The High Court approved Personal Insolvency Arrangements for Una and Margaret Kinsella, allowing them to write down millions of euros in debts owed to banks and Ennis Property Finance, an affiliate of Goldman Sachs. The arrangements let the sisters keep their homes and repay creditors over 12 months. Una, aged 45, owes about €3.8 million to AIB, Permanent TSB and Ennis Property Finance. She will sell investment properties worth €190,000 and restructure her €356,000 mortgage, paying €607 per month for 20 years and a €100 lump sum (€94 to Ennis). Margaret, aged 50, owes €4.2 million to Ennis, BOI, Ulster Bank, AIB and Banca March. She will sell investment properties, restructure her €257,000 mortgage, pay up to €650 per month for 20 years and a €100 lump sum (€88 to Ennis). The court found the arrangements more favourable to creditors than bankruptcy.
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.
In a High Court ruling on 3 February 2020, Mr Justice Garrett Simons granted Ennis Property Finance DAC, a fund linked to Goldman Sachs, an order for possession of a house in Devon Park, Salthill, Co Galway. The fund had acquired loans of €550,000 from Bank of Scotland (Ireland) in 2003 and 2006, which were secured by the property. Ennis claimed the loans were defaulted on by Mr Henry Greally, the owner, and sought possession on that basis. Mr Greally opposed the application, arguing that the debt was not fully explained, disputing the validity of personal guarantees, and alleging procedural errors by the fund. The judge found the evidence uncontroverted, confirmed the fund's registered charge and power of sale, and noted that the property was occupied. He awarded Ennis legal costs and imposed a one‑month stay on the possession order. The decision was described as "unusual.".
The High Court approved a Personal Insolvency Arrangement for Neal Sweeney of Liscarton House, Navan, who owes over €2 million. The arrangement is the first approved by the High Court to involve a debt‑for‑equity swap. Sweeney's main secured creditor, Promontoria Scarriff DAC, accepted a 41 % share in his family home, valued at €600 000, in exchange for the debt. Other creditors include Promontoria Finn Ltd and Cabot Finance Ireland Ltd. The debt arose from arrears on the mortgage of the family home and residual debt from a previously sold property. Sweeney, who now works in the building sector, will continue to repay the €350 000 mortgage. The decision was made by Mr Justice Denis McDonald and was not contested by the creditors. The case is part of a broader trend of debt‑for‑equity swaps pending before the High Court.
The High Court approved a Personal Insolvency Arrangement for Enda Patrick Whelan of Ennis, allowing him to write down almost all of his €60 million debt. The arrangement covers debts to National Asset Loan Management (about €56.4 million), Bank of Scotland (€1.46 million), Cabot Asset Purchases Ireland (€1.44 million), and Everyday Finance Ltd (€905,000). Under the PIA, Whelan will pay approximately €50,000 to creditors over the next 12 weeks. The court noted that the creditors will receive a very small amount—ranging from 1.3 cents to 0.01 cent per euro—rather than nothing if he were declared bankrupt. Whelan and his family will keep their three‑bedroom home, continue mortgage repayments, and the judgments against him will be deregistered upon successful completion of the PIA. The arrangement was approved after Nama consented following alterations to the terms. The judge was satisfied that the PIA should be approved.
A 40‑year‑old woman, Ennis Dunne, pleaded guilty to five robbery offences against pharmacies and a hair salon in Dublin between April 2018 and June 2019. She stole €1,760 in cash and recovered tablets worth €300, which were seized by Gardaí. Dunne threatened staff with a scissors, a broken bottle and a syringe during the robberies. She has 58 prior convictions and a long history of drug addiction. Her barrister described her upbringing in a family that introduced heroin to Ireland, noting that she was taken into State care at six after her parents were imprisoned and later reunited with her mother at ten. Dunne has a child, is currently in university, and has been diagnosed with PTSD. The sentence is scheduled for April 21, with a possible additional charge pending. The court adjourned the sentencing to obtain psychological and probation reports. The case was prosecuted by Caroline Cummings BL.
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.
