Woman needed stitches following funeral incident – court

A woman sustained a 30cm-long wound and required 45 stitches and 30 staples following an incident at a graveyard in Tralee, Co Kerry, in which her husband died, a court has heard.

Six men are charged with the murder of Thomas Dooley, at New Rath Cemetery, Rathass, Tralee, on 5 October 2022.

Mr Dooley was a 42-year-old father of seven.

The accused in the case include: 36-year-old Patrick Dooley of 33 Arbutus Grove, Killarney, Co Kerry, a brother of the deceased; 43-year-old Thomas Dooley senior and 21-year-old Thomas Dooley Junior, both of Bay 10, Halting Site, Carrigrohane Road, Cork; 29-year-old Michael Dooley of Bay 11, Halting Site, Carrigrohane Road, Cork; and 42-year-old Daniel Dooley, of An Caraigín, Connolly Park, Tralee, Co Kerry. The sixth person is a teenager.

All six have pleaded not guilty to the murder of Thomas Dooley.

Thomas Dooley Jnr also pleaded not guilty to a charge of intentionally or recklessly causing harm to Thomas Dooley’s wife Siobhán Dooley at New Rath Cemetery on the same date.

The court heard today that Mrs Dooley was taken to University Hospital Kerry for treatment after she incurred injuries at Rath Cemetery.

The court heard from hospital registrar Dr Muhammad Essa who said that Mrs Dooley had sustained a “serious injury”.

He said she had what appeared to be a 30cm (foot long) wound on the back of her shoulder.

Dr Essa told Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring that he gave Mrs Dooley 45 stitches and 30 staples.

Consultant Martin Boyd was also on duty on the same day.

Dr Boyd said that the wound was “about a foot long” with quite sharp edges. However, he said that Mrs Dooley did not suffer internal damage to her organs.

His conclusion was that Mrs Dooley sustained “harm” rather than “serious harm” as a “substantial risk of death” had not occurred.

Meanwhile, evidence in the case was also heard from Sion O’Driscoll who went to New Rath Cemetery in Tralee on 5 October 2022 for the funeral of his aunt Bridget O’Brien.

“I heard screaming down the end of the graveyard. I ran down and I saw a man lying dead. It was Thomas Dooley. I knew him well,” said Mr O’Driscoll.

He said that he did not witness an attack on Mr Dooley or Mrs Dooley. However, he did notice people running to the gate.

“There was lots of people running out. I saw the Dooleys running out,” he said.

Evidence was also given in the case from scenes of crime examiner Garda Brian Hayles.

Garda Hayles said the scene was preserved for examination on the day. He noted that there was a large pool of blood on a pathway in the cemetery.

Items recovered included a black sheath for a large knife found on a nearby grave, he said.

The case continues next Monday.