A Dublin man has been jailed for 15 months for his involvement in a scheme intended to make the site of a proposed asylum centre unliveable for Muslims by releasing pigs onto it.
Darren Jackson (40), who was living in a tent on the land of Thornton Hall at the time of the offence, pleaded guilty to charges of animal cruelty in relation to three pigs. The court heard that a fourth pig, who was not part of the investigation, was later found on the land.
The incident unfolded on the 26th of June 2024 when security staff on the land noticed two men who had three pigs with them.
Two of the pigs, described as “older” were visibly injured in bleeding, while the third animal was unharmed.
Judge Martin Nolan heard that one of the older pigs appeared to have one of its front legs missing, while the other had its “intestines hanging out” and that there was “lots of blood”.
Security at the site said that the two men ran away when noticed after one of them appeared to pick a knife like object off the ground.
The injured pigs had “stab and slash wounds” with a local vet assessing that they were under 6 months old and weighed between 20-30kgs. One had a “deep laceration” on its right elbow and was “struggling to walk”, the court heard.
The court heard that the pigs were sourced from a farmer in Cavan and driven to Dublin as part of a scheme to make the land of Thornton Hall unliveable for Muslims by “desecrating” it with pig’s blood.
The two older pigs were put to sleep due to their injuries, while the third and fourth were re-homed.
Jackson, who suffers from Addison’s disease, made a voluntary statement to Gardaí about “the pig thing” from which it became clear that he was not the instigator of the scheme, although he refused to identify the other parties, which the court heard was due to fear for his own “wellbeing”.
The court heard that it was unclear who had caused the injuries to the pigs, but that Jackson told Gardaí it was another man.
He said that there had been discussions of Islam and the use of pig’s blood among protestors at the site which had been born of a desire to prevent the IPAS centre from going ahead.
Although Jackson says that he has nothing against migrants of people of different creeds, he cited his own inability to access certain social welfare services as a factor in his offending.
The court heard that he has since visited a mosque “five times” and spoken with an Iman. He has also been in touch with the Irish Network Against Racism (INAR).
He has 4 previous convictions which all arise from the same incident including assault causing harm, causing damage to property, and assault.
He admitted sourcing the pigs and identified himself in a video which showed him singing “modified” versions of “IRA songs” in relation to the pigs.
The court heard that Jackson has lost his job “as a result of media attention” and that he has paid €1,000 to an animal welfare charity.
His defending counsel argued that Jackson has “life long issues with depressions” and that he suffers from “very low self-esteem” and is “an immature man” who “seeking approval from others”, and that he “made some very bad associations” while living in the tent.
Judge Martin Nolan said that while the “motivation is not that clear” it appears that “pigs were to be used to deter Muslims from living on the land,” which the court referred to as “pretty misguided”.
He said that Jackson “wasn’t the author, but participated” in the arraignment.
The court said that the offending was a “debased thing to do”.
Referring to the “unfortunate” pigs, he said, “If they’re going to be killed, they should be killed in a way that affords them no pain.”
“What he did was criminal or somewhat debased,” the court added before passing a sentence of 15 months.
The court expressed hope that the surviving pigs “got a nice home”.