Teen involved in Tristan Sherry murder melee buried gun and drugs for Hennessy gang, court hears
A teenager who was convicted of violent disorder during the melee in which steakhouse assassin Tristan Sherry was beaten to death was caught less than six months later burying a gun and ammunition alongside more than €60,000 of drugs in a park for the Hennessy crime gang, the Special Criminal Court has heard.
The 18-year-old Dublin teenager, who can not be named because he was a minor when he came before the courts, pleaded guilty to a number of offences at Tolka Valley Park, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, on May 7th/8th, 2024.
Advertisement
Among the charges were the possession of one or more controlled drugs, to wit cannabis, diamorphine, cocaine and ketamine valued at €13,000 or more, for the purpose of unlawfully selling or otherwise supplying the drugs to another. He was also charged with the possession of 630g of a drug named Phenacetin.
In addition, he was charged with the possession of a side-by-side shotgun and the possession of 15 rounds of 9 x 18mm Makarov calibre Sellier and Bellot made ammunition and ten 12 Gauge ELEY Olympics shotgun cartridges.
At the Special Criminal Court on Wednesday, Garda Daniel Sweeney gave evidence to prosecutor Fiona Murphy SC, that on May 7th, 2024, a drugs unit working undercover in Blanchardstown observed the defendant digging in the ground.
When the gardaí approached, they saw the butt of a shotgun sticking out of the ground, poorly covered in cling film. Eight packages wrapped in black cling film were beside the hole, with four containing cannabis to a value of €2,672, while the other four contained a drug used for mixing cocaine.
Advertisement
Gda Sweeney said that the scene was preserved until the following morning, when gardaí returned to the area and located another two packages in a lightly covered hole that was 3m away from where the defendant had been sitting the previous evening. In one package were ten shotgun cartridges, while in the second package were 15 9mm bullets.
Gda Sweeney said that another hole was discovered 1.5m away from this, containing further packages. In these, gardaí found diamorphine worth €38,962, cannabis worth €11,472, cocaine worth €3,206, and ketamine to a value of €8,230.
The garda said that the defendant was engaged in this activity in the context of the Hennessy criminal gang and had been carrying this out at their behest.
The defendant was on bail at the time for violent disorder at the Steakhouse where Tristan Sherry shot and fatally wounded Jason Hennessy snr before being beaten to death.
Advertisement
The defendant was subsequently convicted and is now serving a sentence for that offence of two years and four months, with the final year suspended.
The defendant was 17 at the time of the offending but has since turned 18.
Defence counsel, Padraig Dwyer SC said his client came from a very challenged background and had been acting on the behalf and under the direction of other people.
Mr Dwyer put it to Gda Sweeney that the defendant had a weapon for his protection, as he had reason to be concerned for his own safety.
Advertisement
To this, Gda Sweeney said: 'In my opinion, I don't think he'd have any concerns for his own safety. He was burying guns and drugs for the Hennessys, and that organisation is involved in shootings and drug trafficking.'
Addressing the non-jury, three-judge court, Mr Dwyer said that the defendant was a young man with a very difficult childhood, and he asked the court to have regard to the great difficulties he had faced in his life.
Judge Karen O'Connor, presiding, adjourned the matter to July 7th next for sentencing.
In a separate matter, the Special Criminal Court previously found the teenager guilty of violent disorder at Browne's Steakhouse in Blanchardstown on Christmas Eve, 2023.
Advertisement
During a trial last year, the court heard that gangland figure Jason Hennessy Snr was celebrating with about 30 people, including the defendant.
Ireland
Sean McGovern changes legal team in challenge to e...
Read More
Tristan Sherry and a second gunman entered the restaurant with their faces covered and hoods up. Hennessy Snr suffered a fatal gunshot wound as he grappled with Sherry, but he managed to drag the gunman to the ground.
Others in the party piled in on Sherry, stamping on his torso and head, stabbing him repeatedly and using various objects, including an iron bar and a stool, to beat him to death.
