Dubliner imprisoned for six years for manslaughter of man who had Donegal ties

A motorcyclist who killed his neighbour - who had strong Donegal connections - by punching him once to the head in an unprovoked assault has been jailed for six years. 

Martin Lynn had been out socialising with his partner and friends and had just alighted from a taxi near his home when Christopher O'Neill (31), who was a neighbour of the deceased, drove past the taxi.

O'Neill stopped his motorbike, walked back to Mr Lynn and punched him with force to the head. Mr Lynn fell to the ground and was taken to hospital where he died two days later.

Mr Lynn’s mother, Sadie Chambers, was born in Stranorlar and grew up in Meenlaragh, Gortahork.

Judge Martin Nolan said that it was very hard to understand why O'Neill, who has 24 previous convictions, walked back to Mr Lynn.

He said there was no provocation, and it was not clear what happened or what caused O'Neill to do what he did. He said the court could only assume that the defendant “felt his path was somewhat blocked by the taxi and the people alighting (and) that infuriated him”. 

O’Neill of Larkhill Road, Whitehall, Santry, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to the manslaughter of Mr Lynn on July 30, 2023.

In sentencing on Thursday, Judge Nolan said this was a very sad and pretty awful case. He said that Mr Lynn was a very popular man who was living a productive and happy life whose life was taken as a result of a temper outburst.

He said he could accept O'Neill's expressions of remorse as sincere. He said the other mitigating factor was the guilty plea which, while not an early plea, was still of value.

He noted that O'Neill has been doing well in custody, has a history of work and has family responsibilities. He set a headline sentence of eight and a half years which he reduced to six in light of all the mitigating factors.

After the sentence was handed down, O'Neill winked and smiled at somebody in the body of the court room. A member of the public told him to “wipe that stupid smile off your face” before prison officers escorted O'Neill from the court.

Giving evidence earlier Detective Garda Ciaran Flanagan said that Mr Lynn was socialising in town and had taken a taxi with his girlfriend to his home.

The taxi stopped outside the house and his girlfriend opened the door as a motorcyclist was passing on the passenger side. The motorcyclist stopped but did not remove his helmet and could not be identified.

He walked back to where the couple was standing and punched Mr Lynn “with significant force into his head”.

The court heard that CCTV showed Mr Lynn had his hands in his pockets the entire time. Judge Nolan viewed CCTV footage of the incident, but it was not shown to the court.

Following the punch Mr Lynn was taken to hospital by ambulance and was in an induced coma in the intensive care unit. He did not recover from his injuries and died two days later.

A similar motorcycle was seen at O’Neill’s driveway shortly after the incident, the court heard.

O’Neill was arrested on December 5, 2023. He was taken to Ballymun Garda Station for interview, where nothing of evidential value arose.

Phone records were examined during the investigation and shortly after the incident a second vehicle which came to the scene became of interest to gardai. The driver of that car was seen on CCTV on a phone call to the motorcyclist at the same time.

O’Neill was charged and a trial date was taken but a plea was entered on the last day of term last December.

Under cross-examination, the garda agreed with Seoirse Ó Dúnlaing SC, defending, that it was a difficult case and the plea was of significant value to the prosecution.

“No apology can ease the pain for the damage he has done to them,” said Mr Ó Dúnlaing.

Counsel said a single punch caused Mr Lynn to fall backwards severing an artery and he would have lost consciousness straight away.

This was an entirely circumstantial case, Mr Ó Dúnlaing put it to the garda to which he replied: “I wouldn’t say it was entirely circumstantial”.

Mr Ó Dúnlaing said the identification timeline was there was a person on a bike making a phone call to a person at the scene. That phone tied it to a shop where top-up credit was bought on “a much later date” and gardai viewed CCTV of the man purchasing it.

The deceased’s sister Sharon Lynn read a victim impact statement to the court in which she described her only brother as mild-mannered and sensitive who grew into a respectful and happy young man who never caused any trouble.

“I never imagined that myself and my family would find ourselves in a criminal court.”

She described it as “a violent crime carried out outside our happy family home”. Mr Lynn lived at home with his parents who were hardworking people originally from Co. Mayo and Co. Donegal. The deceased found work locally in Santry Sports Clinic.

She said: “he was mild-mannered and sensitive” and “he grew into a respectful and happy young man who never caused any trouble”. “He lived his life carefully and responsibly”.

She said he had a smile for everyone he passed and had a calming effect on people. “He was never the loudest and never wanted to be the centre of attention.” He wanted no drama and was cautious in nature, she said.

On Saturday July 29, 2023, she said he went to see the film Oppenheimer in Dublin City Centre. “Never did it occur to me his safety could be at risk,” she said. He was always offered money to get a taxi home and usually texted to say he arrived safely.

Ms Lynn said her brother loved Larkhill and said that Larkhill rd. is quiet. Her brother had his hands in his pockets when he was punched and “did nothing to deserve what happened.”

She said she spent the days at his bedside after he had brain surgery “while he stared blankly ahead” in a coma as he was “already gone.”

“The damage caused to his brain was completely catastrophic,” said Ms Lynn.  “His heart stopped”.  “That moment was the worst moment of my life.”

She said she has been “living in a nightmare for 899 days”.

“What sort of person would leave the scene twice? Martin should have been safe outside his home,” she said.  

In her victim impact statement read to the court by prosecuting counsel Garett McCormack SC, Mr Lynn's mother Sadie Lynn said it must be the hardest thing she ever had to write.

She said her son had a bright future ahead of him and had started new job in Santry Sports Clinic but “all that was taken from him”.

“To think we will never celebrate Christmas or birthdays together again is heartbreaking. To think it all happened outside out own front door makes it worse…Our family will never be the same again.”