Joseph Hillen charged with nine offences after release from prison

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

Joseph Hillen was charged with nine offences alleged to have occurred on 14 April 2023, shortly after his release from prison for the manslaughter of taxi driver Martin Mulligan. District Judge Eamon King granted him bail at Lisburn Magistrates’ Court, with conditions including a ban on alcohol, staying away from his mother and observing a curfew.

The charges were dangerous driving, criminal damage to his mother’s wall, assaulting his mother, driving while unfit through drink or drugs, possession of cocaine, assaulting a police officer, aggravated theft of a car, and driving without a licence or insurance. The dangerous driving, damage and assault on his mother were said to be aggravated by domestic abuse. The case was adjourned until 19 April 2023.

Hillen had pleaded not guilty to murdering Martin Mulligan at Carnmore, near Dundalk, Co Louth, on 28 September 2015. The proceedings were reported on 11 October 2018. A jury found him not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter by a ten-to-two majority.

Hillen admitted stabbing Mulligan but said Mulligan had pulled a knife during a fight and that he acted in self-defence. Hillen said he believed Mulligan had been dumping rubbish on his friend’s land; the court heard there was nothing in the case to suggest Mulligan had been dumping rubbish. Justice Eileen Creedon said the verdict meant the jury accepted Hillen believed he was acting in self-defence but used excessive force.

On 28 January 2019, Justice Creedon sentenced Hillen at the Central Criminal Court to seven years in prison, suspending the final year on condition that he keep the peace, be of good behaviour and engage with probation services. On 26 November 2019, the Court of Appeal found the sentence unduly lenient on the Director of Public Prosecutions’ appeal and increased it to nine years, with the final year suspended.

This report covers an earlier stage of the case. Later developments are not reported here.