A murder trial at the Central Criminal Court heard that blood matching a musician found stabbed to death in his Sligo home was present on two knives recovered from the scene. A forensic scientist told the court that DNA evidence from a knife discovered on the body of Martin Matt Kivlehan, who died on August 3, 2015, matched the deceased. Blood matching Mr Kivlehan was also found on a second knife located in the kitchen. A garda ballistics expert noted the positioning of one knife on the victim's chest and observed two stab wounds, stating he had never encountered a scene where a person had inflicted two such injuries on themselves. Witnesses described Mr Kivlehan as a well-liked man who enjoyed company. Keith Brady, aged 30, of Cartron Estate, Sligo, has pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. That plea was rejected and his trial continues before Mr Justice Alex Owens.
Oliver Ennis, a 35‑year‑old Dublin barman, pleaded guilty to multiple thefts from the Schoolhouse Hotel between December 2012 and October 2014, stealing €10,500 to pay for his youngest daughter's medical treatment. The Circuit Criminal Court, presided over by Judge Martina Baxter, had adjourned the case to allow Ennis to repay the stolen money, which he had now fully paid. Ennis had been a bar supervisor since early 2012 and was caught taking cash from the tills and pocketing it each night, a scheme uncovered after suspicious stock deficits prompted covert cameras. He is a father of four; his daughter suffers from pulmonary hypertension and has required treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital. Ennis had a prior suspended sentence for a breach of trust, which the judge cited as an aggravating factor.
Barry McArdle, 33, of Drimnagh, was released from Dublin custody after the High Court declared a European Arrest Warrant issued by the Dutch Public Prosecutor invalid. McArdle had previously been sentenced to two years in the Netherlands for disposing of the body of Keith Ennis, 29, and had served that sentence while on remand. He was also convicted of manslaughter by the Amsterdam Court of Appeal in 2018, receiving a 13‑year sentence. The warrant, issued in January, led to his arrest on 3 May and remand. The High Court refused bail and, citing EU law, ruled the warrant invalid because it was issued by an authority not recognised as a judicial body. Justice Tara Burns ordered McArdle's immediate release, and he walked free from court. The Court of Appeal later upheld the High Court's refusal of bail, noting the warrant remained valid until the High Court's ruling. The case remains pending before the Dutch Supreme Court.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Michael Reilly Senior (49) and his son Michael Reilly Junior (22) were sentenced for an assault on Martin Maughan. The incident, part of a feud, involved the Reillys attacking Maughan with a hammer and pick handle while his wife and five‑year‑old granddaughter witnessed. Reilly Senior also bit Maughan's ear and repeatedly rammed his jeep with his van. Both pleaded guilty to assault causing harm; Reilly Senior also pleaded guilty to endangerment. Judge Martin Nolan imposed a headline sentence of five and a half years for Reilly Senior on the endangerment charge and a three‑year sentence for Reilly Junior on assault. Mitigating factors cited included guilty pleas, remorse, and the defendants' tragic backgrounds. Maughan suffered bruising and soft‑tissue injuries; the child was uninjured but distressed. The court noted prior convictions and mental‑health issues for both defendants.
The High Court has been asked to consider a dispute between Clare County Council and Bernard and Helen McDonagh over the Ashline site on Kilrush Road, Ennis. The McDonaghs say they have a tenancy at the site, having moved their caravans there in November 2017, and that the council wrongfully breached that tenancy by surrendering it in 2012 after a fire. They argue the council failed to fulfil its statutory duties to provide Traveller‑specific accommodation and that it acted without political will or funding. The council, represented by James Connolly SC, counters that the McDonaghs unlawfully moved their caravans onto the site after the council removed bollards, and that the site was unsafe and uninsurable after arson attacks. The council seeks possession of the land and a permanent injunction preventing the McDonaghs from using the site, and also seeks orders to remove them from other Ennis locations deemed unsuitable.
