A man has been charged with the murder of an English tourist who died two months after being injured in Dublin’s Temple Bar area last year.
Darragh O’Brien (22), of Beechfield Heights, Clonee, Dublin 15, was initially charged with assault causing harm to Anthony Herron in relation to the Temple Bar Square incident in the early hours of August 21st last.
Herron, who had just left a pub when the incident happened, was from London and aged in his 40s. He was married with one child and awaiting the arrival of a second.
O’Brien was granted conditional bail after an initial court appearance last year, but the charge was upgraded to murder when he appeared before Dublin District Court on Friday.
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Garda Colin Coyne Delaney said O’Brien made “no reply” when charged.
The garda told Judge Gerard Jones that the Director of Public Prosecutions had authorised the withdrawal of the assault charge and a single count of murder was to proceed on indictment to the Central Criminal Court.
O’Brien could not apply for bail on Friday as an application must be made before the High Court in murder cases.
Holly Laher, solicitor for the accused, asked that O’Brien, who is yet to enter a plea, be remanded in custody to appear at Cloverhill District Court on Thursday.
Legal aid was granted and prosecutors must complete a book of evidence and serve it on him before a return-for-trial order is granted.
At his first hearing, the court was told O’Brien was “couch surfing” with friends around the time of the incident. It was claimed that he kicked Herron in the head following an alleged verbal altercation.
Herron was initially taken to St James’s Hospital that night but was transferred to Beaumont Hospital to undergo emergency surgery. He was later returned to the UK, where he died in October.
At the original bail hearing, the court was told that O’Brien has no previous criminal history and “understands the seriousness of this offence”.
