Mountjoy prisoner ‘lured’ fellow prisoner into cell and murdered him – The Irish Times.

AND Mountjoy an inmate has been convicted of murdering a fellow inmate after a jury agreed with the prosecution’s case that he “lured” him into his cell, knocked him to the ground and stomped on his head in a “brutal and unprovoked” attack.

A jury of nine men and three women in Central Criminal CourtIt took just under three hours to reach a unanimous murder conviction against David Dunne (40), with a last address in Summerhill, Dublin 1.

Dunne has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Robert O’Connor on July 29, 2022, at Mountjoy Prison. He argued that he had no intention of killing Mr O’Connor and the jury was therefore asked to consider whether he had an honest belief that he was acting in self-defence when he caused multiple blunt force injuries to the deceased’s head, torso and body. arms and legs.

A pathologist’s report and neuropathology examination showed that the blows to Mr O’Connor’s head had caused his brain to rotate, which led to the tearing of nerve cells. The injuries resulted from stomping, punching or kicking.

Members of Mr O’Connor’s family broke down in tears and embraced each other as the verdict was announced. Dunne faces a mandatory life sentence when he is sentenced on December 16, after Mr O’Connor’s family had the opportunity to speak about the impact the murder has had on their lives.

In a short statement issued after the jury’s verdict, a police officer involved in the investigation told the court that Mr O’Connor was born in the UK to an Irish father and an English mother. The family returned to Ireland when Mr O’Connor was a toddler. He had a half-brother and a half-sister, and his mother died in 2008.

At the time of his death, Mr O’Connor had been in a relationship for a year. Gardai said his death had a “dramatic and serious” impact on his girlfriend’s health.

The jury heard that Mr O’Connor, 32, was sentenced to prison on July 27, 2022, and returned to Mountjoy from court that evening. At around 7pm, Mr O’Connor was attacked in his cell by several other prisoners, resulting in him suffering a nosebleed and damage to one eye.

Following the assault, Mr O’Connor was placed under protection for a period and transferred to C Landing.

Two days later he went to the C2 landing of the prison, where CCTV footage showed him entering Dunne’s cell, followed by Dunne and three other men.

Prison officers responded quickly when they heard the commotion, and one of them told the trial he saw Dunne repeatedly stamp on Mr O’Connor’s head, while another officer saw the defendant kick the victim in the head.

The victim was taken to hospital but was pronounced dead on August 1 when brain stem tests showed no activity.

Chief State Pathologist Dr. Linda Mulligan told the hearing that Mr. O’Connor died from multiple blunt force injuries involving bruises and abrasions to the head, torso, legs and arms. He also suffered a broken nose.

Dr Mulligan said the blunt force trauma created a rotational force that tore nerve cells in the brain. She added: “The skull is a rigid structure, so in the event of an impact, the brain will move within that rigid structure, but it won’t have much room to move, so the rotation of the brain will tear the nerve cells or cut them off from the rotational force.”

In her opinion, the injury could have been caused by stomping, punching or kicking.

During his first garda interview, the defendant read a prepared statement in which he stated: ‘I’m sorry about his family, I really am. I’ve been thinking about it every day and night since it happened. It kills me inside because he was a good friend to everyone who knew him. I’m truly sorry, Robbie, yes, to you and your family,” he said.

In his closing argument, defense counsel for the prosecution, Michael Delaney SC, described Dunne’s account as “self-serving” and lacking credibility. He accused Dunne of a “brutal and unprovoked assault” and said CCTV evidence suggested an “element of coordination” in interactions seen between Dunne and three other prisoners in the minutes before the fatal encounter.

Brendan Grehan SC, for Dunne, said the killing was not intentional or planned but was “in fact a reaction” without any premeditation. He asked the jury to return a verdict of manslaughter.

Judge Mary Ellen Ring told the jury that to find Dunne guilty of murder, he must be satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that he did not honestly believe he was acting in self-defense and that when he attacked Mr O’Connor, it was intended to intended to kill or at least cause serious injury.