Court archive
Court reports mentioning Doolin, Clare
2025-06-05 · Clare
Samantha Ward, a 30‑year‑old healthcare worker, was found with €182,450 of drug gang proceeds hidden in the bottom of a wardrobe at her home in Wheatfield Grove, Clondalkin. Gardaí received a confidential tip, obtained a search warrant, and raided the house where Ward lived with her husband, mother and brother. The cash was concealed behind a modified kickboard. Ward pleaded guilty to one count of possession of the proceeds of crime on 3 December 2023. She had no prior convictions. In court, her defence counsel said she cooperated with authorities and had a drug problem, using the money to pay a €5,000 debt. Judge Martin Nolan, noting her vulnerability and mitigation, imposed a headline sentence of six years but reduced it to three years effective from the sentencing date. No other charges were brought against her husband.
2025-03-14 · Kildare
Kenneth Philpott, 64, of River Forest, Leixlip, was stopped by Gardaí for driving in a bus lane and was found to be carrying over €200,000 worth of cannabis. He pleaded guilty to possession of the drugs on 10 April 2024 at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Garda Ronan Doolin reported that the vehicle was searched after the driver, who was nervous and cooperative, claimed there were packages in the car. Gardaí seized 7 kg of cannabis in taped packages, valued at €140,000, and later found an additional €80,000 worth of cannabis at Philpott's home. Philpott admitted that he had been pressured by parties who had taken advantage of his €2,400 gambling debt to traffic the drugs. He had no prior convictions. Judge Martin Nolan, taking into account Philpott's cooperation, good history, work record and the fear and coercion involved, set a headline sentence of six years but reduced it to three years imprisonment.
2024-03-21 · Clare
Telecoms company Eir has abandoned its intention to appeal a landmark decision by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) that ordered the reinstatement of 65‑year‑old Thomas Doolin, who had been forced into retirement last year. The WRC's ruling was the first time the tribunal invoked its power to direct a company to reinstate a worker under the Employment Equality Act 1998. While no compensation was awarded, the order required Eir to pay Doolin his salary for the period he was out of work, from 1 July to 30 November 2023. Doolin, who represented himself, claimed the mandatory retirement was unfair, whereas Eir argued it was justified on health and safety grounds and for succession planning. The WRC adjudicator, Breiffni O'Neill, found those reasons did not apply to Doolin, who worked exclusively in‑office in a small, non‑strategic IT department.
2023-12-14 · Clare
Eir has been ordered by the Workplace Relations Commission to reinstate 65‑year‑old Thomas Doolin to his former role as a desktop support agent and to pay him for the period he was out of work from 1 July to 30 November. Doolin, who represented himself, claimed he was forced into retirement when he reached the company's mandatory retirement age of 65, a policy the company said was implemented in April 2020 to maintain an age balance and manage succession planning. The adjudicator, Breiffni O'Neill, found that Doolin's job was office‑based, that he had a strong relationship with the company, and that the retirement order was unfair. No compensation was awarded, but the reinstatement order entitles Doolin to his salary for the period he was unemployed. Eir has appealed the ruling to the Labour Court.
2023-07-27 · Dublin
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Stephen Tormey, 39, pleaded guilty to possession of 9 kg of cocaine valued at €702,702 and €2,900 in cash, believed to be proceeds of crime, after a Garda stop and search in Carpenterstown on 3 February. He had six prior convictions. Judge Elma Sheahan, noting the mandatory minimum of ten years but considering his early guilty plea and cooperation, imposed a headline sentence of eight years. She suspended six months of the sentence, giving a final custodial term of five and a half years, backdated to his arrest. The court considered mitigating factors such as his cooperation, lack of wealth, and his efforts at rehabilitation, while acknowledging the impact on his family. The case was prosecuted by Kate Egan BL and defended by Dominic McGinn SC. The Garda investigation was led by Detective Garda James Doolin, who seized the drugs and cash during the search.
2023-05-23 · Dublin
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Judge Martin Nolan imposed a new three‑year sentence on Brendan Doolin, 41, for a single count of harassment committed between August 2018 and August 2019. The sentence was suspended for three years on strict conditions and will run consecutively with the suspended portion of his earlier five‑year sentence, which had two years suspended. Doolin had previously been jailed in November 2019 for harassing six female journalists, sending them hundreds of abusive online messages from May 2012 to February 2018. He admitted breaching bail conditions by contacting the victims and was warned that any further breach would bring him back before the court and result in prison time. The court noted Doolin had not reoffended since his release in December 2021 and that the new sentence would take effect in December. The hearing heard that the victims had submitted impact statements but were not present in court.
