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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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During a trial last year, the court heard that gangland figure Jason Hennessy Snr was celebrating with about 30 people, including the defendant.
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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.
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