A teenager jailed for violent disorder during the melee in which Tristan Sherry was beaten to death has been sentenced to a further three years and eight months in prison after he was caught “red-handed” burying a sawn-off shotgun, ammunition and more than €55,000 worth of drugs for the Hennessy crime gang.
The Dubliner (18), who cannot be named because he was a minor when he came before the courts, previously pleaded guilty to a number of offences at Tolka Valley Park, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, on May 7th and 8th, 2024.
Among the charges were possession of a side-by-side shotgun, possession of cannabis and diamorphine for the purpose of sale or supply to another and possession of a drug named phenacetin, in circumstances giving rise to the inference that it was connected to a drug-trafficking offence.
He was also charged with the possession of ammunition.
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Sentencing the youth to five years in prison with the final one year and four months suspended at the Special Criminal Court on Monday , Ms Justice Karen O’Connor said the defendantwas “essentially caught red-handed”. However, she said the court had to be conscious of the evidence that he was “acting under the influence” of others at the time who were “no doubt older than him”.
She also noted his pleas of guilty were mitigating factors in the case.
The judge noted evidence at a previous sentencing hearing that the defendant had been acting “at the behest of the Hennessy organised crime group”.
She said the fact he was only 17 at the time was a “significant factor” which the court had to consider.
The judge noted the defendant had a “challenging upbringing” and has been described as a “vulnerable young man”.
She said the sentence imposed on Monday would run consecutive to the jail term he is currently serving, meaning he will serve a total sentence of five years.
The Special Criminal Court previously heard that on May 7th, 2024, an undercover drug unit in Blanchardstown observed the teenager digging in the ground. When the gardaí approached, they saw the butt of a shotgun sticking out of the earth.
Eight drug packages wrapped in black clingfilm were beside the hole.
The scene was preserved, and the following morning gardaí discovered further drug and ammunition packages.
In a separate matter, the Special Criminal Court previously found the teenager guilty of violent disorder at Browne’s Steakhouse in Blanchardstown on Christmas Eve, 2023.
During a trial last year, the court heard that gangland figure Jason Hennessy snr was celebrating with about 30 people, including the defendant.
Tristan Sherry and a second gunman entered the restaurant with their faces covered and hoods up. Hennessy snr suffered a fatal gunshot wound as he grappled with Sherry, but he managed to drag the gunman to the ground. Others in the party piled in on Sherry, stamping on his torso and head, stabbing him repeatedly and using various objects to beat him to death.
Three people were convicted of murder arising out of the assault on Sherry.
The defendant in this case initially hid under a table, but when he emerged he engaged in violence against Sherry for about five seconds.
