'Lynch mob' travelled from Dublin to Mayo as part of ongoing feud

A Dublin woman who travelled with a carload of people from the capital to Ballinrobe in the early hours of the morning as part of an ongoing feud has received a suspended prison sentence for criminal damage, with a judge describing the group as a ‘lynch mob’.

Jasmine Dunne of 22 Eton Close, Rathcool, Dublin, appeared before Judge Ciarán Liddy at Castlebar District Court charged with criminal damage and no insurance arising from an incident at the Bog Road, Ballinrobe, on September 1 of last year.

Garda Colin Murray of Ballinrobe Garda Station told the court there had been an ongoing feud in the town involving cars being damaged on both sides.

In the early hours of a Monday morning, Dunne was one of three people who travelled to Ballinrobe, with Dunne as the owner of the vehicle used.

Garda Murray said the principal offender was a co-accused, who was recently charged before the courts.

She was the one who caused damage to a Ford Focus by smashing the rear window.

Dunne herself was not involved in the physical act of criminal damage.

The no insurance charge arose because another party drove Dunne's vehicle to the scene, and that person was a disqualified driver, which invalidated the insurance on the car.

Solicitor Gary Mulchrone told the court his client was 27 years of age, from Tallaght, and had a four-year-old child. He said her father had been killed tragically when she was young and that there had been significant disharmony in her household.

Mr. Mulchrone said Dunne had gone along with others she had been keeping company with at the time and had not anticipated the full extent of what she was getting involved in.

He said the group had at one point fallen into a river and crossed an industrial compound, effectively becoming injured parties themselves and calling gardaí for assistance.

He said Dunne had withdrawn from active participation when the situation escalated and that she had since been diagnosed with PTSD and was now in the process of training to become a carer.

He asked the court to consider her involvement as one of recklessness rather than active criminality and to deal with her as leniently as possible.

Mr. Mulchrone confirmed the damage was valued at €350, relating to the replacement of the rear windscreen.

Mr. Mulchrone clarified that his client had only three previous minor matters - a Section 4 public order offence and a loss by deception conviction at Blanchardstown in 2025 - and that the more extensive record belonged to the older co-accused.

Judge Liddy noted that Dunne had been before the court only three months prior to this offence.

Judge Liddy described the group as a lynch mob that had travelled from Dublin, facilitated by Dunne as the owner of the vehicle.

He said the matter required a custodial sentence in the first instance but acknowledged she was very young to have convictions of this nature.

He imposed a six-month prison sentence for criminal damage, suspended for one year.

On the no insurance matter, Mr. Mulchrone submitted that Dunne herself had been fully covered to drive but that the disqualified driver operating her vehicle had invalidated the insurance, and that the charge arose from that nexus. Judge Liddy imposed a fine of €100.

Legal aid was granted and transferred to Mr. Mulchrone.

* Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme.