A tourist who was "loved by everyone" was beaten to death on the street and had his head "treated like a football", his sister told the Central Criminal Court.
Neno Dolmajian, 42, was visitng Ireland from Canada to watch a Liam Gallagher concert. However, his family were destroyed when he never made it back home after getting involved in an incident on the streets of Dublin.
Maral Dolmajian said her brother had the "soul and sensitivity of an artist", was curious about the world and loved to learn as much as he could. Mr Dolmajin died after meeting a group of people near O'Connell St and being knocked to the ground before being kicked full force in the face.
His sister said: "My parents have always gone above and beyond to help family and friends. They have always been the most generous with their time and energy. The consequence of all this goodness, all these good deeds, was their only son being killed. Their son who wouldn't even hurt a fly. Their son who had never gotten into fights, who got on with everyone and was loved by everyone.
She said bad things happen to good people, and her brother was a "good person, kind, funny, thoughtful and a joy to be around. He made people feel seen and valued. Everyone loved him."
Ms Dolmajian added that she lives with the "unbearable guilt" that she was not able to keep her brother safe and thinks of his final moments every day: "How he was punched and shoved to the ground and kicked in the head at full force... I think about how Ionut Danca treated my brother's head like a football. I think about how unnecessary and violent it was. I wonder what kind of person would do that, and why? Why would they be that violent towards someone they just met?"
She went on to say that her brother's life had value and he did not deserve to die the way he did. "He deserved to live a long and happy life, but his life was taken from him, it was taken from us."
She said to Mr Justice Paul McDermott that her brother's killer should receive a sentence that reflects the violence he suffered and acknowledges the family's loss.
Ionut Danca, 25, pleaded guilty last year to the unlawful killing of Neno Dolmajian on July 2, 2024 at O'Connell St Upper. Danca's co-accused, Madalin Ghiuzan, 24, pleaded guilty to assaulting Mr Dolmajian, causing him harm at Cathal Brugha St, Dublin 1. Mr Dolmajian was assaulted on June 23, 2024 and died nine days later having been treated at the Intensive Care Unit of the Mater Hospital.
Danca, a construction worker from Romania but with an address at Rathdown Square, North Circular Road, Dublin 7 had previously been charged with murder. Ghiuzan, originally from Romania but with an address at Summerhill Parade, Dublin 1, had a manslaughter charge brought against him.
Following the guilty pleas, the murder charge against Danca and the manslaughter charge against Ghiuzan are not being pursued by the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Sgt Donal Byrne today told prosecutor Seoirse Ó Dúnlaing SC that the victim was a Canadian national of Armenian heritage. He had an interest in music and playing the guitar and came to Ireland alone, arriving in June 2024. He was staying at the Ivy Exchange and was due to leave the country on July 2.
On the day Mr Dolmijan suffered the fatal injury, he was out drinking and after midnight, he encountered a number of males, including the two defendants, outside the Living Room nightclub on Cathal Brugha St. There was an altercation during which Ghiuzan punched and pushed Mr Domijian, causing him to fall to the ground.
The garda said the victim remained on the ground for more than a minute and struggled to get back up. He then followed the group to O'Connell St where there was a further series of interactions in which Mr Dolmijian was again pushed to the ground before Danca delivered a "running kick straight to the face".
Danca's lawyer Eoin Lawlor said that he was initially trying to act as a peacemaker and displayed no aggression. Something changed either as a result of Mr Dolmajian striking the accused or insulting his family, he said.
The court heard that Danca wrote a "sincere apology" to the deceased's family and accepts that what he did was wrong. Mr Lawlor said that he wants to create a good life for himself and his partner, has no previous convictions and is unlikely to come before the courts again. He asked the court to consider a reference by Danca's employer describing him as having an "exemplary work ethic".
Morgan Shelley SC, for Ghiuzan, said but for the "extremely tragic" events that followed his client's assault on Mr Dolmajian, his case might have been dealt with in the lower courts. He asked Mr Justice McDermott to consider imposing a fully suspended sentence.
The court will deliver sentence on Tuesday, February 17.
