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Irish Daily Mirror
26-06-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
Rep says Gardai assaulted 'daily' after lucky escape from meat cleaver attack
Gardaí are being assaulted on a 'daily basis', a representative has said amid a terrifying meat cleaver attack on an officer in Co Roscommon. The Irish Mirror reported on Wednesday how brave Garda Gary Murphy told how he was lucky to escape with his life when drug dealer Gerard Forte struck him with a meat cleaver as he searched his house in an incident in December 2023. The shocking facts of the case were unveiled for the first time during a court hearing on Tuesday - in which Garda Murphy spoke about his belief that Forte was trying to kill him that night. And speaking as Forte was remanded into custody, the Garda Representative Association's (GRA) Eoin Browne commended the bravery of Garda Murphy and his colleague Garda Michael Fox, who were attacked that day - as he highlighted the wider issues of officers being attacked almost every day. Garda Browne, who represents the Roscommon and Longford divisions of the GRA told us: 'Two Gardaí, while conducting a search during the course of their duty, were violently assaulted and both members were lucky to escape with their lives. 'We have one member (Garda Michael Fox) still out sick as a result of undergoing constant medical treatment. Another member gave a very impactful victim impact statement where he was attacked with a meat cleaver with his back turned and only for the grace of God, he could have been killed. 'It very easily could have been a lethal situation,' he said. Garda Browne said the incident highlights the all-too-common events where officers in the region are putting their lives on the line. 'I just want to highlight the fact that these assaults on Gardaí are going on on a daily basis and are not just confined to the bigger urban areas. 'Towns like Roscommon have violent criminals as well and we just need to highlight the manpower issues in two counties where there's just such a shortage of Gardaí and this has been going on now a number of years,' he said. His comments come as Garda Gary Murphy told a hearing of Roscommon Circuit Court that he had no doubt that Gerard Forte, 29, of Castlepark, Co Roscommon, 'tried to fatally injure me' when he swung the weapon at him after officers with a warrant had to forcibly enter their way into his home on December 27, 2023. Forte, 29, pleaded guilty to assaulting both Garda Murphy and his colleague Garda Michael Fox - as well as producing a knife - namely a 'meat cleaver'. Forte, who the court heard already has a conviction for sale and supply of drugs and threatening and abusive behaviour, also pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis for the purpose of sale or supply on that same date. The court heard that Garda Murphy was saved by Garda Fox, who struggled with Forte on the floor and couch of his home before managing to restrain him with handcuffs. The drugs unit officers had made their way into the home, repeatedly shouting 'Gardaí', the court heard, as they executed a warrant to search his home on the suspicion that he was supplying drugs in Roscommon town. In a powerful victim impact statement read out in court, Garda Murphy, who has had to undergo physiotherapy and has ongoing issues due to the incident, said he feels he is lucky not to have been killed by Forte on that night. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week 'The phrase injured 'on Duty' or 'in the line of Duty' cannot ever be justified or comprehended when a Garda is brutally attacked,' he told the court. "My attack on the 27th of December 2023 could easily have been fatal. "The actions of Gerard Forte could easily have caused me to be remembered as a number on the wall of Templemore.' The Garda said his loved ones could all have ended up 'mourning the loss of another Garda member killed in the line of duty'. 'It seems somewhat unfair for only me to give a victim impact statement because the reality is, is that this attack affects many, many more people than just me,' Garda Murphy told the court. 'The fear that I may be attacked again, is our reality. The fear that next time, I won't be so lucky, is our reality. 'My tour of duty the evening of the 27th of December 2023, I have no doubt in my mind could have been my last,' he added. 'I have no doubt in my mind whatsoever that Gerard Forte tried to fatally injure me. "His actions on the night, coming to the window looking out, knowing who was at the door, his only thought was to return to his bedroom, find the biggest knife he had and attempt to strike me on the back of the head when my back was turned.' Garda Murphy said Forte's actions were 'all the thoughts of a person that was trying to strike a fatal blow'. He told the court that when the struggle continued into the sitting room, Forte was again trying to strike his colleague Garda Fox with the same knife. 