Coolock rioter Ross O’Neill remanded for sentencing after guilty plea

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Ross O’Neill pleaded guilty to rioting at Malahide Road, Coolock, on July 15, 2024. Dublin Circuit Criminal Court remanded him in custody for sentencing after Judge Martina Baxter ordered a probation report. The proceedings were reported on March 12, 2026.

The report said O’Neill was identified in protest footage by a tattoo bearing his name and was seen throwing a piece of wood in the direction of gardaí during disturbances at the former Crown Paints site. It grazed one garda on the side of the head. The defence said O’Neill had been frustrated by perceived plans to house “undocumented males” at a proposed IPAS centre while his sister was homeless, and said there was no racial motivation, that he was not an organiser or group affiliate, and that he regretted his actions. The report said he left as a passenger on the rear of an electric bike and that there was no evidence he returned.