Fatal Stabbing After Row With Racial Undertones

Single Incident Alert DateApril 2, 2010 Country: Ireland Address: The Boulevard, Mount Eustace in Tyrrelstown, Dublin 15 General Type: Racist violence, Hate crime Racism and discrimination phenomena: Afrophobia
Groups affected / Interested in: Africans/black people Key socio-economic/institutional areas: Anti-racism Hate speech/Racist Discourse Medium: Internet, Newspaper
Victims Data
Victims Nationality/Ethnic Origin Nigerian
Victims Gender Male
Victims Age 18-25
Victims Number 1
Fatalities - deaths 1
Perpetrators Data
Perpetrators Nationality/Ethnic Origin Irish
Perpetrator Gender Male
Perpetrator Age 18-25, 36-45
Perpetrators Number 2
Extremist/Organised Group Violence No

 

An Irish man was acquitted of the murder of a Nigerian teenage boy named Toyosi Shittabey (15) on 2 April 2010. The accused - Michael Barry (then 24) reported that he and his (now deceased) brother Paul Barry (39) went after a group of teens to see if they had his mobile phone which he had found to be missing. Prior to that a verbal fight between the teenagers and the brothers had broken out outside of the brothers' house with the word "Niggers" being used and punches were thrown; "'I put my hands out between Paul and the group when I got kicked in the hand and my phone fell out,' Mr Barry told Gardaí." “I was on the ground trying to protect my head and got kicked in the ribs. The group of teens were still mouthing off and one of them started to taunt us with a screw driver. Being outnumbered by the teenagers, the brothers retrieved weapons including a baseball bat from their house. When they met the teenagers again having followed them in a jeep, Paul Barry got out and chased one of the teens; Toyosi Shittabey went to help his friend and was fatally stabbed in the chest by a knife Paul Barry had withdrawn. “Toyosi was running and holding his chest saying ‘Boys, he stabbed me. Boys, he stabbed me’” one of his friends reported. Toyosi Shittabey was pronounced dead later that evening. Michael Barry has been acquitted of murder as – according to Judge Barry White – “there was no evidence to suggest Mr Barry knew his brother Paul was carrying a knife when he drove him to the scene where the teenager was stabbed.” Further, the judge argued that "’[i]n circumstances where the accused man's brother has died and with the refusal of a witness to co-operate, the interests of justice may not be well served in this case’ were it to continue.”

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