In a Special Criminal Court hearing, William Twomey (56) and Thomas McGuinness (33) were charged with four non‑scheduled offences against Edward McAndrew. The prosecution alleged that on 2 December 2017, Twomey and McGuinness lured McAndrew to a remote site at One Ferry Hill, Cornamucklagh, Louth, where they beat him with iron bars, threatened him, and placed him in a car boot. They demanded €50,000 and robbed him of keys, money, a travel bag, a wallet, a briefcase, two mobile phones and an Irish passport. McAndrew was also alleged to have been falsely imprisoned. The court heard evidence that Twomey sent fraudulent emails to McAndrew, that McGuinness drove him to the attack, and that items taken from McAndrew were found in Twomey's possession. McAndrew was to give evidence of the assault, injuries and medical treatment he received. The trial was set to resume with three judges presiding. William Twomey pleaded not guilty. Thomas McGuinness pleaded not guilty.
Thomas McCabe, 56, who was convicted in 1990 of murdering 16‑year‑old Richard Hunt in London, voluntarily surrendered to Northern Irish authorities after two years on the run. He had been released on licence in December 2008, but his licence was revoked in January 2018 following breaches. In August, Gardaí arrested him in Dublin under a European Arrest Warrant issued by Laganside Courts. McCabe gave evidence before Mr Justice Paul Burns, consenting to serve the remainder of his life sentence in Northern Ireland. Mr Burns remanded him in custody, to be surrendered in less than ten days, for licence breaches that involved leaving the jurisdiction without notifying Northern authorities. McCabe expressed concerns about his safety in prison, seeking assurance that he would be kept apart from the general prison population. The case highlights the ongoing enforcement of licence conditions and the handling of a convicted murderer who had absconded from the jurisdiction.
The High Court heard that Thomas McCabe, convicted in London in October 1990 for the murder of 16-year-old Richard Hunt, has indicated a willingness to consent to his surrender to Northern Ireland authorities. McCabe, who was sentenced to life imprisonment for attacking Hunt with a scaffolding pole, had been released on licence from Maghaberry Prison but had his licence revoked in January 2018 following breaches. He was arrested by gardaí in August on a European Arrest Warrant issued by the PSNI after absconding for two years. Counsel Mr Kieran Kelly stated that McCabe seeks assurances he will be kept separate from the general prison population due to safety concerns, including potential implications in a gang-related incident. Mr Justice Paul Burns noted that Northern Ireland authorities already have an obligation regarding McCabe's safety and expressed a preference to determine the matter immediately. However, acknowledging that an agreement to surrender might be reached within two weeks, the judge adjourned the proceedings until October 28. The State solicitor sought an explicit statement of consent, while counsel for McCabe requested correspondence with prison authorities to facilitate his separation from the mainstream population. The matter was adjourned, not concluded, to allow for these discussions.
An application to set aside alleged asset transfers involving Michael Colm Murphy, a discharged bankrupt, has been admitted to the fast-track Commercial Court list. The court heard that the transfers were made by Murphy to his former wife Anne Murphy and sister-in-law Rita Hoey. The Deputy Official Assignee Denis Ryan claims the transfers were an attempt to frustrate Murphy's creditors, including 12 family members of the victims of the 1998 Omagh bombing. The Official Assignee, represented by Edward Farrelly SC, alleges that five asset transfers, including property, were made when civil and criminal proceedings were pending against Murphy for his alleged role in the atrocity carried out by the Real IRA. Murphy was cleared of all criminal charges in connection with the bombing, having been previously convicted in 2002, which was later overturned on appeal. In 2013, Murphy was found civilly liable for the bombing along with three other men, and ordered to pay £1.6m in damages to the victims' families. Bankruptcy proceedings were taken against Murphy, Michael McKevitt, and Liam Campbell, who were all adjudicated as bankrupt last year. The transfers, which include Murphy's family home, shares in companies, and land, were made between April 1999 and October 2001. It is also alleged that Murphy transferred £340,000 in cash to a trust for his children, which was used to buy a property in Dundalk. The Official Assignee seeks various orders and declarations, including that the assets be held in trust for the bankruptcy estate. The case was adjourned to a date in November.
A man with three All Ireland Club Championship medals with Crossmaglen Rangers has been granted bail by the Special Criminal Court on charges relating to ATM thefts in the border region. Daniel O'Callaghan, aged 30, faces five offences including the theft of an ATM in Castleblayney, Co Monaghan, in April 2019 and the attempted theft of an ATM at The Riverfront Hotel in Virginia, Co Cavan, in August 2019. He is also charged with offences under the Criminal Justice Act alleging involvement with a criminal organisation. Bail was set at €1,000 cash and independent sureties totalling €40,000. Mr O'Callaghan must reside in Castleblayney, surrender his passport, sign on daily at the local garda station, observe a nightly curfew, and comply with restrictions on travel and association. He has been remanded in custody with consent to bail until November 2. Three other men have previously been granted bail in connection with the same investigations.
