A gunman who tried to "ingratiate" himself with the Kinahan/Byrne crime faction by emptying a revolver at a brother of Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch will need "intense help" as he tries to rehabilitate and deal with his drug problems, a barrister has said.
Giollaíosa Ó Lideadha SC asked the Special Criminal Court to consider suspending part of the sentence for Michael Carroll, who counsel said can have a positive future with the right help.
Mr Ó Lideadha said his client had been doing very well in prison and had impressed the prison authorities with his progress until a recent "substantial problem". He added: "There is hope for him in the future, but he will need intense help, ongoing help."
Drug debts
Mr Ó Lideadha said he wanted to emphasise that his client carried out the shooting because he "wanted to ingratiate himself with organised criminals" due to his drug debts. Counsel said that Carroll had grown up with five siblings and had a "loving and caring family" but he suffered a trauma at an early age that contributed to his early use of drugs and drug addiction.
Carroll's sister wrote a letter to the court which Mr Ó Lideadha said states that she had a close relationship with her brother but his use of drugs and involvement in crime "broke the family's hearts". He became someone his sister did not recognise but since the defendant went to prison and engaged in his rehabilitation, she said she "seems to have her brother back".
Mr Justice Tony Hunt said he would have to impose a "significant sentence" but suggested that the probation service could be involved in Carroll's rehabilitation. The judge agreed that there is "value in turning people around" and that society benefits when prisoners are rehabilitated.
He said the three-judge court will need time to consider what sentence to impose and he adjourned the matter to October 2nd.
Michael Carroll (43), of Bride St, Dublin 8 was originally charged with the attempted murder of John Hutch, who was then 63 years old but has since passed away, in a shooting at his Drumalee Avenue home, on the North Circular Road, Dublin 7, on September 2nd, 2016.
Last March, Carroll - who was extradited from the UK last April - instead pleaded guilty to a new charge of having in his possession or control a firearm with intent to endanger life, contrary to Section 15 of the Firearms Act, at Drumalee Avenue on the same date.
Carroll was also charged with twice attempting to murder Edward Staunton on the night of March 26th, 2017 at James Joyce Street, Dublin 1 and again at Peadar Kearney House, Railway St, Dublin 1.
In that attack, Carroll ran over his victim in a car - knocking him into the air - before tracking Mr Staunton down and shooting him twice as he lay on the ground awaiting help.
Carroll pleaded guilty last March to one of those two charges; the attempted murder of Mr Staunton at Railway Street on March 26th, 2017.
Shooting at John Hutch
At a previous hearing, the wife of John Hutch - Ms Vera Hutch - told the court that she saw a man with two guns at the rear of her house and thought she was going to be shot. She said that the incident never leaves her mind and that "everything stopped" for her that day.
Detective Garda Michael Lennon from the Bridewell Garda Station told prosecuting counsel Sean Gillane SC that the first offence arose out of an incident at Drumalee Avenue on the North Circular Road on September 2nd 2016, where a number of shots were fired in the direction of resident John Hutch.
Det Gda Lennon said that Carroll went to the rear of Mr Hutch's residence and placed a tracker device under a Nissan car owned by Mr Hutch. The tracker had noted Mr Hutch's movements between August 30th and September 2nd.
Carroll, the court heard, was captured on CCTV footage carrying a bag and leaving the School Street Flats on September 2nd before getting into a stolen Opel Astra.
Mr Hutch and his wife were parking up at the rear of their house when the Opel Astra approached them at speed and came to an abrupt halt.
Carroll came to Mr Hutch's vehicle armed with two firearms, the first containing seven rounds of ammunition and the second had six rounds. Mr Hutch ran into his back garden shutting the gate.
Carroll, who dropped one of the two weapons, was seen running to the gate with one revolver in his hand before firing into the garden "indiscriminately" where the victim's daughter was also present, said Mr Gillane.
Mr Hutch's wife, Vera Hutch, could be seen running across the road in the CCTV footage.
Mr Gillane said that all rounds of ammunition were fired from the revolver and Carroll had retrieved the second weapon before making good his escape. The Opel Astra car was later found burnt out.
The court heard that Carroll has 58 previous convictions which include six robbery and three theft offences as well as convictions for drug offences and possession of knives.
