Five members of a family-linked organised crime group have been sentenced at the Special Criminal Court for carrying out a prolonged and brutal attack on a man in Dublin last year. The victim was beaten, stabbed, burned and branded with the word “RAT” during the ordeal.
Jason Hennessy Jr (29) and Brandon Hennessy (24), both from Sheephill Avenue in Blanchardstown, along with Kenneth Fitzsimons (46) and his son Dean Fitzsimons (26) of Castlecurragh Vale, Mulhuddart, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm. A fifth man, Devon Hennessy (30) of Edgewood Lawns, Corduff, admitted falsely imprisoning and assaulting the victim to further the activities of a criminal gang.
The attack occurred on 12 February 2025 when the victim, 36-year-old Barry Moore, went to a house on Sheephill Avenue to buy a tracksuit. After entering a shed at the back of the property, he was confronted and assaulted by several of the men. According to his account, he was punched to the ground before being repeatedly beaten with a metal breaker bar, suffering a broken arm and multiple injuries.
Over the course of more than an hour, Moore was subjected to extreme violence. He was struck with various weapons, including a bar and the blunt side of an axe, stabbed in the legs, and waterboarded. He described fearing for his life throughout the attack. At one point, he was driven over with an e-bike and threatened with further mutilation.
The most disturbing aspect of the assault involved a branding iron heated with a camping stove. Moore was burned multiple times, including on his face and torso, with the letters “RAT” pressed into his skin. He told the court the pain was unlike anything he had ever experienced and that he repeatedly begged for mercy. He was also threatened with sexual violence during the ordeal.
The attack was linked to an ongoing feud between the Hennessy family and another organised crime group. The court heard that tensions had escalated following the fatal shooting of Jason Hennessy Snr in 2023, which contributed to anger and paranoia among those involved.
Moore reported the attack to gardaí but later refused to testify in court, citing fear. Despite this, all five men entered guilty pleas and expressed remorse, though the court noted these admissions came late in the process.
In sentencing, Ms Justice Karen O’Connor described the assault as “vicious” and “shocking,” stating that the level of brutality “bypasses any notion of humanity.” She said the court could place limited weight on the expressions of remorse.
Jason Hennessy Jr and Dean Fitzsimons each received sentences of eight and a half years, while Kenneth Fitzsimons was jailed for eight years. Brandon Hennessy was sentenced to six years, to be served consecutively after an existing sentence. Devon Hennessy, who attempted to intervene and pleaded guilty early, received a three-year sentence.
The victim continues to recover from his injuries and has undergone skin grafts following the attack.
