Olivia Kelleher
A 46-year-old man has pleaded guilty to threatening to kill or cause serious harm to members of the family of 20-year-old Cork student, Cameron Blair, who was murdered in Cork city in January 2020.
Noel Barry of Cherry Tree Road in Cork appeared before Cork Circuit Criminal Court where he pleaded guilty to threatening to kill or cause serious harm to named members of the Blair family in nuisance calls answered by his father Noel.
The calls occurred on the evening of 4th of September 2020. Mr Barry pleaded guilty to three counts one of which included sending a a menacing text message to Noel Blair at 10.55pm on the 4th of September 2020. Defence barrister Sinead Behan said that her client had a history of depression.
Judge Sean O'Donnabhain heard that victim impact statements will be furnished during the sentencing hearing on May 17th. Mr Barry was remanded on bail until his next court appearance.
Phone calls
Cork District Court previously heard that Mr Barry allegedly made four phone calls to the family of Mr Blair in September of last year, two of which were recorded.
The court was told that that threats were allegedly made to Noel Blair, father of the late CIT student, and that he was told to "f**k off back to England."
Mr Blair informed gardai that the caller warned that his family "would never be safe." He said that the caller also told him to get his "Loyalist friends" so that they could "sort this out on the streets of Shankill Road."
The threatening charges were contrary to Section Five of the Non-Fatal Offences against the Person Act.
Disability benefit
Free legal aid was previously assigned to Mr Barry as he is on disability benefit. The terms of his bail involve him have no contact of any kind with the Blair family. Mr Barry must also stay out of West Cork, be of good behaviour and abstain from intoxicants. He also has to sign on at a local Garda station.
Meanwhile, the murder of Cameron Blair sent shockwaves through the community in Bandon Road last January after he was fatally stabbed at a house party in the city.
Mr Blair died in Cork University Hospital (CUH) after he was stabbed in the neck at a house party in Bandon Road in Cork city on January 16th, 2020.
The attendance was so large at his funeral service at St Peter’s in Bandon that mourners flowed out from the church on to the steep steps all the way down to the street.
Cameron was laid to rest in Kilbeg cemetery outside Bandon town. A teenager was jailed in connection with his murder. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a review of his sentence in 2032.