'I believe there was only one thing on his mind. Only for the quick actions of Garda Michael Fox, I would not be here today, that's my reality,' Garda Murphy told the court. He received a laceration to his left shoulder from the strike of the knife, he said - and his clothing was cut through from the impact of the blade. He believed that he now had an 'irreversible rotator cuff injury' to his shoulder and injuries he would continue needing treatment for. The court also heard that Garda Michael Fox was still off duty due to injuries he had received in the incident. Garda Murphy said the incident will stay with him forever. 'To believe how close I came to death will stay with me forever,' he told the court. He said he found it 'extremely difficult to return to front line policing' but he did so to 'save myself'. 'I have dedicated the past two and half years of my service and life to the Divisional Drugs Unit in an attempt to reduce the amount of controlled drugs in the Counties of Roscommon and Longford,' he added. "This night of the 27th of December 2023 has not only made me question working within such a unit but also working within An Garda Síochána as an organisation at all. 'There is no way this would be the "norm", in any other public sector job. If someone walked into a Hospital and attacked a Nurse or a Doctor, the country would be rightly up in arms. However, the reality is, is that this is happening to Garda members every day of the week,' he said. 'Garda members are getting attacked 'in the line of duty' daily. Ordinary people, like me, take on the career of Members of An Garda Síochána, protecting and serving the communities of Ireland. If Garda members are being attacked, how can anyone feel safe? 'However, Gardaí are every day, even now, working to protect the people and to detect and prevent crime, it's what we do,' he said. Garda Murphy said the attack affects the wider community and the residents of Roscommon town. He said it occurred when he executed a search warrant - because "I believed that Gerard Forte was involved in the sale and supply of controlled drugs in Roscommon Town". 'I was fully justified in my belief,' he told the court. 'There is no way he can be justified in his." 'Gerard Forte, has never offered an apology for his actions, if he does today, it is solely as a mitigating factor. His demeanour towards the Garda Staff and Gardaí when he signs on bail, can only be described as repulsive,' he continued. 'A clear message must be sent out that such attacks on Garda members is not acceptable, and cannot be tolerated. '90 names on the walls of Templemore is too many, today, I feel like the lucky one.'
Sunday World
18-06-2025
- Sunday World
Man refused bail after drive-by gun attack is leading instigator in violent Limerick feud
Shane Blackhall, (20), Mungret Court, Watergate, Limerick, appeared before Limerick District Court today in respect of a gun attack at Hyde Avenue, January 6th last A man charged in connection with a drive-by shooting in Limerick, is one of the leading instigators of an ongoing feud in the city, Gardai alleged in court Tuesday. Shane Blackhall, (20), Mungret Court, Watergate, Limerick, appeared before Limerick District Court today in respect of a gun attack at Hyde Avenue, January 6th last. Gardai alleged during Tuesday's bail hearing that Mr Blackhall was 'actively involved' in an ongoing violent feud and they were fearful someone would be killed or seriously injured if he was granted bail. Detective Garda Seamus Murphy told the court he charged Mr Blackhall on Monday with one count of possessing a firearm in suspicious circumstances on January 6th. Det Gda Murphy said he also charged Mr Blackhall with one count of unlawfully taking a blue Volkswagen car, which Gardai allege was used in the January 6th drive-by shooting. Mr Blackhall was also charged with possessing €26,000 worth of cannabis for sale or supply, and, possessing cannabis, which Garda Murphy said was found in Mr Blackhall's home when Gardai searched it on July 10th last, as part of investigations into the January 6th shooting. Garda Murphy told the court that at 6.34pm on January 6th last, Gardai responded to reports of a shooting at Hyde Avenue, Limerick, and discovered a stolen Volkswagen car abandoned and extensively damaged after it had crashed into a lamppost near the scene. Gardai found two 9mm bullet casings inside the car a well as a further five 9mm bullet casings at various points along Hyde Avenue. Garda Murphy said that forensic analysis of the bullet casings found inside the car and along Hyde Avenue showed they were '9mm Luger' ammunition, and that, 'all fired from the same weapon'. Garda Murphy said investigating gardai believe that a 'Glock, semi-automatic' firearm was used in the gun attack. Garda Murphy said Gardai had harvested CCTV footage showing the stolen VW car traveling along Hyde Avenue and 'slowing' as it comes to houses, and a 'number of shots are discharged' from the car. Garda Murphy said the footage shows the car 'travel at speed' away onto Lenihan Avenue, Byrne Avenue, and onto Rosbrien Road, passing an ESB premises. The CCTV footage also shows the car crashed at Ashbourne Avenue and two individuals fleeing the