In a 2019 Central Criminal Court hearing, Richard O'Mara, aged 31, was convicted of two counts of rape against a 17‑year‑old schoolgirl who attended his sister's eighteenth birthday party. The first rape occurred in a field where O'Mara forced the victim onto the ground, removed her clothing and raped her. The second rape took place in his family house, where he again forced her to lie on a couch, removed her jeans and underwear and raped her. O'Mara pleaded not guilty but was found guilty by a jury after a two‑and‑a‑half‑week trial. Justice Tara Burns sentenced him to 14 years' imprisonment, suspending the final two years on strict conditions. The sentence reflected the seriousness of the offences, the victim's young age, the two separate rapes and the lack of remorse shown by the accused. No prior convictions were recorded for O'Mara.
The High Court is set to rule at noon on Thursday in a dispute between Supermac's Ireland Limited and John and Mary Lyons regarding who should pay for refurbishment works at their Ennis Road, Limerick franchise. Supermac's, represented by Rossa Fanning SC, seeks an injunction to prevent the defendants from carrying out works without consent, alleging a breach of the franchise agreement. The Lyons, represented by Andrew Sexton SC, oppose the application, arguing they are entitled to perform urgent repairs and that the action constitutes satellite proceedings following a 2018 Circuit Court decision requiring Supermac's boss Pat McDonagh to reimburse over €150,000 in rates and rent. The defendants deny breaching a 2000 agreement, with Mr Lyons claiming in a sworn statement that he never signed it and describing it as a forgery. Mr McDonagh, in his own sworn statement, called this accusation entirely baseless and frivolous, noting that the original document was located at a solicitor's office and originated in the early 1990s. Both handwriting experts stated they could not verify signatures on the copy without the original, which has now been made available for examination. Mr Justice Senan Allen noted the parties were seeking to draw first blood but indicated the court would hold off ruling if a solution was presented by 11:59am. An appeal over the tenancy is due in July.
Andrew Shannon, 54, was convicted on 31 January 2014 for handling a stolen Frederick Goodall oil painting, a 1892 desert scene taken from Bantry House in Cork in March 2006. Gardaí searched his Dublin home in 2014, finding the painting valued at about €5,000. He was found guilty by jury after a two‑day trial and sentenced to two years' imprisonment by Judge Patricia Ryan in November 2014. Shannon appealed, arguing that evidence from his 2006 arrest over John Speed maps from Tinakilly House was improperly introduced to link him to the Bantry House theft. The Court of Appeal rejected this ground, stating the Gardaí had no suspicion of him in relation to Bantry House and that the evidence was admissible. The appeal was dismissed by Justice Isobel Kennedy, with the case heard by Justices George Birmingham and Patrick McCarthy.
Andrew Shannon, 54, was convicted on 31 January 2014 for handling a stolen Frederick Goodall oil painting, valued at about €5,000, found in his Dublin home. The painting, a 1892 desert scene, had been stolen from Bantry House, Cork, in March 2006. A two‑day trial in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court led to a two‑year sentence imposed by Judge Patricia Ryan in November 2014. Shannon appealed today, arguing that evidence obtained during his 2006 arrest for suspected theft of John Speed maps from Tinakilly House was improperly used to convict him of handling the Goodall painting. His barrister, Marc Thompson BL, contended that Gardaí should have formally questioned him about Bantry House as a suspect, not while interrogating him on unrelated matters, and that the 2006 information was "fishing" for evidence. The Court of Appeal, presided over by Justice George Birmingham, will reserve judgment.
Keith O'Reilly, aged 28, was convicted in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for possession of four handguns, a submachine gun and ammunition, endangerment, and four counts of dangerous driving. The trial followed a high‑speed Garda pursuit that ended when his car hit a curb and spun near a bus stop. O'Reilly escaped, retrieved a bag containing the weapons and ammunition, and was later arrested. The firearms were found to be in working order, with the machine gun loaded and ready, and three handguns, including a Glock, also loaded. Judge Karen O'Connor sentenced him to eight and a half years for possession, suspending the final 12 months on strict conditions, and to four years for endangerment and three months for each dangerous driving count, all concurrent. The sentence reflected the multiple loaded firearms, the significant ammunition, and the risk posed to the public during the incident.
