Breaking: Five Men Jailed for Torturing Woman in Dublin Flat

Five men involved in the horrific torture of a woman in a north Dublin apartment have received prison sentences ranging from eight-and-a-half to 14 years. The court heard the woman was violently assaulted for over three hours in September 2024, all due to a misunderstanding about missing drugs—drugs she had no connection to.

A Vicious Ordeal Driven by Misinformation

The victim, a 37-year-old woman, was abducted and taken to a flat in Henrietta House, where she was subjected to brutal and prolonged abuse. Over the course of three hours, she was beaten, burned with a heated hammer head, and had her face and legs scorched with a makeshift blowtorch fashioned from a deodorant can. Her attackers also made threats to rape her and her daughter, further escalating the terror.

During the attack, her hair was forcibly cut—an act the presiding judge condemned as a “humiliating, medieval ritualistic punishment,” particularly degrading for a woman. The court described the attack as sadistic and fuelled by paranoia surrounding a drug dispute that the woman was completely uninvolved in.

Timely Rescue and Emotional Aftermath

Gardaí intervened just in time, raiding the flat and rescuing the woman from her attackers. In a powerful victim impact statement read in court, she reflected on how close she came to death. “If the police hadn’t come in that day,” she said, “I’m sure I was dead.”

Despite the trauma, her testimony and the intervention of authorities ensured that all five perpetrators were brought to justice.

Sentencing and the Roles of the Attackers

• Braxton Rice (21), identified as the primary aggressor and the orchestrator of the assault, was handed a 15-year sentence with one year suspended.
• Mark McMahon (55), whose flat was used for the attack, received a 12-year sentence.
• Mark Keogh (33), McMahon’s son, was sentenced to 9 years in prison.
• Sean Conroy (21) of Ballymun, described as one of the main perpetrators, was given 13 years with one suspended.
• Kian Walshe (22) of Constitution Hill, who transported the victim to the flat, was sentenced to 11 years, with two-and-a-half years suspended.
• All five men pled guilty to charges of false imprisonment and assault causing harm. Through their respective legal counsel, each expressed remorse in court, though the judge emphasized the severity and cruelty of the attack.

Broader Implications and Reflection

The case has drawn significant public attention, not only because of the extreme violence but also for what it reveals about drug-related paranoia and vigilante-style punishment in urban communities. While justice was served in the courtroom, the incident underscores the need for continued focus on addressing organized crime, substance abuse, and the protection of vulnerable individuals in Irish society.

As the woman begins her long road to recovery, her survival—and the subsequent convictions—stand as a testament to the importance of timely police intervention and the resilience of victims in the face of unimaginable violence.