Latest news with #MahamudIlyas
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
23-06-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Two men jailed for murder of man in a row over stolen cannabis
Two drug dealers have been sentenced to life in prison at the Central Criminal Court for murdering a promising young footballer who had stolen €6,000 worth of cannabis. Muna Ali, the mother of the deceased man Mahamud Ilyas (22), wrote a statement that was read out at Monday's sentencing hearing for her son's murderers, Viorel Doroscan (23) and Otniel Richardo Clejan (24). Advertisement She described Mahamud as a good son and a lovely young man who had "high hopes for a career in football". She added: "Everybody in the family loved him and he had a lot of good friends. He was a good brother, especially to his sisters, and was like a father figure when his father was not in Ireland." The trial 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. They tied his hands and feet, wrapped him in a duvet and travelled to a wooded area at Belgree Lane in Co Meath where they left their victim to die from his injuries. Advertisement Ms Ali said reliving the nightmare of her son's death has left her devastated. She said: "He was left in the middle of nowhere with no respect. The way he died was so painful and I feel helpless that I could not help him... They took his future, he was so young and full of life. My son was everything to me." Handing down the mandatory sentence for murder, Mr Justice Tony Hunt said Doroscan and Clejan had suffered a "massive loss of control and reason" when they assaulted Mr Ilyas. However, a distressing aspect of the crime, he said, was the "disrespectful and callous way in which the seriously injured Mr Ilyas was dealt with." Advertisement By the time they had driven to Belgree Lane, Mr Justice Hunt said their "passions should have cooled". Nevertheless, they "parcelled Mr Ilyas up" and left him. Whatever chance he had of surviving the assault was "snuffed out by their callous actions", the judge said. Extending his sympathy to the family, he added: "The loss is unimaginable for those who have not had the misfortune to find themselves in that situation." 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 9, 2022. A jury convicted them of murder by unanimous verdict earlier this year. Advertisement Gardaí discovered Mr Ilyas's body at Belgree Lane the day after the murder following a tip-off from a member of the public. Detective Garda Sean O'Farrell today told the court that Clejan had no relevant previous convictions while Doroscan had two for possession of drugs and one for possession of drugs for sale or supply. Robert Burns (59), who lived at the apartment in Verdemont where the assault took place, previously pleaded guilty to impeding the arrest or prosecution of Doroscan and Clejan by cleaning Mr Ilyas's blood from the carpet and walls. Another co-accused, Lorenzo Cantaragiu (22), of Castlegrange Park, Blanchardstown, was found guilty by a jury of four counts of impeding the apprehension or prosecution of Doroscan and Clejan. Advertisement Cantaragiu drove the two killers to Belgree Lane with Ilyas in the back and later cleaned blood from the back seat before selling the car. Lawyers for Cantaragiu and Burns will make submissions to the court on July 4 before Mr Justice Hunt sentences them. Det Gda O'Farrell told prosecution counsel Eoin Lawlor SC, with Jane Murphy BL, that Clejan and Doroscan were using Burns's home to store drugs. On December 8th 2022 Mr Ilyas entered Mr Burns's home and stole a bag of drugs, which Burns estimated was worth €6,000. Mr Ilyas spoke to Doroscan on the phone that night and offered to sell some of the drugs back to him for €500. Ireland Checklist on safe surgery practice not found in an... Read More They arranged to meet the following afternoon. When Ilyas went to Verdemont, Clejan and Doroscan got him on the floor where they demanded he tell them where he had put the drugs, beat him with hammers and used their feet to stamp and kick him in the torso and head. Doroscan recorded part of the assault on Snapchat. Both Clejan and Doroscan claimed they acted in self-defence after Mr Ilyas attacked them with a crowbar. Doroscan claimed that Mr Ilyas was alive and screaming abuse when they left him at Belgree Lane. State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster said the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head using a blunt object such as a hammer, blows, and kicks. She said death could have occurred anywhere between 30 minutes and up to five hours after the attack but that the deceased would have become unconscious very quickly.
