Five men have been jailed for their roles in the “sadistic” and “cruel” torture and false imprisonment of a woman in a Dublin flat over a false accusation about missing drugs.
During a three-hour period in September last year, Natalie Ennis (then aged 37) was beaten to the head and body with metal pole, burned with a makeshift blow torch and a heated hammer head, cut with a knife, kicked and punched, had her hair cut off and was threatened with rape, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard.
The men took running jumps at her during the assault in a one-bedroom flat at Henrietta House, Dublin 7, threatened to make her drink ammonia and also threatened to rape her teenage daughter. She was terrified throughout and thought she was going to die, Caroline Cummings BL, prosecuting told an earlier sentence hearing.
The assault only ended when gardaí entered the flat with a search warrant, the court heard. All of the men, who have between one and 124 previous convictions respectively, were on bail at the time of the offence.
Ms Ennis was left with a broken eye socket, broken cheekbone, broken nasal bone, broken elbow, burns, dislocated teeth, bruising and lacerations across her head and scalp among other injuries.
She required skin grafts, staples to her scalp and later had surgery to remove a disc in her back, the court heard. She spent three weeks in hospital in the immediate aftermath of the assault.
Five of the eight men present that day entered guilty pleas, while another man and a juvenile are still before the courts. The eighth person is not before the courts.
Mark Keogh (aged 33), Mark McMahon (aged 55) and Braxton Rice (aged 21), all of Henrietta House, Henrietta Place, Dublin 7, along with Sean Conroy (aged 21) of Sillogue Road, Ballymun and Kian Walshe (aged 22) of Constitution Hill, Dublin 7, all pleaded guilty to false imprisonment and assault causing harm to the woman at Henrietta House on September 26, 2024.
A number of other counts against each man relating to the production of articles in the course of an offence were taken into consideration.
Imposing sentence on Wednesday, Judge Pauline Codd said the context of this offending “highlights the degree to which normal humanity and decency are absent” in the drugs trade.
She noted the aggravating features of the case included the violation of the woman’s rights to liberty and bodily integrity, the serious injuries sustained, the premediated nature of the offending and the “deliberate targeting” of Ms Ennis, who the judge said was “vulnerable”.
The judge said the violence included ”disturbing, cruel and sadistic methods of torturing a woman by a group of men”, adding later that a group of men against one woman is, in itself, “terrifying”. Judge Codd noted that this offending took place in the context of other criminal activity, namely “enforcement” in relation to the alleged loss of drugs and that all the men were on bail at the time.
She said this offending “demonstrates the evils associated with the drugs trade” and its wider criminal associations. The judge noted Ms Ennis was humiliated by having her hair cut, describing this as an “almost ritualistic medieval punishment, especially when directed at a female”.
The judge said it was a “concerning feature” of the case that two men – Conroy and Rice – by the age of 20 were “capable of inflicting such cruelty and depravity”, but said it was “not insignificant” that they had difficult backgrounds. The judge commended the gardaí for their intervention, the thoroughness of their investigation and the empathy shown to the victim.
Judge Codd noted that but for the intervention of the gardaí, the men could be facing more serious charges, and said the harm caused to Ms Ennis was the “most serious type” within the range of the charge of assault causing harm.
She said the victim impact statement conveyed the “unimaginable traumatic effect” of the offending on Ms Ennis. The judge said the victim had shown “remarkable courage and dignity” and wished her well in her recovery and in the future.
She noted the victim’s evidence that all of the men were involved in assaulting her. The judge also noted that some of the men indicated they had been using drugs that day, which she said may explain their conduct, but did not excuse it.
The judge said the accused men “must have left aside all humanity” that day. Judge Codd noted that the court heard evidence that the men told the injured party a “black man” was coming to rape her and described this as a “threat of the most misogynistic and racist kind”.
The judge said she had taken into account the men’s guilty pleas, their circumstances and the other mitigation before the court.
Judge Codd said Rice was the “main ringleader” who acted as “inquisitor” in relation to the missing drugs, made “vicious threats” and heated implements which were used to burn the victim.
She said Rice’s level of culpability was within the “exceptional level” for the offence of false imprisonment, and that he used “sadistic torture and threats” against the “defenceless woman”.
The judge noted Rice denied physically assaulting the injured party in a psychological report, which she said is “at odds” with the offence and was not put to gardaí during cross-examination.
She handed Rice a sentence of 15 years, with the final 12 months suspended on strict conditions.
The judge said Conroy was “one of the main movers” in this offending, “eclipsed only by the actions of Rice”.
She said he was “centrally involved” and imposed a sentence of 13 years, with the final 12 months suspended on strict conditions.
Handing McMahon a sentence of 12 years, Judge Codd noted he allowed his flat to be used, “facilitated and actively took part” in the offending, but was not the “main mover”.
She noted he expressed shame that he was involved in an offence involving violence against women.
McMahon’s son, Keogh was jailed for nine years for his involvement.
The judge noted Keogh’s previous convictions and that he was part of the group which falsely imprisoned and assaulted the injured party.
Judge Codd noted that Walshe’s car was used to transport the victim to the flat and that he shared a recording of the attack, which demonstrated a “lack of empathy and moral compass”.
The judge said Walshe has no “significant history of offending”, and at the time, was “effectively a first-time offender”.
She handed Walshe a sentence of 11 years with the final two-and-a-half years suspended on strict conditions.
The court heard McMahon has 27 previous convictions, including drug dealing and possession, burglary, robbery and malicious damage.
Keogh has 124 previous convictions, including drug dealing and possession, possession of knives, assault causing harm and escaping custody.
Conroy has 89 previous convictions including drug dealing and possession, burglary and possession of knives.
Rice has 12 previous convictions including drug dealing and possession while Walshe has one previous conviction.
The maximum sentences for false imprisonment and assault causing harm are life and 10 years respectively. The judge backdated the sentences to when each of the men individually went into custody.
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