A man who drove a gunman to the scene of a shooting in Dublin last year has been found guilty of murder and jailed for life.
Bryan Ryan (24) of Sheepmore Crescent, Blanchardstown, participated in a joint enterprise, driving the gunman to the scene on a stolen motorcycle, then driving him away afterward and burning the motorcycle.
The jury of eight women and four men at the Central Criminal Court spent two nights in a hotel and took 10 hours and 48 minutes to reach their majority (10-2) verdict, finding Ryan guilty of the murder of Ian Tobin at Fortlawn Park, Blanchardstown on May 27th, 2007.
Twenty-five-year-old father of two Mr Tobin died after he was shot through a door in an attack believed to be intended for his brother, Blake.
During the trial the court heard that there had been “an ongoing feud” between Blake Tobin and Ryan and the gunman.
The jury heard that, two years before the shooting, a fight broke out between Ryan and Blake Tobin at a party in Blanchardstown and that the gunman tried to stab Blake.
One witness, Kevin Whelan, told the court that he met Ryan after that altercation and that Ryan told him the gunman was “going to kill Blake Tobin”.
Mr Whelan said he was at the house in Fortlawn on May 27th last year and left shortly before the shooting.
He received a phonecall from Ryan when he was leaving and Ryan asked if Blake Tobin was in the house and said that he was “getting him”.
The court heard that Ryan drove the gunman on a stolen motorcycle to the house at approximately 5.30am.
Ryan then drove the gunman away from the scene and burned the motorcycle in the garden of an abandoned house.
The court also heard that Ryan telephoned Mr Whelan after the shooting to tell him that Blake Tobin had been shot.
Later, Ryan told gardai during interviews that he was not aware his passenger was carrying a gun and thought he had only intended to frighten someone.
Tom O’Connell SC, prosecuting, read a victim impact statement to the court on behalf of Mr Tobin’s fiancée, Sara Murphy.
“Ian and I were together for nine years before he died. We have two young children together and were engaged to be married last August.
“Ian was a decent, hard-working man who lived for his kids. He was a family man and loved spending time with his family and close friends. He had worked for ten years in the same place, Sam Hire, where he was highly regarded and had made life-long friends.
“Before he died Ian had been fundraising for Saint John’s leukaemia fund, a charity which was important to him because a work colleague had a child with leukaemia. After his death he received a certificate acknowledgment in the amount he had raised.
“Since Ian died none of our lives have been the same. His parents have lost a son who dropped into them everyday and his siblings have lost a brother who loved and cared about them. Our boys miss him so much and are always talking about him.
It breaks my heart to look at them and to try and explain why this happened to their dad. Our eldest son has difficulty sleeping and gets nervous when I go out. I sent them to play therapy to try and help them deal with the loss. My youngest son started school in September and really wanted his dad there. Ian will also miss our eldest son’s First Communion in May next year.
“When Ian died a part of me died with him. I keep asking myself why. He wasn’t involved in drugs, crime or anti-social behaviour, neither were any of his friends. Ian didn’t deserve this and neither did our family. He seldom went out socially as we struggled to pay our mortgage, bills and raise two children.
“Ian was a very generous man, who never turned down anyone who was in need. He spent most evenings with the boys tagging along, fixing things for people. His death has affected so many people besides his immediate family and friends.
He had no enemies.
“Words cannot express how much losing Ian affected us. He meant the world to us.”
Mr Justice Barry White imposed the mandatory sentence of life in jail.