Irish Times
23-06-2025
- Irish Times
‘He was left in the middle of nowhere': Two jailed for murder of man in row over stolen cannabis
Two drug dealers have been sentenced to life in prison at the Central Criminal Court for murdering a promising young footballer who had stolen €6,000 worth of cannabis. Muna Ali, the mother of the deceased man Mahamud Ilyas (22), wrote a statement that was read out at Monday's sentencing hearing for her son's murderers, Viorel Doroscan (23) and Otniel Richardo Clejan (24). She described Mahamud as a good son and a lovely young man who had 'high hopes for a career in football'. She added: 'Everybody in the family loved him and he had a lot of good friends. He was a good brother, especially to his sisters, and was like a father figure when his father was not in Ireland.' READ MORE Otniel Richardo Clejan (24) was convicted of murdering Mahamud Ilyas in Co Meath after row over stolen bag of cannabis. Photograph: Collins Courts The trial 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. They tied his hands and feet, wrapped him in a duvet and travelled to a wooded area at Belgree Lane in Co Meath where they left their victim to die from his injuries. Ms Ali said reliving the nightmare of her son's death has left her devastated. She said: 'He was left in the middle of nowhere with no respect. The way he died was so painful and I feel helpless that I could not help him ... They took his future, he was so young and full of life. My son was everything to me.' Viorel Doroscan (23) was convicted of murdering Mahamud Ilyas in Meath after row over stolen bag of cannabis. Photograph: Collins Courts Handing down the mandatory sentence for murder, Mr Justice Tony Hunt said Doroscan and Clejan had suffered a 'massive loss of control and reason' when they assaulted Mr Ilyas. However, a distressing aspect of the crime, he said, was the 'disrespectful and callous way in which the seriously injured Mr Ilyas was dealt with.' By the time they had driven to Belgree Lane, Mr Justice Hunt said their 'passions should have cooled'. Nevertheless, they 'parcelled Mr Ilyas up' and left him. Whatever chance he had of surviving the assault was 'snuffed out by their callous actions', the judge said. Extending his sympathy to the family, he added: 'The loss is unimaginable for those who have not had the misfortune to find themselves in that situation.' 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. Gardaí discovered Mr Ilyas's body at Belgree Lane the day after the murder following a tip-off from a member of the public. Det Gda Sean O'Farrell told the court that Clejan had no relevant previous convictions while Doroscan had two for possession of drugs and one for possession of drugs for sale or supply. Robert Burns (59), who lived at the apartment in Verdemont where the assault took place, previously pleaded guilty to impeding the arrest or prosecution of Doroscan and Clejan by cleaning Mr Ilyas's blood from the carpet and walls. Another co-accused, Lorenzo Cantaragiu (22), of Castlegrange Park, Blanchardstown, was found guilty by a jury of four counts of impeding the apprehension or prosecution of Doroscan and Clejan. Cantaragiu drove the two killers to Belgree Lane with Ilyas in the back and later cleaned blood from the back seat before selling the car. Lawyers for Cantaragiu and Burns will make submissions to the court on July 4th before Mr Justice Hunt sentences them. Det Gda O'Farrell told prosecution counsel Eoin Lawlor SC, with Jane Murphy BL, that Clejan and Doroscan were using Burns's home to store drugs. On December 8th, 2022 Mr Ilyas entered Mr Burns's home and stole a bag of drugs, which Burns estimated was worth €6,000. Mr Ilyas spoke to Doroscan on the phone that night and offered to sell some of the drugs back to him for €500. They arranged to meet the following afternoon. When Ilyas went to Verdemont, Clejan and Doroscan got him on the floor where they demanded he tell them where he had put the drugs, beat him with hammers and used their feet to stamp and kick him in the torso and head. Doroscan recorded part of the assault on Snapchat. Both Clejan and Doroscan claimed they acted in self-defence after Mr Ilyas attacked them with a crowbar.
