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BreakingNews.ie
04-07-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Man (22) who drove Mahamud Ilyas's killers to woods to dump body attacked in prison, court hears
A 22-year-old man who drove the killers of a young footballer to a wooded area in Co Meath - where they left the victim for dead after he stole €6,000 worth of stolen cannabis - has been attacked in prison, labelled 'a rat,' and placed in 23-hour protective custody, a defence barrister told the Central Criminal Court. Michael Lynn SC said Lorenzo Cantaragiu's time in prison has been 'particularly difficult' and there have been threats to him and his family. He said the way his client is now 'suffering' in prison was attributable in part to the fact that he went to the guards and provided assistance to them. Advertisement 'He reports that he was attacked two days ago,' Mr Lynn told the court during a sentencing hearing on Friday for Cantaragiu and co-accused Robert Burns. 'You will see on his forehead and the top of his nose marks and bruising. He says he has repeatedly been accused, before going into isolation, of being a rat.' Mr Lynn said Cantaragiu is currently on protection in prison and is in isolation for 23 hours a day. Cantaragiu, of Castlegrange Park, Blanchardstown, had pleaded not guilty to four charges of impeding the prosecution or apprehension of Mahamud Ilyas's murderers, Viorel Doroscan (23) and Otniel Richardo Clejan (24), but was unanimously convicted by a Central Criminal Court jury in May. During the trial, the court heard that Doroscan and Clejan beat Mr Ilyas by stamping on him, kicking him, and striking his head with a hammer at an apartment in Blanchardstown in Dublin after he stole a bag of drugs estimated to be worth €6,000. They then tied his hands and feet and wrapped his body in a duvet. Advertisement Cantaragiu drove the two killers to Belgree Lane in Meath with Mr Ilyas in the back and later cleaned blood from the back seat before selling the car. Gardaí discovered Mr Ilyas's body the day after the murder following a tip-off from a member of the public. Co-accused, Robert Burns (59), who lived at the apartment in Verdemont where the assault took place, pleaded guilty just over a week into the trial to impeding the arrest or prosecution of Doroscan and Clejan by cleaning Mr Ilyas's blood from the carpet and walls. Doroscan, of Bay Meadows Square, Hollystown, West Dublin, and Clejan, with a former address at Verdemont, Blanchardstown, Dublin, pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Ilyas on December 9th, 2022. A jury convicted them of murder by unanimous verdict earlier this year, and they were both sentenced to the mandatory term of life imprisonment on June 23rd. In a Victim Impact Statement read out a sentencing hearing for her son's murderers, Muna Ali, the mother of the deceased described Mr Ilyas as a good son and a lovely young man who had "high hopes for a career in football". Advertisement Mr Lynn told the court today that Cantaragiu went to the guards and when they asked him to drive the route he had taken with the killers he did so, providing assistance in what were 'very, very difficult and scary circumstances'. The barrister said his client was 19 years old at the time and 'knew nothing about what was going on'. Cantaragiu thought he was going to provide a lift, counsel said, but was confronted with a different scenario and ended up 'in the situation he is in'. He said there had been evidence that Cantaragiu believed Doroscan and Clejan would keep Mr Ilyas alive because they wanted to recover a debt. Mr Lynn said when his client 'realised the gravity' of the situation 'he didn't see the plan through, he abandoned them'. Advertisement 'This is someone, in my submission, at the very, very lowest end in terms of mental awareness,' he added. Mr Lynn said his client shouldn't have sold the car but said when Cantaragiu 'came to his senses' he contacted gardaí and provided phone numbers and whatever else was necessary to recover the vehicle. Cantaragiu has no relevant previous convictions and the probation report shows that he now accepts his wrongdoing, Mr Lynn said. He said the report also noted the defendant was at 'moderate risk' of reoffending, but the barrister said this was 'softened somewhat' by the fact Cantaragiu benefits from strong familial support. Advertisement Lorcan Staines SC, representing Burns, asked the court to consider imposing a non-custodial sentence in his client's case. He said Burns had witnessed 'appalling violence', was 'very frightened' at the time and 'felt he had no choice but to go along' with what Clejan and Doroscan were asking him to do. He said Burns didn't know how serious the matter was until he read the newspaper reports. Mr Staines said Burns had been in the care of the State and after the break-up of his relationship he had been the main carer for his two children, a role which he had taken 'significant pride' in. He said the probation report found Burns was at medium risk of 'generic reoffending', due to his continued cannabis use. 'I think generic is the important word here, the likelihood of him being involved in something as serious as this at this stage in his life is unlikely but there is a risk of generic reoffending given his continued cannabis use,' he said. 'I'm not going the skirt around the issue, I'm asking for non-custodial disposal in this case.' Mr Staines said there were a number of mitigating factors, including Burns' plea of guilty, the fact that he had made a 999 call, the fear he was operating under at the time, his age and the admissions made to gardaí. He said Burns does have previous convictions, but these go 'back some time'. He said the circumstances of the 999 call revealed the 'erratic nature' of Burns's existence and the 'cloudiness of his mind', which related to his culpability. Mr Justice Tony Hunt adjourned the matter to July 30th for finalisation.
