BACKGROUNDTwo men who have engaged in criminality all their lives have been jailed for life for murder, writes Ronan McGreevy
THE DUMBRELL brothers are back where they have spent much of their short lives - behind bars.
The relief on the faces of the gardaí who successfully investigated the murder and gave evidence at the trial of Warren and Jeffrey was palpable once a double guilty verdict was brought in.
As gardaí see it, the life sentences will now take out of circulation two men who have spent their lives engaged in criminality and who come from a notorious family.
Det Supt PJ Browne's voice shook with emotion as he pondered the verdict afterwards.
"It would be an understatement to say that I'm pleased that they are off the street. They were two of the greatest thugs we've had on the street for many, many years. I hope the verdict is pleasing to the people of Ireland."
It took Det Sgt Adrian Whitelaw several minutes to read out the list of Warren Dumbrell's 26 previous convictions, dating back to his first conviction for burglary in 1987, when he was just 13.
He gained national notoriety when he led a gang which held five prison officers hostage in Mountjoy Jail in 1997. Warren held a blood-filled syringe to an officer's throat and threatened to inject him with it. "I have the virus since I was 15 years old. I don't give a f***, I'll make you drink my blood," he told the officer.
For that he got 10 years, but before that he spent time in jail for assault, robbery, burglary and possession of firearms.
Jeffrey Dumbrell, who admitted stabbing Christy Cawley, had eight previous convictions, four for theft and trespass, which ended up in jail sentences.
It was Cawley's misfortune to become entangled in a row with Tommy Dumbrell, another one of the nine members of the Dumbrell family.
On the day he died, he had an altercation on the bus with Tommy in which Cawley is alleged to have told him, "any time, any place", to which the reply came: "If it's a fight you want, 8 o'clock tonight in the square."
Tommy never turned up, but Warren and Jeffrey did. They picked up a hurley and chased him from a large patch of green in front of Tyrone Place where Cawley lived with his wife and six children.
The Dumbrell family home is only a couple of hundred yards from Tyrone Place.
Christy stumbled in front of the circular stairwell at the front of the flats. Warren set about him with the hurley, Jeffrey stabbed him six times. The fatal blow was a 7in stab wound to the left thigh which severed an artery. The attack lasted just 52 seconds and was witnessed by several people.
It all happened in front of three of Cawley's six children, Mairéad (16), Janice (14) and Lorcan, who was just four. Cawley bled to death within an hour.
Mairéad gave birth just two days ago at the Coombe hospital to a daughter, Lily-Kate, who would have been his first grandchild.
Today is the anniversary of Christy Cawley's father's death, a fact acknowledged by his brother Martin Cawley, who said their late parents would be happy that justice was done.
The flat where the family lived at Tyrone Place has since been boarded up and they have moved to the north side of Dublin.
Gardaí said they would have feared for the family and the other witnesses if a guilty verdict had not been secured.
Det Supt Browne, who led the investigation, which took 18 months to secure a conviction, had nothing but praise for Mrs Cawley and local residents who gave evidence in the face of "huge intimidation".
"You must remember it is a small community. They [the witnesses] stood up to it and by them standing up to it, we were able to bring it to a successful conclusion," Det Supt Browne said.
"I want to compliment the bravery of Mrs Cawley, her neighbours and all those who came forward. I hope those who are intimidated by this type of thuggery take a page from their book and come forward. That is the only way we are going to cut down criminality."