Violent thug involved in ‘RAT' branding attack is leader of Dublin crime mob

Sunday World

a day ago

Devon Hennessy has operated as one of the leaders of a west Dublin mob involved in drug dealing, gang feuds, gun and firebomb attacks, and extreme violence in recent years
Devon Hennessy has been warned of a threat to his life
The thug who has pleaded guilty this week to falsely imprisoning and assaulting a man who was beaten and had the word 'RAT' branded on his body is a violent gangland figure with a lengthy involvement in serious crime.
Devon Hennessy (29) of Edgewood Lawns, Corduff, Dublin, admitted at the Special Criminal Court to assaulting the victim as part of a joint enterprise aimed at 'enhancing the ability of a criminal organisation to commit a serious offence'.
Devon has operated as one of the leaders of a west Dublin mob involved in drug dealing, gang feuds, gun and firebomb attacks, and extreme violence in recent years.
He has survived several attempts on his life and his father Jason Hennessy Snr was shot dead as part of a feud in west Dublin on Christmas Eve, 2023.
Last August, Devon survived an attempted assassination after a gunman opened fire on him while he was driving a bullet-proof BMW.
Gardai later seized the vehicle, which was suspected to have been previously used by associates of the notorious Dundon crime gang.
The shooting, however, was not the first time Devon had been targeted by gunmen.
He has been involved in various gang wars throughout most of his adult life and was a key player in the Corduff feud which began at the end of 2018 following a dispute between two rival drugs.
By the following year, there were multiple shooting incidents, assaults, stabbings, firebomb attacks and a machete attack at Finglas Garda Station linked to the feud.
Devon, who was key player in the violence, survived a number of incidents when gunmen opened up on his home and vehicle around that time, including one incident where five shots were fired at a car he was travelling in in 2019.
Gardai had given him an official Garda Information Message [GIM] informing him of a credible threat to his life.
Devon Hennessy carrying his father Jason Snr's coffin after his murder
Officers also regularly targeted Devon and his associates in stops and searches. He was stopped on numerous occasions in a BMW he claimed he won in a raffle.
Members of the gang were regularly abusive to gardai who spoke to them.
Officers in the area were constantly carrying out searches of land and property which led to seizures of drugs, weapons and ammunition believed to belong to the gang.
Devon regularly appeared in court while the feud was ongoing and in 2020 he pleaded guilty to violent disorder after he admitted throwing a punch at a man as he was leaving a courthouse.
Brazen Devon approached a rival outside Blanchardstown Court while gardai were present, punching him in the face 'without prior warning or provocation'.
The garda witness said he was aware there were 'background issues' between Hennessy and this other man and he immediately intervened and tried to restrain Hennessy.
The Corduff feud has seen vehicles fire bombed
He said Hennessy resisted him and tried to go back to the other man shouting at him 'you are a dead man'.
A number of other officers had to assist to continue to physically restrain Hennessy, while other associates of his tried to get involved in the situation.
The feud continued as Devon and his gang regularly became involved in violent incidents and pushed drugs in west Dublin.
The violence eventually caught up with the gang and Devon's father Jason Hennessy Snr was fatally injured while having a meal with associates in Browne's Steakhouse in Blanchardstown on Christmas Eve in 2023.
Tristan Sherry, pictured, died after his gun attack on Hennessy Snr
The gunman, Tristan Sherry, was attacked by seven men and killed at the scene. Jason Hennessy Snr died in hospital 11 days after he was shot.
Three men have been found guilty of murdering Sherry, three others have been convicted of violent disorder and another was jailed for removing a firearm from the scene.
The feuding continued in the aftermath of the attack, including the attempt on Devon's life as well as another hit attempt linked to the feud which was foiled by gardai.
The gang was also behind numerous firebomb attacks in the area, including on the homes of innocent people, as they continued to try to rule the locality through fear and violence.
Jason Hennessy Snr
Just weeks after the August 2024 gun attack, Hennessy was back before the courts after he was found guilty of having zopiclone tablets for sale or supply after he and an associate were caught with them in a car near Cloverhill Prison.
The drugs were wrapped in four packets, each containing a mobile phone and weights, and gardai suspect they were hoping to get them into the prison.
Devon would soon find himself inside that same jailhouse after his involvement in the assault and false imprisonment of Barry Moore at a house on Sheephill Avenue, Dublin, on February 12, 2025.
His brothers Jason Hennessy Jr (28) and Brandon Hennessy (22) of Sheephill Avenue, Blanchardstown, Dublin; as well as 45-year-old Kenneth Fitzsimons and his son Dean Fitzsimons, of Castlecurragh Vale, Mulhuddart, Dublin, were also arrested in relation to the attack and are awaiting trial on the matter.
Devon and the four other men went on hunger strike in Cloverhill Prison in March this year, telling staff they were unhappy with restrictions placed upon them while on remand in the high-security facility.
However, the hunger strike lasted less than 24 hours
The Hennessy's house
'They didn't last much longer than if they'd skipped their dinner,' a source told us at the time.
'They gave up as soon as the first pangs of hunger hit.
'When inmates go on hunger strike, there are food refusal protocols that kick in after 24 hours.
'They didn't make it long enough for those to kick in.'
Hennessy was in court around that time after admitting to dangerously driving a scrambler bike in west Dublin.
He drove at high speed along footpaths in the busy Blanchardstown area, causing pedestrians to jump out of his way, and across a green area where young children were playing.
He was given a four month sentence, €500 fine and two year driving ban.
He has been remanded in custody to October 7 this year for a sentencing date to be fixed.
Devon Hennessy has been warned of a threat to his life
News in 90 Seconds - Tuesday, August 5th