Daniel O'Callaghan (30) appeared before the Special Criminal Court charged with five offences relating to the theft of an ATM in Castleblayney, Co Monaghan, in April and the attempted theft of an ATM in Virginia, Co Cavan, in August. He is alleged to have committed these offences for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with a criminal organisation. O'Callaghan is also charged with offences under Sections 72 and 73 of the Criminal Justice Act. Presiding judge Ms Justice Tara Burns remanded O'Callaghan in custody until Monday, to allow for gardaí to carry out inquiries regarding the surety. Michael O'Donovan is also charged with the attempted theft of the ATM at The Riverfront Hotel, Main Street, Virginia Co Cavan, on August 14, 2019, for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with a criminal organisation. The matter was adjourned and never described as concluded or finalised.
A woman from Riverstown, County Sligo, has had her prison sentence increased by the Court of Appeal following a challenge by the Director of Public Prosecutions. The 23-year-old was convicted of dangerous driving causing the death of a pedestrian in Dundalk in October 2017. She had thrown a sauce carton into another vehicle, prompting a high-speed chase through the town that resulted in both cars striking a 29-year-old man. The sentencing judge at Dundalk Circuit Court imposed three years imprisonment with two years suspended. The DPP appealed, citing undue leniency. Court President Justice George Birmingham ruled that the original sentencing judge erred in suspending an additional six months beyond what her co-accused received. The Court of Appeal re-sentenced her to three years with eighteen months suspended, requiring her to serve a greater proportion of her sentence than originally ordered. The unnamed 23-year-old pleaded guilty.
The estate of the late Fine Gael Councillor John Bailey secured a temporary High Court injunction to stop Mr Francis Tiernan from spraying poisonous weedkiller on 100 acres of farmland at Castlewarden on the Dublin‑Kildare border. The estate, represented by Darren Lehane BL, claims the land belongs to Mr Bailey and that Mr Tiernan has been trespassing since April. The dispute stems from an incomplete 2006 sale for €4.6 million and a 2013 damages award of €1.2 million against Mr Tiernan. In 2018 Mr Tiernan filed a Lis Pendens but did not pursue it. He has used machinery, burned scrub, and threatened to spray weedkiller, prompting the estate to seek an interim order. The court granted the injunction ex‑parte and adjourned the case to early July. The estate also intends to pursue further orders restraining Mr Tiernan and seeking damages for trespass. The injunction was issued by Mr Justice Michael Quinn.
The Director of Public Prosecutions is appealing a sentence imposed on a Louth woman convicted of dangerous driving causing death. Eimear White pleaded guilty at Dundalk Circuit Court to causing the death of a pedestrian on the Old Newry Road in October 2017. Judge James McCourt sentenced White to three years imprisonment with the final two years suspended. The DPP has challenged the sentence as unduly lenient. The Court of Appeal has scheduled a hearing for 26th June, at which counsel indicated that relatives of the deceased wish to attend and that CCTV footage will be presented. The case concerns an incident in which a man was struck after exiting a taxi at Dowdallshill.
A 15‑person jury was sworn in to hear the trial of Aaron Brady, charged with the capital murder of Garda Adrian Donohoe on 25 January 2013 at Lordship Credit Union, Bellurgan, Co. Louth. Brady, 28, also faced a charge of robbing about €7,000 from Mr Pat Bellew at the same location and date. Mr Justice Michael White of the Central Criminal Court explained that the trial would be lengthy, expected to finish on 28 May, with a two‑week break at Easter and no sitting on St. Patrick's Day. He warned jurors against any difficulty in serving and urged them to remain impartial, avoiding social media or internet research. The jury would ultimately consist of 12 members, with 15 sworn in to allow for possible withdrawals. The trial was set to open the following day.
Darren Magee, a 33-year-old man from Newry, County Down, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of child pornography at Store Street Garda Station on August 27, 2015. Prosecuting Detective Inspector Mark Jordan stated that Magee voluntarily attended the station and handed over two mobile phones, which were subsequently analysed. The analysis revealed three images of child pornography, including one depicting a sexual act between an adult male and a young boy, and two images of child exposure. The prosecution noted that the images were discovered following a report from a mother concerned about contact between her son and the accused. Defending counsel Bernard Condon SC submitted that there was no evidence of trading, commercial purpose, or creation of the images by the accused, suggesting they arrived via a conversation on the Grindr app. He highlighted that Magee had no previous convictions and was receiving therapeutic support. Judge Martin Nolan, noting Court of Appeal decisions regarding non-custodial sentences in the absence of aggravating factors such as prior records or distribution, sentenced Magee to one year imprisonment. This sentence was suspended in full. The Judge declined to impose probation, observing that the accused had taken independent steps toward rehabilitation and reform.
The Court of Appeal quashed the money‑laundering conviction of Henry Alinta, 44, owner of Aligreen Recycling Limited, after a trial judge's instructions were found to have confused the jury about the presumption of innocence and the burden of proof. Alinta had been stopped at the M1 Toll Plaza outside Drogheda, where Gardaí found €127,000 and £146,940 in his BMW X6. He claimed the cash was collected on instructions from a Nigerian friend, Sanni, and that he did not know the amount. A jury convicted him after 27 minutes of deliberation and sentenced him to four years' imprisonment, 18 months suspended. The Court of Appeal held that the judge's explanation created "confusion" that was fatal to the trial's integrity, and the conviction was therefore quashed. The case will be reviewed for a possible retrial. Henry Alinta pleaded not guilty.
