Courts / Dublin / Report

Pair who murdered stag-goer in 'extraordinarily savage' attack fail in bid to overturn convictions

Date
2025-12-16
Stage
Appeal
Primary locality
Tallaght
County
Dublin

Summary

Two men, Philip Disney (30) and Sean Carlyle (32), who were sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Vincent Parsons during a Stag night in 2019, have failed in their appeal to overturn their convictions. The attack, described as 'extraordinarily savage,' occurred near the Killinarden Inn on August 24, 2019, after Mr. Parsons became 'messy' and irritated Disney during a night out. The trial heard that following an altercation, the two men followed Mr. Parsons in a van and fatally assaulted him on a nearby green area. During the sentencing, Mr. Parsons' wife, Clare, expressed how his death had 'fallen apart' the lives of their two children. The Court of Appeal dismissed all grounds raised by Disney and Carlyle, including claims that evidence was prejudicial or that the trial judge made errors in rulings. The court upheld the conviction, noting that the CCTV footage was properly admitted and that the jury was correctly not discharged. The appeal also failed to challenge the admissibility of evidence, including statements made by the defendants during searches and interviews.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Pair who murdered stag-goer in 'extraordinarily savage' attack fail in bid to overturn convictions. Procedural stage: appeal

When:

Why: Mr Justice McCarthy noted the juror did not know the guard in question and had never met them but recognised the name because the guard was a friend of the juror's brother-in-law. CNI source report

Case subjects

Philip Disney

Convicted Person

Sean Carlyle

Convicted Person

Outcome: After the sentence was handed down, Carlyle baited the grieving family of Vincent Parsons and their supporters by smirking and insulting them before being led away by gardaí.

Places mentioned

Residence
  • Donomore Crescent
  • Tallaght
  • Donomore Avenue
Secondary Mention
Court Venue
  • Central Criminal Court
  • Court of Appeal

Topics

Stage Appeal Violent Crime

Related court reports

Read the original CNI report

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