The face of harmless man stabbed to death by drug dealers in Finglas on Friday night

Brian Hogan was brutally stabbed to death in the garden of a house at Collins Place in Finglas around 7pm on Friday.

Two men aged in their 30s, who are mid-level drugs dealers from Finglas, were arrested in connection with the attack and were still being questioned by gardai last night.

Gardai are investigating if the attack was related to a debt and if there had been more than one interaction between Mr Hogan and his attackers in the hours leading up to his death.

Mr Hogan, who was aged in his late 30s, was described as a “harmless” individual who “wouldn’t hurt a fly” and his death has left family and friends devastated.

It is understood Gardai are investigating reports that Mr Hogan had met with his attackers earlier to speak to them about a small debt owed by someone and told them he’d be back later and he handed over a watch as collateral.

tributes

While the exact details remain unclear, it is believed he met with the men again and even though money had been handed over, he was still attacked. A female friend who was with him was also injured in the incident.

A number of people posted tributes to Mr Hogan online yesterday with one pal describing him as “such a lovely fella”.

“He was one of the nicest fellas ever. Would do anything for anyone,” she wrote.

Another said “Everything will come out. I’m in shock here sobbing. I knew something like this was gonna happen. Gonna miss u loads my poor cuz. He was poxy harmless.”

Mr Hogan was one of seven siblings but three of his brothers and one sister all died at young ages a number of years ago.

The murder is not believed to be linked to the ongoing feud in the Finglas area and gardai are investigating whether the attack was linked to a debt.

Both men arrested over the attack are known to gardai and are involved in the drug trade.

One of the men arrested is a 37-year-old who has in excess of 100 convictions for offences including robberies, theft and drugs offences.

The stabbing occurred around 7pm on Friday night after a disturbance at a house in Collins Place involving a number of people.

Emergency services rushed to the scene in the aftermath of the attack and tried to resuscitate Mr Hogan in the front garden of the house but he was pronounced dead a short while later.

A female friend of Mr Hogan is also understood to have received stab wounds to her hand in the attack.

The two men arrested on suspicion of murder are currently being detained at Finglas and Blanchardstown Garda Stations under the provisions of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984.

The killing is the second to occur in Collins Place in the past 10 months.

Mother of five, Sandra Boyd, 36, was fatally wounded in an accidental shooting incident at her house in Collins Place last March. Her brother Derek Boyd shot her accidentally with an illegally-held loaded semi-automatic pistol.

He said he acquired the firearm because he was in fear for his own and his family’s safety after he came under threat from criminal figures.

He pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was handed down a two-year sentence in court in December after the judge noted that there were exceptional circumstances in the case which allowed her to depart from the presumptive minimum sentence of five years for the firearms charges

Gardaí are appealing for anyone with information to contact Finglas Garda Station on 01 6667500, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station.