Courts / Wicklow / Report

'I'm going to kill your wife and I'm going to kill you': once happy family now feel trapped after drug debt threats

Date
2023-02-17

Stage
Appeal

Primary locality
Bray

County
Wicklow

Summary

In a Court of Appeal hearing, two men, Curtis Devlin (28) and Patrick Gray (39), had their six‑year prison sentences upheld for blackmail and demanding with menace. The men entered a couple's home in Wexford in October 2020, claiming a drug debt owed by the couple's daughter. They demanded money and threatened to kill the wife and husband. After leaving, they called the couple from a getaway car, demanding €10,000 by 9 pm and issuing further threats. The appeal court found no difference in culpability between the men, ruling the case a joint enterprise. The court upheld the original sentences, noting the pre‑meditated targeting of innocent family members to pressure payment. The victim impact statement described the family's life as changed, with them feeling trapped and obsessed with safety in their own home. Curtis Devlin pleaded guilty. Patrick Gray pleaded guilty.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: 'I'm going to kill your wife and I'm going to kill you': once happy family now feel trapped after drug debt threats. Charges or matters: one count of blackmail, while Patrick Gray (39), with an address at Hazelwood in Bray had pleaded guilty to one count of demanding with menace; one count of demanding with menace. Procedural stage: appeal

When:

November 2021 Hearing Or Sentence
October 11 2020 Hearing Or Sentence
2023-02-17 Publication

Case subjects

Curtis Devlin

Appellant

Charges: one count of blackmail, while Patrick Gray (39), with an address at Hazelwood in Bray had pleaded guilty to one count of demanding with menace (Admitted)

Plea: Guilty

Patrick Gray

Appellant

Charges: one count of demanding with menace (Admitted)

Plea: Guilty