The Special Criminal Court has acquitted Darren Weldon of membership of an unlawful organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army, otherwise Óglaigh na hÉireann, otherwise the IRA on October 14, 2014. Weldon, who pleaded not guilty, was previously convicted of the same offence in January 2017 and sentenced to five years imprisonment with the final year suspended. That conviction was overturned by the Court of Appeal in June 2018, resulting in the current retrial. The prosecution's case relied primarily on the belief evidence of Detective Chief Superintendent Anthony Howard, supported by alleged independent strands including a DNA match to a number plate from the 2010 Newry courthouse bombing, an image of Alan Ryan on Weldon's phone, and adverse inferences from interviews. The court found that the integrity of the number plate was not properly preserved, rendering the DNA evidence unreliable. It also could not draw inferences regarding the phone image or the interviews, as the solicitor's objections to the arrest's lawfulness were reasonable. Consequently, the court found the belief evidence unsupported by independent evidence and acquitted Weldon. This decision follows the procedural stage of an appeal that overturned the prior conviction.
Jeanette Murray, a 44‑year‑old mother of two from Knockdarragh, Newry, was found guilty of stealing more than €200,000 from Brooks Hotel in Dublin while she worked as a senior accountant. Over a five‑year period she took €137,200 in cash and €67,600 in cheques and bank drafts, spending the cash on personal items and failing to lodge the cheques, which were later returned. She pleaded guilty to 12 theft charges covering September 2003 to November 2008. Judge Melanie Greally imposed a fully suspended sentence of three and a half years, requiring Murray to keep the peace, be of good behaviour, transfer €70,000 to the hotel owners, and complete 240 hours of community service within 12 months in lieu of two years imprisonment. The court noted her guilty plea, cooperation, remorse, and the impact on her young children as mitigating factors, while the large value and prolonged nature of the theft were aggravating factors.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Jeanette Murray, a 44‑year‑old senior accountant at Brooks Hotel, pleaded guilty to 12 sample theft charges covering September 2003 to November 2008. Over five years she stole more than €200,000, comprising €137,200 in cash and €67,600 in cheques and bank drafts. She spent the cash on personal items and did not lodge the cheques, which were later returned to the hotel. Murray deleted and falsified hotel system records and supplied incorrect audit reports each year to conceal the thefts. The case was brought to court after irregularities were noted in 2009 while Murray was on maternity leave. Judge Melanie Greally remanded her on continuing bail until next May, ordered a Probation Service report on her family situation, and kept all sentencing options open, including a community service assessment.
Lawyers for Henry Alinta, 44, who was found guilty of money laundering under Section 7.1 of the Criminal Justice Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing Act 2010, have asked the Court of Appeal for guidance on how the complex legislation should be explained to juries. Alinta was convicted by a jury at Trim Circuit Criminal Court after 27 minutes of deliberation and sentenced to four years' imprisonment, with the final 18 months suspended by Judge Michael O'Shea. He was released early from serving his sentence. Alinta is appealing on the grounds that the trial judge allegedly confused the jury on the presumption of innocence and the burden of proof, and that the verdict was perverse given the dense, difficult language of the legislation. His barrister, Pauline Walley SC, argued that the judge failed to bridge the distinction between the burden of proof and the shifting presumptions, and that the legislation is widely drafted and complex. Henry Alinta pleaded not guilty.
Ex-wrestler Imre Arakas, a former Estonian separatist who was 'scarred deeply' by imprisonment in Russia, was remanded in custody until December 12 for sentencing. Arakas admitted to conspiring with others not before the court to murder James Gately in Northern Ireland between April 3rd and April 4th last year, contrary to Section 71 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006. The court heard that Arakas purchased a wig in Dublin and used an encrypted Blackberry phone to receive information about Gately's movements. Gardai began an intelligence-led investigation after receiving confidential information about the targeting of Gately by individuals involved in organised crime. Arakas was placed under surveillance upon his arrival in Dublin on April 3, 2017, and was followed to Blakestown Cottages in Dublin 15, where he was arrested the following day. A Blackberry phone, a piece of paper with Estonian writing and the name 'James Gately…in Newry' in English, a mirror, and cash were found at the scene. The Blackberry phone was encrypted and password protected, and messages were found on it that detailed plans to target Gately. The messages were almost instantly deleted after Arakas' arrest, but a garda managed to photograph the open messages before they were removed. The court heard that Arakas had four previous convictions, including causing deliberate bodily harm, escaping from prison, and unlawful handling of firearms. The matter was adjourned and will be sentenced on December 12.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing on 2 October 2018, 36‑year‑old Jason O'Driscoll was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murders of 31‑year‑old Anthony Burnett and 25‑year‑old Joseph Redmond. The jury had convicted him on circumstantial evidence after a trial that lasted more than seven hours. O'Driscoll, who had been arrested in June 2016, told the judge that the jury had "got it wrong" and insisted he was innocent. The judge, Michael White, imposed the mandatory life sentence on each count, back‑dated to the date of O'Driscoll's arrest. Victim impact statements were read by the prosecution, describing the loss and devastation felt by the families of Burnett and Redmond. The judge refused a certificate of leave to appeal and the court ended the hearing without further commentary. The case was closed with O'Driscoll being led away to begin his life sentence.
