Latest news with #violentdisorder
BreakingNews.ie
2 days ago
- BreakingNews.ie
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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement During a trial last year, the court heard that gangland figure Jason Hennessy Snr was celebrating with about 30 people, including the defendant. Ireland Sean McGovern changes legal team in challenge to e... Read More 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.
BBC News
2 days ago
- BBC News
Man, 26, jailed over role in Harehills disorder
A man has been jailed after pleading guilty to arson and violent disorder during unrest in Leeds last Dutton, 26, of Cowper Crescent, Harehills, was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court on Tuesday to two years and four months in is the 18th person to be convicted as part of West Yorkshire Police's investigation into the disorder in Harehills on 18 Supt Steve Dodds said "We welcome the sentencing of Jordan Dutton as part of our continuing investigation into the disgraceful disorder committed in Harehills last summer." Police were "determined" to keep their promise of bringing everyone involved in the disorder to justice, Ch Supt Dodds added.A double-decker bus was torched and a police car was flipped on its side when hundreds of people took to the services were forced to retreat from the area to protect their own safety.A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said officers had made "substantial use of all technological tools available" to identify those date, 76 people had been arrested as part of the investigation, with 35 of them charged, according to the force.
BBC News
7 days ago
- BBC News
Salford: Four more charged, further arrests over disorder
A further four people have been charged following scenes of violent disorder that broke out in Salford. A total of eight people have now been charged in connection of the disturnance, which saw 50 to 60 people gathering in the city's Lower Broughton Road at about 13:30 BST on were stolen and set on fire, motorbikes were being ridden erratically and bricks were thrown at officers, while wheelie bins and cars were used to block off the Manchester Police had already charged three people - including a 16-year-old girl - with offences including assaulting police being drunk and disorderly and possessing a weapon. A further four men have now also been charged, with the number of people arrested for questioning now totalling 10. Steven Fielding, 20, of Partington, has been charged with violence disorder and criminal damage while Michael Ennis, 38, of Eccles, was charged with violent disorder, possession of a Class B drug and two counts of criminal damage. Both have been remanded in Sibthorpe-Walsh, 20, of Swinton, has been charged charged with breaching a public order and Nico Collins, 27, of Failsworth, has been charged with possession of an offensive weapon and possession of a Class C drug. Both have been bailed. Det Ch Insp Helen Bagnall said officers were still patrolling the area. Anyone with information or footage of the incident has been urged to contact police. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Irish Times
13-06-2025
- Irish Times
Larne violence: ‘I thought Northern Ireland was past this, beyond balaclavas'
On a leafy avenue overlooking Larne promenade on Wednesday night, groups of masked men made their way to the Co Antrim town's leisure centre. Residents living in large detached houses on Tower Road watched on in horror as the centre – which had provided emergency shelter to migrant families burnt out of their homes 32km away in Ballymena – was set on fire . 'They were coming up the road handing out balaclavas to each other, they were well organised. I've been living in this area for 50 years and never seen anything like it… it's appalling,' said one woman walking along the promenade on Thursday. Inside the centre, children as young as six were getting changed for their weekly swimming lesson and a yoga session was under way as protesters began banging on windows. READ MORE It marked the third night of violent disorder in Northern Ireland following an alleged sexual assault of a girl in Ballymena at the weekend. Two 14-year-old boys appeared in court on Monday charged with attempted rape. The charges were read to the teenagers by a Romanian interpreter. Larne Leisure Centre was set on fire on Wednesday evening Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) chief constable Jon Boutcher described the unrest as 'absolutely race-motivated'. As of Thursday evening, 41 officers had been injured and 15 people had been arrested. Standing outside a police cordon at Larne Leisure Centre on Thursday afternoon, swim coach Danielle Hill became emotional as she recalled the moment she saw four masked men appear when she went to move her car the previous evening. [ Three teenagers charged with riot in Ballymena while leisure centre set alight in Larne in third night of violence Opens in new window ] Hill (25) is a double Olympian from Newtownabbey, Co Antrim – she represented Ireland at the Tokyo and Paris summer games – and was waiting to take a group of children into the 25m pool at 7pm. At 7.22pm she received a phone call, warning her that trouble had flared following an earlier peaceful protest outside the centre attended by about 50 people. 'Hundreds had gathered by the time I went to move my car. Four men wearing balaclavas came around the corner. I have never experienced anything like that. When I saw them I paused. It was very scary,' she said. Larne leisure centre swim coach, Olympian Danielle Hill, became emotional as she recalled the moment she saw four masked men appear when she went to move her car outside the centre on Wednesday evening. Photograph: Seanín Graham 'My first thought was to get back inside to inform everybody. They had no idea what was going on, I was the eyes and ears outside. My first port of call was the children – there was about 30 to 40 kids inside.' Hill has not slept in 24 hours and appealed for calm. 'I thought Northern Ireland was past this; I thought we were beyond balaclavas. I thought we were beyond the violence. Kids shouldn't have to grow up in that. Last night was so unnecessary, it didn't achieve anything,' she said. 'This stemmed from an alleged sexual attack on a young girl, but last night has nothing to do with sexual violence. What unfolded was racism in its rawest and most dangerous form.' Earlier on Thursday, a political row erupted over comments by Stormont Communities Minister Gordon Lyons on social media hours before the attack in Larne, in which he posted the location of the centre – where migrants had stayed earlier in the week after fleeing their homes. First Minister Michelle O'Neill called for his resignation, accusing him of 'failing to show correct leadership', but Mr Lyons defended his position and said he had no intention of resigning. Extra police resources are being deployed to the North from Police Scotland to deal with the disturbances. First Minister Michelle O'Neill speaks to media in Belfast on Thursday following three nights of violence and public disorder in the town of Ballymena. Photograph: Rebecca Black/PA Wire During a PSNI press conference on Thursday, Mr Boutcher admitted the service 'did not have the resources' to deal with spontaneous violence on Monday but was equipped to deal with the disorder that followed on Tuesday and Wednesday. Asked about the arson attack in Larne, the chief constable said the responsibility for injured officers and damaged buildings falls on 'the people committing these crimes' rather than the PSNI. In late afternoon, an 80-year-old pensioner on the Larne promenade said she hoped the violence would end. 'Goodness knows, we had plenty of trouble years ago,' she said, 'we don't need that back again'.
