Two Romanian men, who were charged in relation to the death of a Canadian tourist in Dublin last year, have entered guilty pleas.
Ionut Danca of Rathdown Square, North Circular Road, Dublin 7, pleaded guilty to unlawfully killing Mr. Neno Dolmajian, 41, from Laval, Quebec on the 24th of June 2024 on O’Connell Street Upper.
Danca’s co-accused, Madalin Ghiuzan of Summerhill Parade, Dublin 1, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to the victim, who remained in a coma in hospital after the attack, before passing away days later.
Mr. Dolmajian sister was present via video link for today’s proceedings, with the court hearing that members of the Dolmajian family will prepare victim impact statements which will be read at a sentencing hearing on the 9th of February next, which was initially penned as a trial date.
Both Ghiuzan and Danca, who were aided by an interpreter, have been remanded on continuing bail.
Last November, it emerged that Ionut Danca left Ireland for two days after the assault, flying to Edinburgh.
Edinburgh Live reported on how the court heard that Danca “booked a flight from Dublin to Bucharest, and officers waited for him at the airport. But he went to Belfast instead and flew to Edinburgh and then Naples.”
It was claimed in court that “his girlfriend indicated they intended to leave Ireland permanently and have their stuff shipped to Romania.”
The court heard from detective Sergeant Byrne that gardai had attended his Dublin address, but it was “cleaned out,” and there were ten bags of his belongings.
Defence solicitor Evan Moore said that Danca had no prior criminal convictions and lived and worked in Ireland for six years and that he came back to Ireland “voluntarily” after discussions. But this was allegedly only after two full days of calls, texts, and emails and efforts to find him.
At the time, Mr. Dolmajian’s death sent shockwaves through the capital, with then Taoiseach Simon Harris saying that he was “absolutely appalled” and describing the death of the tourist as “reprehensible” and “horrific.”
“I’m absolutely appalled at the recent vicious attack in Dublin city centre which resulted in the death of a young man, Neno Dolmajian, and my thoughts are with his loved ones,” he said in July. “A man who came from Montreal to, as you say, enjoy the best of our city, the best of our country, who came here on his holidays.”