In a murder trial held in Dundalk, 24‑year‑old Joseph Hillen pleaded not guilty to the killing of taxi driver Martin Mulligan, 53, who was found dead near his taxi on 28 September 2015. Hillen admitted stabbing Mulligan twice, claiming he acted in self‑defence after an altercation that began when Mulligan allegedly punched him and a wrestling match ensued. Hillen also described a struggle over a stainless steel kitchen knife, during which he cut his own hand and stabbed Mulligan. An autopsy revealed two stab wounds and numerous blunt‑force injuries, with the abdominal wound severing an artery and killing Mulligan within 30 seconds. Hillen's statements to Gardaí in July 2018 acknowledged driving a Toyota Avensis that night, and he admitted to chasing Mulligan before the fatal encounter. The jury, hearing the prosecution's case, will decide whether Hillen's actions were self‑defence or murder. The trial continues before Justice Eileen Creedon.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing on 2 August 2018, a jury convicted 35‑year‑old Jason O'Driscoll of murdering 31‑year‑old Anthony Burnett and 25‑year‑old Joseph Redmond, two car thieves whose bodies were found fused together in a burned‑out Volkswagen Golf. The jury, after more than seven hours of deliberation, returned a verdict by a ten‑to‑two majority. O'Driscoll, who had pleaded not guilty, reacted angrily, claiming no evidence and calling the verdict a "fucking crook." The judge thanked the jury and exempted them from further duty for 15 years. Mr Justice Michael White was scheduled to impose a mandatory life sentence on 2 October, after the prosecution requested time to read impact statements from the victims' families. The case was based largely on circumstantial evidence, including CCTV footage, mobile phone records, and expert testimony linking O'Driscoll to the crime scene and the vehicles involved.
The jury has begun deliberating in the trial of a 35‑year‑old man charged with murdering two fellow Dubliners, who had planned to sell him a stolen car. Jason O'Driscoll, of Richmond Avenue, Fairview, has been on trial at the Central Criminal Court for the past month. He has pleaded not guilty to murdering 31‑year‑old Anthony Burnett and 25‑year‑old Joseph Redmond in Co Louth on 7 March 2012. Firefighters were called to a burning car in Ravensdale Forest Park shortly before 11 o'clock that night. The bodies of the two men were discovered fused together inside the Volkswagen Golf they had stolen that morning. They had been shot in their heads. The State's case is that Mr O'Driscoll was involved in the murder, travelling to and from the scene in a stolen silver Mercedes S Class. The prosecutor told the jury that it could rely on circumstantial evidence to convict him.
In July 2018, a 35‑year‑old man, Jason O'Driscoll, stood trial at the Central Criminal Court for the murders of 31‑year‑old Anthony Burnett and 25‑year‑old Joseph Redmond, who had planned to sell him a stolen car. The prosecution alleged that the men were shot in their heads inside a Volkswagen Golf that was later set on fire in Ravensdale Forest Park on 7 March 2012. O'Driscoll pleaded not guilty. Defence counsel Vincent Heneghan SC argued that the prosecution's theory was implausible, likening it to a James Bond film, and questioned the feasibility of two shots being fired within two minutes inside a cramped car. He highlighted alleged gaps in Garda evidence, the lack of forensic links between O'Driscoll and the silver Mercedes cited by the State, and the absence of proof that the victims were shot inside the vehicle.
In a Louth double‑murder trial, the prosecution argued that a collection of circumstantial evidence—mobile‑phone records, CCTV footage, witness statements and vehicle details—when combined, proved that Jason O'Driscoll was involved in the killings of 31‑year‑old Anthony Burnett and 25‑year‑old Joseph Redmond on 7 March 2012. The accused, 35, pleaded not guilty. The prosecution highlighted the timing of the victims' movements, the presence of a silver Mercedes linked to O'Driscoll, and the absence of motive. O'Driscoll's defence counsel, Vincent Heneghan, counter‑argued that the case lacked motive, criticised police work as sloppy, and questioned the evidence's reliability. The trial was ongoing, with the jury instructed to consider the evidence as a jigsaw that might conclusively prove guilt if assembled together. The case remained at the closing‑speech stage before Mr Justice Michael White.
In the trial of 35‑year‑old Jason O'Driscoll, charged with the murders of 31‑year‑old Anthony Burnett and 25‑year‑old Joseph Redmond on 7 March 2012 in County Louth, the jury has been shown 'EvoFIT' sketches of a suspect driver. The sketches were produced after Sergeant Stephen Downey of the PSNI described seeing a silver Mercedes, travelling northbound on the Dublin Road, with two men inside who appeared relaxed and laughing. Downey, who was a passenger in an unmarked armoured patrol at 11 pm that night, claimed the car was the same one he had seen earlier in Newry and attempted to chase it, but a puncture forced him to stop. He later supplied a description to a facial artist, who created the 'EvoFIT' images that were given to the jury. The unnamed 35-year-old pleaded not guilty.
