'Love Ulster' rioter pleads guilty
A 22 year-old father of two who set fire to cars and threw a wheelbarrow at gardaí during the Love Ulster parade riot will be sentenced later by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Dean Heapes, of Clanranald Road, Donnycarney, pleaded guilty to arson, burglary and violent disorder around the O’Connell Street and Lenister Street South areas of Dublin city centre on February 25, 2006.
Judge Frank O’Donnell heard that gardaí saw Heapes setting fire to two Mercedes vehicles and he was later identified from media coverage in the acts of looting and attacking gardai.
Garda Shane Graham told Dominic McGinn BL, prosecuting, that he saw Heapes set fire to two cars parked near the bottom of Kildare street. Another youth smashed the windows of the cars and Heapes set them alight causing damage worth a total of €19,000.
He was arrested and taken to Pearse Street garda station where he gave a false name and address.
A photograph later published in the Sunday World showed Heapes leaving the looted "Foot Locker" shop on O’Connell Street. Various other depictions from media outlets and CCTV footage showed Heapes throwing items at gardai and setting wooden pallets on fire.
Heapes smashed paving stones to throw at gardai and hurled glass bottles, rocks, traffic cones and pipes. A series of photos showed him lifting a green wheelbarrow over his head and throwing it at gardai from the public order unit.
Garda Graham said Heapes was also one of a group which attacked a fire engine.
Luan O Braonain BL, defending, said his client worked as a milkman and was one of a number of youths who had become involved in the riot without intention or planning but because "something snapped in his head and he went off the rails".
Heapes had €10,000 available as compensation and had apologised to gardai for his behaviour.
