Homeless man stole petrol in Offaly three months before mother shot dead in Dublin

A MAN whose mother was shot dead by mistake in a Dublin gangland killing in 2017 stole petrol from the filling station in Blueball a few months earlier because he was homeless and living in his car.

Tullamore District Court heard that Stephen Corbally (27), with an address at Carmen Hall, Dublin 8 put €35 worth of petrol in his car at Doolan's service station, Blueball on May 10, 2017 and drove off without paying.

Mr Corbally pleaded guilty to that theft when he appeared before Judge Andrew Cody. He also admitted driving without insurance and having no driving licence.

The man appeared in custody in court because he is on remand in relation to other matters and his legal representative, Aine Rush, BL, said the Blueball offences were only coming to court now because his prosecution had been “lost in the system”.

Sergeant James O'Sullivan said Mr Corbally had no convictions prior to the matters before the court.

Outlining the background to Mr Corbally's offences at the Blueball, Ms Rush said he accepted responsibility for committing the offences and had driven without insurance because he had no income to pay for it.

He was living in the car after having a negative experience in homeless accommodation and feared going back to it.

The theft of the petrol was to manage his lifestyle, said the barrister.

Mr Corbally was from a family of six and came from a “very fractured childhood”, becoming homeless at the age of 18.

She said his mother was murdered in 2017 due to a gangland crime where she had not been the intended victim and Mr Corbally had to deal with that.

He had been living in a hostel prior to going into custody. Before that, though his education was halted for a period due to homelessness, he did complete the Junior Certificate and then went to college in Athlone where he was doing a hairdressing course.

Prior to going into custody he worked as a cleaner and a receptionist, said Ms Rush.

When he was 19 he suffered a stroke and though he had no alcohol or addiction issues he suffered from depression and a conversion disorder.

Judge Cody noted the pleas of guilty and said he would deal with the matters as if they had been dealt with in 2017 instead of now.

For having no insurance he disqualified Mr Corbally from holding a driving licence for two years. He imposed fines of €100 each for having no driving licence and stealing the petrol.

Antoinette Corbally (48), a mother of six, was shot dead in Balbutcher Drive, Ballymun on August 16, 2017.

A man, Clinton Shannon (30), was also shot dead in the same attack and gardai believed neither he nor Ms Corbally were the intended target.

It was reported that the gun attack took place in broad daylight and the killers were armed with a machine gun and a handgun.

Gardai said at the time that Ms Corbally and Mr Shannon were innocent victims and two others were also injured in the incident. The intended target escaped injury.

One of those injured was Ms Corbally's daughter, aged 18 at the time and pregnant.

In May Dublin District Coroner’s Court was told the gardai had submitted files to the DPP in relation to the double killing.

Inquests into the deaths of Ms Corbally and Mr Shannon were adjourned to November 22.

The inquests had also been opened and adjourned in November 2017. At that time, the coroner heard that an autopsy conducted by state pathologist Professor Marie Cassidy, found that Ms Corbally died as a result of gunshot wounds to the head and trunk.

Mr Shannon, from Lincoln Hall, Applewood, Swords died of gunshot injuries to the neck and chest.