Three people were convicted of murder arising out of the assault on Sherry.
The defendant in this case initially hid under a table, but when he emerged, he engaged in violence against Sherry, who was lying prone on the ground, for about five seconds.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BreakingNews.ie
2 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Garda (48) who carried out 'protracted assault' on his then wife to be sentenced later
A garda who carried out a 'protracted assault' on his then wife, who was also a member of the force, is to be sentenced later at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Trevor Bolger (48), who was previously attached to Ballymun Garda Station, pleaded guilty to assaulting Margaret Loftus on October 25, 2012. Advertisement Ms Loftus read a victim impact statement to the court in which she described the effects the 'protracted assault' had on her. She said Bolger violently assaulted her that night. 'I lost everything,' she said. She said she had a strong sense of truth and justice. 'After this assault it also impacted personal relationships I had within the guards- there was a stigma attached to me – for standing up for myself.' She said it was 'used against me while I tried to seek justice for myself' and was as 'damaging as the assault itself'. Advertisement Ms Loftus also thanked the members of gardaí who investigated the case. 'It has taken 13 years of my life to get to where we are today but truth and justice must prevail' she added. 'Trevor Bolger, you have done your level best to destroy me …every day you have broken me,' she said. 'By your own admissions here today .. you are an abuser and a perpetrator of domestic violence,' she said. Advertisement She said as a victim of domestic violence she would like to encourage others to come forward. Detective Garda Rioghnach O'Sullivan told the court that in October 2012 the then couple had travelled to her home county in Balla, Co Mayo for a family event. Bolger was irate because Ms Loftus spoke to her family and did not stay by his side and he sat at the bar drinking for the night, the court was told. When they returned home to her childhood bedroom in which they were staying, he hit her in the back and grabbed her by the hair while she begged him not to hurt her. Advertisement She described it as a 'protracted assault' which was 'terrifying' and she feared that if she had stayed with him she would have been killed so ended the marriage the next day. Det Gda O'Sullivan told the court that the following afternoon 'she had her father stand beside her while she told him [Bolger] that their marriage was over'. Bolger was interviewed voluntarily in December 2018 and twice denied he had engaged in an assault on Ms Loftus. Cathleen Noctor SC, defending, said her client had been treated for anxiety and depression and had entered a psychiatric hospital following the event. He had brought €6,000 in compensation which he handed over to the court. Advertisement The court heard that Bolger remarried in 2021. A number of testimonials were before the court including one from a retired Inspector. Mental health difficulties Counsel said Bolger had made a positive contribution to society over his 20-year career. She also asked the judge to have regard to his own circumstances and that his mental health difficulties are ongoing. Bolger was promoted to the rank of detective and was attached to Howth Garda Station in August 2018. He was suspended in December 2018 and was sent forward for trial on indictment in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Bolger has no previous convictions. Judge Martina Baxter described it as an egregious assault. She said because it is spousal abuse she was going to ask for the assistance of the Probation Service. Bolger is to be sentenced in October. She remanded him on continuing bail noting Ms Noctor's submission that custody was harder for Bolger because of the role he had at the time and the responsibility that comes with that. The court heard the maximum penalty for the assault, under Section 2 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act which is normally dealt with summarily in the district court, is six months imprisonment or a fine. Ireland Teen (13) posted images of himself sexually abusin... Read More Judge Baxter said she would disagree with Ms Noctor's assertion that the Circuit Court rarely deals with summary offences. She told Ms Noctor that there would be more weight on her submissions on the passage of time since the offence. Ms Noctor asked the court to have regard to her client's apology, his expression of remorse, and testimonials before the court including one from a retired Garda Inspector, Nick Mulligan, who Ms Noctor said 'has known my client for the whole time he had a career in An Garda Síochána.' Judge Baxter queried whether those who had provided testimonials knew why they were asked to do so. 'I have instructions that they do all know,' said Ms Noctor.
