Court archive
Court reports mentioning Ballyhaise, Cavan
2020-02-25 · Cavan
A former soldier from Ballyhaise, County Cavan, has had the final year of his 15-year prison sentence suspended by the Court of Appeal. Shane Costello, aged 50, was convicted of raping and sexually assaulting three young girls over a decade, including his stepdaughter, who was aged 13 to 14 at the time of the offences in 2012. He had denied the rape charges but pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting two other children between 2001 and 2013. The Court of Appeal, presided over by Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy, found the offending grave and noted Costello had abused his position of trust as a father figure. The court re-sentenced him to 14 years and six months imprisonment, with three years post-release supervision imposed. Costello is required to enter into a good behaviour bond for the suspended period.
2018-06-01 · Cavan
A Cavan bus driver has been sentenced to fifteen years in prison following conviction for the sexual abuse of three children at the Central Criminal Court. Shane Costello, aged 49, from Hillview, Ballyhaise, was found guilty after trial in March of rape, oral rape and attempted oral rape of his teenage stepdaughter on dates in 2012 when she was between thirteen and fourteen years old. He had pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape, one of oral rape and three of attempted oral rape. Following the jury's verdicts, Costello subsequently pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting two other children on dates between 2001 and 2013. Justice Ní Raifeartaigh imposed nine years and nine months imprisonment for the offences against his stepdaughter, with consecutive sentences for the remaining charges totalling fifteen years. The court heard the stepdaughter, now nineteen, delivered a victim impact statement describing enduring trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder. Costello has previous convictions for assault causing harm from 1998.