Neno Dolmajian lay prone and posed no threat on Dublin’s O’Connell Street. Ionut Danca ran toward him and deliberately drove a full-force kick into his head. The Canadian tourist never regained consciousness and died nine days later.
The fatal attack
Dolmajian encountered a Romanian group outside the Living Room nightclub after midnight on 23 June 2024. Co-accused Madalin Ghiuzan punched and pushed him down. Dolmajian later followed the group toward O’Connell Street, where further interactions occurred and he was again pushed to the ground.
CCTV showed that Danca had earlier restrained Ghiuzan and tried to act as peacemaker. But while Dolmajian was prone and attempting to rise, Danca lost his temper, ran at him and deliberately kicked his face and head. Mr Justice Paul McDermott described the violence as brazen, unjustified and shocking to watch.
Death, plea and sentence
Dolmajian was taken unresponsive to the Mater Hospital and never regained consciousness. He died on 2 July, the day he was due to leave Ireland. Danca had initially faced murder but pleaded guilty to manslaughter in December 2025; the DPP accepted that plea.
On 17 February 2026 the court selected an eight-year headline term, reduced it to six years for mitigation and suspended the final six months. Danca had no previous convictions. Ghiuzan received twelve months for assault causing harm, with the balance suspended after time already served.
Movement after Garda interest
At the initial bail hearing, the court heard Danca became aware Gardaí were seeking him, booked a Dublin-to-Bucharest flight but instead travelled through Belfast, Edinburgh and Naples. His Dublin home had been cleared and Garda contact attempts went unanswered for two days. He later returned voluntarily. He was remanded on 28 June 2024, later obtained High Court bail and remained on bail through his plea.
Nationality and residence
Danca is a Romanian national who had lived and worked in Ireland for about six years and was employed in construction. No source establishes unlawful residence, asylum proceedings, deportation action or a foreign criminal record. This is a fatal-violence case involving a foreign national, not a proven immigration-enforcement failure.
Public-cost benchmark
Using the 2024 Irish Prison Service staffed-space rate, the five-and-a-half-year term gives €544,896; an illustrative term after ordinary remission gives €408,672. This €409,000–€545,000 range is not a personal invoice and excludes Garda, prosecution, hospital, court, legal-aid and victim-family costs.
Chronology
- 20 June 2024: Dolmajian arrived in Dublin.
- 23 June 2024: Assault and fatal kick.
- 2 July 2024: Dolmajian died.
- December 2025: Manslaughter plea accepted.
- 17 February 2026: Effective five-and-a-half-year sentence.
Questions the justice system should answer
- What remand credit and sentence commencement date apply?
- What evidential factors led the DPP to accept manslaughter rather than pursue murder?
- Is the sentencing range adequate for a deliberately aimed kick to a prone person’s head?
- What late-night safety changes followed a fatal attack on the capital’s principal street?
- What supervision will apply during the suspended-sentence period?