The jury in the trial of 35‑year‑old Jason O'Driscoll, charged with murdering 31‑year‑old Anthony Burnett and 25‑year‑old Joseph Redmond on 7 March 2012 in County Louth, has seen CCTV footage of O'Driscoll in the days before the killings. The footage, compiled by Garda Gareth Kenna from cameras on the Northern Ireland side of the border, shows O'Driscoll purchasing mobile‑phone credit in a shop in Newry on several occasions. Ambient noise from the footage also captured a Dublin accent ordering the credit. The prosecution, led by Alexander Owens SC, has presented circumstantial evidence of the mobile‑phone credit purchases and other technical evidence. The defense, represented by Vincent Heneghan SC, has argued that the evidence is insufficient to convict. The trial is proceeding before Mr Justice Michael White. Jason O'Driscoll pleaded not guilty.
In the Central Criminal Court, Denise Burnett, sister of Anthony Burnett, gave emotional testimony about her brother, who was 31 when he was murdered in March 2012. She recalled that he would have celebrated his birthday on March 15 and that he had nicknames "Freaky" and "GTI" because of his interest in cars, which she explained involved robbing them. Burnett said Anthony had received compensation for a prior incident in Oberstown and had bought an apartment in Turkey. She described a phone call from Joseph Redmond on the evening of the disappearance, during which Redmond mentioned traveling to Dundalk or Newry to sell a car for €700 or €1,000. The trial of Jason O'Driscoll, 35, accused of murdering Anthony and 25‑year‑old Joseph Redmond, continues with a jury of five women and seven men. The case remains at the evidence stage. Jason O'Driscoll pleaded not guilty.
In a trial at the Central Criminal Court, a 35‑year‑old Dublin man, Jason O'Driscoll, is charged with murdering two men, Anthony Burnett (31) and Joseph Redmond (25), on 7 March 2012 in County Louth. He pleaded not guilty. Firefighters Stephen Hoey and Vincent McGuinness testified that after extinguishing a car fire at Ravensdale Park, they found a badly cracked skull and a ribcage in the driver's seat, and a second skull in the footwell. Constable Niamh Mulholland described pursuing a silver 07 D Mercedes that night, noting two male occupants and a driver who made eye contact with police before the vehicle fled. The case is set to continue before Mr Justice Michael White and a jury of five women and seven men.
Darren Weldon, a 47‑year‑old taxi driver from Kilbarrack, Dublin, had his 2014 conviction for membership of the Irish Republican Army quashed on appeal. The Special Criminal Court had found him guilty on 14 October 2014, sentencing him to five years' imprisonment with the final year suspended. The Court of Appeal held that the trial court's finding was "factually incorrect" because it relied on a photo from Weldon's iPhone that did not actually show him, and that the evidence left a "substantial gap" in the court's reasoning. The appeal judge, Mr Justice John Hedigan, noted that the conviction was based on a combination of opinion evidence, DNA linking Weldon to a car bomb's number plate, and the disputed photo. With the conviction deemed unsafe, it was quashed, a retrial ordered, and Weldon was released on bail to appear again before the Special Criminal Court on 29 June 2018. Darren Weldon pleaded not guilty.
During the murder trial of 34‑year‑old Jason O'Driscoll, a witness named Ms. Reynolds testified that she saw a burning car near Ravensdale Park, Dundalk, six years earlier. She described a glow, flames, and a body slumped over the steering wheel, which she later learned was just the seat. Ms. Reynolds called the fire brigade at 10.52 pm; by the time they arrived, the flames were out and she heard explosions. The prosecution, represented by Alexander Owens SC, argued that circumstantial evidence was sufficient to convict O'Driscoll of murdering 31‑year‑old Anthony Burnett and 25‑year‑old Joseph Redmond on 7 March 2012. Owens claimed O'Driscoll was a knowing participant in the killings, though he did not assert that O'Driscoll fired the gun. The trial, presided over by Mr Justice Michael White, is expected to last up to five weeks. Jason O'Driscoll pleaded not guilty.
The Irish Government has announced its intention to appeal the European Court of Human Rights' (ECHR) finding that 14 men in Northern Ireland were not tortured when detained by the British Army in 1971. The appeal will be directed to the ECHR's Grand Chamber, following a ruling last March. The decision comes after Mary McKenna, daughter of Sean McKenna, one of the detainees known as 'the hooded men,' initiated proceedings in the Irish High Court to compel the government to inform her of its appeal intentions. Michael Halleron, representing Ms. McKenna, stated that the referral to the Grand Chamber offers another opportunity to revise the 1978 ECHR ruling, which found the treatment of the men to be inhuman and degrading but not torture. In 1971, Mr. McKenna and 13 others were subjected to interrogation and sensory deprivation practices by the British Army. Mr. McKenna was released into a psychiatric hospital and died in 1975. Ms. McKenna believes his death was directly attributable to the treatment he suffered. The Irish Government had requested a revision of the 1978 decision in 2014 after new information was disclosed. Last March, the ECHR refused the request. The Government had until June 20th to seek a referral to the Grand Chamber. Ms. McKenna brought High Court proceedings after being informed that any decision on the appeal would be made on June 19th. Mr. Justice Seamus Noonan adjourned the matter to Wednesday's sitting of the court.
