Judge orders ‘destruction' of XL Bully dogs owned by widow of steakhouse murder victim

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3 days ago

A judge has ordered the destruction of four XL Bully pitbulls owned by murder victim Jason Hennessy Sr's widow after one escaped their garden and terrorised gardaí in Dublin.
Veronica Maher (54) pleaded that her four beloved restricted breed pets were all she had to remember her late husband, who was shot dead in a Blanchardstown steakhouse on Christmas Eve, 2023.
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Ms Maher, of Sheephill Avenue, Blanchardstown, came before Dublin District Court to challenge a Garda application under the Control of Dogs Act for an order to destroy Oddie, Reggie, their mother Medusa, and the fourth dog, Joe.
Judge Anthony Halpin noted evidence of six gardaí at the scene on March 28th when four officers fled from Oddie.
He accepted they had to take 'evasive action to save themselves from being savaged by an XL Bully dog.' He believed they were terrified, adding, 'I can only imagine the utmost horror which they experienced.'
'That dog which left the premises and pursued the gardaí was dangerous and could easily have fatally wounded one or all those gardaí,' he remarked.
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Visibily upset, Ms Maher's denied opening a gate to unleash the unmuzzled dog on gardaí who were on beat in her cul-de-sac. She said the dogs were part of her family, like their children, and Oddie slept in her king-sized bed.
The judge also noted evidence that she had these dogs to protect the property.
The grandmother testified that three-year-old Oddie jumped the front garden wall when the officer put his hand in and she refuted the accusation that she set the dog on the garda. She also claimed Medusa had also been in the yard at the time.
The court heard the other two were in cages in the back garden, and Oddie had already damaged a rear garden exit.
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Garda Sean McLoughlin alleged that when he got near her house, she told him, 'Get the fuck away from my house yous murderers'.
He was in absolute fear for his life that he would be viciously attacked by the dog, which chased and tried to bite him. He alleged she let the dog out through the front garden gate.
He and three other gardaí fled to different gardens, with one standing on a wall until backup arrived a few minutes later.
He believed that Oddie was a credible threat and he would be set on them again.
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Ms Maher brought the dog back into the house, and she denied telling gardaí, 'If yous don't f**k off now, I'll get him back out here.'
Witness Kayleigh McEntee (26), of Waterville Row, Blanchardstown, was at the house and contradicted the evidence that Ms Maher opened the gate. She also said the dogs were safe and often around children.
Three more gardaí said they also had had to flee to gardens in the cul de sac, with one telling Judge Halpin that he feared he would be killed.
Photographs were handed in showing some of the dogs with family and children.
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In his ruling, Judge Halpin described one image of an infant surrounded by two enormous XL Bully dogs as upsetting 'given the potential ferocity of these animals'.
He noted the Oddie had already 'rammed the back door' in the rear garden to such an extent as to remove it from its hinges.
He found that the dogs were dangerous and not under proper control. Furthermore, he acceded to an application by Garda Sergeant Michael Harkin to grant a destruction order for all four.
Oisin Clarke BL, instructed by solicitor Simon Fleming, was granted a two-week stay on the order to lodge an appeal. The court has adjourned ruling on the costs of keeping the animals in a dog pound since they were taken from Ms Maher on April 4th.