Ireland Case No. 3164Manslaughter · Co. Dublin · 7 Jun 2021
Man sentenced to five years for manslaughter at Fairview Strand, Dublin
On 7 June 2021, Joshua Rush struck Charles McCaughley, a 69-year-old man from Donaghmede, with a back spin kick at Fairview Strand, Dublin 3, causing him to fall on his back and suffer a fatal head injury. McCaughley was taken to Beaumont Hospital in a coma and died on 26 June 2021. Rush, who was 21 at the time of the incident, was arrested days later and charged in August 2023. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court in March 2026 and was sentenced on 5 May 2026 to six and a half years' imprisonment with the final 18 months suspended.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrested6 Jul
2 reports - Charged2 Aug
- In court24 Mar
- Convicted25 Mar
2 reports - Sentenced1 May
5 reports
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- Joshua Rush struck Charles McCaughley with a back spin kick, causing him to fall on his back and suffer a fatal head injury.
- McCaughley, a 69-year-old man from Donaghmede, was found unconscious with blood from his mouth, taken to Beaumont Hospital in a coma, and died on 26 June 2021.
- Where
- The incident occurred at Fairview Strand, Fairview, Dublin 3.
- When
- The assault took place at around 11pm on 7 June 2021.
- Cause
- The postmortem found the cause of death was traumatic brain injury due to a significant fall to the back of the head.
- Investigation
- Three men in their 20s were arrested and released without charge; Rush was arrested a couple of days later after gardaí made enquiries at the Fairview accommodation he was seen entering.
- Charges
- Rush was charged with the unlawful killing of McCaughley after the DPP gave directions to charge him.
- In court
- Rush pleaded guilty to manslaughter at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court in March 2026.
- Sentence
- Judge Martina Baxter sentenced Rush to six and a half years' imprisonment with the final 18 months suspended on conditions including Probation Service supervision.
- Other details
- Rush had no previous convictions, was aged 21 at the time of the incident, and said he was acting in self-defence, which was accepted by gardaí.
- McCaughley had one surviving sister and no wife or children; his sister told gardaí she did not want anyone to go to jail.
105 statements extracted from the articles
- whatA man in his 60s died after an assault at Fairview Strand, Dublin 3. (thejournal.ie)
- whatThe victim was a Donaghmede pensioner known as 'Ollie' to loved ones (dublinlive.ie)
- whatThe victim was a man in his late 60s (dublinlive.ie)
- whatThe victim was found unconscious on the ground by locals (dublinlive.ie)
- whatThe victim was rushed to Beaumont Hospital with serious head injuries (dublinlive.ie)
- whatThe victim remained in a coma before dying on 26 June (dublinlive.ie)
- whatMcCaughley was a 69-year-old grandfather from Donaghmede, north Dublin. (thejournal.ie)
- whatMcCaughley was unconscious with blood coming from his mouth when a witness ran to his assistance. (irishtimes.com)
- whatMcCaughley was taken to hospital by ambulance and his condition deteriorated over the next few weeks. (irishtimes.com)
- whatRush had no previous convictions. (irishtimes.com)
- whatRush said he was acting in self-defence, which was accepted by gardaí. (irishtimes.com)
- whatRush told gardaí he had a difficult family background and that his father was physically abusive. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe deceased had one surviving sister and no wife or children. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe sister did not wish to make a victim impact statement but told gardaí she did not want anyone to go to jail. (irishtimes.com)
- whatRush took responsibility for his actions. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe deceased had been drinking on the night in question. (irishtimes.com)
- whatJoshua Rush, 25, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Charles McCaughley, 69. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatMcCaughley was unconscious with blood from his mouth when a witness ran to assist him. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatMcCaughley was taken to hospital by ambulance and died on 26 June 2021. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatRush used a back spin kick on McCaughley, causing him to fall on his back. (thejournal.ie)
- whatWhen the witness ran to assist, McCaughley was unconscious with blood coming from his mouth. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatMcCaughley was taken to hospital by ambulance. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatRush pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Charles McCaughley at Fairview Strand, Fairview, Dublin 3, on 7 June 2021. (irishtimes.com)
