A deaf man has been charged with manslaughter after a man that he pushed into the road was hit by a bus and killed in Dublin last week.
28 year old Eoghan Dudley suffered severe head injuries when he fell under the wheels of a double decker bus in the centre of Dublin after an altercation with 29 year old Edward Connors. Dudley was originally from Dublin’s south side, and lived in the suburb of Rathfarnham. The incident occurred at the junction of Dawson Street and Nassau Street in Dublin city centre.
Dudley was living in a rented apartment in Co Wicklow at the time, and was identified by family members two days after he died.
Connors, who is deaf, was arrested from his temporary residence at a hostel in the north of the city centre in connection with the incident after eye witness reports identified him as having pushed Dudley into the road. Connors said ‘I’m sorry, it was an accident’ at the time of his arrest, and was detained at Pearse Street Garda police station until he was able to be brought before a judge.
Judge David McHugh held a brief hearing with Connors on Monday morning at Dublin District Court. Connors, who arrived at the hearing in a navy tracksuit, made use of a sign language interpreter. When asked who he wanted to represent him in his trial, he presented the business card of a lawyer to the judge. Connors did not apply for bail at the brief hearing.
Detective Garda Conor O Braonain arrested Connors at Judge Darley House, a well known hostel that provides shelter to the homeless, on Saturday night. O Braonain told the judge at the hearing that Connors had been cautioned and did not resist arrest, and was later charged at the Pearse Street station.
Connors solicitor, Cahir O’Higgins, requested that legal aid be made available to his client, as he does not have the means to pay legal fees. Judge McHugh granted this request after receiving proof of Connor’s income level.
O’Higgins also requested that his client receive appropriate medical care while in custody, as he is a recovering drug addict dependent on a methadone prescription. Connor would also need to have access to a sign language interpreter at all times while in custody.
Connors will remain in custody until his next hearing, which is set to take place at Cloverhill District Court on December 13th.