Shooter who killed teenage girl ‘gloats in jail’ as judge slashes his sentence by two-and-a-half years

Gloating: Keith Hall, 26, is said to be grinning behind bars after his sentence was slashed by a judge

A thug who shot dead an innocent teenager has been ‘gloating’ behind bars after a judge slashed his sentence by two-and-a-half years.

Keith Hall, 26, from West Dublin, Ireland, mistakenly gunned down 16-year-old Melanie McCarty as she sat in a car with her fiancé and a friend four years ago.

The fiancé, Christy Moran, had been the intended target of the attack on February 8, 2012, the Irish Mirror reports.

Hall, from Kilmartin Drive in Tallaght, was jailed for 20 years after pleading guilty to the teenager’s manslaughter.

Victim: Keith Hall, 26, shot dead 16-year-old Melanie McCarty (pictured) as she sat in a car with her fiancé and a friend four years ago

But last week, a judge cut two-and-a-half years off his sentence following an appeal.

A source last night revealed the thug is delighted and has a brazen grin since the ruling.

They said: “Hall was walking around with a smile on his face after his term was cut.

“You would swear he was after getting a massive reduction the way he was acting.

“At the end of the day he will still have a long sentence to serve.”

The source added: “Hall is not liked and there are many people out for his blood.

“He’s still got many threats against his life and is watched closely by prison staff.

“No chances can be taken. He has already had boiling water thrown at him in the past.”

Reducing the killer’s sentence last week, Mr Justice Alan Mahon said the sentencing judge erred in ostensibly failing to take account of the mitigating factors.

The judge had said he was taking Hall’s guilty plea into account but it was impossible to discern how much allowance was actually given.

The Court of Appeal said it was doubtful it was sufficiently taken into account, Mr Justice Mahon added.

His plea should have been afforded greater recognition and some further modest allowance should have been given for his drug addiction and dysfunctional background.

The sentencing judge also should have given greater consideration to the prospect of rehabilitation in the interest of Hall himself and society in general, Mr Justice Mahon added.

Hall would not have access to drugs while serving a lengthy prison sentence and would have a real opportunity to cure himself.

He also had strong family support and was genuinely remorseful which all pointed to the possibility of rehabilitation, the judgment stated.