- whatMcCaughley was unconscious with blood from his mouth when the witness ran to assist. (irishtimes.com)
- whatMcCaughley was taken to hospital but died on 26 June 2021. (irishtimes.com)
- whatA man killed a pensioner with an MMA-style kick. (extra.ie)
- whereThe attack took place on Fairview Strand (dublinlive.ie)
- whereMcCaughley was found unconscious on the ground at Fairview Strand. (thejournal.ie)
- whereThe incident occurred at Fairview Strand, Fairview, Dublin 3. (irishtimes.com, irishmirror.ie)
- whereThe incident happened at Fairview Strand, Fairview, Dublin 3. (thejournal.ie)
- whereThe incident happened on Fairview Strand, Fairview, Dublin 3. (thejournal.ie)
- whereRush has an address at Fairview Strand, Fairview, Dublin 3. (irishmirror.ie)
- whereThe assault happened on Fairview Strand in Fairview, Dublin. (rte.ie)
- whenThe murder occurred on Monday 7 June 2021. (thejournal.ie)
- whenThe attack occurred on 7 June at around 11pm (dublinlive.ie)
- whenThe appeal covers the period between 10:30pm and midnight on 7 June 2021 (dublinlive.ie)
- whenCharles McCaughley had been on his way home on the night of 7 June 2021. (thejournal.ie)
- whenThe incident occurred on 7 June 2021. (irishtimes.com, irishmirror.ie)
- whenMcCaughley died on 26 June 2021. (irishtimes.com, thejournal.ie, irishmirror.ie)
- whenThe killing took place on 7 June 2021. (thejournal.ie)
- whenThe incident happened on 7 June 2021. (thejournal.ie)
- whenMr McCaughley died on 26 June 2021. (thejournal.ie)
- whenThe assault happened on 7 June 2021. (rte.ie)
- whenThe victim died on 26 June 2021. (rte.ie)
- causeThe cause of death was traumatic brain injury due to a significant fall on the back of the head. (irishtimes.com)
- causeThe postmortem found the cause of death was traumatic brain injury due to a significant fall to the back of the head. (irishmirror.ie, irishtimes.com)
- causeThe cause of death was traumatic brain injury due to a significant fall to the back of the head. (thejournal.ie)
- causeRush used a back spin kick on the older man, who fell on his back. (thejournal.ie)
- causeThe post-mortem found the cause of death was traumatic brain injury from a significant fall to the back of the head. (thejournal.ie, rte.ie)
- causeRush carried out a back spin kick on the victim, who fell onto his back. (rte.ie)
- investigationThree men, all in their 20s, were arrested and questioned at Raheny Garda Station. (thejournal.ie)
- investigationAll three men were released without charge with files to be prepared for the DPP. (thejournal.ie)
- investigationGardaí are appealing to anyone in the Fairview Strand area between 10.30pm and midnight on 7 June 2021, particularly those with dash-cam or camera footage. (thejournal.ie)
- investigationThree men in their 20s were arrested and questioned at Raheny Garda Station (dublinlive.ie)
- investigationAll three suspects were released without charge (dublinlive.ie)
- investigationGardaí are appealing for dashcam or camera footage from the night of the attack (dublinlive.ie)
- investigationDetectives at Clontarf Garda station opened an investigation. (thejournal.ie)
- investigationA postmortem was carried out by Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margot Bolster. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationRush was arrested a couple of days after the assault after gardaí made inquiries at the Fairview accommodation he was seen entering. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationRush was arrested a couple of days after the assault after gardaí made enquiries at the Fairview accommodation he was seen entering. (irishmirror.ie, irishtimes.com)
- investigationRush was arrested a couple of days after the assault after gardaí made enquiries at the accommodation he was seen entering. (thejournal.ie, rte.ie)
- chargeJosh Rush was charged after the DPP gave directions to charge him. (thejournal.ie)
- chargeRush was charged with the unlawful killing of McCaughley at Fairview Strand on 7 June 2021. (thejournal.ie)
- chargeRush is a 23-year-old man. (thejournal.ie)
- chargeJoshua Rush pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Charles McCaughley. (irishtimes.com, thejournal.ie, irishmirror.ie, rte.ie)
- chargeRush pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Charles McCaughley. (thejournal.ie)
- courtThe DPP directed that Rush's case would proceed as a trial on indictment in the Circuit Court. (thejournal.ie)
- courtRush made no reply after charge and has not yet indicated a plea. (thejournal.ie)
