Courts

Man who arranged murder of drug dealer in broad daylight while pushing pram jailed for 19 years

Convicted killer Robert Redmond arranged to have Jordan Davis shot for failure to pay him €70,000

Flowers on the grave of Jordan Davis in Fingal Cemetery after his funeral in Darndale. Photograph: Colin Keegan/Collins Dublin
Flowers on the grave of Jordan Davis in Fingal Cemetery after his funeral in Darndale. Photograph: Colin Keegan/Collins Dublin
Alison O'Riordan
Paul Neilan
Thu May 16 2024 - 17:33

Convicted murderer Robert Redmond, who conspired to kill a drug dealer who allegedly owed him €70,000, will now serve sentences totalling 19 years in tandem with his life imprisonment term.

Jordan Davis (23) was shot dead while pushing his four-month-old son in a pram in broad daylight five years ago. The State previously told the Central Criminal Court that Mr Davis was a drug dealer but that this did not reduce his entitlement for respect to his right to life.

The court was told during Thursday’s sentence hearing for Redmond (35), who is already serving a life sentence for the murder of father-of-eight Barry Wolverson, that a text conversation revealed that Mr Davis had owed a drug debt to Redmond amounting to €70,000.

When Mr Davis’s mobile phone was examined by gardaí they found a message from Redmond warning Mr Davis: “I’m on your case mate, it won’t be long”.

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Redmond had also sent Mr Davis a message saying: “F**king clown that can’t pay bills trying to be a big man. I heard a lot about you. Trust me I’ll get you soon”.

A detective told the court on Thursday that “tick lists” were found at two addresses linked to Redmond, which were searched in 2018 and 2019. One of the tick lists, identified by gardaí, had the name ‘Jordo’ with €70,000 beside it and the words “not yet”.

The court heard that Redmond has 99 previous convictions which include two counts of the possession of firearms and ammunition with intent to endanger life as well as a life sentence for murder.

As well as the life sentence, Redmond received a 12-year term for the possession of a firearm and ammunition on the day Mr Wolverson was murdered. He also has convictions for blackmail and extortion, threats to kill and assault causing harm.

In passing sentence, Mr Justice Paul McDermott said the seven-year sentence is to run consecutively to the 12-year term handed down to Redmond for possession of the firearm in the murder of Mr Wolverson.

Mr Justice McDermott said the killing of Mr Davis had “devastating consequences” for the victim’s family and that a consecutive sentence was “appropriate” in the context of Redmond’s “level of involvement and his criminal history”.

Redmond, a career criminal with a previous address at Streamville Road, Kilbarrack, Dublin 13, pleaded guilty last month to conspiring together, with another or others, to murder Mr Davis on or about May 22nd, 2019, within the State.

Redmond was originally charged with the murder of Mr Davis, who was fatally shot by a gunman on a bicycle while pushing his four-month-old son’s buggy in a laneway beside Our Lady of Immaculate National School in Darndale.

Mr Davis suffered three gunshot wounds including one to the head that killed him instantly. Redmond is the second person to be dealt with in relation to the offence.

In 2022, drug dealer Wayne Cooney (33) was jailed for life for the murder of Mr Davis after a jury found he was the cyclist who circled Mr Davis for three days like a “shark moving towards its prey” before firing eight shots at him from a 9mm pistol and striking him three times.

A child who happened to be cycling through the lane was just a few feet away when Cooney opened fire.

In December 2022, Redmond was sentenced to the mandatory term of life imprisonment for murdering father-of-eight Barry Wolverson (40) at Madigan’s Yard, Kileek Lane, Swords, Co Dublin, on January 17th, 2020. He had denied the charge.

Separately, Redmond was also jailed by the Special Criminal Court for six years in 2023 for his part in helping to move a submachine gun that was recovered during a Garda operation in 2020.