Two men, Conor Hughes (38) and Darren Fox (26), are set to be tried at the Special Criminal Court on firearms offences on 11 January next year. They are charged with unlawful possession of a Winchester 12‑gauge sawn‑off double‑barrel shotgun and two 12‑gauge cartridges at Kyletaun, Rathkeale, County Limerick on 31 October 2015. The trial is expected to last two weeks. A third man, Jamie Smithers (36), will be tried on charges of IRA membership on 25 January, also expected to last two weeks.
In a County Limerick case, a book of evidence was served on three men—Conor Hughes (38), Darren Fox (26), and Jamie Smithers (36)—accused of IRA membership and firearms offences. The men were arrested on Halloween 2015 by the Special Detective Unit. They face charges of membership in the Irish Republican Army and unlawful possession of a Winchester 12‑gauge shotgun and cartridges. A three‑judge, non‑jury court heard the evidence, and the men were remanded on continuing bail until a further mention on 28 June.
Three men—Conor Hughes (38), Darren Fox (26) and Jamie Smithers (36)—were charged with membership of the Irish Republican Army and firearms offences. They were arrested early on Halloween morning by the Special Detective Unit in County Limerick. The charges include unlawful possession of a Winchester 12‑gauge shotgun and two 12‑gauge cartridges. The State objected to their bail applications, but Mr Justice Paul Butler of the Special Criminal Court granted bail. Conditions require the men to stay at home, observe a curfew from 11 pm to 7 am, sign daily at a local Garda station, remain available on a mobile phone, and avoid contact with anyone charged with a scheduled offence or with each other. Hughes and Fox must not leave County Dublin; Smithers must not leave Carlow or Wexford.
Three men—Conor Hughes (38), Darren Fox (26) and Jamie Smithers (36)—appeared before the Special Criminal Court on 2 November 2015. They were charged with membership of the Irish Republican Army, an unlawful organisation, and with possession of a Winchester 12‑gauge shotgun and two 12‑gauge cartridges. The arrests were made early on 31 October 2015 by the Special Detective Unit in County Limerick. The court heard that the men did not reply to their arrest or caution. No bail applications were made. The judge remanded the men to custody to appear again on Friday. The proceedings were conducted in the non‑jury Special Criminal Court, with each accused represented by counsel. No further details of the case were disclosed in the article.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Christopher Dunne, aged 27, was sentenced to five and a half years' imprisonment for making a threat to kill Derek Walker in Clondalkin on 15 January 2013. Judge Mary Ellen Ring suspended the last 18 months of the sentence. Dunne, who has 126 prior convictions, also pleaded guilty to criminal damage to Walker's vehicle, possession of a GPS device for use in a crime, and theft of an Audi A4. His brother Aaron Dunne, aged 21, was previously sentenced to two and a half years with 18 months suspended for criminal damage and possession of a baseball bat during the same incident. The trial noted that Walker and a woman were hostile witnesses, and that witnesses were terrified and reluctant to testify. The court recorded that Walker had claimed the Dunne brothers owed him money for a car he had sold.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Joseph Lee, aged 30, was found guilty of assault causing harm after a domestic dispute over a dog. Lee, who had a prior assault conviction, pinned his partner Amanda Brothers down and repeatedly punched her in the head. The victim suffered a broken bone in her hand, bruising to her eye, cheek and chin, and required stitches to her lip. Lee pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a two‑year jail term, suspended on the condition that he obeys Probation Services and keeps the peace for two years. The judge noted Lee's consumption of alcohol that night and the couple's prior relationship history, but decided that imprisonment would be unjust given their current living situation with their children. The court did not read the medical or victim impact reports aloud.
Aaron Dunne, aged 21, of Grangeview Road, Clondalkin, Dublin, has been sentenced to three and a half years imprisonment at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court following convictions for document fraud and criminal damage. Dunne pleaded guilty to ten counts of possessing and using a forged learner permit licence between June and November 2012, having arranged for another person to sit his theory test and then altering the resulting licence with his own photograph. When gardaí seized the false document, Dunne reported it lost and obtained a replacement through a local garda station without the seizure being checked on the database. He was sentenced to two and a half years for the fraud offences. Dunne also pleaded guilty to criminal damage and producing a baseball bat during an incident at a restaurant near Rathcoole in January 2013, receiving an additional consecutive sentence of two and a half years with eighteen months suspended. Judge Mary Ellen Ring noted the extended period of false document use posed a danger to the public.
The High Court appointed Mr. Anthony Weldon of Kieran Ryan & Co Chartered Accountants as an interim examiner for Hyper Trust Limited, the operator of the Leopardstown Inn, a public house in South Co Dublin employing 80 people. The appointment followed AIB's demand for immediate repayment of €6 million owed by Hyper Trust and its subsidiary Hyper Holdings Ltd. The loans were used to acquire a 19 % stake in Newstalk 106 radio station and for renovations of the pub. AIB had appointed receivers after the company failed to repay. Hyper Trust petitioned the court for examinership, and an independent accountant's report indicated the company had a reasonable prospect of survival as a going concern if it secured new investment, reached a scheme of arrangement with creditors, and restructured its banking liabilities. Mr.