Tristan Sherry died from blunt force head injury and stab wounds, inquest hears
Seán McCárthaigh
A man who was fatally injured during a violent incident at a West Dublin restaurant last Christmas died as a result of a combination of a blunt force head injury and stab wounds to his body, an inquest has heard.
Tristan Sherry (26) died in Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown (CHB) on December 24th, 2023 as a result of injuries he sustained during an incident at Browne’s Steakhouse in Blanchardstown, Dublin earlier that evening.
The deceased’s sister, Savanna Hand, gave evidence at a sitting of Dublin District Coroner’s Court on Tuesday of formally identifying her brother’s body to gardaí in the early hours of Christmas Day at CHB.
Detective Garda Shane Guinan told the brief hearing into the inquest into the death of Mr Sherry how he had brought the deceased’s mother, Mary Hand, and her daughter, Savanna, to the hospital.
He confirmed that the dead man’s sister had formally identified her brother’s body at 20 minutes past midnight on Christmas Day.
No details about the incident at the restaurant were outlined during the five-minute hearing.
Detective Inspector Liam Donoghue of Blanchardstown Garda Station applied for an adjournment of the inquest under Section 25 (2) of the Coroners Act as criminal proceedings in relation to Mr Sherry’s death have been instituted.
The coroner, Clare Keane, granted the application and adjourned the case until related criminal prosecutions have concluded.
Dr Keane confirmed that the results of a postmortem showed Mr Sherry had died as a result of “blunt force head injury combined with sharp force injuries to his trunk.”
Offering her condolences to relatives of the deceased on the death of Mr Sherry, she adjourned the case until a date to be fixed at a future point.
Mr Sherry, a father of one from Finglas, was overpowered and assaulted by a number of individuals at Browne’s Steakhouse because he was the suspected gunman in the shooting of Jason Hennessy Senior (48) who was dining in the restaurant with a group of family and friends.
Mr Hennessy, a well-known criminal from Corduff, Blanchardstown, subsequently died from shotgun injuries to his neck and upper body 11 days later at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital in Dublin.
He was due to face money laundering charges at a trial before Dublin Circuit Criminal Court next year in relation to the activities of a criminal gang of which he was a key member.
A total of four men have been charged with Mr Sherry’s murder as a result of a Garda investigation into his death.
The four accused include Noah Musueni (18), of Corduff Park, Blanchardstown, who was a Leaving Certificate student at the time of the fatal incident.
The others are David Amah (18), of Hazel Grove, Portrane Road, Donabate, Co Dublin; Michael Andrecut (22), of Sheephill Avenue, Blanchardstown, and Wayne Deegan (26) of Linnetsfield Avenue, Phibblestown.
Another youth and four other males are also facing a series of charges arising out of the same incident including assault, violent disorder and production of a weapon during the incident.
One of them, Juares Kumbu (18) of Brookhaven Grove, Blanchardstown, is accused of possession of a submachine gun after he allegedly took the weapon used by the deceased out of the restaurant and was driven away from the scene.
Jonas Kabangu (18), of Corduff Park, Blanchardstown, is charged with violent disorder at the same location and date as a juvenile who cannot be named.
The son of the other victim, Brandon Hennessy (20), of Sheephill Avenue, Blanchardstown, is also charged with violent disorder and producing an item capable of inflicting serious injury, namely a commercial dust pan and brush with steel handles.
All accused are due to face trial before the non-jury Special Criminal Court after the DPP ruled that the ordinary criminal courts were “inadequate to secure the effective administration of justice.”
