File on GSOC investigation into fatal hit and run with DPP
A decision will then be made about what charges are to be preferred. No timeline has been given yet.
The 44 year old was walking home and crossing the road near his home at the Highlands, Drogheda on St Patrick's night, 2024 when he was knocked down. He died shortly afterwards at the scene.
His death caused great anger and heartbreak in the locality.
The car involved was later identified and an off duty Garda is believed to have been driving the vehicle.
One young member was subsequently suspended and returned to his native county.
A full scale GSOC investigation was launched and several people including other Gardai were questioned.
One member was formally arrested and interviewed.
GSOC confirmed that its investigation is complete and the file is with the DPP.
It is now waiting on a decision on what charges are to be brought against those involved.
Niall MacEneaney played hurling for the Wolfe Tones and Mattock Rangers during his career.
During his time as manager he won the Louth senior hurling championship with Termonfeckin in 2022 and 2023. He is survived by his wife Grace and his parents.
The family have not made any public comment on the case.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
Intrigue surrounds US suspect in Mike Gaine case who has moved to Tralee
Mr Kelley has made a complaint to Fiosrú, formerly known as the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC), about his treatment by gardaí. Meanwhile, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris confirmed Mr Gaine's killing is the subject of a peer review, saying lessons can be learned from homicides that begin as missing persons cases. Before people knew his name, many in Kerry only knew of Michael Kelley as 'the Yank'. When farmer Michael Gaine first went missing, many locals spoke of 'a Yank living on the farm', curious about what he was doing there and where he had come from. Mr Kelley's arrest last month and the subsequent public admission that he was questioned by gardaí on suspicion of murdering Mr Gaine have enhanced the intrigue surrounding him. Mr Kelley was released without charge after being questioned for 24 hours. He denies having any involvement in Mr Gaine's murder. People in Kenmare said Mr Kelley and Mr Gaine met a few years ago. One source said Mr Gaine was out hunting and found Mr Kelley sleeping rough in a remote area outside Kenmare. Mr Gaine offered Mr Kelley some work on his farm and the use of an old house there, they said. The house provided basic living. People in the area said they believe it had no electricity and they were uncertain if it had running water. It had not been lived in for years before Mr Kelley moved in. Mr Gaine lived elsewhere, not too far from the farm. Mr Kelley remained at the old farmhouse until Mr Gaine's death and for a short time afterwards while searches were conducted to try to find the farmer. He relocated from the farm to Tralee shortly before Mr Gaine's remains were found. Intrigue followed Mr Kelley there too. He currently lives in the town centre, and while he spent some time during his early days there busking in the square, people living and working in Tralee say they have not seen him play music for a couple of weeks. Others did not realise he had been busking. He's a big man, long hair. He's distinctive, so it's hard to miss him, but he seems to keep to himself 'He's out most in the mornings. He often goes down to the supermarket and then goes back to where he's staying. We don't see much more of him than that, really,' one woman working near Mr Kelley's home said last week. She said he does not appear to talk to anyone, and few people make moves to interact with him. The Sunday Independent's efforts to contact and speak with him last week were unsuccessful. 'He seems fine and keeps to himself,' a man said. People are curious because of how he has found himself at the centre of a murder case that has gripped the nation. One person working near Mr Kelley's new home said they noticed a delivery van two weeks ago outside the building he lives in. It was delivering beds and other furniture. 'I presume it was for the Yank, he's the only new person in there I think. Maybe that means he'll be here for a while,' they said. 'We don't see much else happening, although people are definitely interested in him. He's a big man, long hair. He's distinctive, so it's hard to miss him, but he seems to keep to himself.' Another man said: 'The only people I have seen him talking to are a couple of reporters. 'There were a few reporters here for days trying to speak to him, but he hasn't been out much. He was out one day in a pair of wellies and waterproof pants. Last week he was out in a pair of sandals talking to reporters. 'Other than that, you don't really see him.'
