In a murder trial in the Central Criminal Court, Mr Justice Paul Carney instructed the jury that alcohol does not excuse criminal responsibility. The accused, Michael Maughan, 40, pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter of Piotr Nowakowski, 31, who was stabbed twice on 23 July 2013 and died en route to a hospital. Maughan and his brother had been drinking with Nowakowski and two others earlier that day and returned to the apartment later that night. Maughan also pleaded not guilty to assaulting Declan O'Dea at the same address. The judge emphasized that intent can arise instantly and that pre‑planning is not required. The prosecution argued that ample evidence supported a murder conviction, while the defence highlighted Maughan's alcoholism and recent release from an addiction centre. The jury was sworn in for a week‑long trial.
The trial of Michael Maughan, 40, of Stone Court, Ennis, continues before a jury of seven men and five women under Mr Justice Paul Carney. Maughan pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to the manslaughter of Piotr Nowakowski, 31, at Sandfield Mews, Ennis, on 23 July 2013. The prosecution rejected the manslaughter plea and a jury was sworn in for the murder trial. Maughan also pleaded not guilty to assaulting Declan O'Dea at the same address and date. Detective Garda Brendan Rouine testified that he saw a man with two stab wounds to the chest and that O'Dea was injured in the leg, face and head. He described the accused as "known to drink a lot" and recounted that Maughan claimed he was angry because he could not enter the apartment, that he had lifted his brother to gain entry, and that he stabbed Nowakowski twice after the victim emerged.
Michael Maughan, aged 40, pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter of Piotr Nowakowski, 31, at Sandfield Mews, Ennis, on 23 July 2013. He also pleaded not guilty to assaulting Declan O'Dea at the same address. In Garda interviews, Maughan admitted stabbing Nowakowski twice, kicking him in the head after paramedics arrived, and claimed he had no control, saying he "just went berserk" after seeing a knife. He denied intent to kill, stating he thought Nowakowski was drunk. Cross‑examination of Maughan by Garda Stephen Hession echoed this, describing the incident as "total madness" with no excuse. Margaret Nihill, Maughan's former girlfriend, testified about their relationship and his alcohol consumption that night. Deputy State Pathologist Dr Michael Curtis reported that Nowakowski died from stab wounds to the chest, lung and liver, plus blunt force trauma to the head, with a blood alcohol level of 415 mg per cent.
During a murder trial, a paramedic testified that he saw the deceased, Piotr Nowakowski, being kicked in the head. The accused, Michael Maughan, 40, pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. The paramedic, Ralph O'Neill, arrived at 1:05 am after a call about a stabbing at Sandfield Mews. He described a scene where several men were present, the victim lying on the floor with multiple wounds, and a third man repeatedly kicking him. Maughan's brother, Darren, and the third man were also present. The paramedics left the scene at 1:57 am, hoping to transport the patient by helicopter, but he died at Shannon Airport. The trial continues with a jury hearing the case.
A 40‑year‑old man, Michael Maughan, has gone on trial at the Central Criminal Court for the death of Piotr Nowakowski, 31, who was stabbed in Sandfield Mews, Ennis, on 23 July 2013. Maughan pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter, a plea the prosecution said was unacceptable. He also pleaded not guilty to assaulting Declan O'Dea at the same address on the same date. The court heard that Maughan and his brother Darren entered the building early that morning, where three men – Nowakowski, O'Dea and a man called 'Magic' – were sleeping. Maughan allegedly stabbed Nowakowski with a kitchen knife, causing death. Testimony from witnesses, including Alan O'Neill and Garda John Moore, described the disturbance and the subsequent arrest. The Deputy State Pathologist, Dr Michael Curtis, confirmed the cause of death as stab wounds to the trunk with contributing blunt force trauma to the head. The case is now before the jury.
The High Court in Dublin ordered the forfeiture of €1,000 of the €3,000 bail paid by Edward Brunell for his son, Kenneth Brunell, a 27‑year‑old from Palmerstown. Kenneth was wanted by Dutch authorities for the 2009 murder of Keith Ennis, whose dismembered body was found in an Amsterdam canal. He had been arrested on extradition warrants issued in 2011 and was due to appear in court last week on a mutual assistance matter. Despite a mobile‑phone contact requirement, Kenneth failed to comply with bail conditions, having been found at an address in Finglas and having his phone powered off. The court, after hearing from Sergeant Seán Fallon, sanctioned the father for non‑compliance and remanded Kenneth in further custody. The case also involved other suspects, Barry McArdle and Philip County, who were sought by Dutch authorities.
