In a Dublin murder trial, a 30‑year‑old man from Crumlin, Eugene Cullen, pleaded not guilty to the 2009 killing of Seamus O'Byrne, a 27‑year‑old father of two. The court heard that O'Byrne was shot in front of his girlfriend and child at Tymon Park North, Tallaght, at 8:15 pm. Prosecutor Alex Owens SC stated that Cullen was not the gunman but one of four conspirators. Garret O'Brien, a Bray man now convicted, was identified as the shooter. Detective Garda Mary Moore testified she arrested Cullen at 11 pm after spotting a silver Nissan Primera with three occupants, one being Cullen, and brought him to Tallaght Garda Station. Garda Alan Young reported seizing a silver Ford Transit van on Derry Road, taking fingerprint lifts. Detective Sergeant John Schley described the van's chassis and licence plates, noting it was stolen in 2008 with false tax and insurance discs.
In 2014 the Central Criminal Court heard that Eugene Cullen, aged 30, pleaded not guilty to the 2009 murder of Seamus O'Byrne, 27, in Tymon Park North, Tallaght. The prosecution said Cullen was not the gunman but one of four men who plotted and executed the killing. A man from Bray, Garret O'Brien, was identified as the shooter. Garda Kevin O'Shaughnessy testified that three years earlier he had stopped a Volkswagen with no tax, seized it, and that Cullen was the driver while O'Brien was the passenger. Garda Clifford Cullen described CCTV footage from the Leisureplex in Coolock showing three men entering at 8:50 pm, with movements until 9:47 pm. Detective Garda Camon Ryan recounted driving routes to establish timings, noting a 26‑minute trip from the shooting scene to the Leisureplex. Pathologist Professor Marie Cassidy testified that O'Byrne died from five gunshot wounds, including chest, head and left leg injuries.
In the trial of a 30‑year‑old man accused of murdering a father of two in Dublin, the jury has been reviewing additional CCTV footage. The defendant, Eugene Cullen of Derry Road, Crumlin, pleaded not guilty to the murder of Seamus O'Byrne, aged 27, who was shot dead at Tymon Park North, Tallaght, on 13 March 2009. The prosecution argues that Cullen was not the gunman but one of four men who plotted and executed the killing. The jury has examined footage from several city locations, including M50 toll bridge cameras that captured a silver Nissan Primera moving northbound at 8.25 pm and southbound at 10.43 pm on the night of the murder. Additional evidence from the Topaz garage on Fortfield Road in Kimmage, where a silver Nissan entered at 6.27 pm, was also presented.
In the murder trial of a 30‑year‑old Dublin man, Eugene Cullen, the jury heard CCTV footage from Tymon Park North, Tallaght, where Seamus O'Byrne, aged 27, was shot dead on 13 March 2009. The prosecution says Cullen was not the gunman but one of four men who plotted and executed the killing. Detective Garda John O'Connell presented the footage, describing three gunshots at 8.15 pm, followed by a fourth shot, a female scream, and a final shot. A can of Red Bull and parts of a mobile phone were found at the scene. Detective Sergeant Daniel Kelly and Garda Patrick Tarrant travelled to Red Bull factories in Austria and Switzerland and to a Spar shop on Ballymount Road, where they purchased 25 cans with the same batch number and expiry date, indicating an Irish market order of about 1.7 million cans. Eugene Cullen pleaded not guilty.
Eugene Cullen, 30, of Derry Road, Crumlin, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Seamus O'Byrne, 27, at Tymon Park North, Tallaght, on 13 March 2009. A jury of five men and seven women was sworn in on 24 February 2014, with the trial set to begin Wednesday and expected to last four weeks.
Brian Rattigan, aged 32, lives on Cooley Road, Drimnagh, Dublin. He was convicted of murder in 2009 after stabbing Declan Gavin, aged 21, outside a Crumlin Shopping Centre restaurant on 25 August 2001. The jury found him guilty and he received a life sentence. He also serves 17 years for directing heroin supply while imprisoned. In February the Court of Criminal Appeal dismissed his appeal against the murder conviction. In December the CCA asked the Supreme Court to refer the case, citing exceptional public importance. The case was reheard today because the CCA judge, Mr Justice Michael Hanna, is seriously ill. Mr Brendan Grehan SC argued the trial was unfair because a witness whose statement was read into evidence could not be cross‑examined and that the trial judge overstepped jurisprudence.
The Court of Criminal Appeal announced that several appeals may require re-hearings due to the serious illness of Mr Justice Michael Hanna. Chief Justice Susan Denham stated that cases where judgement was reserved and no final decision determined will be reconstituted. This includes the appeal by former priest Tony Walsh (59), who is challenging separate sentences of 16 years and 15 months for rape and sexual abuse. It also affects the case of businessman Anthony Lyons (52), where the court previously found his six-month sentence for violent sexual assault "unduly lenient" but reserved reasons and the replacement sentence. Counsel for the DPP requested time to take instructions on the appropriate course. Additionally, the appeal by Brian Rattigan (32), serving a life sentence for the 2001 stabbing death of Declan Gavin, may need re-hearing as he seeks leave to appeal to the Supreme Court. The court fixed February 14 for the re-hearing of the conviction appeal by brothers Warren and Jeffrey Dumbrell, who were jailed for life for the murder of Christopher Cawley. In contrast, the case of Kevin McCardle (31), who caused three deaths in a head-on collision while over the alcohol limit, will not be reheard. Although the court found his four-year sentence (one suspended) "unduly lenient," judgement has been returned, and only the sentencing portion of his case has been adjourned.