Sunday World
10 hours ago
- Sunday World
Thug who left man with ‘life-changing injuries' after being invited to his home jailed
Tristian McAteer told Stephen Doherty that he was taking his television and then attacked him with the knife and slashed him in the face and head A Donegal man who attacked another man after he had been invited back to his home for drinks and food leaving him with 'life-changing injuries' has been sentenced to six years in prison. Tristian McAteer attacked his victim with a knife, slashing his face after he was invited back to Stephen Doherty's house in Ballybofey on October 16th, 2024. The 26-year-old accused appeared at Letterkenny Circuit Court where he pleaded guilty to two charges including robbery and the production of an article, namely a knife. Details of the incident were outlined to the court by Detective Garda John O'Sullivan and state barrister, Ms Fiona Crawford, BL. The accused and Mr Doherty, along with a woman, had been out drinking at the Shamrock Bar in Ballybofey, earlier in the day. When back at Mr Doherty's house at Navenny Street, the victim asked McAteer and the woman if they would like something to eat. When he came back into the room with food, McAteer told Mr Doherty that he was taking his television and then attacked him with the knife, slashed him in the face and head. Mr Doherty tried to defend himself and managed to get on top of McAteer and put his knees on top of his arms as he tried to hold him down. Tristan McAteer News in 90 Seconds - 7th June However, the woman then attacked Mr Doherty by stabbing him with a screwdriver in the head and then striking him in the back with slats of wood from a child's bed which she had found in the house. Mr Doherty managed to flee from his house to a nearby bar to raise the alarm while bleeding heavily. He asked to look at their live CCTV and as he did so he witnessed McAteer and the woman leaving his home and getting into a taxi with two of his televisions, a PlayStation 4 console and controller and a portable speaker Mr Doherty was then taken to hospital where he was treated for his multiple injuries. They included lacerations to his cheek and forehead and damage to his nose. The scene was secured by Gardai and later that evening, McAteer was located and arrested at Glenfin Street at approximately 9.50pm. His clothing was covered in blood, he had been fighting with other people and he was pepper-sprayed by Gardai before being arrested. He has been in custody at Castlerea Prison since October 21st, 2024 and has entered a plea to both charges. Tristan McAteer The woman who attacked Mr Doherty during the incident is also due to come before the Circuit Court and Judge John Aylmer remarked that this was very much a "joint enterprise." A victim impact statement was read out in court on behalf of the victim Mr Doherty. The statement on behalf of Mr Doherty, who was not in court, told how the incident had resulted in his home being turned upside down and his life destroyed. He said he thought his life was at risk at one stage when McAteer had the blade to his throat and that he was seriously injured as a result of the attack. The court heard how McAteer has 30 previous convictions for a range of offences including robbery, possession of knives, assault, road traffic, criminal damage and breach of a safety order. Barrister for the accused, Mr Peter Nolan, BL, said his client was actually a very quiet man when sober but is often under the influence of some kind of intoxicant. He had a troubled background, never knew his father and his relationship with his mother is strained although she has always supported him. His brother died tragically earlier this year and this had had a particularly bad impact on McAteer and he realises now that he is at a crossroads in his life and that his life is bleak, said Mr Nolan. McAteer has now broken all contact with the co-accused and other people he was involved with. Mr Nolan added that this was a "classic situation" of a man with no qualifications, no work history and not ability to be gainfully employed so he slips into the easy way of drinking but now realises that's not the way. He said McAteer had put his hands up and gone forward on a signed plea and was anxious to deal with the case. He added that it was a story that Judge Aylmer has heard numerous times but he was anxious that something be done for McAteer stressing that he agreed with the Judge that this was very much a "joint enterprise" and that BOTH of them were responsible for it. Passing sentence, Judge Aylmer said the aggravating features of the case was that McAteer had previous convictions for robbery and assault and the fact that he produced a weapon and used it on the homeowner. He added that all this occurred all occurred in the sanctity of Mr Doherty's home where McAteer had been invited as a guest before walking away with his television. His victim had been left in a state of anxiety and depression and had to get counselling to help him for guidance moving forward. Before considering mitigation, Judge Aylmer said he placed the robbery at the upper end of the scale meriting a sentence of 11 years in prison and the production of a knife at the utmost end of the scale meriting a full maximum sentence of five years in prison. He added the accused had come before the court on a signed plea which was "very wise" where he said almost nothing else could be said for him. He accepted McAteer was remorseful, that Gardai said he was quiet when sober and that his entire criminal record was related to his chronic drug and alcohol addictions, adding he will have plenty of time to address these issues in prison. Due to the signed plea, he was reducing the sentence of robbery to one of seven years and the production of a knife to one of three years with both sentences to run concurrently. He added that he wanted to encourage McAteer to engage in his rehabilitation and said he was suspending the last 12 months of the sentence meaning the accused will serve six years in prison. When the sentence was handed down McAteer spoke up to Judge Aylmer and called the sentence "disgusting" before being led away by prison officers.
