Michael Murray to serve 18 months for hoax bomb threats

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

Michael Murray will serve another 18 months in custody for hoax bomb threats directed at Government Buildings. Judge Patricia Ryan also imposed a consecutive 18-month sentence for the second offence, suspended in full for three years.

Murray pleaded guilty to two counts of making the threats from Midlands Prison in Portlaoise. The proceedings at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court were reported on 4 December 2024.

The court heard that Murray called the Samaritans on 3 July 2023 and said an item had been planted in the Oireachtas. A second call on 4 July described a bomb in a red car at Leinster House. Detective Garda Joseph Heaphey said units searched government buildings but found nothing of evidential value.

The calls were traced to Midlands Prison, where Murray had been assigned a calling code and given the phone at the relevant times. Detective Garda Heaphey said Murray had contacted him and admitted making the calls. Murray apologised to the gardaí, the court and society.

Judge Ryan set a headline sentence of four and a half years for the first offence and reduced it to 18 months because of the early plea. She cited the plea and apology as mitigating factors, and the seriousness of the offences, cordons and deployment of garda units as aggravating factors.