vehicle, said Garda Murphy. The Garda witness alleged that a subsequent forensic examination of the VW car had resulted in the discovery of human DNA on the car's driver-side airbag, which he alleged was a match for Mr Blackhall's DNA. Garda Murphy told the court that further more serious charges were anticipated against Mr Blackhall in respect of the shooting investigation. Garda Murphy said he was objecting to bail due to the 'seriousness of the charges, and the strength and nature of the evidence'. Shane Blackhall News in 90 Seconds - June 18th Garda Murphy alleged in court: 'The accused was actively involved in an ongoing feud on the south side of Limerick City at the time of his arrest and the commission of the offences for which he is currently charged with.' 'Gardai believe these offences were committed as part of this feud and the accused was one of the main instigators of same.' 'I believe that if he (Mr Blackhall) is granted bail, the accused will again become involved in this feud and will pose a serious and active threat to homeowners and members of the public.' Garda Murphy said serious weaponry had been used in the feud and that gardai were concerned about a safety risk to the general public. Answering Mr Blackhall's solicitor, Sarah Ryan, who stated the accused would abide by whatever bail conditions the court decided, Garda Murphy stated: 'I do not believe that there are any bail conditions which would be applied that could prevent further similar crimes by the accused.' 'It is my belief that, if granted bail, there will be further serious offences committed by the accused, up to the risk of further property been damaged, including loss of (life) and serious injury.' Judge Patricia Harney said she believed Det Gda Murphy's evidence was 'well founded' and 'should be accepted', and she refused bail. The judge remanded Mr Blackhall in custody to appear before Limerick District Court again on June 24th for directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Irish Independent
12-06-2025
- Irish Independent
Dramatic dashcam footage of Cork truck accident played in court
Aidan Keely, 50, of Churchfield Terrace, Dromahane, Mallow, gave Gardaí a statement saying that he received 19 staples in his head following the incident on May 12, 2013, in which his truck slowly veered off the road at the N20 near Burnfort before overturning on its side. However, Defence Solicitor David O'Meara told Judge Colm Roberts that due to a misunderstanding between himself and his client, Mr Keely wasn't in court today, but was happy for the Gardaí to give evidence on the charge of careless driving. The court heard that the truck was loaded with grain when the incident occurred, which Mr Keely said he had no recollection of, telling Gardaí in a statement that his last memory was picking up a load at the Port of Cork in Ringaskiddy, having come from Skibbereen. Garda Megan Murphy, who was at the scene, said that grain had spilt across the road following the incident, and that Mr Keely had suffered a serious head injury and had to be brought in for treatment. Ms Murphy also told the court that the road had to be closed for several hours to facilitate clearing the scene. Garda Murphy, under cross-examination from Inspector Paul Aherne from Mallow Garda Station, told the court that cranes and machinery were needed to remove the truck. Two mobile phones were examined and found that Mr Keely wasn't on his phone, nor was he over the driving break limit as per his tachograph. However, in the statement, 50-year-old Mr Keely had admitted he was under physical and emotional pressure before the incident. Judge Colm Roberts had asked Garda Murphy if she had asked him whether he had been sleeping well in the lead up to the incident, which Garda Murphy said she didn't. 'Having no sleep can have the same impact as being a drunk driver. I would suggest asking people 'How much sleep have you had in the last few days?',' said the Judge. Dashcam footage was then played to the court, which showed the truck, from various angles, slowly veering into the left-hand verge, before turning over on its right-hand side. 'He just lost control. This is probably due to the exhaustion,' said Judge Roberts. ADVERTISEMENT Garda Murphy, in responding to questions from Detective Inspector Aherne, said that Mr Keely was driving a 'Dairygold truck, filled with feed,' and that the incident happened on the N20 at Burnfort, which Garda Murphy described as a 'very busy road.' 'He just missed a blue BMW that had just overtaken him beforehand,' Garda Murphy told the court. Garda Aherne told Judge Roberts that a truck driving behind Mr Keely could also be seen flashing its lights on the footage, in what Mr Aherne said was a bid to signal the driver's attention, who he believed was driving erratically in the lead up to the incident. Defence solicitor David O'Meara said his client does intend to give evidence and declined to comment in lieu of appearing for the next date with his client. Judge Colm Roberts agreed to an adjournment for determination and finalisation, for mention on June 24.