- courtThere was no objection to bail, and Rush was remanded on bail subject to conditions. (thejournal.ie)
- courtRush was remanded on bail of €400 to appear again at the District Court on 4 October. (thejournal.ie)
- courtDet Sgt David Ennis gave evidence to prosecuting barrister Diana Stuart. (irishtimes.com)
- courtDefending barrister Ronan Kennedy questioned the garda and raised mitigation points. (irishtimes.com)
- courtJudge Martina Baxter adjourned the case to April 20 to allow gardai to find out more about the deceased man's background. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtRush has no previous convictions. (thejournal.ie, irishmirror.ie, rte.ie, irishtimes.com)
- courtRush was remanded in custody and the judge adjourned the case for two weeks to consider the sentence. (thejournal.ie)
- courtThe judge said the incident was an unprovoked confrontation. (thejournal.ie)
- courtRush has no previous convictions, the court heard. (thejournal.ie)
- courtThe case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. (rte.ie)
- sentenceThe maximum sentence for manslaughter is life imprisonment. (irishtimes.com, irishmirror.ie)
- sentenceThe DPP's view is that the headline sentence should fall into the range of four to 10 years. (thejournal.ie)
- sentenceRush was sentenced to six and a half years' imprisonment, with the final 18 months suspended. (thejournal.ie, rte.ie)
- sentenceJudge Martina Baxter sentenced Rush to six-and-a-half years' imprisonment. (irishmirror.ie)
- sentenceThe final 18 months of the sentence were suspended on conditions including Probation Service supervision for 18 months upon release. (irishmirror.ie)
- sentenceThe suspended part is subject to Probation Service supervision for 18 months upon release. (rte.ie)
- sentenceThe man was given a five-year sentence. (extra.ie)
- otherMcCaughley was rushed to Beaumont Hospital with severe head injuries and remained in a coma. (thejournal.ie)
- otherRush has an address at Fairview Strand, Fairview, Dublin 3, and no previous convictions. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherRush said he was acting in self-defence, which was accepted by gardai. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherRush told gardai he had a difficult family background and his father was physically abusive. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherMcCaughley had one surviving sister and no wife or children. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherMcCaughley's sister did not wish to make a victim impact statement but told gardai she did not want anyone to go to jail. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherMcCaughley used to work as a glazier. (irishmirror.ie, irishtimes.com)
- otherA witness waiting for a bus saw three youths passing an older man as he walked along Fairview Strand. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe trio left the scene and were seen entering accommodation nearby. (irishmirror.ie, irishtimes.com)
- otherThe three youths left the scene after the incident. (thejournal.ie)
- otherRush's counsel said he takes full responsibility and accepts his recklessness caused harm. (thejournal.ie)
- otherRush was aged 21 at the time of the incident. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherRush has expressed genuine remorse. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherRush has three young children. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherRush has a diagnosis of ADHD and mental health difficulties. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherRush is assessed at medium risk of re-offending. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherA witness account stated the victim was wearing a face mask at the time. (irishtimes.com)
- otherMitigating factors included no previous convictions, not coming to garda attention since, being aged 21 at the time, and expressing genuine remorse. (irishtimes.com)
- otherRush said he was acting in self-defence when asked about the kick, and the court heard this assertion was accepted by gardaí. (irishtimes.com)
- otherRush told gardaí he had a difficult family background and his father was physically abusive. (irishtimes.com)
The reporting
newest first- 6 May2026Man who killed pensioner with an MMA-style kick gets five years
Article body contains only template code, not news text. Only the headline supplies facts. Location, date, court and the man's details are not given.
convictedvictim - 5 May2026Man who killed pensioner in Dublin with ‘back spin kick’ jailed for five years
Sentencing hearing at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court before Judge Martina Baxter; Rush pleaded guilty and received 6½ years with 18 months suspended on probation conditions.
