Nightclub goers jailed for violent Dublin city centre assault before man’s death

By Eimear Dodd and Declan Brennan

Two nightclub goers who separately took part in the assault of a man who later died as a result of a violent incident in Dublin city centre have been jailed for three years.

Rory Carr (22) and Bruno Tache (21) both admitted assaulting Quham Babatunde (34) after fights broke out on South Anne Street in the early hours of February 15th, 2025.

Babatunde was then allegedly stabbed by another man, who has since been charged with murder and is before the courts in Northern Ireland.

On Tuesday, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard the violence spilled onto Duke Lane and later onto Dawson Street and a number of victims were punched, kicked, knocked unconscious, and suffered bruising.

John Berry, prosecuting, previously told the court that Babatunde, a 34-year-old Nigerian man, died that night, but not as a result of the assaults perpetrated by either of the defendants in this case.

Carr, of Ard Na Greine, Seapoint Lane, Balbriggan, pleaded guilty to three counts of assault causing harm to Babatunde, Adetola Adetuilehim and a third man.

The court heard that Carr punched Babatunde eight times on South Anne Street after he had been fatally injured. Babatunde was still standing at this point but later fell to the ground.

Detective Superintendent Katharina Joyce told the court that Tache kicked Babatunde in the head while he was lying dead on the ground dead Duke Lane.

Tache, of Trimleston, Balbriggan, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to Babatunde and another man. He further pleaded guilty to violent disorder.

On Tuesday, Judge Orla Crowe noted that while Carr and Tache were involved in the incident, others “had more central roles in relation to injuries inflicted”.

She noted Carr had an active role in the melee, adding that the evidence was that not all of the eight punches he directed at Babatunde connected.

The judge also said Tache also had an active role and was involved in violence at all three locations.

Judge Crowe noted both men have previous convictions and were on bail and serving suspended sentences at the time of this incident.

She said Carr and Tache “involved themselves in a very serious matter” and while the violence on the three streets “did not take a huge amount of time, it did involve a huge amount of violence and lawlessness”.

She said the seriousness of the offending had to be marked with custodial sentences.

The judge noted their youth, remorse and guilty pleas before handing both men a sentence of three years and six months.

Judge Crowe said she wished to incentivise the men's rehabilitation and suspended the final six months of the sentence on strict conditions for two years.

She also placed them under the supervision of the Probation Services for 12 months post-release.

The court previously heard that Adetuilehim suffered a fractured eye socket. In a short victim impact report, he said that his best friend died that night and he has never been at peace since.

“It could have been me,” he said, adding that he now feels scared around people he doesn't know.

During interview, Carr predominately relied on his right to silence. When informed a man had died during the incident he told gardai: “I had nothing to do with this murder, I didn't know anyone had a knife, God rest his soul”.

Carr was on bail at the time for an offence of drug dealing. He was also subject to a suspended sentence of two years for possession of knives from 2023.

Tache was on bail for an offence of money laundering and was also subject to a suspended sentence for drug dealing.

Counsel for Carr and Tache asked the court to take into account their guilty pleas, expressions of remorse, youth and personal circumstances.

Fiona Murphy, for Carr, said her instructions were that Carr took alcohol and ketamine on the night, had no intention to start a fight, and was “at a loss” to explain his actions.

She submitted her client attempted to stop things escalating several times, but at a certain point it appears he “snapped” when there was a rush towards him. She said he is attempting to address his addiction issues while in custody.

Michael Hourigan, defending Tache, noted his client was highly intoxicated on the night. He said his client fully accepts responsibility for his actions and is engaging with education services while in custody.

He asked the court to structure a sentence to support his client's rehabilitation upon his release from custody.

David Oloo Omee (19) of The Lawn, St Marnock’s Bay, Dublin 13, previously entered guilty pleas to charges of assaulting Adetuilehim causing him harm and violent disorder.

Sean Forde (24) with an address at Bath Road, Balbriggan, previous pleaded guilty to affray. The court heard he knocked a phone out of someone’s hands on Duke Street, then stamped on it.

Both Forde and Oloo Omee are due to be sentenced in April, after the court directed the preparation of probation reports.

Four other men are also expected to be sentenced in April for their roles in the incident.

As part of a pilot project BreakingNews.ie has used AI to suggest headline options for this article. The final headline was chosen and edited by BreakingNews.ie journalists. Find out more