Courts / Dublin / Report

Driver who brought murderers and victim to remote area attacked and branded 'rat' in prison, court hears

Summary

Mr Justice Tony Hunt adjourned the sentencing of Lorenzo Cantaragiu and Robert Burns to July 30 for finalisation. Both men were convicted of impeding the prosecution or apprehension of Mahamud Ilyas's murderers, Viorel Doroscan and Otniel Richardo Clejan, who were sentenced to life imprisonment on June 23 for the murder of Mr Ilyas on December 9, 2022. Cantaragiu, who pleaded not guilty but was unanimously convicted by a jury in May, is alleged to have driven the perpetrators to a remote area in Co Meath. His defence counsel, Michael Lynn SC, highlighted that Cantaragiu has been attacked in prison, labelled a "rat," and placed in 23-hour protective custody. Counsel argued that Cantaragiu, who was 19 at the time, provided assistance to gardaí and abandoned the perpetrators. Burns, who pleaded guilty during the trial to cleaning blood from the crime scene, was represented by Lorcan Staines SC, who requested a non-custodial sentence, citing Burns' fear, age, and role as a primary carer. The court heard that Burns had previous convictions and a medium risk of generic reoffending due to cannabis use. The matter remains adjourned pending finalisation.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Driver who brought murderers and victim to remote area attacked and branded 'rat' in prison, court hears. Charges or matters: the murder of Mr Ilyas on December 9, 2022; four charges of impeding the prosecution or apprehension of Mahamud Ilyas's murderers, Viorel Doroscan (23) and Otniel Richardo Clejan (24), but was unanimously convicted by a Central Criminal Court jury in May. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• December 9, 2022 Hearing Or Sentence
• June 23 Hearing Or Sentence
• July 30 Adjournment
• 2025-07-04 Publication

Why: He said there had been evidence that Cantaragiu believed Doroscan and Clejan would keep Mr Ilyas alive because they wanted to recover a debt. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Drugs Stage Sentence Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report