Paddy Harty, 45, of Ennis, was on the run when he sexually assaulted a 53‑year‑old woman he met in a pub in Kildare on 23 April 2015. He pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court and was sentenced to four years imprisonment, consecutive to a four‑year sentence for theft and fraud that he had received two months earlier. Harty's appeal against the severity of the sentence was dismissed by the Court of Appeal, which found the total sentence "appropriate". The Court noted that Harty had met the woman in a bar, they had drinks, kissed, and then he drove her to a secluded area known as 'Braveheart Hill'. There he removed her bottom clothing and forcibly held her by the arms. She fled, hid in a thorny bush and called the Gardaí. Harty was identified from CCTV footage and initially denied having met the woman.
Evan Dunne, 20, of Ballyfermot, Dublin, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to possession of cocaine for sale or supply. The offence occurred on February 15, 2018, at a car park in Dowdstown, Maynooth, Co Kildare. Gardaí seized seven packages of cocaine from a van Dunne had purchased the previous day, with an estimated street value of just over €492,400. Judge Pauline Codd identified the high value of the drugs and the planning involved in purchasing the vehicle as serious aggravating factors. However, she noted mitigating circumstances, including Dunne's guilty plea, his insight into the crime, his low risk of re-offending, and his employment history. The court heard that Dunne claimed he committed the offence to raise funds for a garage business and had developed a cocaine addiction from age 17. Judge Codd imposed a seven-year sentence, with the final four years suspended for that period. She ordered four years of Probation Service supervision, requiring Dunne to follow all directions, including victim empathy work and therapeutic supports. The sentence was backdated to November last year, when Dunne first went into custody, resulting in an effective custody period of three years.
A 23‑year‑old drug addict, Robbie Walsh, was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment with one year suspended for manslaughter after stabbing Karl "Gobbo" Haugh in the back during a row at Marion Estate, Kilkee, in August 2017. The court found that Walsh had not brought a knife to the scene; the knife used was taken from a kitchen block belonging to Haugh's friend. Walsh pleaded guilty to manslaughter and had previously been convicted of drug‑related offences. The judge noted his cooperation with Gardaí and his remorse, and reduced the headline sentence from ten to eight years. The suspended year was to run for three years, back‑dated to the date of his arrest. The sentence was imposed at the Central Criminal Court, with the judge urging Walsh to attend addiction and counselling services while in custody. Robbie Walsh pleaded not guilty and was acquitted.
During the Central Criminal Court trial, a hard drive seized from Patrick Quirke's home yielded a recording of Mary Lowry speaking with Flor Cantillon, the man who began seeing her after Bobby Ryan vanished. The audio, played by Detective Sergeant John Keane, shows Lowry laughing while reading a newspaper article about cross‑dressing, and Cantillon asking her about a verdict. Lowry confirmed the tape was of her and Cantillon, denied making or authorising the recording, and stated she was unaware of being recorded. She also testified that she had allowed her three children to be interviewed by Gardaí in 2013 after Bobby Ryan's body was found, and that she had not been permitted to attend the interview. The court heard that Quirke had expressed disapproval of Lowry's relationship with Ryan and had reported her to Tusla for allegedly leaving her children alone. The trial continues with further testimony from Lowry's brother, Eddie Quigley. Patrick Quirke pleaded not guilty.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, Bridget Haugh, mother of Karl Haugh, delivered a victim impact statement after her son was stabbed in the back by Robbie Walsh. Haugh, who had previously lost her daughter Stacey in a car crash, described the emotional toll of losing her children and the memory of her son's life. The court had earlier found Walsh, 23, not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter of Karl Haugh, 25, on a unanimous verdict. Deputy State Pathologist Dr Michael Curtis testified that Haugh died from a single stab wound puncturing his lung. The hearing also covered Walsh's prior convictions, his remorse, and the judge's decision to remand him in custody until sentencing on April 8. The judge expressed sympathy for the Haugh family and noted the profound loss they endured. Robbie Walsh was acquitted.