BreakingNews.ie
23-05-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Man (21) guilty of driving Mahamud Ilyas killers to wood where body was dumped
Four men have been convicted of offences arising out of the "inhumane" murder of Mahamud Ilyas, after a jury convicted a 21-year-old of impeding the apprehension of two drug dealers who beat the victim to death for stealing a bag of cannabis. Lorenzo Cantaragiu drove Mr Ilyas's murderers Viorel Doroscan (23) and Otniel Richardo Clejan (24) to a wooded area in Co Meath where the two killers left Mr Ilyas (22) for dead. Advertisement Clejan and Doroscan had previously assaulted Mr Ilyas with various weapons, including a hammer, causing the injuries that led to his death. Lorenzo Cantaragiu has also been convicted of cleaning the car to impede the prosecution of Doroscan and Clejan, knowing or believing that they had caused serious harm to Mr Ilyas. Viorel Doroscan (23). Photo: Collins Otniel Richardo Clejan (24). Photo: Collins Robert Burns (59), who lived at the apartment in Verdemont in Blanchardstown where the assault took place, was initially charged with six counts of impeding the apprehension or prosecution of Clejan and Doroscan. A little over one week into the trial, Burns pleaded guilty to one offence of cleaning the apartment at Verdemont on December 9th, 2022, knowing or believing Clejan had committed serious harm there. Advertisement The prosecution indicated that the other charges will be dismissed at a later hearing. The Central Criminal Court jury returned unanimous verdicts on the four charges against Cantragiu on Friday afternoon. The panel of seven men and five women rejected the defence case that Cantaragiu had feared for his life and had acted reasonably given the "intimidating and terrifying" circumstances in which he found himself. They had deliberated for a total of four hours and 58 minutes. Advertisement Mr Cantaragiu did not react as the verdicts were delivered. He later bowed his head and wiped his eyes. Mr Justice Tony Hunt thanked the jury for the hard work and commitment they put into this case and the important contribution they had made 'in this very sad and very difficult matter'. He exempted each of them from jury duty for 30 years. After the jury delivered its verdicts, Jane Murpy BL, prosecuting, made an application for Cantaragiu to be remanded in custody ahead of a sentencing hearing on June 23. Advertisement Michael Lynn SC, for Cantaragiu asked that his client be granted bail, highlighting the fact that Cantaragiu is a 21-year-old man with no previous convictions. After considering the matter, Mr Justice Hunt said the defendant had been involved in the disposal of a man who was very badly wounded, at best. He said to treat another human being in this manner was 'grotesquely inhumane' and Mr Ilyas had 'literally been left for dead'. He remanded Cantaragiu in custody to June 23rd and directed the preparation of a probation report. Advertisement Mr Ilyas's body was discovered in a wooded area at Belgree Lane in Co Meath on December 10th 2022. The 22-year-old died from blunt force trauma to the head. Assistant State pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster told the jury that the deceased sustained depressed fractures to his head, which were "typical of hammer blows". Row over drugs It was the State's case that Doroscan and Clejan were involved in the sale and supply of drugs and that they beat Mr Ilyas to death after a row over a stolen bag of cannabis. Cantaragiu, of Castlegrange Park, Blanchardstown, had faced four charges of impeding the prosecution or apprehension of Doroscan and Clejan, while knowing or believing them to have committed the offence of causing serious harm to Mr Ilyas. He had pleaded not guilty to all charges. He was accused of impeding the prosecution by driving Doroscan and Clejan to Belgree Lane in Co Meath, where Mr Ilyas's body was found in a field the following day. It was further alleged that Cantaragiu cleaned his car to impede the prosecution. Defence counsel Michael Lynn SC had argued that Cantaragiu 'believed he was at risk' and had acted reasonably given the "intimidating and terrifying" circumstances in which he found himself. He reminded the jury that Cantaragiu told gardaí that Doroscan and Clejan had threatened to kill him and he saw no way to escape. Cantargiu had told gardaí that he feared that "bigger criminals" or drug dealers would come after him and he was worried for his family. When interviewed, Cantaragiu said that he drove Doroscan and Clejan to an area in Hollystown where 'they took the body out'. 