Dublin Live
11-06-2025
- Dublin Live
Mother cries 'my son has gone' at inquest of man killed in Dublin apartment block fall
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A young man suffered fatal injuries in a fall from an apartment block in Dublin less than a week after he had been discharged from a psychiatric hospital and just seconds after talking to gardai, an inquest has heard. A sitting of Dublin District Coroner's Court heard relatives of Hassan Mohammad Osman (21) express concern about the circumstances of the death of the 21-year-old Somalian native including that they had not been informed that he had indicated he was suicidal when he was involuntarily admitted to St Vincent's Hospital in Fairview a month earlier. A postmortem showed Mr Osman died from a blunt force head injury consistent with a fall from a height. The incident occurred shortly after midnight on September 26, 2021 at Hampton Wood Point, Finglas. Mr Osman never regained consciousness and died three days later at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital. Gardaí had been alerted to the scene by a local resident who had recorded a male standing on a window sill of a 4th floor apartment around 12.20am. Garda Diarmuid Murphy said Mr Osman had come down to the entrance of the apartment block by the time he and a colleague had arrived at the scene. Garda Murphy said the young man appeared slightly confused and incoherent but calm in response to some questions. On the way to the deceased's apartment, Mr Osman said he needed to finish "the game of life" before adding: "I am God. I must die" which Garda Murphy said he found "alarming." Garda Murphy said he followed Mr Osman into his bedroom to check the safety locks of the window after the young man declared he was fine and going to bed. The inquest heard two gardai, Mr Osman's mother and one of his brothers were with him when he got up and left the room. Garda Murphy said he then heard another of the deceased's brothers who was in the kitchen shouting about Mr Osman's fall from the balcony. In reply to questions from the coroner, Cróna Gallagher, he said he had planned to detain the deceased under the Mental Health Act but was checking with his family as they were unaware about him being on the window sill. He accepted that he had been wrong "to assume the worst was over." "As far as we were concerned, he was safe," said Garda Murphy. He told the coroner that gardaí were trained to remain calm in dealing with such cases and to try and de-escalate a situation but he did not believe the training was "sufficient enough." However, Garda Murphy said gardaí "don't operate with perfect knowledge and make the best judgement." A consultant psychiatrist, Prosper Obioha, gave evidence that Mr Osman had been admitted to St Vincent's Hospital for a relapse of paranoid schizophrenia that he had first been diagnosed with in 2018. The inquest heard Ms Osman had mental health issues since he was 15 and also had been treated for substance abuse. Dr Obioha said the deceased had indicated he was suicidal on admission to the hospital on August 24, 2021 but that he subsequently denied having such thoughts during the remainder of his stay. He accepted Mr Osman's family had not been informed about that but he explained there were patient confidentiality issues as well as that it appeared not to be "an ongoing issue." The psychiatrist outlined how Mr Osman was discharged on September 20, 2021 after improvements in his health and on condition that he took his medication and stopped using cannabis. Dr Obioha stressed that the patient was not psychotic at the time of discharge, while the medication he was prescribed would not have made his situation worse. The deceased's sister, Nima Osman, told the hearing that it was difficult to speak about her brother, whom she described as one of the bravest, strongest people she knew, in the past tense. However, Ms Osman remarked: "His mental health battles became too heavy to carry alone." She told the inquest that her brother loved life but was "trapped in depression and darkness." Ms Osman called for greater awareness about mental health issues because of the "heartbreakingly high" rate of suicide among young men in Ireland. She urged people to be "more cautious, more human and more aware" with people like her brother. In reply to questions from the coroner, Ms Osman said she had not