An Englishman has been jailed for helping “serious criminals” escape in his car after they attacked a Tallaght home and beat a man with a hammer during a drug-related dispute.
Mohammad Rehman (24) had arrived in Ireland by ferry the previous day with plans to set up a mobile valeting business while staying with his cousin.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard Rehman was required to drive the men to the address on three occasions shortly after he arrived. He said he was unable to fully understand their Irish accents.
Gardaí believe the attack was caused by a drugs transaction that “went wrong.” There is no suggestion that Rehman was involved in this or that he got out of the car on any of the occasions.
Rehman of Raddle Road, Birmingham, pleaded guilty to acting to impede the apprehension or prosecution of three men by driving the vehicle involved in an aggravated burglary to and from the scene in Tallaght on August 3rd, 2025.
Garda Eoin Monaghan told John Griffin, prosecuting, that he and colleagues responded to an alert that a man had forced his way into a house in Tallaght and attacked the resident at 5:20pm.
They found the victim there with a head wound and slash marks to his body.
Gardaí established that unknown males who had jumped out of a black car had assaulted him with a knife and hammer. The car was spotted nearby and stopped by gardai. Rehman, the driver, and the co-accused were arrested.
The court heard that the car first came to the house at about 3:14am that morning.
Gardaí believe that the first visit to the house was a drugs transaction that “went wrong” and threats were made initially via mobile phone.
The black car driven by Rehman then returned to the house later that morning, and a man took a petrol can from the boot and threatened to burn the house down. This was captured on CCTV.
The car is seen leaving the scene, and when it returns for the third time, it reverses in, and three males exit. This is when the victim was attacked inside the house.
Rehman made some initial admissions, which were regarded as self-serving. He later told gardaí he had arrived the previous day in his car via ferry and was staying with his cousin.
He said he heard a man having an argument over the phone, but said he was told nothing was going to happen. He said it sounded aggressive, but he found it hard to understand the Irish accent.
He said he had tried to see and hear what was happening when the men got out of the car, but he only heard swearing from both sides. He has been in custody since his arrest last August.
The garda agreed with Kieran Kelly, defending, that Rehman told gardaí his plan had been to move here, set up a business, and then bring his family over.
Kelly said that while staying with his cousin, Rehman was required to transport the men and did so on three occasions. The garda agreed that Rehman had used his own car.
Kelly handed in several certifications Rehman has earned while in custody and said he has tested negative for drugs.
He handed in a letter from his client, who indicated he wants to get his life back on track. He said it is his first time in prison.
Kelly said Rehman had planned to stay with his cousin and set up a mobile valeting business here. He arrived the previous day on the ferry, and in the middle of the night, this occurred.
Counsel said there was no suggestion he got out of the car at any time. He said he could not fully understand the Irish accents, but accepted that it was apparent something untoward was happening.
He said his client now plans to return to the UK and not return to Ireland anytime soon.
Judge Martin Nolan said Rehman had arrived from Birmingham and become involved “in this escapade.”
He said there had been some differences between the parties in a drug transaction, and at some point, the men decided to enforce punishment on the house.
The judge said the accused was probably aware there was something going on. He said Rehman was initially evasive when arrested but made some admissions.
He said Rehman had no relevant previous convictions and would probably not reoffend to any great extent. He said it was however quite a serious incident.
He set a headline sentence of five and a half years and reduced it to three and a half years on the basis of the mitigation. He backdated the sentence to when Rehman went into custody.
“This man helped serious criminals escape,” said Judge Nolan, noting the men had invaded a home and beat up the resident. “He involved himself in helping these individuals escape.”
