Leopardstown brawl victim dies; two men remanded in custody after Sandyford attack

Siminic Rostas, 24, died at Beaumont Hospital after suffering catastrophic injuries in a large-scale fight at a South Dublin business park. Two men were denied bail.

Sandyford brawl victim Siminic Rostas dies as two suspects are refused bail

A man who sustained catastrophic injuries during a large-scale violent confrontation at a Dublin business park at the weekend has died in hospital, the Irish Times reports.

Siminic Rostas, 24, was pronounced dead at Beaumont Hospital's intensive care unit on Tuesday afternoon after his life support was switched off. The news reached Judge Conor Fottrell at Dún Laoghaire District Court at 12.59pm — precisely as a bail hearing for one of the accused was under way.

Two accused appear in court

Kevin Rostas (21), of Harrington Street, Dublin 8, and Cristian Demian (23), of Howth Road, Raheny, appeared before the court in connection with the incident. Both face charges of violent disorder at the South County Business Park in Sandyford on Saturday evening. Demian faces an additional charge of assault causing harm to Siminic Rostas. Bail was denied to both men, and more serious charges are anticipated.

What CCTV showed

Detectives Det Garda David Buckley and Det Garda Michael Doheny told the court that officers received a report at 8.25pm on Saturday of a large-scale disturbance involving several males engaged in violence at an abandoned premises. Gardaí arrived to find three seriously injured men, including Siminic Rostas, all of whom required hospitalisation.

Initial inquiries established that approximately 15 members of the Roma community had been living at the abandoned premises for several months. The accused and three others attended, claiming they were there to collect personal property belonging to someone at the address. A verbal dispute escalated suddenly into violence, the precise cause of which remains under Garda investigation.

CCTV footage captured significant portions of the confrontation and showed that lethal weapons and implements — including poles, sticks and shovels — were used during the fight. Kevin Rostas and Demian were clearly identifiable on the footage actively participating in the physical confrontation. Demian identified himself when shown the recording.

Det Garda Doheny told the court that Demian struck Siminic Rostas twice with a shovel, rendering him unconscious and inflicting catastrophic injuries. The court heard that the now deceased man was also struck after he had lost consciousness.

Kevin Rostas was seen on CCTV striking other males on several occasions. He maintained he acted in self-defence.

Threatening messages and flight-risk concerns

The court also heard that one of the other hospitalised men had received several threatening messages on his phone. The messages referred to "retribution" and included the phrases "this is not the end of it" and "your brother is next."

Gardaí expressed concern that the incident had escalated rapidly into a confrontation involving multiple individuals carrying weapons.

Det Garda Buckley noted that Kevin Rostas had connections to Romania and travelled there annually. Rostas, who was unrepresented due to the ongoing solicitors' strike — which has seen solicitors withdraw services from District Court legal aid cases over payment reforms — said he had lived in Ireland for 12 years and was adamant he would not leave. His response to his charge was: "I didn't threaten."

Judge Fottrell found that gardaí had established flight-risk grounds sufficient to conclude the pair were likely to evade justice. Both were remanded in custody to appear at Cloverhill District Court on 8 September. Both men were assisted by an interpreter throughout the separate bail hearings.

Third accused granted conditional bail

A third man, Augustin Rostas (22), with addresses at Convent Place, Hatch Street Lower, and Kevin Street, Dublin 2, appeared before the court on the same charge and allegations. He was granted conditional bail, remanded in custody pending a €1,000 lodgement and an address check. Upon release he must have no contact with witnesses and is due to appear again on Friday.

Violent disorder and assault causing harm each carry a maximum sentence of ten years.

Source: Irish Times