06-05-2025
Teen convicted of violent disorder during Tristan Sherry melee admits possession of shotgun and drugs
The 18-year-old Dubliner can't be named because he was a minor when he came before the courts
A teenager who was convicted of violent disorder during the melee in which steakhouse assassin Tristan Sherry was beaten to death has admitted having drugs for sale or supply less than six months after the attack.
The 18-year-old Dubliner, who can't be named because he was a minor when he came before the courts, had been charged with 15 counts before the Special Criminal Court arising from drugs and firearms offences in May 2024.
He pleaded guilty today to possession of diamorphine, a controlled drug, on May 8, 2024 at Tolka Valley Park in Dublin 15 for the purpose of sale or supply to another.
He previously pleaded guilty to possession of a side-by-side shotgun, cannabis and 630g of a drug named Phenacetin, in circumstances giving rise to the inference that it is connected to a drug trafficking offence on May 7, 2024.
Fiona Murphy SC for the Director of Public Prosecutions, said one of the 15 charges will be dropped at a later hearing. She asked the three-judge court to take into account the remainder when sentencing the defendant. Ms Justice Karen O'Connor ordered a probation report and adjourned the matter to June 18 for a sentencing hearing.
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.
During a trial last year, the court heard that gangland figure Jason Hennessy Snr was celebrating with about 30 people, including the defendant.
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.
He is awaiting sentence for that offence.