BreakingNews.ie
3 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Teen (13) posted images of himself sexually abusing his sister (6)
A 13-year-old boy who sexually abused his six-year-old sister, took photographs of her and uploaded 64 images of this child abuse to a social media website will be sentenced later. The court heard that the boy, who is from the south of the country, had unsupervised access to the internet from a very young age and later told gardaí that he first viewed pornography when he was six years old. Advertisement A local sergeant accepted that the family were very isolated in a rural area and that their home was made up of temporary structures and a caravan. Their father was significantly older than their mother and had died a number of years previously. The children were no longer attending school. The sergeant told Eilis Brennan SC, prosecuting, that gardaí were alerted to the fact that inappropriate images had been uploaded to the social media platform Discord and the connected account was traced back to the children's home. The young girl was instantly identifiable to the gardaí as the subject of the images that had been uploaded. The images included images of the young girl engaging in sexual activity with the boy. The now 16-year-old, who is currently in a residential treatment centre for minors who sexually offend, came forward to the Central Criminal Court on signed pleas. Advertisement He pleaded guilty to six incidences of oral rape, nine charges of production of what is legally termed as child pornography and five charges of distribution of that material on dates between June 2022 and December 2022. Ms Brennan read a victim impact statement that had been prepared by the now eight-year-old girl into the record. The girl said she 'feels much happier' now and that the foster family with whom she has been living since the gardaí called to her home in December 2022, 'feels like home'. 'When I think about him I feel a bit scared,' the girl continued before she said she would really like her brother to write her a letter of apology because she said when people do bad things they 'say sorry'. Advertisement Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring noted that these images of the girl are now out there. She said the child has no control over when and where the images of her may appear again on the internet. The judge said that as the girl gets older, she will realise that she is 'out there for others like her brother to get sexual gratification from seeing her abused'. Ms Justice Ring said these are the long-term impacts for her, which she said the child is hopefully unaware of at the moment, as an eight-year-old girl. The judge said she had 'a huge set of reports' in relation to the accused but only a paragraph, the victim impact statement, in relation to 'the other child who also has rights'. She acknowledged that it is important to hear from the child herself – as she has had from the victim impact statement. Advertisement Ms Justice Ring said she wanted further information as to how the abuse has impacted the girl asking the investigating sergeant to speak to others – like her care worker – that may be able to provide more information to the court. The sergeant said he spoke to the girl's foster family and they do not wish to make a statement – adding that they were satisfied that the child was able to express the impact on herself in her victim impact statement. Ms Justice Ring said there are other impacts, that the child as an eight-year-old may not be aware of and said she wanted further information. She adjourned the case to July 21 to allow for further reports. 'What you have done is horrendous,' Ms Justice Ring said, addressing the 16-year-old. 'If you were an adult, you would be going out that door- that is the custody door. You need to be conscious of the jeopardy you are in the moment,' Ms Justice Ring said. Advertisement The court heard that the images were found on a tablet belonging to the then 13-year-old boy. All children who were living with their mother at the time were taken into care that day, with the boy being placed in a residential treatment centre. He admitted to gardaí when they arrived at his home that he had been sexually abusing his sister and accepted that he had produced and distributed photographs of her. The girl initially told specialist interviewers that her brother had punched, slapped and kicked her, but the following year made a further statement after disclosing the abuse to her foster mother. The sergeant agreed with Michael Bowman SC, defending, that the reality of the situation was the family were 'living off the grid in an unconventional family structure'. He accepted that all children were not properly supervised. Ireland Number of children awaiting place in special class... Read More The sergeant accepted that the teenager had unrestricted internet access from the age of five years old and agreed that he was manipulated by others online to post these photographs. The teenager told gardaí he had two friends, who were both friends online: one was from Slovakia, and one was from Norway. He acknowledged that the teenager told gardaí he first accessed pornography online when he was six or seven years old. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at or visit Rape Crisis Help .
