Court archive
Court reports mentioning Kilfenora, Clare
2024-04-17 · Clare
John Murray, 43, of Kimmage, was sentenced to two years' imprisonment after pleading guilty to ten counts of possessing the proceeds of crime. The charges stemmed from his wife, Kellie Walton, 42, who as a payroll administrator at Virgin Media siphoned €872,470 into Murray's Bank of Ireland account over a decade. The money was largely spent on foreign holidays, premium TV subscriptions and phone services. Walton had previously received a four‑year sentence in 2023, with the final two years suspended, and is now working part‑time. Murray denied the allegations initially but pleaded guilty on the day of his trial. The court noted that the couple had squandered all the funds, leaving them with nothing, and that Murray had no prior convictions. He was deemed unlikely to reoffend.
2024-02-26 · Dublin
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, two repeat offenders, Cian Cleary (23) and Patrick McCarthy (28), were sentenced for a "cowardly, nasty and violent" assault on twin American tourists aged 20. The incident occurred on July 19 when the men were walking home through Temple Bar. Cleary, who had 61 prior convictions, and McCarthy, with 18 prior convictions, attacked the tourists, punching, kicking, and robbing one of them. CCTV footage showed the attackers separating the brothers, assaulting them, and stealing a wallet and mobile phone. Cleary received a three‑year, three‑month sentence with nine months suspended; McCarthy received a two‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence with twelve months suspended. Both were warned that the suspended portions could be enforced if they reoffend during probation. The court noted the assault's severity and the victims' injuries, including a brain scan for one and a sore, shaken condition for the other. Cian Cleary pleaded guilty. Patrick McCarthy pleaded guilty.
2023-07-24 · Clare
The High Court has granted partial leave for a challenge to a 2022 decision by An Bord Pleanala that approved a motorway service station near Ennis, Co Clare, for businessman Pat McDonagh. Judge Richard Humphreys allowed engineer Michael Duffy to seek to overturn the decision, provided he amends and serves the grounds of the challenge within a few weeks. Duffy argues the development will harm the local environment, citing a lack of an Appropriate Assessment under EU law and no evidence that wastewater would affect Special Areas of Conservation. The court declined leave on other grounds raised in 2022 and dismissed a 2021 judicial review where Duffy challenged Clare County Council's planning permission. Clare County Council and McDonagh are to be notice parties, not respondents. The case will return to court at a later date.
2022-01-19 · Dublin
Kellie Walton, a payroll administrator at Virgin Media Television, stole €872,437 over ten years, beginning in 2009. She pleaded guilty to multiple thefts and false accounting, with the largest single theft exceeding €120,000. Walton's role gave her exclusive access to the payroll system, enabling her to make unauthorised payments to former employees and transfer the money to two bank accounts she controlled. She was arrested in January 2020 and, after a series of interviews, pleaded guilty to sample charges. In December 2021, Judge Melanie Greally considered her circumstances, including her husband's unemployment and her family's financial stress, and imposed a four‑year sentence, suspending the final two years on strict conditions. The court noted Walton's lack of prior convictions and her efforts to mitigate the impact on her children. The case was heard in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
2021-12-01 · Dublin
Kellie Walton, a 40‑year‑old payroll administrator from Kilfenora Road, Kimmage, pleaded guilty in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to stealing €70,614 in 2019 and €34,961 in 2009 from Virgin Media Television, plus one charge of false accounting between 2009 and 2019. She admitted that the money was transferred to two bank accounts she controlled, with the largest single theft over €120,000 and a total of €872,437. Walton's barrister explained that she did not use the proceeds for a lavish lifestyle but to "soften the edges of family life," citing financial stress and her partner's ill health. Judge Melanie Greally noted the amounts exceeded mere softening and remanded Walton on bail pending sentence, allowing her to spend Christmas with her four children. The case was adjourned to 19 January 2024. The court considered reports, letters and testimonials before deciding on the next steps.
2021-07-22 · Dublin
Kellie Walton, 39, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to stealing cash worth €70,614 and property worth €34,961 from Virgin Media Television at Westgate Business Park, Ballymount, Dublin, between 1 January and 31 December 2019. She has no prior convictions and has a young family. Her lawyer, Fiona Murphy SC, requested a probation report. Judge Melanie Greally ordered a probation report, remanded Walton on continuing bail, and adjourned her sentencing to 1 December. The case of co‑accused John Murray, 40, was adjourned to an arraignment on 10 November.
2020-05-26 · Dublin
Richard O'Doherty, 24, of Crumlin, pleaded guilty to a series of knife‑point robberies committed while on bail for earlier offences. He admitted to robberies at Maxol Station, Harold's Cross and Centra on 23 June 2019, a further robbery at Kimmage Road Lower on 8 August 2019, two robberies on 24 and 25 November 2019, and an attempted robbery at Spar on 20 December 2019. Garda reports detail how he entered each shop with a knife, demanded money, and in some cases took cash from tills or forced shopkeepers to hand over money. He had no prior convictions. The court sentenced him to three years for the earliest robbery, two additional years for the later offences, with the sentences to run consecutively. The final 18 months were suspended on strict conditions, giving an effective custodial term of three‑and‑a‑half years.
2017-07-24 · Donegal
Two men wanted in Northern Ireland on charges of attempted murder of a PSNI officer and possession of explosives with intent to endanger life have brought High Court applications seeking disclosure of Garda records following their arrest in the Lifford area of County Donegal in June 2015. The applicants claim Gardaí have failed to provide custody records, copies of statements, and details of forensic samples taken during their detention. They argue the withheld information is relevant to extradition proceedings and that its non-disclosure breaches their Constitutional rights and rights under the European Convention on Human Rights. The men contend evidence gathered in custody should not be used in their intended Northern Irish prosecution. Ms Justice Margaret Heneghan heard the matter at the High Court and referred the judicial review applications to Ms Justice Aileen Donnelly, who is hearing the related extradition requests. Ms Justice Donnelly will determine whether to hear both applications together. The matter was adjourned pending her decision.
2014-04-10 · Dublin
Sean Farrell, a 28‑year‑old Dublin man, had his 2012 conviction for membership in the Irish Republican Army quashed by the Court of Criminal Appeal on 10 April 2014. The appeal was supported by TDs Clare Daly and Mick Wallace, who had visited Farrell in prison and expressed concerns about his conviction. The Court found that the Special Criminal Court had erred by not notifying Farrell's defence of evidence presented by Garda Chief Superintendent Diarmuid O'Sullivan, who claimed Farrell had been an active IRA member over a ten‑year period. The appellate judges held that the failure to give notice rendered the evidence prejudicial and the conviction unsafe. The Court dismissed the Director of Public Prosecutions' request for a retrial, noting it would be oppressive, and confirmed that Farrell had already served two years and three months of his sentence, with release expected in five months.