'That's the last time I seen them with him. I last seen him when he was headfirst in the ditch and I helped him up. He was breathing, because I heard his gasps. I left after that and never went back,' he told officers. During the trial, the jury viewed CCTV footage from Verdemont in Blanchardstown on December 9th showing two people wearing dark clothing carrying 'a red object' which contained the victim. A BMW driven by Cantaragiu then exited the car park and travelled towards Kilbride, Co Meath, before returning at 4.18pm from the area where the deceased was found. At 4.29pm, Cantaragiu entered the Circle K at Mulhuddart, where he purchased cleaning products. Less than a quarter of an hour later, Cantaragiu met with an individual at Circle K, Coolmine to sell the BMW. In his closing address to the jury, Eoin Lawlor SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, said that Cantaragiu had known Doroscan and Clejan had brought a body down to the car, so he had known that the offence of causing serious harm had been committed. Counsel said the CCTV footage showed that Cantaragiu arrived at the apartment at 3.46pm, but the body was not brought to the car until 3.53pm, with the boot of the car open for a long time. He said Cantaragiu had time to 'weigh the significance of what was being asked of him', but it was clear he intended to assist. Counsel said Cantaragiu later sold his car, as he knew that the car had become a crime scene. Doroscan, of Bay Meadows Square, Hollystown, West Dublin, and Clejan, with a former address at Verdemont, had both pleaded not guilty to Mr Ilyas's murder on December 9, 2022 but were unanimously convicted by the jury on Tuesday. The 12 jurors rejected the defence case that the two men had acted in self-defence after they claimed Mr Ilyas came running into an apartment with a weapon and threatened to kill them. Evidence Witness Vlady Ndosimau previously told the trial that he barged through the door of the apartment after hearing a loud banging noise. Inside, he said he witnessed Mr Ilyas sitting on the floor, with his back against a radiator, looking as if he had been beaten and with blood coming from his nose. His hands and feet were tied using a rope or a zip tie and he was moaning while Clejan and Doroscan shouted at him, the witness said. Doroscan, holding a fruit knife, stood between Mr Ilyas's legs while Clejan stood close to his head with a hammer in his hand, the witness said. Doroscan, he said, kept on shouting "where is the stuff" while Mr Ilyas responded by "groaning and groaning". Mr Lawlor told the jury that the use of a hammer was the 'modus operandi for conflict resolution' employed by Doroscan, while the 'appalling, callous way' in which the victim's body was disposed of indicated his co-accused's part in the joint enterprise of the murder. Ireland Clamping company order to compensate man after his... Read More During the nine-week trial, the jury viewed footage of a Snapchat video on Doroscan's account that showed a man lying on the ground, face up, with visible blood on his face and a large blood stain on the wall behind him. The short clip showed the video-taker moving in closer to the head of the man on the floor and video-takers shoe can be seen briefly. Detective Inspector Liam Donoghue said the shoe matched those worn by Doroscan on the same day. Metadata from Snapchat showed that the clip had been taken at 2.51pm on December 9, 2022 in Verdemont estate in Blanchardstown. Doroscan and Clejan have been remanded in custody and will be sentenced to the mandatory term of life imprisonment at a sentencing hearing on June 23rd when members of the victim's family will be invited to make Victim Impact Statements.
