The 19-year-old suspect charged in relation to a violent incident involving three gay men in Phoenix Park appeared in court for a second hearing yesterday, September 16, and had his bail terms relaxed. The teen was charged with violent disorder, production of a hammer as a weapon and two counts of dangerous driving.
On June 17, Reece Murphy was charged over the incident, in which three gay men were chased by a gang. On June 24, the teen appeared before the court and was given bail with strict terms, including having to sign on at his local Garda station three days a week.
Other terms of his bail mandated him to “remain out of Phoenix Park, and any other public park”, as well as adhere to an 11pm to 6am curfew. The suspect was also to remain contactable by authorities and was ordered to have “no contact, directly or indirectly, with the injured parties or witnesses in this case”, including communication online, “references to them on social media” or “bumping into them on the street”.
Murphy was ordered to appear before the court again on September 16 for a second hearing, where defence solicitor David Linehan asked for his client’s bail conditions to be eased. As reported by Tom Tuite, the solicitor claimed that having to sign on three days a week was affecting the defendant’s college attendance.
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Judge Catherine Hayden noted that Gardaí had no objection and agreed to the defence application to reduce the order to two days a week.
The defendant has yet to enter a plea, and it is yet to be decided whether the case will stay in the District Court or move to the Circuit Court, which has wider sentencing powers.
At his first hearing earlier in June, Murphy’s then defence solicitor, Wayne Kenny, stated that his client insisted that the Phoenix Park incident was not a homophobic attack. “My client wishes me to mention in open court that he is not someone who is in any way homophobic, and this isn’t some sort of attack on the gay community,” the solicitor said. “I am instructed to say that in open court, that he is anxious, that there is media present.”
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