victim, Charles McCaughley, 69, male, irish (judged from name)Charles McCaughleyconvicted, Joshua Rush, 26, male, named, irish (judged from name)Joshua Rush - 5 May2026Man jailed after spinning kick caused pensioner's death
Sentencing report. The introduction says he was jailed for five years, but the body of the article says six and a half years with the final 18 months suspended. The article also records that the victim died on 26 June 2021, after the 7 June 2021 assault.
convicted, Joshua Rush, 26, male, named, irish (judged from name)Joshua Rushvictim, Charles McCaughley, 69, male, irish (judged from name)Charles McCaughley - 5 May2026Man who killed pensioner with MMA-style kick learns fate
Reports the sentencing of Joshua Rush to six-and-a-half years' imprisonment (18 months suspended) for the manslaughter of Charles McCaughley, including details of the kick, the judge's reasoning, and mitigating/aggravating factors.
victim, Charles McCaughley, 69, male, irish (judged from name)Charles McCaughleyconvicted, Joshua Rush, 26, male, named, irish (judged from name)Joshua Rushsuspect, malesuspect, male - 1 May2026Man jailed for five years for causing the death of pensioner with 'back spin' MMA-style kick
Sentencing report for a 2021 fatal assault. The article gives the sentence, the cause of death, the arrest and the court's remarks, and includes the defence and DPP positions on sentence.
victim, Charles McCaughley, 69, male, irish (judged from name)Charles McCaughleyconvicted, Joshua Rush, 26, male, named, irish (judged from name)Joshua Rush - 1 Apr2026Man who killed pensioner with MMA-style kick remanded in custody ahead of sentencing next month
Reports the guilty plea, the remand in custody and the sentencing adjournment in the manslaughter case. Gives the DPP's proposed sentence range, the defence submissions and Rush's background. No existing case in the list matches.
convicted, Joshua Rush, 26, male, named, irish (judged from name)Joshua Rushvictim, Charles McCaughley, 69, male, irish (judged from name)Charles McCaughley - 25 Mar2026Man to be sentenced for killing a pensioner with a 'back spin kick, like MMA'
Plea of guilty entered at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court; sentencing adjourned to 20 April 2026 for further background on the deceased and a DPP assessment of the appropriate sentencing range.
victim, Charles McCaughley, 69, male, irish (judged from name)Charles McCaughleyconvicted, Joshua Rush, 25, male, named, irish (judged from name)Joshua Rush - 24 Mar2026Man pleads guilty to killing pensioner with spinning kick as he walked along Fairview Strand, Dublin
Guilty plea entered; case adjourned to 20 April 2026 for mitigation and DPP sentencing assessment.
victim, Charles McCaughley, 69, male, irish (judged from name)Charles McCaughleyaccused, Joshua Rush, 25, male, named, irish (judged from name)Joshua Rush - 2 Aug2023Man charged with killing pensioner who died three weeks after suffering serious injuries
Reports the charge of Josh Rush, who is given as 23 years old, and the District Court bail hearing on 2 August 2023. Records the DPP direction for trial on indictment in the Circuit Court and the adjournment for a book of evidence.
victim, Charles McCaughley, 69, male, irish (judged from name)Charles McCaughleyaccused, Josh Rush, 23, male, named, irish (judged from name)Josh Rush - 7 Jul2021Dublin pensioner brutally murdered on way home by gang named locally
Names the victim locally as Charles McCaughley ('Ollie'), confirms he died on 26 June after a coma, and reports that three men in their 20s were arrested and released without charge with files prepared for the DPP.
victim, Charles McCaughley, 60s, male, irish (judged from name)Charles McCaughleysuspect, 20s, malesuspect, 20s, malesuspect, 20s, male - 6 Jul2021Gardaí renew appeal for information in relation to murder of man in his 60s
Gardaí renewed their appeal for information; three men in their 20s arrested and released without charge, files to be prepared for the DPP.
victim, 60s, malesuspect, 20s, malesuspect, 20s, malesuspect, 20s, male