Four-month suspended sentence for attack on migrant centre in Killarney
Tralee 25 Old Murphy At Eamon Year Accused, The Court Court
A man has been given a conviction and handed down a four month sentence for an attack on a migrant centre in Killarney in the early hours of New Year’s Day. The prison sentence has been suspended.
Eamon Murphy, aged 25, of Curragh, Aghadoe, Killarney, Co Kerry, along with a co-accused, had previously pleaded guilty to criminal damage as well as trespass at the Harmony Inn, a direct provision centre on the Muckross Road Killarney, on New Year’s Day.
Eamon Murphy had two previous convictions for public order offences and had had committed a third offence while on bail for the attack on the Harmony Inn, Killarney District Court heard on Tuesday.
Co-accused Evan Murphy, aged 22, of Rahanane, Kilcummin, Killarney, who has no previous convictions has been ordered to pay €2,000 to a migrant rights organisation and has been remanded on bail on continuing good behaviour. He is to avoid a conviction.
The Probation Service had compiled a number of reports on both men and their suitability for restorative justice as well as likelihood of re-offending.
Judge David Waters after perusing the reports said it was clear he was dealing with “two different individuals”.
Evan Murphy had not come to the attention of gardaí since. The Probation service had found he had fully engaged and was at very low risk of re-offending.
“Unfortunately social media was an influence in this. It was a factor. Alcohol was a factor,” his solicitor Brendan Ahern said.
Judge Waters said he accepted Evan Murphy’s engagement was genuine and that he had cooperated. The apprentice plumber who will qualify next January was considering emigrating to Canada, the court previously heard.
Judge Waters said it had struck him as “most bizarre” that someone who attacked with petrol a building housing asylum seekers seeking a better life for themselves wanted to avoid a conviction so he himself could go to another country and prevail on their humanity to better his own life.
However, Mr Ahern said his client had changed.
“He has had to learn about the difficulty asylum seekers face having to reside in accommodation centres,” the solicitor said.
Judge Waters said he had taken into account the reports by Ms Brosnan of the Probation Service and had in mind leaving him without a conviction rather than imposing a conviction on the basis of one incident.
He has been remanded on continuing bail to February 18 and is to pay €2,000 to the Killarney Immigrant Support Centre and stay out of trouble. Mr Ahern assured the court that the sum would be paid.
The 22-year-old has already paid €1,000 towards the criminal damage of the door of the Harmony Inn as well as €250, the court was told.
In the case of Eamon Murphy, solicitor Padraig O’Connell said he could not dispute his client had previous convictions. And so fish of one and fowl of the other was being made, the solicitor said.
“Alcohol consumption has been the anchor to all these convictions,” Mr O’Connell said.
Eamon Murphy has now completed an alcohol awareness programme.
His family were very ashamed of his behaviour and Eamon Murphy was hard working and was employed in the family haulage business, Mr O’Connell said. He was genuinely remorseful and had done all that was asked of him by the Probation Service.
“I can guarantee this will never happen again,” the solicitor added.
He has paid €750.00 towards the criminal damage of the door and also contributed €2,000 to the Little Blue Heroes charity, Mr O’Connell said.
The probation officer had found him to be at the low end of the moderate risk scale of reoffending.
Judge Waters said Eamon Murphy’s offence while on bail on August 24 last — he was aggressively shouting at security personnel and had to be restrained — was “the serious” factor.
The judge also said he suspected Eamon Murphy, who was the older of the two, was “the primary mover”. Tthe judge said:
He convicted Eamon Murphy and sentenced him to four months on each charge, concurrently, suspending the four month sentence for a year on his signed bond.
Previous courts heard how after consuming alcohol celebrating New Year’s Eve they had begun scrolling social media when their attention was drawn to negative stories and videos of asylum seekers. They came up with a plan to scare those in the Harmony Inn.
The pair had cycled with a canister of petrol to the Harmony hotel that was housing 70 male asylum seekers shortly before 6am.
As they tried to kick in the front door, a security guard inside was alerted. The can of petrol was left at the scene. They said they had no intention of setting fire to the centre.
The damage to the door was estimated at €1,500.