Traveller jailed for assault and death threat

A 21-year-old traveller who stabbed a man after a boxing contest and later made a threat to kill another man during which he fired a shotgun has been sentenced to seven years by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Richard McCann of St Josephs Park, Dunsink Lane, Finglas pleaded guilty to assaulting Simon O'Donnell causing him harm at St. Philomena's Halting Site, Ballycoolin on March 23, 2005.

He also pleaded guilty to making a threat to Steven Collins that he would kill Martin Collins and to possession of a sawn-off shotgun at St Joseph's Park on November 26, 2006.

Luigi Rea BL, defending, said the offences were related to inter-family feuding concerning land the families were squatting on in the Dunsink area.

Judge Katherine Delahunt suspended the final two years of the sentence and said were it not for McCann's young age and genuine remorse the sentence would have been "significantly higher".

Garda Bernard Connaughton told Bernard Condon BL, prosecuting, that Mr O'Donnell was challenged to a boxing match at St. Philomena's Halting Site by a relative of McCann's. During the match there was some banter between the parties about relatives.

Afterwards Mr O'Donnell bent down and saw McCann, who had been an observer, coming at him with a steak knife. McCann stabbed Mr O'Donnell twice in the back.

Mr O'Donnell suffered a collapsed lung and two wounds to his back. McCann, who has 36 previous convictions, made no admissions during garda interview but later pleaded guilty.

Gda Connaughton agreed with Mr Rea that McCann's former family home had been burned "beyond repair" the day after the assault and that there had been shots fired at the house.

Detective Garda Brendan Burgan told the court that McCann later rang Steven Collins and asked for Martin Collins. When told Martin was not available McCann asked that the phone be brought to him.

McCann called the phone a second time and Steven Collins again answered it. He heard a gun being fired and McCann saying "that's what I am going to do to Martin Collins".

Det Gda Burgan said that when gardai arrived at St Josephs Park they saw McCann in a washroom holding a shotgun. He ran and threw the gun over a wall but was soon arrested.

He called out for others on the halting site to get the gun but it was retrieved by gardai who also found a mobile phone and spent shot gun cartridge.

Det Gda Burgan said there was a "family relationship" between McCann and Martin Collins.

He agreed with Mr Rea that there were quite a number of firearms in the Dunsink area and that there had been inter family disputes to do with land in the area which while not directly related to this case formed part of the background to it.

Det Gda Burgan agreed that the offence had arisen from a fight the two men had on that night and "fences had now been mended".

He agreed that there had been "bad feeling" between that Collins and McCanns prior to the incident and that there was "ongoing tension and intimidation" between the O'Donnells and McCanns.

Mr Rea said his client was genuinely remorseful and recognised that what he had done was wrong. He said there was a strong family support structure in place for him when he was released "hopefully away from this backdrop".