Three men accused of killing 31-year-old Croatian national Josip Strok in Clondalkin, Dublin, are alleged to have “brutally and savagely attacked” him knowing he was a foreign national, the Central Criminal Court has heard.
Opening the prosecution’s case, Seoirse Ó Dunlaing SC told the jury of six men and six women that the accused — Mark Lee (44), Anthony Delappe (19), and Connor Rafferty (21) — were part of a “joint enterprise to cause serious harm” when they assaulted Mr Strok on March 30, 2024, leading to his death four days later.
Mr Strok, from Croatia, died from blunt force injuries sustained during the attack, which took place on Grangeview Way, Clondalkin. His friend, David Druzinec (29), was also assaulted during the same incident.
Mr Ó Dunlaing told the court that the prosecution intends to show that the accused “knew that their alleged victim was a foreign national” when they chased him down. He added that one of the men, Mark Lee, made comments to Gardaí that reflected his attitude toward foreign nationals.
Two days after the assault, Lee allegedly told investigators that he had been walking “up and down with two dogs outside an International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centre, waiting on [a] foreign c**t attacking a kid with a knife.” Prosecutors argue that this statement shows Lee’s state of mind at the time.
It is further alleged that Lee sent a voice message to a friend shortly after the incident, saying: “Pal, be there in 20 minutes. Just smashed Polish lads up and left them for dead because they beat [a] kid.”
According to the prosecution, the fatal assault began after Mr Strok and Mr Druzinec were involved in a brief altercation at a bus stop in Clondalkin Village with a 17-year-old boy. The row reportedly started over a cigarette lighter, during which the teenager was struck.
Mr Ó Dunlaing told the jury that after the scuffle, the teenager told three other young men what had happened, and the group followed the Croatians onto a bus. When the bus arrived near the Grangeview estate, the youths disembarked and later met Mark Lee.
It is the State’s case that the teenagers informed Lee that a young boy had been attacked. Within less than a minute, Lee allegedly went into his house and emerged with Rafferty and Delappe. Mr Ó Dunlaing said Delappe was carrying an unidentified implement in his hand.
The three men then pursued Mr Strok and Mr Druzinec before launching what the prosecution described as a “vicious, sustained assault”. Both victims suffered severe injuries; Mr Strok was hospitalised but died on April 3, 2024.
Mark Lee, who has no fixed abode, and Anthony Delappe, of Melrose Avenue, Clondalkin, have both pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. Connor Rafferty, of Castlegrange Close, Clondalkin, has pleaded not guilty to murder.
All three men have also pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to David Druzinec during the same incident.
In his opening address, Mr Ó Dunlaing said the prosecution would present CCTV footage, witness testimony, and forensic evidence to show that the accused were acting together and that their actions were deliberate. “The evidence will show,” he said, “that this was not a spontaneous fight, but a coordinated and targeted attack.”
He added that the comments allegedly made by Mark Lee before and after the assault were “important in understanding motive, mindset, and bias.” The jury was told that the accused men’s knowledge that their victim was not Irish would form a key part of the State’s case.
The court heard that Mr Strok and Mr Druzinec had been drinking heavily earlier that day before making their way to Clondalkin Village. Following the altercation with the teenager, they had no further interaction with the youths until the assault began.
The case is being heard before Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring. The trial is expected to continue for several weeks as the prosecution outlines its evidence and witness statements.
