Two "foot soldiers" contracted by senior figures in an organised crime group to murder Michael Frazer will be sentenced later this month at the non-jury Special Criminal Court.
The two Dublin men pleaded guilty in May before the three-judge court after armed detectives intercepted their van during an operation targeting organised crime in Dublin in August 2017. The court heard there was a loaded firearm inside the vehicle “ready for use”.
Gary Gleeson (34) and Stephen Dunne (39) discussed how they needed to aim for “head shots” or they would not get paid, the court previously heard.
Gleeson, with an address at Muskerry Road in Ballyfermot, Dublin 10 and Dunne, of Meile an Ri Drive in Lucan, Dublin 20 pleaded guilty in May to possession of a 9mm Luger semi-automatic pistol and 10 rounds of 9mm calibre Sellier and Bellot ammunition with intent to endanger life. The offences were carried out at Naas Road, Crumlin on August 7th, 2017.
The two men had previously been charged with conspiracy to murder Dubliner Michael Frazer (39) between July 28th and August 7th last.
Caught ‘red-handed’
Defence counsel Michael O’Higgins SC, for Gleeson, told the court on Friday that on the bare facts of the case it could be said his client was caught “red-handed” but this would have been time consuming to prove in a trial.
In mitigation, he asked the court to give significant credit to Gleeson’s guilty plea. He again emphasised to the court that Gleeson was a “foot soldier” and not the brains of the operation.
The barrister said Gleeson had a very strong family and a letter from his partner was read to the court in which she called him a “loyal and supportive father”. She said Gleeson was reliable and had cared for their son on a daily basis. It is difficult for her son to comprehend why his father is not in the family circle now, she said.
The court heard that Gleeson had a very adverse reaction to his mother’s death and began to drink and take cocaine. His partner said that she in no way condones what Gleeson has done but attributes it to his addictions and the death of his mother.
Mr O’Higgins said there had been a lost shipment of drugs worth €80,000 and Gleeson consequently had a “bad time” with those people who wanted their money back. His family became involved in the crossfire, the court heard.
A psychological report from a consultant clinical psychologist was also handed into the court in which it was noted that Gleeson had full “suicidal ideation” in the lead up to this event. The report said his judgment would have been impaired and it indicated he was a depressed person.
However, Mr O’Higgins said there was no getting away from the fact that this was a very serious offence and it was at the higher end of the scale because a firearm was involved and discharge was imminent.
Counsel said Gleeson is very remorseful and had written a letter of apology to Mr Frazer. The court could be confident, he said, that when Gleeson’s sentence is served he would be a productive member of society and not a hardened criminal who would not be turned. Mr O’Higgins said his client is now drug-free and asked the court to be as lenient in sentencing as the circumstances would allow.
Heroin addictions
Michael Bowman SC, for Dunne, said it was manifestly clear that he had struggled with heroin addictions for in excess of twenty years. There have been serious attempts at self-harm and he was an inpatient in psychiatric wards on five or six occasions. He also struggled to form meaningful relationships with his peers, the court heard.
Mr Bowman said Dunne was very cognisant of the intervention by gardaí in this event and he had expressed relief about it. The court heard that Dunne’s mother said her son was very insecure emotionally and she believed he had been brain damaged arising from the quantity of drugs he had taken. He struggles, she said, to understand how gullible and naive an individual he is.
Mr Bowman said while there was one round in the breach, the magazine had been loaded backwards by his client into the firearm so it was incapable of firing. “When the court comes to apportioning responsibility, one must consider the fact that Mr Dunne has very serious incapacities,” he said. Dunne was vulnerable and that vulnerability has been exploited to the maximum, Mr Bowman said.
Mr Justice Tony Hunt, presiding, with Judge Patricia Ryan and Judge Michael Walsh, remanded both men in custody until July 30th, when they will be sentenced.