Andrew Shannon, 54, was convicted on 31 January 2014 of handling a stolen Frederick Goodall oil painting, a 1892 desert scene taken from Bantry House in Cork in March 2006. Gardaí discovered the painting, valued at about €5,000, during a 2014 search of his home on unrelated grounds. A jury found him guilty after a two‑day trial, and Judge Patricia Ryan sentenced him to two years' imprisonment in November 2014. He was due to appeal the conviction today but had dismissed his solicitor and intended to represent himself. Judge George Birmingham warned him that the Court of Appeal, a three‑judge panel, was unconvinced he could do justice alone and urged him to secure counsel. The case was scheduled for hearing on 16 May. Shannon has 51 prior convictions, including theft, burglary and handling stolen property, and was previously jailed for damaging a Monet painting at the National Gallery of Ireland in 2012.
Daniel O'Connell, 65, who lives in Clare and Limerick, is appealing to the Supreme Court over his extradition to the UK for failing to pay a confiscation order of almost £13 million. He has argued that extradition would breach his rights under the European Convention of Human Rights and that, as an indigent person, he should not be sent to serve a penalty that a wealthy person would not have to serve. Justice Aileen Donnelly rejected all of his arguments and ordered his extradition, but she put a stay on the order pending a Supreme Court application. O'Connell was convicted in 2000 of five VAT‑evasion offences, jailed for eight years, released on licence in 2003, and was later subject to a confiscation order of almost £6 million. He has paid £354,407.41, leaving a balance of nearly £6 million plus interest.
The High Court ordered the extradition of Daniel O'Connell, 65, the alleged "controlling mind" behind a £20 million VAT fraud. O'Connell, who lives in Clare and Limerick, had challenged the extradition on grounds of delay, his right to a fair trial and his indigence. Justice Aileen Donnelly rejected all objections, stating no evidence of a real risk to his rights. O'Connell was convicted in 2000 for five VAT evasion offences and sentenced to eight years, released on licence in 2003. A confiscation order of almost £6 million was imposed, with a seven‑year sentence for default. By 2016 the balance was nearly £6 million plus interest. He was arrested in 2017 under a European Arrest Warrant and will appeal the extradition order next Wednesday.
A 26‑year‑old Dublin man, Keith Gilroy, was sentenced to five years in prison for transporting a loaded Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum revolver and 11 rounds of ammunition, after being on bail for drug offences. He had previously pleaded guilty to possessing €2,590 of cocaine and over €40,000 of cannabis and crack cocaine, and to laundering €4,415. Gilroy admitted to holding drugs for others to offset a debt of €30,000 and to supplying "grass" to creditors. Gardaí found him lying in bed at the Sean O'Casey Avenue address, where they seized €15,347 of cannabis, crack cocaine worth €25,309 and €4,415 in cash. He was also intercepted in a taxi with a shoebox containing the loaded revolver and ammunition in July 2018. Judge Melanie Greally, noting his candid admissions and early guilty pleas, imposed an eight‑year sentence with the final three years suspended, and ordered 12 months of post‑release supervision.
A Clare man, Robbie Walsh, 23, was acquitted of murder but found guilty of manslaughter after stabbing Karl "Gobbo" Haugh, 25, at Marian Estate, Kilkee, on 6 August 2017. The jury, after more than three hours, returned a unanimous verdict of not guilty of murder and guilty of manslaughter. Judge Carmel Stewart explained that a guilty verdict requires proof beyond reasonable doubt that the accused intended to kill or cause serious harm, and that if the intention was primarily self‑defence, the killing would be manslaughter. Walsh admitted to stabbing Haugh in the back, claiming he had no intention to kill and that he had only wanted to smash a few windows. He was remanded in custody pending sentencing. The trial included testimony from Walsh's Garda interviews, witness accounts of the fight, and medical evidence that Haugh died from a single stab wound puncturing his lung and causing massive bleeding.
