A man who stole a delivery cyclist's electric bike which started a row resulting in the fatal stabbing of a teenager in Dublin two years ago has been jailed for two years.
Gavin Dooner, 20, with an address at Ravensdale Road in East Wall stole the bike but then shouted for "back up" when confronted by the cyclists.
16-year-old Josh Dunne, who arrived on the scene with some friends, was stabbed to death in the subsequent confrontation on 26 January 2021.
Dooner had been doing wheelies and driving his moped on the footpath and had smashed the windows of a house earlier that night before he stole a delivery cyclist's electric bike outside Lidl.
When confronted by two of the cyclists he shouted "back me up, back me up" to Josh Dunne and his friends, who happened to be passing on their way to get a pizza.
Josh held Dooner's moped for him as the fight broke out but ended up being stabbed to death.
CCTV video of what happened was shown in court today and members of Josh Dunne’s family were present.
One of the delivery drivers, George Gonzaga Bento, was acquitted of his murder last year.
Dooner’s co-accused Tiernan Ryan, 27, of no fixed abode, arrived late at the scene but got involved in the fight and was jailed today for nine months.
Senior counsel James Dwyer said Dooner, now 20, had a troubled background, suffered a number of family tragedies as a child and started drinking alcohol and doing drugs in his teens.
Judge Martin Nolan said Dooner "behaved very badly on the night in question".
He initiated the dispute, assaulted the delivery driver, and "ultimately, unfortunately and tragically" Josh Dunne died.
The maximum sentence is five years, but taking into account his guilty plea and age at the time, the judge jailed the 20-year-old for two years.
