Kinahan cartel killer sees appeal struck down

A MAN given a life sentence for the Kinahan cartel murder of Michael Barr has failed in his appeal against his conviction.

Eamonn Cumberton, 32, of Mountjoy Street in Dublin, had denied the murder of Mr Barr, 35, in the Sunset House pub in Dublin’s north inner city on April 25, 2016.

Mr Barr was standing at the counter of the bar when two men wearing masks entered the pub. One of them shot Mr Barr seven times in what the Special Criminal Court described as an execution.

In dismissing his appeal yesterday, the three-judge Court of Appeal stated it was completely satisfied that the appellant’s trial was satisfactory and that the verdict was safe.

Judge Tony Hunt, presiding at the trial, had said that although the court could not determine which role Cumberton played in the shooting, he was one of three culprits seen dumping items connected with the killing into the getaway car.

The car was later found partially burnt-out on Walsh Road in Drumcondra and gardaí were able to extinguish the flames. In the car, officers found three rubber masks, a baseball cap and four firearms.

Judge Hunt said the court was satisfied that DNA found on the cap and one of the rubber masks was Cumberton’s and that the three people seen outside the Audi were ‘involved’ in the events at Sunset House.

The court also relied on the evidence of Cumberton’s ‘highly unusual’ trip to Thailand around the time of the killing. He was prevented from boarding the flight because his passport was due to expire within three months.

Cumberton was jailed for life on January 29, 2018.

He was ‘seen dumping items’