wanted her brother to be left out of hospital but their mother wanted him home. She said her mother and other family members believed Hassan's condition was due to "demons and spiritual stuff" while she was trying to explain he had mental health issues. Ms Osman said Hassan her brother was never suicidal but she became more concerned about his wellbeing when he started experiencing "episodes" when he would hear a female voice telling him to be "a ninja." She told the coroner she could not understand why her brother had not been supervised at all times by gardaí if they had assessed the situation as life-threatening and why he was not arrested in the first place. The inquest heard Hassan, Nima and their mother, Nurrto Abdikadir Ahmed, moved to Ireland from Somalia in 2005. Ms Ahmed told the hearing Hassan was her favourite child and how he had a leg amputated following a shooting incident when he was aged 4. She recalled the family had eaten dinner that evening at 8pm before Hassan had gone back to his bedroom. Later she found him with two gardaí in the apartment when she learnt about concerns when he was seen on the window sill. Ms Ahmed said her son walked out of the bedroom before she heard shouting and realised what had happened "in a blink of an eye." Ms Ahmed said she did not want any sanction on the gardaí involved as it was "beyond their control." "My son has gone and he's not coming back," she observed. An officer with Fiosrú – the Office of the Police Ombudsman, Liam Hickey said an investigation had found no breaches of any regulations by gardaí in the eight minutes they had contact with the deceased. Mr Hickey said there were no specific guidelines governing the situation and it was up to individual gardaí to assess how to deal with what they found. Returning a verdict of self-inflicted death, Dr Gallagher said she could not make a finding of death by suicide as it was unclear that Ms Osman was capable of forming the intent to take his own life given his medical history. The coroner offered her condolences to the deceased's relatives on what she described as "an extremely sad and tragic case." 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Irish Daily Mirror
10-06-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
'My son is gone' - mum's tears at inquest of son who died after tragic fall
A young man suffered fatal injuries in a fall from an apartment block in Dublin less than a week after he had been discharged from a psychiatric hospital and just seconds after talking to gardai, an inquest has heard. A sitting of Dublin District Coroner's Court heard relatives of Hassan Mohammad Osman (21) express concern about the circumstances of the death of the 21-year-old Somalian native including that they had not been informed that he had indicated he was suicidal when he was involuntarily admitted to St Vincent's Hospital in Fairview a month earlier. A postmortem showed Mr Osman died from a blunt force head injury consistent with a fall from a height. The incident occurred shortly after midnight on September 26, 2021 at Hampton Wood Point, Finglas. Mr Osman never regained consciousness and died three days later at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital. Gardaí had been alerted to the scene by a local resident who had recorded a male standing on a window sill of a 4th floor apartment around 12.20am. Garda Diarmuid Murphy said Mr Osman had come down to the entrance of the apartment block by the time he and a colleague had arrived at the scene. Garda Murphy said the young man appeared slightly confused and incoherent but calm in response to some questions. On the way to the deceased's apartment, Mr Osman said he needed to finish 'the game of life' before adding: 'I am God. I must die' which Garda Murphy said he found 'alarming.' Garda Murphy said he followed Mr Osman into his bedroom to check the safety locks of the window after the young man declared he was fine and going to bed. The inquest heard two gardai, Mr Osman's mother and one of his brothers were with him when he got up and left the room. Garda Murphy said he then heard another of the deceased's brothers who was in the kitchen shouting about Mr Osman's fall from the balcony. In reply to questions from the coroner, Cróna Gallagher, he said he had planned to detain the deceased under the Mental Health Act but was checking with his family as they were unaware about him being on the window sill. He accepted that he had been wrong 'to assume the worst was over.' 