Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
WATERBOARD TORTURE TERROR
Phone footage showed waterboarding in garage
A FORMER Sinn Fein politician used waterboarding to torture a man who he threatened to kill and feed to dogs. Jonathan Dowdall, 38, was videoed holding a tea towel to the victim’s face before pouring water over his head. The thug and his father, Patrick, 59, have both admitted falsely imprisoning and threatening to kill Alexander Hurley. Former Dublin City councillor Dowdall tied him to a chair, shaved his head and threatened to hack off his fingers. The Republic’s Special Criminal Court heard he told Mr Hurley: “I’m going to cut you up piece-by-piece.”
A FORMER Sinn Fein councillor waterboarded and threatened to chop up a man he believed was trying to defraud him.
Footage recorded on a mobile was shown of Jonathan Dowdall wearing a balaclava and holding a tea towel to the man’s face before pouring water over his head.
The Special Criminal Court in Dublin heard the 38-year-old believed the victim, Alexander Hurley, was pretending to be a barrister and was trying to defraud him.
The two met after former Dublin City councillor Dowdall, of Navan Road, North Dublin, advertised a motorbike for sale on donedeal.ie.
He and his father Patrick Dowdall, 59, of the same address, have both admitted falsely imprisoning Mr Hurley at Navan Road, on January 15, 2015. Both have also pleaded guilty to threatening to kill Mr Hurley at the same place on the same date.
On March 9 last year gardai were searching Jonathan Dowdall’s house in relation to a separate matter when they found a USB flash drive.
The court heard when officers examined it they discovered it contained footage of a man imprisoned in dad-of-four Dowdall’s garage.
The victim, Alexander Hurley, was located by gardai on May 28 last year, and he gave a statement about the incident.
On January 1, 2015, Mr Hurley expressed interest in the bike and on January 12 met with the Dowdalls in their house.
Later he was contacted by Jonathan Dowdall and discussed the purchase. Mr Hurley said he was waiting for a loan from the Credit Union.
On January 15, Mr Hurley got a call from Dowdall who invited him to dinner at his house that evening.
Mr Hurley told gardai he thought the invitation was a “bit unusual” but that Jonathan Dowdall insisted Mr Hurley attend, saying his father had enjoyed his company.
He told gardai as soon as he arrived he was pushed into the garage and backed into a swivel-chair by Patrick Dowdall, adding he was “petrified”.
Mr Hurley was bound to the chair with cable-ties and told by Patrick Dowdall he was a “lying b ***** d from the sewer”.
Patrick Dowdall added if he wanted to get out alive he better tell Jonathan what he wants to hear. The court was told Mr Hurley was left alone in the garage and heard the Dowdalls discussing what to do with him next.
They said they would feed him to the dogs, chop him up and store him in a BMW if he didn’t tell the truth.
When they returned, Jonathan Dowdall was wearing a balaclava and he asked Mr Hurley to tell the truth and called him a thief. The court heard Jonathan Dowdall put a tea towel across his victim’s face and poured a full bucket of water over his head. Mr Hurley said: “I thought that I was being drowned. I couldn’t breathe.”
Another bucket of water was then poured over his head and he was warned he had one more chance to tell the truth.
He was told he was not a barrister, that he was a fraudster, and he would be chopped up and brought to Tyrone.
The court heard he was told he was a “stupid dumbf*** to mess with the head of the IRA” and that Jonathan Dowdall was a “good friend of Gerry Adams and Mary Lou Mcdonald”.
He was further warned if he contacted gardai he would be killed. Patrick Dowdall threatened to pull off his fingers one by one with pliers during the three-hour ordeal.
Three video clips, recorded on a mobile, were shown to the court which included Mr Hurley trying on motorcycle clothing in Mr Dowdall’s garage and a second one of him bound to a swivel-chair.
The former councillor repeatedly asked him, “What were you going to do with my bank details?” Mr Hurley said he had applied for a loan. Jonathan Dowdall replied: “I’m going to cut you up piece-by-piece.” The hostage replied: “Please don’t hurt me.” Mr Hurley said. The court then saw Jonathan Dowdall use an electric razor to shave Mr Hurley’s head. He asked again, “What were you doing with my bank details?” He told Mr Hurley: “It’s all over Facebook you’re one of the biggest conmen going.”
Patrick Dowdall was heard saying, “I’m going to start with the little one and work my way up to your thumbs”.
The court was told neither Jonathan nor Patrick Dowdall have any previous convictions.
The former Dublin city councillor’s lawyer Michael O’higgins SC said his client is “a man who lives for his family and has invested in his family”.
The court heard he wanted to frighten Mr Hurley into not using his bank details.
The court also heard Mr Hurley’s profile on Linkedin showed the official logo of the Law Library and stated he was a barrister since July 2011.
Det Insp Hanrahan agreed that Mr Hurley – who has two convictions for fraud – is not a barrister.
The two accused were remanded in custody until May 19 when they will be sentenced.
Meanwhile, Sinn Fein deputy leader Mary Lou Mcdonald praised the court’s decision on Dowdall who she said left the republican party.