Mary McKenna, daughter of the late Sean McKenna, one of the "hooded men" detained by the British Army in the early 1970s, has filed a High Court challenge demanding the Irish Government urgently inform her whether it intends to appeal the European Court of Human Rights' 1978 ruling that the men's treatment was not torture. Ms McKenna argues that her father's death in 1975 was directly caused by the interrogation and sensory deprivation he endured while interned. She cites medical evidence and new information released in 2014 showing the UK knew of the long‑term effects of the techniques used. The Irish Government's 2014 request for a revision of the 1978 decision was denied by the ECHR in March. At the High Court, counsel for Ms McKenna, Leanora Frawley Bl, noted the government has until 20 June to decide whether to appeal to the Grand Chamber, a deadline she says is too short.
Sean Darragh, 49, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for possessing 263 g of heroin worth €37,366, which he had agreed to transport from Dublin to Newry to settle a drug debt of €4,000. He pleaded guilty at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 19 September 2017. Darragh, a grandfather of two from Cois Locha, had 48 prior convictions, mainly for drugs and thefts in Northern Ireland. Garda Killian Leydon described how Darragh and co‑accused Josephine Hoey were caught after suspicious activity in an apartment car park; Hoey later received a four‑year suspended sentence for possession. Darragh sold his Volkswagen to pay Hoey's bail and had two dogs impounded, which she later reclaimed. Judge Martin Nolan noted Darragh's cooperation and steps taken in custody to address his drug addiction, back‑dating the sentence to his arrest date.
In February 2018, a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court fined Felix O'Hare Contractors €25,000 plus costs for breaching health and safety standards at a construction site on Harbour Road, Skerries, Co Dublin. The company had failed to erect appropriate barriers, allowing amateur photographer Harvey Wolfe (54) to enter the site. Wolfe was caught between a hoarding and an excavator moving stones, sustaining crush injuries that proved fatal. The court heard Wolfe's mother, Patricia Wolfe, who expressed that her son would not want his death to harm his "comrades" on the site. Judge Martin Nolan noted the company's good record but stressed that Wolfe should not have been allowed on site that day and that stronger preventive measures were required. The Health and Safety Authority inspector highlighted the lack of interlocking plastic fencing and traffic control. The company has since increased its health and safety officers from one to three. Felix O'Hare Contractors pleaded guilty.
The High Court adjourned a receivership application for 31 Dublin apartments owned by Sean Mackin. Receivers Luke Charleton and Andrew Collier, appointed by Promontoria (Aran) Ltd, allege interference by Mackin, who has leased all units for €3,000 per month—about 15% of the estimated €20,000 monthly value. The receivers seek injunctions restraining Mackin, who resides in Cullyhanna, Newry, and orders for him to hand over possession. They also target tenants Mr Thierry Mangione and Ms Eulalia St Maria, the latter's whereabouts unknown. Mackin entered a letting agreement in 2016 without PAL or Ulster Bank consent, and the lease expired last month. The court adjourned the case for two weeks to allow the tenants' renewal application to be presented on affidavit and to obtain contact details for the defendants.
Darren Weldon, 46, has appealed his conviction for membership of an unlawful organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army. Weldon, from Kilbarrack in Dublin, pleaded not guilty at the Special Criminal Court on October 14, 2014. He was found guilty by the non-jury court and sentenced to five years imprisonment, with the final year suspended, on January 16, 2017. The prosecution alleged that DNA matching Weldon was found on the number plate of a car that exploded outside Newry courthouse in 2010. Weldon's counsel, Hugh Hartnett SC, argued the trial was corrupted by misdirections, specifically regarding the DNA evidence and association evidence. Hartnett contended the court impermissibly bolstered the DNA sample by finding it was left by primary contact beyond a reasonable doubt. He also challenged the reliance on photos of Alan Ryan, noting that the court incorrectly stated Weldon was in the company of two men with unlawful organisation convictions, a point conceded as incorrect by the DPP's counsel, Paul Greene SC. The DPP argued the conviction was supported by substantial DNA and photo evidence. The Court of Appeal, comprising Mr Justice Alan Mahon, Mr Justice John Edwards, and Mr Justice John Hedigan, reserved its judgement on the appeal.
A truck driver from Cavan has been sentenced to four years' imprisonment following his conviction for drug smuggling at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Maurice McCreesh, aged 38 and resident in Lisreagh, pleaded guilty to possessing cocaine for sale or supply. Gardaí discovered nearly 15 kilos of cocaine, valued at over €1 million, concealed in his truck at Dublin Port on 12 September 2015. The defendant initially claimed to be a customs informant but subsequently admitted transporting the drugs from Liverpool to Dublin on behalf of criminals to whom he owed money. The court heard McCreesh had been coerced into the arrangement following financial pressure and had spent time in hiding from the gang involved. Judge Martin Nolan imposed the sentence having regard to the seriousness of the offence, while acknowledging the defendant's co-operation with gardaí and absence of previous convictions.