BreakingNews.ie
5 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Teen involved in Tristan Sherry murder melee buried gun and drugs for Hennessy gang, court hears
A teenager who was convicted of violent disorder during the melee in which steakhouse assassin Tristan Sherry was beaten to death was caught less than six months later burying a gun and ammunition alongside more than €60,000 of drugs in a park for the Hennessy crime gang, the Special Criminal Court has heard. The 18-year-old Dublin teenager, who can not be named because he was a minor when he came before the courts, pleaded guilty to a number of offences at Tolka Valley Park, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, on May 7th/8th, 2024. Advertisement Among the charges were the possession of one or more controlled drugs, to wit cannabis, diamorphine, cocaine and ketamine valued at €13,000 or more, for the purpose of unlawfully selling or otherwise supplying the drugs to another. He was also charged with the possession of 630g of a drug named Phenacetin. In addition, he was charged with the possession of a side-by-side shotgun and the possession of 15 rounds of 9 x 18mm Makarov calibre Sellier and Bellot made ammunition and ten 12 Gauge ELEY Olympics shotgun cartridges. At the Special Criminal Court on Wednesday, Garda Daniel Sweeney gave evidence to prosecutor Fiona Murphy SC, that on May 7th, 2024, a drugs unit working undercover in Blanchardstown observed the defendant digging in the ground. When the gardaí approached, they saw the butt of a shotgun sticking out of the ground, poorly covered in cling film. Eight packages wrapped in black cling film were beside the hole, with four containing cannabis to a value of €2,672, while the other four contained a drug used for mixing cocaine. Advertisement Gda Sweeney said that the scene was preserved until the following morning, when gardaí returned to the area and located another two packages in a lightly covered hole that was 3m away from where the defendant had been sitting the previous evening. In one package were ten shotgun cartridges, while in the second package were 15 9mm bullets. Gda Sweeney said that another hole was discovered 1.5m away from this, containing further packages. In these, gardaí found diamorphine worth €38,962, cannabis worth €11,472, cocaine worth €3,206, and ketamine to a value of €8,230. The garda said that the defendant was engaged in this activity in the context of the Hennessy criminal gang and had been carrying this out at their behest. The defendant was on bail at the time for violent disorder at the Steakhouse where Tristan Sherry shot and fatally wounded Jason Hennessy snr before being beaten to death. Advertisement The defendant was subsequently convicted and is now serving a sentence for that offence of two years and four months, with the final year suspended. The defendant was 17 at the time of the offending but has since turned 18. Defence counsel, Padraig Dwyer SC said his client came from a very challenged background and had been acting on the behalf and under the direction of other people. Mr Dwyer put it to Gda Sweeney that the defendant had a weapon for his protection, as he had reason to be concerned for his own safety. Advertisement To this, Gda Sweeney said: 'In my opinion, I don't think he'd have any concerns for his own safety. He was burying guns and drugs for the Hennessys, and that organisation is involved in shootings and drug trafficking.' Addressing the non-jury, three-judge court, Mr Dwyer said that the defendant was a young man with a very difficult childhood, and he asked the court to have regard to the great difficulties he had faced in his life. Judge Karen O'Connor, presiding, adjourned the matter to July 7th next for sentencing. In a separate matter, the Special Criminal Court previously found the teenager guilty of violent disorder at Browne's Steakhouse in Blanchardstown on Christmas Eve, 2023. Advertisement During a trial last year, the court heard that gangland figure Jason Hennessy Snr was celebrating with about 30 people, including the defendant. Ireland Sean McGovern changes legal team in challenge to e... Read More Tristan Sherry and a second gunman entered the restaurant with their faces covered and hoods up. Hennessy Snr suffered a fatal gunshot wound as he grappled with Sherry, but he managed to drag the gunman to the ground. Others in the party piled in on Sherry, stamping on his torso and head, stabbing him repeatedly and using various objects, including an iron bar and a stool, to beat him to death. Three people were convicted of murder arising out of the assault on Sherry. The defendant in this case initially hid under a table, but when he emerged, he engaged in violence against Sherry, who was lying prone on the ground, for about five seconds.
