Courts / Dublin / Report

Gang's convictions for notorious €2m tiger kidnapping are upheld

Summary

After five trials and two appeals over an 11‑year period, the Court of Appeal upheld the convictions of Mark Farrelly (48), David Byrne (46) and Niall Byrne (37) for the tiger kidnapping of a Dublin family and the robbery of Securicor of €2.08 million. The appellate court, presided over by Mr Justice George Birmingham with Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy and Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy, found no merit in the gang's grounds of appeal. The defendants had pleaded not guilty to the false imprisonment of Paul Richardson's family at their Ashcroft home in Raheny and to the cash‑in‑transit robbery on 14 March 2005. They had argued that the evidence gathered by Gardaí was unconstitutional and should be excluded under the 2015 Supreme Court ruling in 'JC', but the court rejected this claim. The convictions were therefore confirmed and the appeals dismissed. The decision was released electronically as part of Covid‑19 pandemic measures.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Gang's convictions for notorious €2m tiger kidnapping are upheld. Charges or matters: the false imprisonment of Paul Richardson's family at their Dublin home in Ashcroft, Raheny and to robbing Securicor of €2.08 million on March 14, 2005. Procedural stage: appeal

When:

• January 2018 Hearing Or Sentence
• March 14, 2005 Other
• 2020-04-20 Publication

Why: In their latest appeal, Farrelly, David Byrne and Niall Byrne had argued their convictions were unsafe because the gathering of evidence by gardaí was unconstitutional and should not have been excused as being an "unconscious" breach, in line with the exclusionary rules of evidence set down in the 2015 Supreme Court case of 'JC'. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Appeal Theft

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Read the original CNI report