Kenneth Brunell, 28, of Palmerstown, had his bail reinstated for a second time by the High Court after Dutch authorities sought his surrender for the 2009 murder of Keith Ennis, 29, whose dismembered body was found in an Amsterdam canal. Brunell was arrested in 2011 on extradition warrants and had previously had his bail revoked for failing to appear in court. He applied to vary his bail to attend a training course in Cork on 19 June, but did not attend and was missing for five days following a dispute with his father. Brunell denied any intention to flee, claiming he had nothing to run from. The court noted a significant improvement in his behaviour and, after hearing from his father, granted him bail of €3,000 on a €100 bond. The court found no evidence of conspiracy to escape jurisdiction. The case remains pending.
In a High Court decision on 9 May 2014, Mr Justice Iarfhlaith Ó Neill dismissed the appeal of 70‑year‑old Edward Lattimore, who had sought to remain in the council‑owned house at 21 Ennis Grove, Irishtown, Dublin 4. Lattimore had lived there since 1956, paid rent, and believed he was a joint tenant. After his sister's death in 2012 he discovered he was not a tenant and applied for succession to the tenancy. Dublin City Council (DCC) had refused, citing that a three‑bedroom dwelling was not suitable for a single person and offering a one‑bedroom accommodation nearby. Lattimore claimed the refusal breached his constitutional rights and the European Convention on Human Rights, citing medical evidence that leaving would seriously affect his health. The court found no breach of rights, upheld DCC's decision, and noted that DCC had met its statutory obligations by providing suitable housing close to his former home.
Kenneth Brunell, 27, of Palmerstown, and Barry McArdle, 27, of Drimnagh, were arrested in Ireland on extradition warrants issued in 2011 for the murder of Keith Ennis, 29, whose dismembered body was found in an Amsterdam canal in 2009. Brunell had been granted bail in October 2011 but failed to appear at a High Court hearing on 8 November 2012, leading to a bench warrant and his arrest ten days later. He was readmitted to bail on 7 May 2014 after a High Court judge considered his claims of fear and the length of time he would remain in custody before his case was heard. The judge set a €3,000 surety and a €100 personal bond, with conditions that he reside at a specified address, sign daily at a Garda Station, keep the peace and be of good behaviour. The case remains pending in the Supreme Court.
Two Dublin men, Kenneth Brunell and Barry McArdle, aged 27, are wanted in Holland for the murder of Keith Ennis, 29, whose dismembered body was found in an Amsterdam canal in 2009. They were arrested in Ireland on extradition warrants issued in 2011. A third man, Philip County, 31, had already been extradited to Holland in April 2011. Irish Judge John Edwards ordered their surrender to Holland but the men's lawyers argued that Dutch authorities abused process by drafting a prosecution instead of an investigation to secure extradition. Edwards acknowledged a potential problem in Irish law regarding judicial oversight of European Arrest Warrants and sent a question to the Supreme Court. He remanded Brunell to Cloverhill prison pending surrender, while McArdle, serving a domestic sentence, was remanded until 9 November 2017 with a postponed release order pending appeal. The case remains pending before the Supreme Court.
In the murder trial of 30‑year‑old Eugene Cullen, the State Pathologist Marie Cassidy testified that the deceased, Seamus O'Byrne, suffered five gunshot wounds, including one to the head, three to the back and one in the hip. She noted injuries to the brain, heart and lungs and stated the cause of death was the chest wounds, with head and leg wounds contributing. The prosecution alleged Cullen was not the gunman but part of a four‑man plot. Witnesses described a silver car and a Volkswagen Passat seen near the scene, and a silver Nissan Primera with a flat tyre. Garda investigations involved house‑to‑house enquiries, CCTV footage from an Applegreen station, and the discovery of a left‑handed black glove in a drain. The trial is proceeding before Mr Justice Barry White with a jury of five men and seven women. Eugene Cullen pleaded not guilty.
The High Court has ordered the surrender of two Dublin men, Kenneth Brunell (27) of Palmerstown and Barry McArdle (27) of Drimnagh, to Dutch authorities. They are wanted in connection with the 2009 death of Keith Ennis (29) of Walkinstown, whose dismembered body was found in an Amsterdam canal. Ennis was on the run from Gardaí at the time of his death, and his body parts were dumped in a suitcase in a canal on the northern outskirts of Amsterdam after he was stabbed. A third man, Philip County (31) of Lucan, had already been extradited to Holland in April 2011. Mr Justice John Edwards announced the decision to surrender the pair, noting that a detailed judgment would be issued on Friday, February 21. He also remarked that the judgment would be extensive and that he would simply hand it down, while the men remained in custody until that date.
