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Two men who are charged in relation to instances of assault and violent disorder surrounding the fatal stabbing of Quham Babatunde on the 15th of February 2025 have been sentenced to five years in prison.
Judge Martin Nolan, sitting at the Circuit Criminal Court, heard “completely innocent bystanders” were also assaulted in the course of the violence which spilled out across the Dawson Street area.
The court heard evidence from Detective Sergeant Pat Traynor, stationed at Pearse Street.
During the course of the violent asylum seeker Quham Babatunde received four knife wounds in the midst of the melee, with another man, not before the courts today, charged in relation to his murder.
Faraj Odukoya, aged 20, with an address at Brega, Hamlet Lane, Balbriggan, Co Dublin, who was involved in looting after the Dublin riots in November 2023, pleaded guilty to three counts of assault causing harm and one count of violent disorder on the night in question, as well as two counts of burglary during the riots.
Two of the counts of assault causing harm relate to Mr Babatunde at Anne Street South and Adetola Adetuilehim at Duke Lane.
John Eghomwanre of Dun Emer Glade, Lusk, Co Dublin, is accused of assault causing harm to Mr Babatunde on Anne Street South and to Mr Adetuilehim at Duke Lane.
Caroline Latham BL, prosecuting, told the court that the violence erupted adjacent to Club 22 where eight males charged in relation to the matter were socialising in a VIP area, but that there were “no significant interactions” between the parties in the club.
After the parties left the venue, violence erupted in the midst of which Babatunde was fatally wounded, she said.
The “violent attacks” continued on Duke Lane, where another man, Adetola Adetuilehim, who was a friend of the deceased, was attacked.
The court heard that seven other males and females were also assaulted, and that Gardaí launched 300 lines of enquiry during their investigation.
Eghomwanre “punched” the fatally wounded Babatunde approximately five times and was “the first of the initial aggressors to attack him” by “shoving him and pushing him to the ground”.
Odukoya was the second to assault the now deceased man, punching him several times, the court heard.
The court heard that the fatally injured man was also assaulted repeatedly after being stabbed as he struggled along the street before collapsing on Duke Lane.
John Eghomwanre punched Adetola Adetuilehim in the face as well as kneeing him in the face twice while Faraj Odukoya punched him.
After this, the violence progressed from Duke Lane to Anne Street, on to Dawson where a number of “completely innocent bystanders” were assaulted outside Cafe en Seine.
Here, three people unconnected to the group violence were assaulted by Eghomwanre.
Judge Nolan remarked that it seemed that “their blood was up and it seemed they were going to attack anybody they encountered.”
The court heard that more assaults took place further up Dawson Street, which were carried out by others.
John Eghomwanre, who was arrested on the 7th of March 2025, has previous convictions for violent disorder, production of an article, threatening to damage property, road traffic offences, and convictions under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
He was on bail as well as being the subject of a suspended sentence at the time.
Faraj Odukoya was arrested on the 10th of March 2025 and “took responsibility for his actions”, Detective Sergeant Traynor said.
Odukoya has 12 previous convictions, including two for the sale and supply of drugs, possession of drugs, two for failure to appear, one for no insurance, one for driving without a licence, as well as convictions for obstruction and trespass.
Defending counsel for John Eghomwanre, Tony McGillicuddy SC, argued that when his client was interviewed by investigating Gardaí about the death of Quham Babatunde, he said, “I did not take part in any planned stabbing, I didn’t know anything about a knife, I am not a murderer.”
He argued that his client was born outside of Dublin but moved there with his mother, who passed away when he was 15, before his father “moved to Ireland” to take care of him and a number of step-siblings.
McGillicuddy said that his client appreciates that the family of Mr Babatunde “have suffered a terrible loss”.
The father of one “has some contact with his daughter” and has “sought to express his remorse about what happened on the night”.
Counsel for Faraj Odukoya said that his client had been 18 when he took part in looting during the Dublin riots, and 19 on the night of the violent disorder surrounding the fatal stabbing.
While in Garda custody, he “took responsibility for his actions and said he intended to plead” and was aware of the “devastation that was wreaked” on those affected.
He had consumed “a significant amount of alcohol”, and “He thought his friends had been attacked or wronged in a manner that warranted the use of force.”
Counsel argued that Odukoya had inflicted “a great deal of racist bullying in 5th class” and that he had begun to abuse cannabis at the age of 14.
Due to the “trauma of the bullying”, he “became hyperactive” and left school without a qualification, the court heard.
Telling both men to stand up, Judge Nolan said that it seemed that on the night “both of them as well as the deceased man and the injured parties” were at a nightclub when “difficulties developed” and they “behaved in a violent way”.
He said that the “poor deceased” was “punched, kicked, and shoved”.
He continued, “It seems somebody used a knife on the deceased,” and that, “while they [the two accused before the court] attacked him, they cannot be punished for his death.”
“They were involved in serious violence”, which “anyone who saw must have been intimidated and affected by it.”
He said there was “no excuse” for his behaviour, albeit they had “probably had drink taken”.
Judge Nolan said that it seemed that Odukoya “was involved in burglaries in what has been referred to as the night of the Dublin riots” and that it “seems he decided he wanted shoes, Nike runners or something like that.”
“Both are very sorry that the deceased is dead,” he said.
“Obviously these two men had no hand, act, or part in the stabbing; they cannot be punished for what they didn’t do.”
The court set a headline sentence of eight years in respect of both men before reducing this to five years for each, which is to be backdated to the dates they went into custody.
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