A jury could not reach a verdict in the trial of 34‑year‑old Jason O'Driscoll, charged with murdering 31‑year‑old Anthony Burnett and 25‑year‑old Joseph Redmond in Co. Louth on 7 March 2012. The case centred on a car that the two men had stolen and were attempting to sell to O'Driscoll for €700. O'Driscoll pleaded not guilty. The prosecution relied on circumstantial evidence, including CCTV footage of the men and a stolen Mercedes S Class W221 that was later found abandoned. The defence argued that the evidence did not prove O'Driscoll's involvement or motive. After 11½ hours of deliberation over four days, the jury was unable to reach a unanimous or majority verdict and was discharged from service. O'Driscoll was remanded in custody pending further court dates.
In a 2017 double‑murder trial, the prosecution presented CCTV footage and mobile‑phone records to the jury, arguing that the accused, 34‑year‑old Jason O'Driscoll, was escorting the stolen Volkswagen Golf to its destruction. The evidence included a call from the deceased men to a phone linked to O'Driscoll, a brief period of traffic footage showing two cars near the scene, and a later sighting of O'Driscoll in a blue shirt leaving a chip shop. The prosecution claimed these strands, taken together, proved O'Driscoll's presence, participation and guilt. The defence was scheduled to present its closing argument before the judge. The case remained at the trial stage, with no verdict announced. The article does not state any outcome or further proceedings. Jason O'Driscoll pleaded not guilty.
The 34‑year‑old accused in the Louth double murder trial, Jason O'Driscoll, admitted in court that he is the man shown in CCTV footage presented by the State. The admission was made by his barrister, Seán Guerin, under Section 22 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984, allowing the prosecution to rely on the footage without further proof. The footage includes a man entering a Newry hotel at 7.45 pm on the night of the killings, a man in a blue jacket inside Murphy's in Meigh after 11 pm, and a man in a Eurospar shop on several days in March. Guerin confirmed that O'Driscoll was the man in each of these recordings. The trial continues with the jury awaiting further proceedings after the judge addressed a legal issue. The accused remains not guilty on the charges of murdering Anthony Burnett and Joseph Redmond.
The Central Criminal Court trial of Jason O'Driscoll, a 34-year-old Dublin man, continued with evidence regarding mobile phone data analysis. O'Driscoll, of Richmond Avenue, Fairview, has pleaded not guilty to the alleged murder of 31-year-old Anthony Burnett and 25-year-old Joseph Redmond in Co Louth on March 7, 2012. The jury heard testimony from An Garda Síochána analyst Eddie McGoey, who presented charts summarising contact between eight phone numbers of interest on the day of the alleged killings. McGoey referenced CCTV footage of a Newry hotel payphone and credit purchases at Mulkerns Eurospar. Under cross-examination by Seán Guerin SC, the defence highlighted a table showing that calls between a phone attributed to Burnett and a witness were followed by contact with an unknown number, with which Burnett had no prior contact in the available six-week record. McGoey agreed that Gardaí had not provided records for this unknown number, meaning potentially significant information was excluded from his original analysis. He conceded that, in theory, the unknown number could have used the same cell sites as the phones attributed to the deceased. The trial is before Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy, who indicated the case is moving towards a close. The matter was adjourned and continues on Tuesday.
In the Louth double murder trial, the jury heard forensic evidence that partly evaporated petrol vapour was found on a sample taken during the post‑mortem of one victim. The 34‑year‑old Dublin man, Jason O'Driscoll, pleaded not guilty to the murders of 31‑year‑old Anthony Burnett and 25‑year‑old Joseph Redmond, who were shot in a burning car in Ravensdale Forest Park on 7 March 2012. Firefighters arrived before 11 o'clock, and the bodies were discovered inside the vehicle. Dr John O'Shaughnessy testified that he examined fire debris and post‑mortem samples for accelerants. He reported finding partly evaporated petrol vapour on a sample from 'Body A' and also petrol and paraffin oil vapour from a sample taken under the car. The petrol vapour was confirmed to have come from petrol.
In the Central Criminal Court, a jury heard technical mobile‑phone evidence in the double murder trial of a 34‑year‑old Dublin man charged with killing 31‑year‑old Anthony Burnett and 25‑year‑old Joseph Redmond in Louth on 7 March 2012. The defendant, Jason O'Driscoll, pleaded not guilty. Witnesses described a fire at Ravensdale Forest Park, the discovery of the bodies with gunshot wounds to the heads, and the use of Meteor top‑ups purchased in Newry. The trial continued tomorrow before Justice Patrick McCarthy and a jury of eight men and four women.
In the trial of Jason O'Driscoll, a 34‑year‑old Dublin man charged with the murders of Anthony Burnett, 31, and Joseph Redmond, 25, on 7 March 2012, a CSI named Belinda Kennedy gave evidence to the Central Criminal Court. Kennedy, a crime scene investigator with the PSNI in Belfast, examined a silver Mercedes that had been abandoned on the northern side of the border the morning after the killings. She photographed the vehicle, noted damage, tested for firearms residue and DNA, lifted fibre tape, and collected soil samples. Kennedy reported that she had swept the entire car for fingerprints but found none, and that a smell of cleaning fluid suggested the car had been cleaned. She also noted that the car had been driven through Dublin City after being stolen that early morning. The trial is proceeding before Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy and a jury of eight men and four women. Jason O'Driscoll pleaded not guilty.
