The mother of murdered gunman Tristan Sherry (26) was unable to recognise her son because his face was so badly beaten when a group set upon him after he fatally shot gangland figure Jason Hennessy Snr in a restaurant on Christmas Eve over two years ago, the Special Criminal Court has heard.
Prosecution counsel Fiona Murphy SC, at a sentencing hearing for three men convicted of Sherry’s murder on Thursday, read statements by the deceased’s mother Mary Hand and sister Savannah.
Ms Hand said she and her daughter have been left “terrified” of living in Blanchardstown since the murder, while Savannah wrote that they have moved house twice “due to fear of not being safe”. Savannah also criticised people with no connection to the family who had posted videos and photos of Sherry’s death on social media for “entertainment”.
Ms Hand said she has been left devastated by the murder of her “first-born child”.
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When gardaí brought her to identify the body, she said: “He was that badly beaten I didn’t recognise him.”
Mr Justice Kerida Naidoo sentenced Michael Andrecut (23) of Sheephill Avenue, Blanchardstown to the mandatory term of life imprisonment for Sherry’s murder.
David Amah (19) of Hazel Grove, Portrane Road, Donabate and a third man from Blanchardstown, who is now aged 18 but was 17 when charged with the offence, were also convicted of murder.
Neither Amah nor the third defendant are subject to the mandatory life sentence because they were 17 at the time of the offence.
The court also sentenced Jaures Kumbu to three years in prison with the final year suspended for two years. Kumbu (19) of Brookhaven Grove, Blanchardstown pleaded guilty last year to a firearms offence. The court heard that he picked up the sub-machine gun used by Sherry, removed it from the scene and gave it to an unidentified person.
