Judge warns: Lives will be lost in Kildare feud where 19 incendiary bombs found – Homepage

Seán McCarthay

A judge warned that there would be fatalities amid an ongoing feud between two rival groups in a small rural village as six men appeared in court in connection with a series of incidents in the Carbury area of ​​County Kildare last week.

A sitting of Naas District Court heard that lives were saved and serious injuries avoided after Gardaí foiled a suspected arson attack on the home of one of the alleged leaders of the warring parties on Monday evening. During the attack, 19 incendiary bombs were found in the boot of a car.

Judge Desmond Zaidan described it as “a miracle” that no one died after hearing that a Garda officer was forced to draw his pistol to stop the alleged victim of a “highly coordinated attack” from attacking his would-be attacker with a cleaver.

“It is inevitable – if this is not stopped by law, there will be fatalities,” the judge warned.

He claimed that items found in one of the suspected perpetrators' cars, including a hammer with screws welded into the head, looked “like weapons from the Stone Age.”

Long-lasting dispute

The court heard there was a long-running feud between two gangs in the Carbury area which had “reached its boiling point” in the last two months.

Garda witnesses described that there had been up to 20 arson attacks on various buildings in the area over the past three months and that there had been several incidents in which firearms had been fired.

Tim Kennelly, a lawyer representing one of the defendants, described the situation as “the Carbury version of the Montagues and Capulets” – an allusion to the feuding families in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

Mr Kennelly said the recent escalation of the dispute was due to threats by one of the opposing leaders to kill, injure and evict his client Trevor Craven's daughter and grandchildren from their home by murder and arson, an attack the woman was in a relationship with.

Judge Zaidan, however, expressed surprise that no one had been able to explain the origin of the original feud.

Four men appeared in court on suspicion of being the occupants of one of four vehicles that drove in a high-speed convoy into a housing estate in the village of Derrinturn on Monday evening.

Fees

Trevor Craven (48) of Trinity Crescent, Derrinturn, Carbury, Co Kildare, is charged with having 19 incendiary bombs in his possession, contrary to the Criminal Damage Act.

The offence is intent to cause harm at the home of John Mooney in Ashgrove, Derrinturn, on 2 September, knowing that doing so was likely to endanger the life of the victim.

Craven was also accused of having a knife on the same occasion.

Garda Micheál Mangan testified that he encountered the vehicles entering the property while patrolling the area in an unmarked Garda car at around 11.30pm.

Garda Mangan said three vehicles fled the scene of the accident, but the Garda managed to surround the fourth vehicle – a black Volkswagen Golf – and arrest one of the four occupants, all of whom had attempted to flee the scene.

Weapons

Various items were found in the vehicle, including the incendiary devices, a hook, a balaclava, two pickaxe handles, a modified hammer and a golf club, which Garda Mangan said were designed to “inflict maximum injury”.

The court concluded that up to 20 people may have been involved in the attempted attack.

Garda Mangan described how the accused was wearing gloves and his face was covered when he was caught red-handed as he fled the vehicle.

He claimed the defendant admitted he would give Mr Mooney, who lived in the house with two of his children, “a good beating”.

In his evidence, Mr Craven said he was merely responding to threats made by Mr Mooney and another person against his daughter and her children.

He claimed that his daughter had also been severely beaten by the other man.

Mr Craven claimed that at the time of his arrest he was not aware that he had a knife on his clothing or that there were any tools in the vehicle.

He testified that he had received a threatening phone call earlier in the day and admitted that he had “lost his head” when he decided to get into a car that drove him to Mr. Mooney's house.

“I wanted to beat him up and cut off his head,” he added.

Under cross-examination by Sergeant David Hanrahan, Mr Craven said he did not know who the other people in the vehicle were.

When asked if he was aware that a Garda had probably saved his life on Monday evening, Craven replied: “I was prepared for death.”

He added: “I would be willing to die for my children. I have been living in hell for 30 years.”

Judge Zaidan found that the witness’s testimony was “self-serving and economical with the truth.”

Three other young men suspected of fleeing the crime scene and discovered in another house in the Ashgrove development also appeared in court.

These were Aaron McManus (20) from Killina, Carbury, Co Kildare, Eamonn Kelly (23) from Patrician Avenue, Naas, Co Kildare and Jack Kavanagh (20), The Willows, Sallins, Co Kildare.

All three defendants were charged with the offence of possessing 19 incendiary bombs on the same occasion without valid reason and of failing to react after being warned.

The court heard the three friends claimed they had been drinking at the house, which belonged to Mr Kavanagh's grandmother.

Mr Kennelly said Mr Kavanagh was “completely stunned and surprised” when he was arrested after coming out of the house to see what the commotion was about.

However, Garda Mangan claimed that a subsequent search of the property had uncovered a conspicuous balaclava which he had seen on one of the car's occupants and all three had fresh mud on their shoes.

He told the court that he believed the three had knocked on the back door of the house to be let in.

Garda Mangan said a short time later he was approached by a person who did not want them on the property.

Petrol bombs

Detective Sergeant Ger Moore testified that during a further search, gardaí discovered two incendiary bombs in the yard of the caravan where Mr McManus lived.

Det. Sgt. Moore said he believed they were an exact match or very similar to those found at the scene of the foiled arson attack.

Mr McManus's partner, Nadine Walsh, testified that she was convinced the incendiary devices had been left at her caravan by a person who had attempted to attack her at 4am two days earlier.

When asked why she did not report the incident to the police, Ms Walsh said she was scared and feared for her life.

The court heard that McManus became a father for the first time four weeks ago.

Two other men suspected of being on the other side of the feud also appeared in court.

Jamie Fennessy (21), of Trinity Drive, Derrinturn, Co Kildare, was charged with three counts, including possession of a pitchfork in Main Street, Derrinturn, on 28 August 2024 with intent to cause injury or to intimidate.

He is also accused of two counts of criminal damage to a house and a car in Ashgrove, Derrinturn, five minutes later.

The court heard Mr Fennessy claimed he armed himself with the pitchfork after he and a relative were chased in a car by a group of men wearing balaclavas.

The defendant claims that a person got out of the vehicle with a baseball bat, and a relative of the defendant was hit by the vehicle and had to be taken to the hospital.

Garda John Faherty said the accused responded by going to the home of one of the people he believed had attacked him.

He noted that the feud had started when Mr Fennessy was a child and he was not sure whether the defendant even knew why it had occurred.

Mr Fennessy is also accused of intimidating another person with an iron bar on Main Street, Derrinturn on September 3.

His father, Leighton Mooney (43), of the same address, is accused of possessing a sledgehammer on Main Street in Derrinturn on August 28.

The court heard that the defendant denied owning a sledgehammer and was drawn into the feud because of his son.

Garda Heather Flynn Mooney said Mr Mooney replied: “Not guilty. It is for my protection” in relation to another charge in which he was found to have a knife in Main Street, Derrinturn, on September 3.

Gardaí refused to grant bail to all six defendants because the charges were too serious and there was a risk that they could influence witnesses.

They also expressed fear that the defendants would commit further crimes if released on bail.

Garda witnesses said further charges were likely to be brought in connection with the incidents under investigation.

Judge Zaidan refused bail on all six counts and remanded the accused in custody to appear before Naas District Court via video link on 11 September and await instructions from the Crown Prosecution Service.

He noted that it appeared that Mr Craven had “unfinished business” and that if released on bail he would pursue it “for whatever perverse reasons”.

John Mooney (49), of Ashgrove, Derrinturn, appeared before the same court on Tuesday and was charged with possession of a cleaver in the incident outside his home on September 2.