2023-05-22 · Dublin
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Brendan Doolin, aged 41, was found to have breached bail conditions by continuing to harass six female journalists while awaiting trial. Doolin, previously jailed in 2019 for five years with two years suspended, had admitted sending hundreds of abusive online messages to Sarah Griffin, Kate McEvoy, Sinead O'Carroll, Christine Bohan, Roe McDermott and Aoife Barry between May 2012 and February 2018. While on bail, he posted harassing content from email addresses mimicking the victims' names, accessed their social media accounts, and sent threatening messages. Gardaí discovered a laptop and a concealed smartphone containing photos of the victims. The victims, who were not present, submitted impact statements expressing a wish for Doolin to receive help. The judge noted Doolin's guilty plea, cooperation and remorse, but also highlighted the severity and persistence of his harassment. The decision was adjourned for a later hearing.
2022-10-28 · Dublin
Daniel Kerins, 26, pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine for sale or supply in St Ronan's Crescent, Clondalkin, on 25 November 2019. He had previously been convicted three times for drug possession. Gardaí, acting on confidential information, set up a surveillance operation in Donomore, Tallaght, on the day of the offence. Kerins was seen entering a taxi, travelling to St Ronan's Crescent, exiting with a package, and then entering another vehicle with a co‑accused. Both were arrested and the package contained €69,993 of cocaine. Kerins' role was to transport the drugs to pay a €7,500 drug debt; the co‑accused was to break down and sell them. The court heard Kerins was in the throes of drug addiction, had attended residential treatment, and had not reoffended since the offence. Judge Melanie Greally, satisfied that Kerins had been pressured to act as a courier, imposed a suspended three‑year sentence.
2021-11-05 · Ireland
In 2018, Diamrem Ltd lost a High Court challenge to close a temporary carpark operated by Clare County Council across the road from the Cliffs of Moher visitors centre. Diamrem sought Section 160 planning injunctions to prohibit the use of the carpark and require its removal to enable a park‑and‑ride service. The company argued the carpark was an unauthorised development and that the council had failed to comply with conditions attached to the planning permission for the centre. The council and its subsidiary denied this, stating the original proposed carpark was never built and the existing one was approved as a Part 8 development. Justice Mary Faherty dismissed the action, citing the applicant's failure to commence the Section 160 proceedings within the statutory time period. The Court of Appeal, led by Justice Seamus Woulfe, upheld the dismissal, noting the time‑period issue was dispositive and that other matters should be left for a separate case.
2021-10-06 · Clare
Anthony Leddy, 25, was driving a motorbike with passenger Cian Doherty when the bike collided with a car near his home. Leddy fled the scene with the bike, later returning to check on Doherty, who suffered a very serious head injury, required part of his skull removed, and now has life‑long injuries. Leddy pleaded guilty to failing to remain at the scene, careless driving and driving without insurance. He had no prior convictions. The court heard that Leddy was not skilled on the bike and was travelling too fast for the traffic. Judge Melanie Greally sentenced him to two years imprisonment, suspended in its entirety, with strict conditions of good behaviour and keeping the peace for two years. The sentence was imposed on 8 June 2018, and the case was heard in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 6 October 2021.
2021-01-25 · Clare
A 48‑year‑old Limerick truck driver, Alyvydus Simkus, was jailed for three and a half years after pleading guilty to unlawfully importing €1.6 million worth of ketamine, MDMA and cocaine into Ireland on 31 March 2018. Gardaí said he was paid £50 to transport the drugs, which were found in three white boxes in the cab of his truck at Dublin Port. Simkus, who had no serious convictions before, denied the offence initially but later admitted he was the only person with the key to the cab unit. He claimed he did not know the contents of the boxes and that he expected more payment. The judge accepted his remorse, noted his otherwise decent life, and suspended the final 18 months of a five‑year sentence on the condition of good behaviour.
2020-07-21 · Clare
Brendan Doolin, 37, was found guilty of sending hundreds of abusive emails to six female writers and journalists between May 2012 and February 2018. He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court and was sentenced to five years' imprisonment, with the final two years suspended on the condition that he never contact any of the complainants again. The Court of Appeal upheld the sentence, rejecting the appeal that argued the judge had over‑penalised Doolin and failed to consider mitigating factors such as his guilty plea, lack of prior convictions and psychiatric report indicating he was not a threat. The appeal was dismissed after the court considered the seriousness of the harassment, the number of victims and the impact on the women, who were all female journalists or media figures. The decision was announced by Justice Isobel Kennedy in a virtual hearing attended by Doolin and the victims.
