Three men “hunted down” a couple forced out of their home when it was taken over for crack cocaine dealing and beat the man with a baseball bat in a car, it has been alleged.
The three from Ballymun in Dublin – Lee Kelly (23) of Marewood Crescent, and brothers Jason Murphy (20) and Dylan Murphy (23), both of Dolmen Court – were charged with two counts of assault causing harm to the man and woman, and false imprisonment of the couple on various dates earlier this year.
In their case, part of An Garda Síochána’s Operation Fógra, they faced lengthy contested bail hearings before Judge Treasa Kelly at Dublin District Court on Friday evening, and have been remanded in custody.
She refused bail after noting garda objections, which included witness interference concerns.
RM Block
The trio, who have yet to indicate pleas, were remanded in custody to appear at Cloverhill District Court on Friday.
Garda Shane Kennedy, Colm Broderick and Ciaran Lowe alleged they were involved in the supply of drugs from a Ballymun couple’s home of 20 years.
The judge heard claims that the couple were forced to leave and became homeless earlier this year.
In evidence in respect of the case against Lee Kelly, Gda Kennedy alleged the complainant’s home had been “taken over” some time in 2021.
While abandoning their house, they sent their children to live with relatives and began living out of a tent near the Rotunda Hospital in the city centre.
It was alleged that on April 18th last, the defendants made significant efforts and tracked them down while they were sleeping rough. Gardaí said in court that they were dragged from their tent and taken to the Garden of Remembrance.
The court heard the woman managed to escape but her partner was reported to have been put in a car by the defendants, driven away and beaten with a baseball bat in the back of the vehicle. The woman was allegedly threatened that she had to pay money.
The bail hearing was told that the man suffered a laceration to his head, a broken nose, shoulder, rib and bones in his hands.
His partner rang emergency services when he was taken, but the recording of the call was not played during the hearing, after the judge declined a request to play the audio.
The court heard gardaí believed Mr Kelly had engaged in some form of drug dealing. A house was searched and a large amount of drugs, weighing scales and bags were found. However, he was not charged with drug offences yet, the court heard.
Gda Kennedy alleged Mr Kelly’s home had been watched and officers observed “high activity” of people attending his front garden as early as 6.20am, which his solicitor said could simply have been to have a chat.
Jason Murphy, alone, has further charges for possessing €600 worth of cannabis and having it for the purpose of sale or supply; it was allegedly in small deals and hidden in a bush in north Dublin.
Det Sgt Domhnall O’Connell told the court the couple were terrified and could not be forced to come to the bail hearing.
Defence barrister Kevin McCrave, for Dylan Murphy, and solicitor Edward Bradbury, who represented the co-defendants, submitted that bail conditions would suffice. They stressed that the defendants had no history of violent offending and enjoyed the presumption of innocence which entitled them to bail.
Mr McCrave stated that arrangements can provide facilities for witnesses who fear giving evidence in court.
Judge Kelly denied the bail applications. Legal aid was granted. A fourth male, in his 20s, appeared in court on connected charges on Saturday.
Two men, also in their 20s, remain detained under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act, 2007, at a Garda station in Dublin.