BreakingNews.ie
20-05-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Two men convicted of murdering Mahamud Ilyas after row over stolen bag of cannabis
Two men have been found guilty of the murder of 22-year-old Mahamud Ilyas, who was beaten to death and dumped in a wooded area in Co Meath after a row over a stolen bag of cannabis. The jury of seven men and five women deliberated for seven hours and 52 minutes over four days before returning the unanimous verdict on Monday against Viorel Doroscan (23) and Otniel Richardo Clejan (24), rejecting 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. Advertisement Neither Doroscan nor Clejan made any reaction as the jury's verdicts were delivered. Each of the men subsequently spoke to members of their legal team and hugged family members. Mr Ilyas' 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 trial that the deceased sustained depressed fractures to his head, which were "typical of hammer blows". Advertisement The prosecution had contended 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. 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 Mr Clejan and Mr Doroscan shouted at him, the witness said. Advertisement Mr Doroscan, holding a fruit knife, stood between Mr Ilyas's legs while Mr Clejan stood close to his head with a hammer in his hand, the witness said. Mr Doroscan, he said, kept on shouting "where is the stuff" while Mr Ilyas responded by "groaning and groaning". In his closing address to the jury, Eoin Lawlor SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, said 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. Doroscan, of Bay Meadows Square, Hollystown, West Dublin, and Clejan, with a former address at Verdemont in Blanchardstown in Dublin 15, had pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Ilyas on December 9th, 2022. The jury is continuing its deliberations in relation to a co-accused, Lorenzo Cantaragiu (21), of Castlegrange Park, Blanchardstown, who faces various charges of impeding the prosecution or apprehension of Clejan and Doroscan, by carrying out various acts while knowing or believing them to have committed the offence of causing serious harm to Mr Ilyas. Advertisement It is alleged that he drove the two murder accused and the deceased to Belgree Lane and that he cleaned the car in which they travelled. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Irish Times
20-05-2025
- Irish Times
Two men convicted of murdering Mahamud Ilyas after row over stolen bag of cannabis
Two men have been found guilty of the murder of 22-year-old Mahamud Ilyas, who was beaten to death and dumped in a wooded area in County Meath after a row over a stolen bag of cannabis. The jury of seven men and five women deliberated for seven hours and 52 minutes over four days before returning the unanimous verdict on Monday against Viorel Doroscan (23) and Otniel Richardo Clejan (24), rejecting 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. Neither Doroscan nor Clejan made any reaction as the jury's verdicts were delivered. Each of the men subsequently spoke to members of their legal team and hugged family members. READ MORE 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 trial that the deceased sustained depressed fractures to his head, which were 'typical of hammer blows'. The prosecution had contended 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. 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 Mr Clejan and Mr Doroscan shouted at him, the witness said. Mr Doroscan, holding a fruit knife, stood between Mr Ilyas's legs while Mr Clejan stood close to his head with a hammer in his hand, the witness said. Mr Doroscan, he said, kept on shouting 'where is the stuff' while Mr Ilyas responded by 'groaning and groaning'. In his closing address to the jury, Eoin Lawlor SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, said 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. Doroscan, of Bay Meadows Square, Hollystown, West Dublin, and Clejan, with a former address at Verdemont in Blanchardstown in Dublin 15, had pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Ilyas on December 9th, 2022. The jury is continuing its deliberations in relation to a co-accused, Lorenzo Cantaragiu (21), of Castlegrange Park, Blanchardstown, who faces various charges of impeding the prosecution or apprehension of Clejan and Doroscan, by carrying out various acts while knowing or believing them to have committed the offence of causing serious harm to Mr Ilyas. It is alleged that he drove the two murder accused and the deceased to Belgree Lane and that he cleaned the car in which they travelled. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. More to follow.
