A man has been accused of murdering a prisoner who died days after suffering a severe head injury in Mountjoy jail in Dublin.
David Dunne (34), Boroimhe Birches, Swords, Dublin was arrested on Friday and charged with the murder of Robert O’Connor (34), Snowdrop Walk, Darndale, north Dublin.
Mr O’Connor was rushed to the Mater hospital on July 29th 2022. He was on a ventilator for three days following the incident before he was pronounced dead. Two days before he sustained the injuries, he had been sentenced to 6½ years for possession of a semi-automatic pistol in Finglas.
Detective Sergeant Fergus Finnegan told Dublin District Court on Friday that the defendant “made no reply to charge after caution” and was handed a copy of the charge sheet.
Judge Bryan Smyth remanded him in custody to appear at Cloverhill District Court on September 8th via video link.
The accused applied for free legal aid. His solicitor, Danica Kinane, furnished the court with his statement of means and said her client was “not in receipt of any income and has no assets”. There was no Garda objection and the application was granted.
An inquest into Mr O’Connor’s death, adjourned pending the criminal proceedings, has already heard he died from blunt force trauma to the head.