Mary O'Driscoll, 61, pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing cigarettes and tobacco for sale after being caught with nearly 14,000 cigarettes in her Summerhill home. She had bought the cigarettes in Newry, Northern Ireland, and intended to sell them on North Earl Street, Dublin. The court noted she has 119 prior convictions, 108 of which are casual trading offences, and that she has severe kidney problems requiring dialysis. Judge Melanie Greally, citing her age and ill‑health, imposed a two‑year suspended jail sentence, warning that continued street trading would lead to incarceration. The court also heard that customs officers seized the cigarettes in a child's buggy and that O'Driscoll had admitted plans to sell them at €4 per pack and €10 per packet of tobacco. The judge emphasised the need to stop her trading activities.
In the double murder trial of Jason O'Driscoll, a 34‑year‑old Dublin man charged with killing 31‑year‑old Anthony Burnett and 25‑year‑old Joseph Redmond on 7 March 2012, the jury was shown footage of the alleged getaway route. The route, from Ravensdale Forest Park to Newry, was captured on the onboard camera of a Garda patrol car in July 2014. The evidence was presented to the Central Criminal Court this morning. The trial had already heard that firefighters responded to a burning car in Ravensdale shortly before 11 p.m. that night, where two bodies with gunshot wounds to the head were found. A silver Mercedes, registered in the south, failed to stop for police in Newry a short time later, was pursued in a high‑speed chase, escaped, and was later abandoned near the border. The State argued that this car was used by O'Driscoll and another man to leave Ravensdale after the killings. Jason O'Driscoll pleaded not guilty.
In the Central Criminal Court, a jury heard evidence in the double murder trial of Dublin man Jason O'Driscoll, 34, charged with killing fellow Dubliners Anthony Burnett, 31, and Joseph Redmond, 25, on 7 March 2012. The prosecution presented facial composites of the alleged getaway driver, created by facial imaging specialist Lorna Heron after receiving separate descriptions from PSNI officers Stephen Downey and Niamh Mulholland. Heron explained that she input the data into a computer program, generated images, added artwork, and produced two separate composites, which were then morphed into a single composite shown to the jury. The officers described seeing the driver of a silver Mercedes for about five seconds in Newry when they attempted to stop him; the car fled after the officers activated their blue lights. A silver Mercedes was later found abandoned near the border, with a shoe print cast taken by PSNI Crime Scene Investigator Jonathan Poole. Jason O'Driscoll pleaded not guilty.
In a double murder trial in the Central Criminal Court, the jury heard details of a high‑speed police chase in Newry that followed the discovery of a burning car containing two bodies. The case concerns Jason O'Driscoll, 34, of Richmond Avenue, Fairview, who is charged with murdering Dubliners Anthony Burnett and Joseph Redmond on 7 March 2012. Firefighters responded to a blaze at Ravensdale Forest Park before 11 o'clock that night, finding two bodies with gunshot wounds to the head. Constable Simon Pringle testified that he was on duty in Newry at the time and observed a silver Mercedes, unregistered, moving toward his patrol car while being pursued by a police vehicle with blue lights. The chase, occurring in a 30 mph zone, was reportedly at 70–80 mph when the Mercedes was lost. Jason O'Driscoll pleaded not guilty.
In a double‑murder trial at the Central Criminal Court, a 34‑year‑old Dublin man, Jason O'Driscoll, was charged with the 2012 killings of Anthony Burnett and Joseph Redmond, two Co. Louth criminals who were shot dead in a stolen Volkswagen Golf. O'Driscoll pleaded not guilty. Prosecutor Alexander Owens SC presented a circumstantial case, arguing that O'Driscoll was present at the scene and therefore a participant in the murders, without needing to prove he fired the fatal shots. Owens described the victims as "full‑time criminals" involved in car theft, noting they had stolen the Golf from a Sandymount home and later drove it north to a layby at Ravensdale Park, where they were shot in the head and the car was set on fire. The jury, composed of eight men and four women, was instructed to consider whether O'Driscoll's presence alone made him guilty.
Jason O'Driscoll, a 34‑year‑old Dublin resident, appeared at the Central Criminal Court on 17 October 2017 charged with the double murder of Anthony Burnett and Joseph Redmond in County Louth on 7 March 2012. He declared his innocence and pleaded not guilty to both charges. The prosecution, represented by Alexander Owens SC, noted that O'Driscoll was originally from Fairview and had lived in Newry, while the victims were from Ballybough, Dublin. A jury of eight men and four women was sworn in for a trial set to begin the following day and last three to four weeks.
In a Special Criminal Court hearing, Seamus McGrane, 63, of Dromiskin, County Louth, pleaded not guilty to directing the activities of an unlawful organisation styled the Irish Republican Army (IRA) between 19 April and 13 May 2015. The court listened to an audio recording from a surveillance device placed in the Coachman's Inn pub in Dublin on 19 April 2015. In the recording, McGrane described mixing fertiliser, glucose and corn syrup, grinding the fertiliser, adding sugar and corn syrup, and testing the resulting compound. He also spoke of boiling the materials, discussing chemical ratios, and a timer device. McGrane mentioned a "science graduate" who could assist, and talked about strategies for England and other areas. He questioned the relevance of the IRA in 2016 and criticised police and Sinn Féin. The trial continues before Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy, Judge Sinead Ni Chulachain and Judge Cormac Dunne.