National: Convicted rapist rejects guilty verdict over bomb threat hoax targeting Helen McEntee's home

A rapist convicted of making a hoax bomb threat to the home of the Minister for Justice has told Dublin Circuit Criminal Court that he does not accept the jury's verdict.

Michael Murray (54), formerly of Seafield Road, Killiney, Dublin, appeared before Judge Patricia Ryan in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court today after being found guilty of one count of knowingly making a false report giving rise to an apprehension for the safety of someone else while he was imprisoned in the Midlands Prison, Portlaoise on March 7, 2021.

Murray was convicted on the sole count by a jury after an eight-day trial earlier this month.

Detective Garda Patrick Muldowney told Diarmuid Collins BL, prosecuting, that on March 7, 2021 a call was made to the Samaritans by an anonymous male asking if they could take a message.

The caller then said: “This is the Irish National Liberation Army. Explosives have been planted at the home of the Minister of Justice and her family. The password is Red October. This is to do with a court case happening in Dublin tomorrow.”

Gardai were dispatched to the home of the Minister for Justice Helen McEntee, but found no evidence of any explosives.

The court heard the call was traced back to Murray's cell within the Midlands prison. He was the sole occupant of the cell at the time.

Murray was arrested and questioned. He admitted making a call to the Samaritans but denied making the threat.

When interviewed, Murray accepted that he had previously been aligned with the INLA and that he had a “gripe” with Fine Gael and the Minister for Justice.

On August 9, 2021, Murray requested a meeting with gardai where he said he admitted making the call and that he did so out of frustration.

Giving evidence during the trial, Murray maintained that these admissions concerned a later call to the Samaritans and not the bomb threat.

No victim impact statement was handed in to the court.

Garret Baker SC, defending, said his client “respectfully disagrees” with the verdict of the jury and instructed him not to offer mitigation on his behalf.

Murray has 40 previous convictions for rape, sexual assault, harassment, abduction of a child, false imprisonment, threats to kill, burglary and theft.

Taking to the stand on his own behalf, Murray said today: “I absolutely reject the verdict of the jury.”

He said the DPP were “absolutely disgraceful” and had failed to hand over documents or answer letters in time for his trial.

Murray added it was “disgraceful” how the jury came to the conclusion he was guilty and said he maintains his innocence for his prior conviction for rape.

Judge Ryan adjourned the case for finalisation until March 19.

In 2013, Murray was convicted of abducting a mother and her four year old son and repeatedly raping the woman for hours. He received a sentence of 19 years' imprisonment for this.

He was then sentenced to 16 further years in prison for a campaign of harassment and death threats directed at his victim and the prosecuting lawyers in that trial – with the judge calling his actions an “unprecedented and deliberate” abuse of process.

During his sentence hearing for those charges, he threw a bible at the judge. That judge described his actions as “a fundamental attack on our system of justice”.