"Mercy" asked for man who helped criminals murder Vinnie Ryan

At the Central Criminal Court, two men have pleaded guilty to facilitating the murder of Vinnie Ryan, whose shooting in Dublin on 19 February 2016 left his five-week-old daughter without a father. Paul O'Beirne of Ballyfermot and Jeffrey Morrow of Coolock admitted providing and destroying a stolen silver Volkswagen Golf used in the fatal attack, which involved at least thirteen shots fired at Mr Ryan's vehicle. Gardaí established the connection through CCTV footage, mobile phone evidence, and forensic analysis linking the men to the vehicle's movements before and after the killing. O'Beirne, with twenty-five previous convictions for road traffic offences, and Morrow, carrying one hundred and twenty prior convictions including conspiracy to rob cash-in-transit vans, both sought leniency from Mr Justice Michael White. The judge commended the gardaí investigation and expressed sympathy for the victim's family and partner. Sentencing is scheduled for 31 July 2019, with a maximum penalty of fifteen years for the offence under the Criminal Justice Act 2006.