Irish Daily Mirror
10 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
The mystery over what happened to Michael Gaine only adds to the pain
Michael Gaine should be remembered for how he lived and not for how he died, his local parish priest claimed at his funeral. Unfortunately that's unlikely to be the case as this much-loved Kerry farmer's death will always register as one of the most grotesque and macabre murders in recent years. The fact that no one has so far been held to account for this horrific murder amid growing fears that his killer might escape justice will only add to the notoriety of the case. What appears to have been a series of blunders on the part of investigating gardai in the early stages of his disappearance when vital evidence might have been available is also a cause of serious concern. Gardaí now believe the outgoing farmer who loved music and travelling was murdered soon after he returned to his isolated farmyard at Carrig East, six kilometres from Kenmare town on March 20. In his homily yesterday the Parish Priest of Kenmare Fr George Hayes said that since Michael went missing 'we've asked so many questions, and in life, sometimes there are no answers.' It is hard to argue with Fr Hayes' assessment as fears grow that the killer may never face charges because of a lack of evidence. Indeed there is a growing resignation that the chance of catching his killer has passed. The announcement by Garda Commissioner Drew Harris on Friday that a review of the police investigation of the murder is to take place would also indicate that mistakes have been made. The Commissioner said there are definite lessons to be learned from investigations, that were initially treated as missing persons cases, but which were later classed as homicides. But when the 56-year old farmer disappeared on March 20 last March those closest to him realised almost immediately that this was not a missing persons case. They knew this farmer who lived for his family, relations and friends would never leave the ones he loved or the land he worked for years. Although they could never have imagined his terrible fate they must have suspected the worst as the days passed. The image caught on CCTV footage of him buying phone credit in a shop in Kenmare on the day he vanished would have convinced them, and almost everyone who saw it, that this was not the act of a man who wanted to disappear. Yet it wasn't until the end of April, over five weeks after Michael had vanished, that gardai upgraded the case to homicide. The search for Michael Gaine was one of the largest ever seen in the country involving gardai and many other organisations as well as hundreds of volunteers yet the missing man's remains were in his farmyard. The nature of its discovery only adds to the horror as the human remains were found by a relative while spreading slurry with a local agricultural contractor at the farm. It was only then that gardai fully investigated the slurry tank on Mr Gaine's farm where more of his body parts were found. Gardaí believe that his killer cut the body into pieces that were so small, they were able to push them through gaps in the grill that were just a few inches wide. This would have meant that the murderer spent many hours cutting the body apart and it is then believed he used water and disinfectant to remove forensic evidence from the scene. As to why the slurry tank was not fully inspected in the early stages of the search remains a mystery and will no doubt will be probed when the review of the investigation takes place. But on the face of it it appears that the lessons from the infamous 'Mr Moonlight' murder case - when another killer Patrick Quirke hid the body of love rival DJ Bobby Ryan in a slurry tank - had not been learned. After painstaking detective work was found to convict Quirke of murder and he was jailed for life in 2019 but there are fears that there may not be enough evidence to find Micheal Gaine's killer. Shortly after the discovery of Mr Gaine's body parts were found, gardai made an arrest and former US soldier Michael Kelley later identified himself as the man who had been questioned. Mr Kelley, who had been living on Mr Gaine's farm for three years before moving to Tralee in April, strenuously denied any involvement in the murder. He claims he is being framed by a subversive criminal organisation. Whatever has really happened, there's little doubt that Michael Gaine's funeral that Kenmare is dealing with the loss of a much-loved family man who hadn't an enemy in the world. That much was clear from the number of friends who carried photographs or items from Michael's life to the altar as he was remembered as a man who loved life to the full.
