A 33-year-old man arranged “a straightener” between two armed groups in a Wicklow playground during which a father-of-seven was stabbed to death, the Central Criminal Court has heard.

A barrister for Patrick Fitzpatrick said that this was not a "Traveller feud" but “a matter of alternative dispute resolution” between the two groups.

The court heard that "loving son and devoted father" William Moorehouse (36) died after sustaining five stab wounds.

Fitzpatrick, with an address at Sunset View, Corran, Leap, Co Cork, pleaded guilty that on January 19th, 2025, at Ballywaltrim playground on Schools Road in Bray, Co Wicklow, he and other named men used or threatened to use unlawful violence such that would cause a person of reasonable firmness to fear for his safety or another person's safety.

He also pleaded guilty to an offence on the same date and at the same location that he, while committing or appearing to be about to commit an offence of violent disorder, during the course of a fight, produced a knife in a manner likely unlawfully to intimidate another person.

Fitzpatrick had also been accused of the murder of Mr Moorehouse, but that charge was dropped by the State.

At a sentencing hearing on Wednesday, Detective Sergeant Ger Brennan confirmed to barrister for the Director of Public Prosecutions, Anne-Marie Lawlor, that the deceased was found in an unresponsive state, having sustained stab wounds.

He said that 14 persons were involved in an organised fight, with two groups of males involved, the deceased in one group and the defendant in the other.

Det Sgt Brennan said that the defendant had arranged “a straightener” between the two groups, following an incident some days beforehand, in which a youth was allegedly attacked by three males.

He said this straightener involved members of two families, with other persons before the courts in relation to this.

The detective told the court that two groups arrived at the playground on the day in two separate vehicles, with Fitzpatrick driving a jeep containing a group of men with weapons.

After the incident in which Mr Moorehouse died, the dispute fell back into the car park, where vehicles were rammed, before a car chase ensued.

The detective said telephone evidence showed that text messages were sent throughout the day organising this "straightener".

Among these messages were a reference to a “yoke”, which Det Sgt Brennan said he believed meant a firearm, and a reference to a “side by side”, which referred to a shotgun.

He told the court that the defendant had been driving around picking up people and meeting with others before the fight.

Det Sgt Brennan said that while multiple persons were confronting each other with weapons, a children’s birthday party was ending in the nearby community centre at the time.

He said that the entire incident lasted around two minutes, with Mr Moorehouse sustaining five stab wounds. Both groups left after the stabbing, with Fitzpatrick driving the jeep and the other vehicle in pursuit.

The witness said that Fitzpatrick abandoned the jeep, later telling gardaí that it was stolen by Travellers. Det Sgt Brennan said that when gardaí located the vehicle, they found weapons in it, including knives, metal bars, rods, sticks and latex gloves

The court heard that Fitzpatrick had 28 previous convictions.

Straightener

Defence barrister, Michael Bowman SC, said that a "straightener" is where persons involved in a dispute come together to fight to prevent it spreading out to the wider community.

He said that someone on the other side reached out to Fitzpatrick, who facilitated the straightener, with an agreement that a relative from each family would attend to ensure fair conduct in the fight.

Mr Bowman said voice messages indicated that Fitzpatrick had said he intended to observe and ensure that the rules were observed.

“It is clear that something went tragically wrong,” said Mr Bowman.

He said that while his client had pleaded guilty to the possession of weapons, there was no evidence he had his hands on any weapon during the fight.

“There’s no evidence he did not, either,” replied Det Sgt Brennan.

Victim impact statements were read by the deceased’s sisters, Kathleen and Siobhan Ward.

Kathleen Ward told the court that her brother was fondly referred to by the family as “Willie Boy”, while people in Bray knew him as “Willie Pop”. She said he was very popular and had many friends,

“As a family, we were overwhelmed at the amount of people in the community that reached out to us to say they were devastated at his passing,” she said. “He was a character and a joker... Willie always had a smile on his face.”

Mr Moorehouse’s youngest sister, Siobhan Ward, said she felt it was important to show the profound devastation her family has felt since her brother was brutally taken away from them. She said he was not only her brother but her best friend, who could always put a smile on her face

“Willie Moorehouse was my daddy’s golden boy, his pride and joy who you could brag about all day... Willie was a loving son, a devoted father, a friend to all,” said Siobhan.

Addressing the court in mitigation, Mr Bowman said that this was not a Traveller feud, but the result of a decision taken to have a straightener after a young man was assaulted by three men.

“What was intended was that this was to be a matter of alternative dispute resolution,” he said.

Mr Bowman told the court that the largest mitigating factor was his client’s plea of guilty, adding that Fitzpatrick has always maintained he had nothing to do with the death of Mr Moorehouse but was involved in arranging the straightener.

“There was no excuse for the manner in which adults sought to resolve difficulties between children,” he said.

Extending her condolences to Mr Moorehouse's family, Judge Karen O’Connor said she had absolutely no doubt that they will always talk about him. She also praised the great courage of the two women in reading out their statements to the court.

Judge O’Connor directed a probation report on the defendant and put the matter back to October 30th, with Fitzpatrick remanded in custody.