TWO KILLARNEY MEN  ‘armed themselves’ with a canister of petrol and cycled to a hotel housing asylum seekers shortly before 6 am on New Year’s Day 2024, the District Court has heard.

As they kicked the front door, a fire door, shattering its glass, a security guard who was inside was alerted.

The two who the court was told remain friends were identified on cctv and the can of petrol was recovered.

Both men have pleaded guilty to criminal damage as well as trespass.

Eamon Murphy, aged 24, of Curragh, Aghadoe, Killarney, and Evan Murphy, aged 21, of Rahanane, Kilcummin, Killarney, came before the courts last February charged that they without lawful excuse they did damage property, the front door of the Harmony Inn, belonging to Keith Spain, on January 1 and that they trespassed on the property.

At Killarney District Court on Monday, Sergeant Stephen O’Brien said that at 5.50 am on New Year’s Day they were seen going to the Harmony Inn, Muckross Road where asylum seekers were housed.

They were seen on bicycles with a petrol canister and when they got to the front door it was locked. The door was kicked and this was a fire door and it was damaged. They were identified through CCTV and the petrol canister was recovered.

The damage to the door was 1,500 euro, he said.

Eamon Murphy’s solicitor, Padraig O’Connell said the two men were not related and they were friends and they remained good friends.

There was “no malicious motive”, his client had consumed alcohol, he was totally embarrassed and fully accepts he was wholly wrong, Mr O’Connell said.

He was a young man who resided at home with his parents. There was a certain dependency on alcohol which had led to the two previous convictions under the Public Order act.

Brendan Ahern solicitor for Evan Murphy said his client was in his fourth year of a plumbing apprenticeship, his intention was to emigrate to Canada, his solicitor Brendan Ahern told Judge David Waters.

Evan Murphy had no previous convictions. Mr Ahern said when it was put to him in interviews with gardaí that his motive was dislike of asylum seekers, he had said it was not the asylum seekers but the system that was put in place.

Judge Waters however asked Mr Ahern did he see ‘the irony’ of what he did while – he was considering going to Canada himself.

“Are you seriously telling me he did this last January while considering travelling to Canada?’ the judge asked .

There was absolute moral bankruptcy, the judge added.

Mr Ahern said his client they had no intention of doing anything. Alcohol and social media videos at the time were factors, Mr Ahern said.

Judge Waters asked again that the facts be outlined again to him.

Sergeant Stephen O’Brien said they went there before 6 am, a security guard was on duty, the door was locked and they kicked the door, causing the glass to shatter. A security guard was on duty and this disturbed him.

Judge Waters said this was not a public order matter, but a very serious matter.

“The bottom line is these two young men made a decision to arm themselves with petrol travel through the town and arrive on scene were people were residing.”

‘I’m absolutely convinced these two gentlemen went there with the absolute intention of setting fire to this property and would have done it, had they not been disturbed by a security guard,” Judge David Waters said.

The judge said this was a very serious matter and he was adjourning it to consider whether to impose a custodial sentence.

‘The only consideration for both is a suspended jail sentence or not for both accused.”

There was no possibility there would not be a conviction, he told Mr Ahern.