Courts / Dublin / Report

17-year-old found guilty of murdering German student

Summary

A 17‑year‑old Dublin youth was found guilty of murdering German student Thomas Heinrich and assault causing harm to Robert Rinker. The jury, after almost eight hours of deliberation over three days, returned a unanimous verdict on the murder charge and a majority verdict on the assault charge. The case involved a night out on St Anthony's Road in Rialto, where the accused were allegedly looking for a fight and were prosecuted on the basis of joint enterprise. The 17‑year‑old claimed he was attacked by a beer can and that he acted in self‑defence, but the court heard that he had a knife and that Rinker and Heinrich had brought knives to the scene. Rinker survived with stab wounds to his chest and abdomen, while Heinrich died from a fatal abdominal wound. The jury has not yet decided on the murder charge against Wesley Kelly, who was found guilty of assault causing harm to Rinker.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: 17-year-old found guilty of murdering German student. Charges or matters: assault causing harm to Mr Rinker by a majority verdict of 11-1. Procedural stage: finding. Findings: Found guilty

When:

• December 1, 2012 Incident
• December 1 Other
• 2014-05-26 Publication

Why: The 17-year-old, who cannot be named because of his age, had pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to murdering Mr Heinrich and to assault causing harm to Mr Rinker. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Finding Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report