In the murder trial of Robbie Walsh, a 23‑year‑old Clare man, the jury was instructed by Ms Justice Carmel Stewart to consider the case from Walsh's perspective, assessing whether he believed he was under threat and whether his use of force was justified. The judge reminded jurors that a person in self‑defence may act impulsively and that excessive force would not be reasonable. Walsh, who pleaded not guilty, admitted in a garda interview that he had killed Karl "Gobbo" Haugh, a 25‑year‑old, after a confrontation at Marian Estate. He described picking up a dropped knife and stabbing Haugh in the back, which caused a fatal lung puncture. The jury was sent home for the night and was to resume deliberations the following day. The trial is ongoing.
In a murder case heard at the Central Criminal Court, Robbie Walsh, aged 23, pleaded not guilty to the killing of Karl 'Gobble' Haugh, aged 25, who died after being stabbed on August 6, 2017, at the Marian Estate in Kilkee. The prosecution, led by Patrick Gageby SC, argued that the Walsh men, including Robbie's cousins Mitchell and Clinton, had intended to vandalise Haugh's car and that the stabbing was not justified. They cited evidence of a prior altercation, video of Robbie claiming he was dragged and then stabbed Haugh in self‑defence, and witness statements suggesting a hostile environment. The defence, represented by Brendan Grehan SC, contended that Robbie was not an aggressor but was pulled into the confrontation, acting in a life‑or‑death situation. The jury was instructed on the case by Ms Justice Carmel Stewart, with the trial to resume the following day.
Robbie Walsh, aged 23, pleaded not guilty to the murder of Karl 'Gobble' Haugh, aged 25, in Kilkee on 6 August 2017. In his fourth Garda interview, Walsh admitted killing Haugh after a confrontation that began with vandalising Haugh's car. He described using a metal bar to smash the car's windows, then being grabbed by Haugh, dropping the bar but retaining a knife, and stabbing Haugh in the back. Walsh claimed he had no intention to kill and that the incident escalated unexpectedly. He also recounted that his house was attacked hours later and that he had sent a Facebook message to a friend saying Haugh had been stabbed in the lung. The case is before Ms Justice Carmel Stewart with a jury of seven men and four women. The trial is ongoing.
In a 2019 trial, 23‑year‑old Robbie Walsh of Kilrush, Co. Clare, pleaded not guilty to the murder of 25‑year‑old Karl Haugh in Kilkee. The Central Criminal Court heard that the alleged killing followed a confrontation at Haugh's house after a phone argument. Gardaí reported that Walsh and his cousins had vandalised a Volkswagen Passat, then went to Haugh's house to buy cocaine. Walsh claimed Haugh had a knife, was attacked, and that he stabbed Haugh in the back after Haugh dropped the knife. Walsh told the garda he had no intention to kill and that he had not brought a knife. He later surrendered after seeing a Facebook post about Haugh's death. The trial was set to continue before Justice Marie Baker and a jury.
In a murder trial in Kilkee, Kilkee, County Clare, Robbie Walsh, aged 23, pleaded not guilty to the killing of Karl Haugh, aged 25, on 6 August 2017. Witness Sam Lucey, Haugh's cousin, testified that he and Haugh confronted Walsh and two cousins near Haugh's house after a heated phone argument. Lucey claimed he had taken a golf club each and a knife from his kitchen, which fell out of his pocket when a Walsh approached with a metal bar. He denied that Haugh had a knife or that the knife came from the same set of knives seized by Gardaí. Under cross‑examination, Lucey admitted the fatal knife was from his kitchen and that he did not know who stabbed Haugh. Conor Murphy, a member of the group, said he saw the Walshs approaching "roaring and shouting" and that he did not see Walsh with a knife.
