Four men will be sentenced later this year for their roles in a violent incident in Dublin City Centre last year in which another man died.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard fights broke out on South Anne Street in the early hours of February 15th, 2025.
The violence spilled onto Duke Lane and later onto Dawson Street and a number of victims were punched, kicked, knocked unconscious and suffered bruising.
Eight men had been due to be sentenced on Tuesday for their roles in the incident. However, four of the cases were adjourned to April following defence applications.
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John Berry SC, prosecuting, told the court that Quham Babatunde, a 34-year-old Nigerian man, died that night, but not as a result of an assault perpetrated by any of the accused men in this case.
It is alleged that a ninth man fatally stabbed Babatunde. He is charged with murder and is before the courts in Northern Ireland.
Rory Carr (22) of Ard Na Greine, Seapoint Lane, Balbriggan, pleaded guilty to three counts of assault causing harm to Babatunde, Adetola Adetuilehim and a third man in separate incidents.
The court was told that Carr punched Babatunde eight times after he had been fatally injured by another man.
Bruno Tache (21) of Trimleston, Balbriggan, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to Babutunde and another man. He further pleaded guilty to violent disorder.
Det Supt Katharina Joyce told the court that Tache kicked Babatunde in the head while he was lying on the ground dead.
David Oloo Omee (19) of The Lawn, St Marnock’s Bay, Dublin 13, entered guilty pleas to charges of assaulting Adetuilehim causing him harm and violent disorder.
The court heard Adetuilehim suffered a fractured eye socket. In a short victim impact report, he said that his best friend died that night and he has never been at peace since.
“It could have been me,” he said, adding that he now feels scared around people he doesn’t know.
Sean Forde (24) with an address at Bath Road, Balbriggan, pleaded guilty to affray.
Det Supt Joyce gave evidence that there had been a music event on the night of St Valentine’s Day in Club 22, on South Anne Street.
About 400 people attended the event, including the defendants and the injured parties. CCTV from the club showed limited interaction between the groups and no indication of any fights or arguments.
Tache was asked to leave the club around 2am due to his level of intoxication. Oloo Omee also left the club at the same time with both men remaining in the Grafton Street area until others left the club an hour later.
An initial fight started outside the club, which Carr attempted to de-escalate by restraining one of the parties involved, the court heard. Tache punched another man during this fight. Oloo Omee was also present.
Shortly afterwards, a large scuffle involving multiple individuals started outside Isabelle’s restaurant. Berry told the court that it was during this incident that Babatunde received a fatal stab wound.
He said all four men are involved in the violence to various degrees at this point. Tache punched a man in the head.
He said Forde was present and CCTV showed him standing near Babatunde.
Carr punched Babatunde approximately eight times, then left. Babatunde had already been allegedly fatally wounded by another man at this point.
Oloo Omee and another co-accused assaulted Adetuilehim by punching him on South Anne Street, with the incident continuing onto Duke Lane where the injured party was kicked.
Forde knocked the phone out of another person’s hand, then stamped on it, the court was told.
The assault of Adetuilehim continued on Duke Lane with Carr and Tache also becoming involved. CCTV footage showed this assault took place in close proximity to where Babatunde was lying on the ground following his death.
While leaving the area, Tache was the second of two men who kicked Babatunde in the head. He then lost his footing and fell on top of the dead man.
The court heard this incident last around six minutes. The men left and walked to Dawson Street, where a further altercation takes place.
In the days following the incident, gardaí gathered a large quantity of CCTV footage from the area. They identified the defendants and made arrests.
During interview, Carr predominately relied on his right to silence. When informed a man had died during the incident he told gardaí: “I had nothing to do with this murder, I didn’t know anyone had a knife, God rest his soul”.
Carr was on bail at the time for an offence of drug dealing. He was also subject to a suspended sentence of two years for possession of knives from 2023.
Tache was on bail for an offence of money laundering and was also subject to a suspended sentence for drug dealing.
Oloo Omee was also on bail for an outstanding offence at the time. When he was told of the extent of Adetuilehim’s injuries, he said he was so sorry and offered to pay for any surgery.
The garda witness agreed with Simon Matthews BL, defending, that his client’s remorse appeared to be genuine. She also agreed that his client was not involved in any interaction with the deceased man.
Forde’s previous convictions include one for violent disorder.
Judge Crowe directed urine analysis for Carr and adjourned finalisation of sentence for him and Tache to March 10th. Following defence applications, she directed probation reports for Forde and Omee and remanded them on continuing bail to April 21st.
