way" as part of a "vicious extortion racket".

Judge Paul McDermott handed the sentences to gunman Jason Dunne (36) and getaway driver Craig Hayes (27) who pleaded guilty to conspiring to murder Thomas McDonnell at the victim's car repair garage at Cookstown Cottages in Tallaght, south Dublin.

After the court had risen, as prison officers led the pair away, Dunne shouted "whack in the back", a repeat of a threat he made to the victim outside court ahead of a previous hearing.

Thomas McDonnell was working on a car when he was twice shot by Jason Dunne, of Cedarbrook Place, Ballyfermot on the afternoon of December 3, 2021.

Dunne, wearing a balaclava, was sitting in the passenger seat of a Citroen Berlingo van when he fired the shots.

He got out of the van and walked to where McDonnell lay prone on the ground, bleeding from his injuries and pretending to be dead. Dunne attempted to shoot him again, but the gun failed, so he got back in the van and left.

The Garda investigation revealed that Craig Hayes (27), of Cushlawn Park, Tallaght, was the driver of the van.

At a previous sentencing hearing, McDonnell spoke of his "profound sense of betrayal" as he revealed that Hayes had gone out with his daughter and was treated by the family as one of their own.

The judge said the evidence showed that a family member of McDonnell owed a €100,000 drug debt. The victim himself had no involvement in criminality and had worked all his life as a mechanic.

The people at the head of the conspiracy, the judge said, had used Dunne and Hayes while keeping themselves at a safe distance.

The judge said the conspiracy was part of a "vicious extortion attempt" in which the drug dealers were not content just to ruin the drug user's life but then went after his family. McDonnell, he said, rejected their threats so they decided to murder him. The intention, the judge said, was to terrorise other families into handing over money for fear of similar attacks.

The judge said people are being "preyed upon in an evil way" by drug gangs, who are well organised and well funded.

In his victim impact statement, which was read out by Gerardine Small, prosecuting, McDonnell said he had raised five children in Tallaght where he owned his own home, set up a business and was a hard-working, respected member of his community.

Since the shooting, he has left Ireland out of fear for his and his family's safety and is no longer able to work. For months after the attack, he used a walking frame and couldn't hold a cup or open a bottle.

His breathing is impacted by the damage to his lung and his speech has been affected as one of the bullets shattered his voice box.

He said: "I was targeted despite playing no part in the circumstances that gave rise to this incident."

He asked the court to take into account that he and his family will suffer the consequences of what happened for the rest of their lives. He added: "I also ask that you consider my profound sense of betrayal by the actions of Craig Hayes, someone I trusted."