During the murder trial of Robbie Walsh, a 23‑year‑old, the court heard that Karl Haugh, 25, had been admitted to Limerick University Hospital with a chest stab wound and was initially stable, sitting up and reassuring his family that he would be fine. An "unexpected chain of events" led to his condition deteriorating; he became unstable, required surgery, and was pronounced dead at 5.20 am after about an hour of resuscitation. The surgeon explained that Haugh had a leak of air into his left chest cavity and was in shock; a blood clot may have formed, causing a sudden bleed that could not be controlled. Witnesses described a brief fight at the Walsh estate, during which Haugh was stabbed, and the accused's cousins were present. The trial continues before Justice Carmel Stewart and a jury. Robbie Walsh pleaded not guilty. Karl Haugh pleaded not guilty.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, 28‑year‑old Robbie Walsh of Island View, Kilrush, pleaded not guilty to the murder of 25‑year‑old Karl Haugh, nicknamed Gobble, who was killed on 6 August 2017 at the Marian Estate in Kilkee. Prosecutor Patrick Gageby SC presented a narrative that on the Saturday of the August Bank Holiday, Walsh and his cousins Mitchell and Clinton were socialising in Kilkee. Phone calls recorded between the cousins and Haugh suggested a hostile encounter. Gageby alleged that after a brief altercation involving a vandalised Passat, Walsh stabbed Haugh in the back with a knife, causing a single penetrating wound that sliced a rib and lung, leading to Haugh's death at University Hospital Limerick. Walsh was arrested the next day, freely admitted the stabbing and expressed remorse. The trial, before Justice Carmel Stewart, continues with a jury of five women and seven men.
An Irish man, Kenneth Brunell of Palmerstown, Dublin, has agreed to be extradited to the Netherlands where he is appealing convictions related to the killing of 29‑year‑old Keith Ennis. Ennis was stabbed to death in 2009, his body chopped up and dumped in a canal on the northern outskirts of Amsterdam. Brunell was previously found not guilty of manslaughter but guilty of concealing Ennis's corpse by a Dutch court. An appeals court in Amsterdam overturned the acquittal in May and upheld the conviction for concealing the body, sentencing him in absentia to 13 years' imprisonment. The Dutch authorities issued a European Arrest Warrant in July of last year. Brunell's lawyers have appealed the conviction, and he is now wanted in the Netherlands for detention pending that appeal. Brunell has consented to extradition, and the High Court judge has endorsed the warrant and ordered his surrender to Dutch authorities.
In a High Court hearing on 15 January 2019, the court considered the extradition of Daniel O'Connell, a 65‑year‑old Cork man, to the United Kingdom to serve a custodial sentence related to a multimillion‑euro VAT fraud. O'Connell was arrested in 2017 under a European Arrest Warrant issued by UK authorities. He had previously been sentenced in 2000 to eight years' imprisonment for five offences of knowingly evading VAT, and in 2003 received an additional seven‑year sentence for non‑payment of a confiscation order of almost £6 million. By 2016 the order's balance was nearly £6 million plus £5.5 million in interest. The court heard that the confiscation order remained outstanding, making the extradition necessary to enforce the overall sentence. O'Connell's counsel argued that the 17‑year delay invalidated the order under the European Convention on Human Rights, citing disproportionate penalties and lack of evidence of payment ability.
The High Court has ruled that a Limerick apartment linked to Brazilian-born Aulicete Walsh and her son, Maicon Morelli, was acquired with the proceeds of crime. Ms Justice Carmel Stewart granted orders in favour of the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) under Section 3 of the 1996 Proceeds of Crime Act. The court found that the property, purchased in 2014 for approximately €34,000 and registered in Mr Morelli's name, was bought using criminal funds. The judge noted that Mrs Walsh had previously been convicted of brothel keeping in Ennis and Limerick in May 2015, resulting in an eight-month prison sentence in 2017. She had also been convicted of brothel keeping in 2012 at Newcastle West District Court and fined €750. Dismissing the respondents' claims that over €20,000 of the purchase price came from legitimate income, the judge cited inconsistencies in Mrs Walsh's evidence and a failure to provide financial documentation. The court determined that the lifestyle maintained by the family, including holidays and new cars, was funded by criminal activity exploiting vulnerable women. Consequently, the matter was finalised with the court granting the CAB's application to deem the apartment proceeds of crime.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, the partner of a father-of-six who was stabbed by a lifelong friend recounted the traumatic impact on her children, who witnessed their father lying in a garden covered in blood as emergency services attempted to save him. The partner, aged 50, described her life being shattered, her anxiety, panic attacks, and nightmares after the incident. She noted that her children, aged three to ten at the time, no longer feel the same bright, bubbly energy they had before, having seen their father's death. The court heard that the victim, Mark Richardson, was stabbed in the chest by Paul Keating, who was found not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter. Keating was remanded in custody until his sentencing. The partner's testimony highlighted the profound emotional damage to her family and the loss of a male role model for her children.
