Man armed with knife and metal bar for 'moral support' to co-accused of murdering father-of-two is jailed

Alison O'Riordan

A Carlow man who armed himself with a knife and a metal bar to lend “moral support” to a co-accused, who allegedly stabbed a father-of-two to death outside his home last year, has been jailed for three-and-a-half years.

“I didn’t confront Darren, I didn’t lay a finger on him, I was there to support,” Conor O’Brien (24) told gardaí, outlining his actions on the night 30-year-old Darren Quigley received a fatal stab wound to the leg.

Sentencing O'Brien at the Central Criminal Court on Monday, Mr Justice Paul McDermott said the defendant was not "an idle bystander" and had participated in the incident by helping his co-accused "set up a confrontation" with the deceased, knowing what [the co-accused] had wanted to achieve.

"His willingness to support contributed to the violence on the night. They brought violence and terror to a residential area at night-time," the judge said.

The judge described the incident as a "shocking, devastating and violent encounter" on a residential street where other families were living. He said the events of the evening were fatal for Darren Quigley as well as devastating for his family and that the defendant had contributed to that.

The mother of the deceased man, Michelle Quigley, delivered a victim impact statement at O'Brien's sentencing hearing earlier this month, in which she said that hers was just an ordinary, working family, whose lives have been changed since the night they lost “a son, father, brother and grandson”.

Ms Quigley referenced “two little girls who lost their daddy and thought the world of him,” adding that the family’s pain and sadness will go on.

O’Brien, of Ardmore Drive, Browneshill Road, Co. Carlow, had pleaded guilty to possession of an article in a public place with the intention of causing injury, incapacity or intimidation contrary to section 9(5) of the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act 1990.

The offence related to October 21st, 2024, at Market View, New Oak Estate, Carlow, where he had with him in a public place an article, namely a knife.

A post-mortem revealed that Mr Quigley bled to death after receiving a wound to the artery in his leg.

When interviewed by gardaí, O’Brien admitted going to the scene with his co-accused and bringing a bar and a knife, as he believed the intention was to give Mr Quigley “a few digs”.

O’Brien also told gardaí that his co-accused and the deceased got into a tussle before he ran in and pushed his co-accused off Mr Quigley.

O’Brien, who is a tiler, told officers that he had been drinking alcohol and taking cocaine and tablets on the day, before he accompanied his co-accused to lend “moral support” and to watch their back.

Before passing sentence today, Mr Justice McDermott said the lives of the Quigley family had been "utterly disrupted" and "terrible sadness, grief and heartache had been caused by what happened".

Mr Justice McDermott called the facts of the case "serious" and said the defendant had "set out" with his co-accused, both armed with a knife and bar".

The judge said O'Brien, who was "fuelled" with alcohol and drugs, had got involved in the incident by shouting into the deceased's house in an intimidating manner and was not an idle bystander.

The judge set the headline sentence for the offence at six years as he said it was at the "upper end of seriousness".

In mitigation, Mr Justice McDermott noted the defendant's early guilty plea, as well as his regret, remorse and apology for what he had done.

He said whilst there was some lack of candour in O'Brien's earlier interviews with gardaí, he had ultimately acknowledged his involvement and identified himself in CCTV footage.

The judge said a probation report found O'Brien had indicated an understanding for "the great wrong he has done" from an early stage and a "growing realisation" of what had happened.

O’Brien has one previous conviction for possession of drugs.

Mr Justice McDermott accepted the defendant had tried to pull his co-accused off the deceased and shouted for an ambulance after the incident. "However, he did leave the scene after and did attempt to dispose of some items, though not very efficiently," said the judge.

The defendant was sentenced to four years and six months with the final year suspended for a period of two years for possession of the knife. A further charge of possession of a metal bar was taken into consideration.

The sentence was backdated to October 2024.

Sentence hearing

Earlier this month at the Central Criminal Court, Detective Garda Derek McEvoy gave evidence to prosecution counsel Niall Storan BL, that a co-accused is charged with the murder of Darren Quigley at his home address at New Oak Estate on October 21st, 2024.

Det Gda McEvoy said that the co-accused allegedly arrived at Mr Quigley’s home on the night with O’Brien, who had a knife up his sleeve.

The detective said that a witness told gardaí that when the co-accused ran at Mr Quigley, Mr Quigley put his arms around the co-accused and pulled them to the ground.

The witness saw the co-accused's hands moving in a stabbing motion but did not see the knife, the detective said.

Another witness gave evidence that Mr Quigley said he had been stabbed, while another witness said that the co-accused allegedly ran at Mr Quigley and swung a bar at him, before the two fell to the ground, where it is alleged the co-accused stabbed Mr Quigley in the leg.

Defence counsel, Kathleen Leader SC said that O’Brien had used alcohol and drugs as a coping method due to his traumatic youth. She said he had been using alcohol and drugs on the day, so he was not thinking clearly when asked by his co-accused to go to the deceased’s house.

She said he fully cooperated with the investigation and had issued an apology to the deceased’s family.

Ms Leader also said that O’Brien is a suitable candidate for probation supervision and will have family support when he is released from custody