Anabels nightclub in the posh Burlington Hotel in Dublin 4, was supposed to be the kind of place "nice" young people went, according to gobshites who think wealth is a reflection of moral value. In the early hours of 31 August 2000 a row broke out after a debs night, the kind of scrap that happens all to often outside clubs every weekend Dublin only this one ended with 18 year old Brian Murphy dead on Sussex Road. He'd been brutally kicked and punched while he was helpless on the ground. The cause of death was recorded as cerebral oedema and asphyxiation. Brian Murphy was there with a friend and he'd recently finished his Leaving Cert. He was working a summer job in Brown Thomas. Earlier that evening, he mentioned to a mate he felt a bit uneasy about potentially running into a group of lads he previously had hassle with. But everything went ok inside that night. The situation changed dramatically around 3:00 AM as the venue closed and crowds spilled out onto the street. Outside on Sussex Road, groups of teenagers loited, engaging in what was described as rowdy horseplay that quickly turned hostile. A sudden altercation broke out involving Brian and a group of up to ten iyoungfellas. The confrontation turned vicious as Brian was surrounded and they started battering him, punching him until he collapsed and then kicking him The entire violent mercilless frenzy was over in under five minutes. Friends immediately ran to Brian's side as the group of cowards scattered. He was unconscious and bloody, they moved him across the road to safety and called for an ambulance shortly after 3:10 AM. He was rushed to St. Vincent's Hospital, but doctors were unable to save him. Brian Murphy died hours later from severe brain swelling and airway obstruction resulting from facial trauma. Four young men were eventually charged with his manslaughter and violent disorder. Dermot Laide, Sean Mackey, Desmond Ryan and Andrew Frame. Three of the four had gone to one of Dublin's most expensive schools Blackrock College. The trial didnt start till 2004 and became a national obsession. Court 23 was packed every day.And people started to notice the distinct undercurrant of sympathy for these "nice" affluent young defendants both in the court proceedings and in some circles of society. The tone of the narrative was these lads were from "good homes" and so Brian Murphys horrific death mustve been a few moments of drunken madness. Dermot Laide was convicted of manslaughter and violent disorder, and got four years. Sean Mackey got two years for violent disorder. Desmond Ryan got nine months and Andrew Frame was acquitted outright. Laide then appealed and won, and his manslaughter conviction was quashed in 2005. Ryan's conviction was overturned too due to an invalid search warrant. A retrial was ordered for Laide, but by 2006 the DPP pulled the plug, citing "evidential problems" due to conflicting medical testimony regarding the precise cause of death alongside witness complications. He walked free still insisting he never caused Brian's death. A coroner's inquest finally closed the book in 2007, returning a verdict of unlawful killing. Anabel's itself is long gone. The Burlington Hotel was extensively refurbished and renamed the Clayton Hotel Burlington Road. But the response by our legal system and parts of our society to the unlawful killing of 18 year old Brian Murphy that night in 2000 exposed an ugly reality about class and privilege and who Irish society finds it easiest to forgive which is still sadly relevant today. Pictures below: Andrew Frame, Seán Mackey, Desmond Ryan and Dermot Laide and the victim Brian Murphy