Four men have admitted their involvement in fights and assaults in Dublin city centre last year during which another man was stabbed to death
Quham Babatunde, 34, died after he was attacked following a Valentines night out on South Anne Street on 15 February 2025.
Bruno Tache with an address at Trimleston, Balbriggan in Co Dublin, Rory Carr from Ard Na Gréine, Seapoint Lane in Balbriggan, David Oloo Omee of The Lawn, St Marnock's Bay, Dublin 13 and Sean Forde from Bath Road in Balbriggan, pleaded guilty to affray and assault charges.
All four are convicted violent drug dealers.
The violence began after an event at Club 22 on South Anne Street which 400 people had bought tickets for, and the four men had attended and booked a VIP booth.
Mr Tache, 21, drank large measures of spirits in the club and was thrown out at around 2am because he was drunk.
Mr Oloo Omee, 20, left with him and the two waited around Grafton Street for the others to come out.
When their friends came out an hour later, they got involved in a series of fights on South Anne Street, Duke Lane and Dawson Street.
Mr Tache attacked a man; Mr Carr punched another twice while nearby Mr Babatunde was attacked and fatally stabbed.
Another man is currently before the courts in Northern Ireland charged with his murder.
Mr Carr, 22, punched and kicked a person while they were on the ground, while Mr Tache also attacked another man who then lost consciousness.
None of the four men were involved in the fatal stabbing but after Mr Babatunde was stabbed, Mr Carr punched him and Mr Tache kicked him in the head.
Mr Forde, 24, attacked a man on nearby Duke Lane, slapping his phone out of his hand and stamping on it.
Mr Oloo Omee also attacked a man on South Anne Street and in violent disorder outside Café en Seine on Dawson Street, where Mr Carr also kicked another person twice in the head.
Detective Superintendent Katherina Joyce told the court that gardaí identified suspects from the Balbriggan area and commenced arrests two days later.
When gardaí told Mr Carr after he was arrested and interviewed that someone had died, he replied: "I had nothing to do with this murder, I didn’t know anyone was stabbed, I didn’t see a knife, I heard it on the news the next morning and God rest his soul."
Mr Tache exercised his right to silence during questioning, but when gardaí asked him about his clothes he replied, "I’ll be honest with you the clothes are gone, everything is gone after the lads were arrested."
Mr Oloo Omee admitted that he had been "involved in fights" and told them he had previously boxed and would know how to throw a punch.
"Was I hitting anyone, yes, I was," he said, but he denied knowing anyone had died.
He apologised for attacking a person and said, "if he wants me to help out with his treatment I will, if he needs money".
Mr Forde engaged in a limited way about his clothes and told gardaí they were "all from Penneys", while otherwise exercising his right to silence or replying no comment.
All four men have previous convictions for violent crimes and drug dealing.
Mr Carr has 34 previous convictions, Mr Oloo Omee has 25, Mr Tache has 20 and Mr Forde has 8.
Mr Carr, Mr Tache and Mr Oloo Omee were on bail on other charges at the time of the attack while Mr Carr and Mr Tache were serving suspended sentences for other offences.
Six victim impact statements were handed in to the judge but only one was read in court where the victim sustained an eye injury and said they had been left blind for some months.
The victim said he "has never been at peace since the day it happened" and that "the man who died was my best friend and it could have been me".
Judge Orla Crowe remanded Mr Carr and Mr Tache in custody until 10 March and directed urinalysis.
She remanded Mr Oloo Omee and Mr Forde on continuing bail until 21 April and directed probation reports.
