Three face jail for attack that shocked a nation
A state prosecutor yesterday recalled at Limerick Circuit Court those horrific moments when Millie, 6, and Gavin Murray, 4, were turned into human fireballs on the afternoon of September 10, 2006.
Before the court were 18-year-old’s Jonathan O’Donoghue of Pineview Gardens, Moyross and John Mitchell of Delmege Gardens, Moyross and 17-year-old Robert Sheehan also of Pineview Gardens, Moyross.
O’Donoghue and Mitchell pleaded guilty to charges of intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to the children while Sheehan admitted a charge of conduct which would create substantial risk of death.
O’Donoghue flung the firebomb at Sheila Murray’s car after Mitchell helped him prepared it, the court heard. Sheehan acted as a lookout for gardai.
Due to the public interest attracted by the case, Judge Carroll Moran permitted publication of Sheehan’s name although he is legally a child at age 17.
He also lifted reporting restrictions on the naming of the two Murray children.
State prosecutor John O’Sullivan said that on the afternoon of the attack, as Ms Murray set off on a Sunday drive, her children were turned into human fireballs because she refused two of the attackers a lift to a special court hearing.
Inspector Seamus Nolan, who as a Detective Sergeant led the investigation, said on the weekend of the attack firebombs became almost fashionable in Moyross.
Setting out the sequence of events, Inspector Nolan said a special court had been called for 2pm that Sunday afternoon to deal with people arrested after attacks on gardaí the previous night.
1.45pm: Sheila Murray called to a neighbour, Rose Bond, in Pineview Gardens with her children. She was to pick up Rose’s daughter Aisling to go for a drive with her own children.
While Sheila was having a cup of tea, O’Donoghue, Sheehan and a third man named Mr X came to the door and requested Ms Murray to give them a drive into the court hearing.
Ms Murray refused saying she was driving her children to Garryowen.
The three became abusive and threatening before departing to a nearby shop where they met John Mitchell.
O’Donoghue became very irate and said he would burn Sheila Murray’s car over her refusal to drive him to the courthouse.
1.55pm: O’Donoghue and Mitchell walked back up the road where Ms Murray had parked her car and they climbed over a wall into Ms Bonds back garden.
There behind an iron gate they prepared a petrol bomb.
Mitchell held an empty Lucozade bottle as O’Donoghue siphoned petrol into it and stuffed paper into the neck of the bottle to act as a fuse.
2pm: Sheila Murray came back out to her Toyota car and put Millie and Gavin into the back seat.
She sat into the front driver’s seat.
However, while she was in Ms Bond’s house the two driver side windows at front and back were rolled down.
From a vantage point behind the iron gate O’Donoghue lit the petrol bomb and tossed it. It went straight into the car hitting Millie and Gavin with catastrophic consequences.
Sheehan, the lookout, helped get Gavin from the car and carried him to a house where he was placed into cold bath as they waited for an ambulance.
The State accepted that the attackers did not intend to harm the children.
All three sat with their heads bowed as their horrific actions were recalled in court.
Mitchell had never been in trouble up to that day and Inspector Nolan said if this had not happened, Mitchell, who came from a respectable hard working family, would now be playing professional football at a very high level.
Both O’Donoghue and Sheehan had previous convictions.