Irish Times
12-06-2025
- Irish Times
Larne violence: ‘I thought Northern Ireland was past this; I thought we were beyond balaclavas'
On a leafy avenue overlooking Larne promenade on Wednesday night, groups of masked men made their way to the Co Antrim town's leisure centre. Residents living in large detached houses on Tower Road watched on in horror as the centre – which had provided emergency shelter to migrant families burnt out of their homes 32km away in Ballymena – was set on fire . 'They were coming up the road handing out balaclavas to each other, they were well organised. I've been living in this area for 50 years and never seen anything like it… it's appalling,' said one woman walking along the promenade on Thursday. Inside the centre, children as young as six were getting changed for their weekly swimming lesson and a yoga session was under way as protesters began banging on windows. READ MORE It marked the third night of violent disorder in Northern Ireland following an alleged sexual assault of a girl in Ballymena at the weekend. Two 14-year-old boys appeared in court on Monday charged with attempted rape. The charges were read to the teenagers by a Romanian interpreter. Larne Leisure Centre was set on fire on Wednesday evening Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) chief constable Jon Boutcher described the unrest as 'absolutely race-motivated'. As of Thursday evening, 41 officers had been injured and 15 people had been arrested. Standing outside a police cordon at Larne Leisure Centre on Thursday afternoon, swim coach Danielle Hill became emotional as she recalled the moment she saw four masked men appear when she went to move her car the previous evening. [ Three teenagers charged with riot in Ballymena while leisure centre set alight in Larne in third night of violence Opens in new window ] Hill (25) is a double Olympian from Newtownabbey, Co Antrim – she represented Ireland at the Tokyo and Paris summer games – and was waiting to take a group of children into the 25m pool at 7pm. At 7.22pm she received a phone call, warning her that trouble had flared following an earlier peaceful protest outside the centre attended by about 50 people. 'Hundreds had gathered by the time I went to move my car. Four men wearing balaclavas came around the corner. I have never experienced anything like that. When I saw them I paused. It was very scary,' she said. Larne leisure centre swim coach, Olympian Danielle Hill, became emotional as she recalled the moment she saw four masked men appear when she went to move her car outside the centre on Wednesday evening. Photograph: Seanín Graham 'My first thought was to get back inside to inform everybody. They had no idea what was going on, I was the eyes and ears outside. My first port of call was the children – there was about 30 to 40 kids inside.' Hill has not slept in 24 hours and appealed for calm. 'I thought Northern Ireland was past this; I thought we were beyond balaclavas. I thought we were beyond the violence. Kids shouldn't have to grow up in that. Last night was so unnecessary, it didn't achieve anything,' she said. 'This stemmed from an alleged sexual attack on a young girl, but last night has nothing to do with sexual violence. What unfolded was racism in its rawest and most dangerous form.' Earlier on Thursday, a political row erupted over comments by Stormont Communities Minister Gordon Lyons on social media hours before the attack in Larne, in which he posted the location of the centre – where migrants had stayed earlier in the week after fleeing their homes. First Minister Michelle O'Neill called for his resignation, accusing him of 'failing to show correct leadership', but Mr Lyons defended his position and said he had no intention of resigning. Extra police resources are being deployed to the North from Police Scotland to deal with the disturbances. First Minister Michelle O'Neill speaks to media in Belfast on Thursday following three nights of violence and public disorder in the town of Ballymena. Photograph: Rebecca Black/PA Wire During a PSNI press conference on Thursday, Mr Boutcher admitted the service 'did not have the resources' to deal with spontaneous violence on Monday but was equipped to deal with the disorder that followed on Tuesday and Wednesday. Asked about the arson attack in Larne, the chief constable said the responsibility for injured officers and damaged buildings falls on 'the people committing these crimes' rather than the PSNI. In late afternoon, an 80-year-old pensioner on the Larne promenade said she hoped the violence would end. 'Goodness knows, we had plenty of trouble years ago,' she said, 'we don't need that back again'.