'As far as we were concerned, he was safe,' said Garda Murphy. He told the coroner that gardaí were trained to remain calm in dealing with such cases and to try and de-escalate a situation but he did not believe the training was 'sufficient enough.' However, Garda Murphy said gardaí 'don't operate with perfect knowledge and make the best judgement.' A consultant psychiatrist, Prosper Obioha, gave evidence that Mr Osman had been admitted to St Vincent's Hospital for a relapse of paranoid schizophrenia that he had first been diagnosed with in 2018. The inquest heard Ms Osman had mental health issues since he was 15 and also had been treated for substance abuse. Dr Obioha said the deceased had indicated he was suicidal on admission to the hospital on August 24, 2021 but that he subsequently denied having such thoughts during the remainder of his stay. He accepted Mr Osman's family had not been informed about that but he explained there were patient confidentiality issues as well as that it appeared not to be 'an ongoing issue.' The psychiatrist outlined how Mr Osman was discharged on September 20, 2021 after improvements in his health and on condition that he took his medication and stopped using cannabis. Dr Obioha stressed that the patient was not psychotic at the time of discharge, while the medication he was prescribed would not have made his situation worse. The deceased's sister, Nima Osman, told the hearing that it was difficult to speak about her brother, whom she described as one of the bravest, strongest people she knew, in the past tense. However, Ms Osman remarked: 'His mental health battles became too heavy to carry alone.' She told the inquest that her brother loved life but was 'trapped in depression and darkness.' Ms Osman called for greater awareness about mental health issues because of the 'heartbreakingly high' rate of suicide among young men in Ireland. She urged people to be 'more cautious, more human and more aware' with people like her brother. In reply to questions from the coroner, Ms Osman said she had not wanted her brother to be left out of hospital but their mother wanted him home. She said her mother and other family members believed Hassan's condition was due to 'demons and spiritual stuff' while she was trying to explain he had mental health issues. Ms Osman said Hassan her brother was never suicidal but she became more concerned about his wellbeing when he started experiencing 'episodes' when he would hear a female voice telling him to be 'a ninja.' She told the coroner she could not understand why her brother had not been supervised at all times by gardaí if they had assessed the situation as life-threatening and why he was not arrested in the first place. The inquest heard Hassan, Nima and their mother, Nurrto Abdikadir Ahmed, moved to Ireland from Somalia in 2005. Ms Ahmed told the hearing Hassan was her favourite child and how he had a leg amputated following a shooting incident when he was aged 4. She recalled the family had eaten dinner that evening at 8pm before Hassan had gone back to his bedroom. Later she found him with two gardaí in the apartment when she learnt about concerns when he was seen on the window sill. Ms Ahmed said her son walked out of the bedroom before she heard shouting and realised what had happened 'in a blink of an eye.' Ms Ahmed said she did not want any sanction on the gardaí involved as it was 'beyond their control.' 'My son has gone and he's not coming back,' she observed. An officer with Fiosrú – the Office of the Police Ombudsman, Liam Hickey said an investigation had found no breaches of any regulations by gardaí in the eight minutes they had contact with the deceased. Mr Hickey said there were no specific guidelines governing the situation and it was up to individual gardaí to assess how to deal with what they found. Returning a verdict of self-inflicted death, Dr Gallagher said she could not make a finding of death by suicide as it was unclear that Ms Osman was capable of forming the intent to take his own life given his medical history. The coroner offered her condolences to the deceased's relatives on what she described as 'an extremely sad and tragic case.' In the case of an emergency, or if you or someone you know is at risk of suicide or self-harm, dial 999/112.
