Court archive
Court reports mentioning Keady, Armagh
2019-01-25 · Dublin
An autistic man, Alyn Maginn, 41, was caught with over €600,000 worth of heroin and cocaine in a car park at Dublin Airport. He pleaded guilty to one count of possession on 7 July 2017. Judge Martin Nolan, after noting Maginn's autism and the unclear benefit he derived from the drugs, imposed a wholly suspended five‑year sentence on 23 February 2018, deeming it unjust to jail him. Maginn had already spent seven months in custody before sentencing. The Director of Public Prosecutions appealed, claiming the sentence was unduly lenient, but the Court of Appeal, led by Justice George Birmingham, upheld the judge's decision. Birmingham highlighted the unusual circumstances, including Maginn's difficulty in interviews, his emotional state, and the fact that the drugs were ultimately claimed by a friend who received a seven‑year sentence. The appeal was dismissed, leaving the suspended sentence in place.
2018-12-18 · Dublin
An autistic man, Alyn Maginn, 41, pleaded guilty to possessing over €600,000 worth of heroin and cocaine at Dublin Airport on 7 July 2017. He was found in a car park, having arrived from Malaga, Spain, and was arrested after a customs officer searched his vehicle. The drugs, valued at €591,752 for heroin and €16,833 for cocaine, were seized. Maginn had not imported the drugs; they were already in the car. A co‑accused, Martin Gilroy, 34, owned the drugs and received a seven‑year sentence. Judge Martin Nolan, on 23 February 2018, imposed a wholly suspended five‑year sentence on Maginn, citing his autism, borderline cognitive ability and the claim that he was manipulated by Gilroy. The Director of Public Prosecutions is seeking a review, arguing the sentence was unduly lenient, while the Court of Appeal has reserved its judgement. The case remains at the appeal stage.
2018-05-02 · Monaghan
Haulier Cathal Dempsey, a Co Monaghan resident, is suing A&M Commercials Ltd and A&M Commercial Ireland Ltd in the High Court over seven trucks purchased in 2009 and 2011. Mr Dempsey alleges that the defendants sold him vehicles with mileage records of approximately 500,000km, when expert examination suggests some units had nearly 1 million kilometres. He claims this breach of contract caused frequent breakdowns and business damage. The defendants deny these allegations, stating there was no implied condition regarding mileage or reliability, and that the vehicles were not fraudulently altered or unfit for purpose. The case opened before Mr Justice Donald Binchy, with counsel for Mr Dempsey highlighting significant discrepancies in the trucks' odometer readings. However, the judge adjourned the case for two weeks after evidential difficulties arose. The dispute centered on whether technical evidence regarding the alleged mileage could be presented by Mr Dempsey's expert or if it required testimony from other examiners, with the defendants opposing hearsay evidence. Mr Justice Binchy noted the seriousness of the allegations but was not prepared to dismiss the action, resulting in the matter being adjourned rather than concluded.
2018-02-23 · Dublin
An autistic man, Alyn Maginn, 41, was caught with over €600,000 of heroin and cocaine in a car park at Dublin Airport. He pleaded guilty to one count of possession. The drugs were found in a Seat Ibiza after customs profiling. Maginn had not imported the drugs; they had been in the car already. The drugs were owned by a co‑accused, Martin Gilroy, who had previously been jailed for seven years. Maginn had no prior convictions and cooperated with Gardaí. A psychological report showed Maginn had borderline cognitive ability, was on the autism spectrum, and was easily led. Judge Martin Nolan, citing Maginn's psychological make‑up and low moral culpability, imposed a suspended five‑year sentence, stating it would be unjust to jail him for this crime.
2017-02-06 · Monaghan
An Armagh man has been ordered to complete 240 hours of community service following his conviction for attempting to remove markers from diesel fuel. Paul Haughey, aged 36 and resident in Keady, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to the offence, which occurred on 1 September 2011 at a property near Castleblaney, County Monaghan. Gardaí and customs officials conducted a surveillance operation and discovered over 13,000 litres of laundered diesel on the premises. The markers are used to differentiate between taxed diesel fuel and untaxed mineral oil, with significant tax rate variations between the two products. Judge Melanie Greally imposed the community service order in lieu of a one-year prison sentence, allowing Haughey eight months to complete the work. The judge noted he played a minor role in the operation and maintained an otherwise unblemished record in the jurisdiction. The defence submitted psychological evidence indicating Haughey was suffering severe depression and stressed his cooperation with investigating gardaí and his family responsibilities.
2016-10-25 · Monaghan
Paul Haughey, a 36-year-old father-of-five from Keady, Co Armagh, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to one count of attempting to remove markers from gas oil without the consent of the Revenue Commissioners on September 1, 2011. Prosecutors stated that markers differentiate diesel from mineral oil, noting the significant tax disparity between the two fuels at the time. Detective Garda Paul Kane testified that Haughey was observed entering a property near Castleblaney, Co Monaghan, with another man to launder diesel before armed gardaí and customs officials raided the site. Over 13,000 litres of laundered diesel were discovered, and Haughey was stopped by an armed garda as he attempted to flee. Defending counsel Michael O'Higgins SC argued that Haughey played a minor role, cooperated fully with gardaí, and suffered from severe depression, requesting a non-custodial sentence such as community service. He also highlighted that the case had been delayed for five years. Judge Melanie Greally described the offence as one requiring a serious sanction to deter similar behavior. She ordered a community services report and adjourned the matter for sentencing on December 19.
2015-04-13 · Monaghan
Paul Haughey, a 35-year-old water meter installer and company director, appeared at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court where the State withdrew its case against him. He had been charged in the District Court last year with removing or attempting to remove a prescribed marker from mineral oil without the consent of the Revenue Commissioners. The alleged offence occurred on September 1, 2011, at Corragarry, Castleblayney, Co Monaghan. Gardaí alleged that Haughey was caught standing on a tanker containing 30,000 litres of diesel, with a potential exchequer loss of €15,000. A search of the yard revealed €110,000 litres of diesel, representing a potential €55,000 loss. Authorities alleged the yard had a capacity to produce 18 million litres of fuel annually, with a total possible loss to the State of €9 million. The offence carried a maximum fine of €10,000 and a sentence of five years in prison on conviction. At the hearing, counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions stated she was not proceeding with the case and applied to strike out the charge. Judge Patricia Ryan agreed to strike out the charge and adjourned the matter until April 24 next, when an application for costs will be heard. No reason was given for the strike-out. Previously, a District Court judge had deferred a decision on granting legal aid to Haughey after noting his firm held a three-year contract with Dublin City Council for installing water meters.