In February 2012, Larry Connors, aged 21, was sentenced to three years in prison for child cruelty after pleading guilty to assaulting a 10‑month‑old baby between 15 December 2010 and 3 January 2011. The baby suffered fractures to both arms, a dislocated right elbow, bruising, a burn on the right calf and brain bleeding, and was taken to Midwestern Regional Hospital in Limerick. Connors, who lived in Shannon, Co Clare, was not the child's father. The mother described Connors slapping, pinching, punching and throwing the baby for three weeks. The Director of Public Prosecutions appealed, arguing the sentence was too lenient. The Court of Criminal Appeal, presided over by Justice Nial Fennelly, increased the sentence to the maximum of seven years, suspending the final two years. The appeal was based on the claim that the guilty plea did not save witnesses from giving evidence and that the original discount of over 50 % was an error.
Paula Whyte, sister of David Whyte, learned of her brother's murder on television news on 29 September 2008. She described seeing a description of a man who matched her brother's appearance and clothing, which shocked her. She called her brother's phone, found it out of service, and then called 999. Paula and her sister went to Ballyfermot Garda Station, where she identified David's remains. While in the witness box, the court showed footage of a man at a shop doorway on 24 September 2009, which Paula identified as her brother, the last recorded sighting. The trial also heard from Ivan Ennis, who said the accused, Criostoir MacCarthaigh, threatened him that night, saying "I will cut you." The State alleges MacCarthaigh stabbed David on Ulster Street and then drove him to the derelict churchyard in Palmerstown where he was killed. The trial is before Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy and a jury of seven men and five women. Criostoir MacCarthaigh pleaded not guilty.
A judge will decide after Christmas whether to extradite Kenneth Brunell (27) of Palmerstown and Barry McArdle (27) of Drimnagh to the Netherlands for the death of Keith Ennis (29) of Walkinstown, whose body parts were found in a suitcase in an Amsterdam canal. The men were arrested on extradition warrants issued in 2011. Philip County (31) of Lucan had already been extradited in 2011. Mr Patrick McGrath SC argued that Dutch prosecutors abused process by drafting a prosecution instead of an investigation to secure extradition, claiming no remedy protects the respondents. Ms Siobhan Stack SC for the State countered that the Dutch prosecutor had indeed decided to charge and try the men. Mr Justice John Edwards noted the lack of a decision to charge and said the case would be mentioned again on 14 January, remanding the men in custody until then.
The High Court heard arguments about extraditing Dublin men Kenneth Brunell (27) and Barry McArdle (27) to the Netherlands to face charges linked to the death of Keith Ennis (29), whose body parts were found in a suitcase in an Amsterdam canal. Brunell and McArdle were arrested on extradition warrants issued in 2011. Brunell's counsel, Robert Barron SC, argued that extradition would violate his constitutional right to an independent, objective assessment because the Dutch prosecutor's decision to charge him was allegedly biased. The court noted that a third man, Philip County (31), had already been extradited in 2011. Judge John Edwards, troubled by the legal bias claim, adjourned the hearing to 18 November, remanded McArdle in custody until then, and issued a warrant for Brunell, who did not attend the hearing. Brunell's counsel said he feared for his life and had gone into hiding. The case remains pending.
John Coughlan, 33, of Moyross, was found guilty of murdering Daniel Treacy, 35, at a Limerick petrol station on 22 February 2010. Coughlan pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter; the prosecution rejected the plea and a jury heard a two‑week trial. Treacy, who regularly visited the station for tea, was shot three times in the head and once in the groin. Coughlan claimed he was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time, a defence that was not accepted. The jury, after 3½ hours of deliberation, returned a unanimous verdict of guilty. Mr Justice Paul Carney imposed a mandatory life sentence, back‑dated to 1 March 2010, and thanked the jury before excusing them. The case was heard in the Limerick County Court.
The jury is set to begin deliberations in the Limerick murder trial of John Coughlan, a 33‑year‑old electrician from Pineview Gardens, Moyross. Coughlan pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter for the fatal shooting of Daniel Treacy, 35, at Topaz garage, Caherdavin, Ennis Road, on 22 February 2010. The court rejected the plea, and a jury of seven women and five men was sworn in for a two‑week trial. Prosecutor Ms Úna Ni Raifeartaigh SC described the case as complex, noting a planned shooting and a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia, while highlighting the earlier killing of Coughlan's brother, Darren, by Treacy's brother. She urged the jury to consider CCTV footage and the accused's alleged hearing voices. Defence counsel Mr Brian McCartney QC argued for diminished responsibility, citing psychiatric evidence of schizophrenia, and urged a manslaughter verdict.