2020-02-05 · Dublin
The trial of Kieran Greene, Louise O'Connor, Stephanie O'Connor, and Keith Johnston continues before Mr Justice Paul McDermott at the Central Criminal Court. Greene, 34, has pleaded not guilty to the alleged murder of Patricia O'Connor, 61, at her home in Rathfarnham, Dublin 14, on May 29, 2017. The other three accused have also pleaded not guilty to charges including impeding the apprehension of Greene, disguising the deceased to conceal her death, and assisting in the purchase of items to conceal her remains. The jury has examined CCTV footage showing Greene and Johnston purchasing DIY items in Tallaght on June 9, 2017, and Johnston redecorating the bathroom at the scene. Evidence presented includes testimony that the deceased's remains were dismembered and scattered across nine locations in the Dublin and Wicklow mountains. The prosecution alleges Johnston assisted Greene in destroying evidence, while defense counsel highlighted inconsistencies in Greene's changing accounts to gardai. The matter is ongoing, with the trial continuing before a jury of six men and six women.
2019-11-14 · Clare
Brendan Doolin, 37, was sentenced to five years' imprisonment, with the final two years suspended, for harassing six female journalists and writers through hundreds of abusive online messages between 2012 and 2018. The court noted that Doolin had left his home only twice in the previous 17 years and described him as an "internet troll." He pleaded guilty and expressed remorse, factors that mitigated the sentence. The judge imposed strict conditions, including two years of probation, a lifetime prohibition on contacting the six victims, and a maximum seven‑year sentence for any breach. Doolin used multiple email addresses and a monitoring program to send the messages, which included insults, threats, and personal images. The victims reported feeling stalked and psychologically harmed, and the court highlighted the severity of the online harassment. The case underscored the court's view that such conduct constitutes serious criminal behaviour.
2016-11-14 · Kildare
A 17-year-old boy has been sentenced to one year's detention at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court following a series of offences committed in April 2016. The teenager pleaded guilty to burglary, dangerous driving, and criminal damage to a bridge after crashing a stolen Hyundai into the River Liffey at Celbridge while evading gardai from a burglary scene in Lucan. Within 48 hours of his release on bail, he assaulted an elderly man and stole his vehicle. Judge Pauline Codd imposed a three-year sentence with the final two years suspended, noting that detention should be a last resort for minors. The court heard evidence that the accused was intoxicated during the chase and was abusing prescribed drugs at the time. His legal counsel submitted that he is now drug-free, has expressed remorse, and is willing to engage with rehabilitation services and address anger management issues.
2015-10-07 · Dublin
During the trial of Gary Walsh, 32, accused of murdering former Dublin rugby club captain Cathal Sweeney, the jury heard that Walsh initially told Gardaí Sweeney had arrived at a Terenure flat "in an assaulted state" and had "dropped unconscious." Walsh pleaded not guilty to murder but had pleaded guilty to manslaughter, a plea the State rejected. Prosecution witnesses included Thomas Doolin of the Dolphins Barn Fire Brigade, who reported that when he asked the two men in the flat what had happened to Sweeney, both said Sweeney had arrived thirty minutes earlier with injuries. Bryan Mullen, a general nurse, testified he had tried to resuscitate Sweeney for fifteen minutes and observed severe head injuries and bleeding. Gardaí Stephen Pendred and John Walsh recounted that Walsh, wearing blood‑soaked tracksuit bottoms, was the main speaker while the third man, Colm Campbell, remained quiet. Pendred noted Walsh's agitation and numerous questions about Sweeney.
2015-03-23 · Dublin
In a 2015 Dublin Circuit Criminal Court case, Suzanne O'Connell (42) and Daniel McMahon (23) pleaded guilty to the armed robbery of an Applegreen petrol station in Clonsilla on 19 September 2013. O'Connell, acting as getaway driver, had met McMahon that night and picked him up with a third man. The trio entered the shop wearing balaclavas; McMahon brandished a pellet gun that was a convincing replica of a 6mm Colt handgun, while the other man held a knife. They demanded cash, filled a plastic bag with about €800, and fled. Gardaí, who had followed O'Connell's car, arrested all three. McMahon claimed he did not know O'Connell prior to the robbery. Both defendants had no prior convictions, and O'Connell's past offences were traffic and a 2002 drug‑dealing charge. Judge Martin Nolan imposed a suspended five‑year prison term on each, contingent on maintaining peace for that period, citing their personal circumstances, guilty pleas, and cooperation with police.