Courts / Dublin / Report

Helen McEntee bomb threat accused said he had 'well-known' links with INLA

Summary

Michael Murray, 52, formerly of Killiney, Dublin, is on trial before Judge Patricia Ryan and a jury for one count of knowingly making a false report giving rise to an apprehension for the safety of someone else. He pleaded not guilty to the charge, which alleges he phoned in a bomb threat to the home of Minister for Justice Helen McEntee while imprisoned in Midlands Prison, Portlaoise, on March 7, 2021. The jury heard that an anonymous caller claiming to be from the INLA reported explosives at the Minister's home; no explosives were found, but the call was traced to a unique identification number registered to Mr. Murray. Video footage of a garda interview played to the jury showed Mr. Murray admitting to having "well-known" links to the INLA. He denied making the threat, stating he regularly called the Samaritans. The court also heard details of his criminal history, including convictions for armed robberies and a 2010 conviction for kidnapping and rape, for which he was initially sentenced to 15 years imprisonment, later increased to 19 years on appeal. The trial continues.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Helen McEntee bomb threat accused said he had 'well-known' links with INLA. Charges or matters: one count of knowingly making a false report giving rise to an apprehension for the safety of someone else while he was imprisoned in the Midlands Prison, Portlaoise on March 7, 2021; a "serious amount of armed robberies". Procedural stage: sentence. Findings: Convicted

When:

• March 7, 2021 Other
• March 26, 2021 Incident
• March 8, 2021 Hearing Or Sentence
• 2024-03-04 Publication

Why: " The investigating gardai put to Mr Murray that technical examination and tracing of the phone call had satisfied them that the phone call came from his cell at the time of the threat, and that nobody else could have made the call because he was alone in his cell at the time. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Sentence

Related court reports

• Man charged with having 56k child abuse images and videos remanded on bail
• Ex-Dáil hopeful's allegations against former employer 'complete fantasy', WRC told
• Mater must pay €10k to worker who said he was wrongly accused of abusing patient
• 'I think we know I won't be getting bail' - Daniel Kinahan charged with directing criminal organisation
• Letting agent who claimed alleged domestic violence victim abandoned tenancy by fleeing to refuge must pay €14.7k
• 77-year-old with 470 convictions told Luas staff to 'f**k off'

Read the original CNI report