A Dublin man, Robert Ward, aged 24, was sentenced to three years in prison for fraud after he altered a €11,321 cheque taken from a flooring company and attempted to lodge it at AIB on Swords Road, Santry, on 13 June 2014. He also admitted using a €5,221 cheque as a false instrument at an AIB branch on St Brigid's Road, Artane, on 12 May 2014. Gardaí arrested eight people in connection with the fraud offences. Judge Melanie Greally sentenced Ward to four years, suspended the final 12 months, and credited him for seven months already spent in custody. Ward had previously pleaded guilty to stealing a safe containing €500 from Teo's Takeaway in Coolock on 27 March 2017. He has 106 prior convictions, including 18 for theft and three for Circuit Court offences.
Andrew Shannon, 54, of Dublin, was sentenced to two years' imprisonment for possessing a stolen oil painting by Frederick Goodall, valued at €5,000. The painting, a desert scene dated 1892, had been taken from Bantry House in Cork in March 2006. Gardaí discovered the artwork during a 2014 search of Shannon's home for an unrelated matter. He was charged in September 2016, released on bail, but violated bail by travelling to the UK, prompting a European Arrest Warrant. A jury convicted him on 28 November 2018 after a two‑day trial. The sentence was back‑dated to 20 February 2018, the day he first entered custody on these matters. Shannon has 51 prior convictions, including theft, burglary and handling stolen property, and had previously received a six‑year sentence for damaging a Monet painting worth €10 million. He has ongoing health problems, including a quadruple bypass heart surgery in 2013, and is a student at Mountjoy Education Centre.
Two men have been sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court in relation to an attempted robbery at Greendale Pharmacy, Kilbarrack on January 26, 2018. Brendan Raynor (30) of Tulip Court, Darndale and Dean Slattery (28) of Briarfield Grove, Kilbarrack pleaded guilty to the charge. Both men armed themselves with knives and wore balaclavas before entering the shop and demanding Diazepam. The incident was observed by gardaí conducting surveillance in the area. Detective Sergeant Dave Ennis stated that Slattery attempted to flee and was struck with a baton, while Raynor was caught in a nearby field. Emma Smith, a shop worker who was six months pregnant at the time, provided a victim impact statement. Raynor has 103 previous convictions, including possession of knives, robbery, and burglary. He was previously sentenced to seven years with two suspended for an aggravated burglary in 2015. Judge Melanie Greally imposed a five-year sentence on Raynor, suspending the last two years and nine months. Slattery has 87 previous convictions, including robbery, drug offences, car theft, and assault. Dt Sgt Ennis was previously sentenced to four years with two suspended for a 2014 cash in transit van robbery. Judge Greally sentenced Slattery to four and a half years with the final 18 months suspended. Both men were remanded in custody.
A court heard that Jonathan Goulding (28), also known as Goulding Aka Farrell, pleaded guilty to burglary at Mr Price, Coolock Retail Park, on March 27, 2017, and dangerous driving around the Malahide area, Dublin, on October 2, 2014. The charges were admitted, and the case was at the charge_or_pretrial stage. Goulding has 48 previous convictions, including burglary, theft, and a seven-year sentence for a past drugs offence. The court heard that during the burglary, Goulding held a screwdriver in a menacing way towards the shop staff. In the dangerous driving incident, he was involved in a high-speed chase, drove the wrong way on a dual carriageway, and caused multiple vehicles to take evasive action. Judge Melanie Greally noted that Goulding had been in the throes of drug addiction at the time of the offences. She commended his successful rehabilitation, including completing a drug treatment programme and taking up full-time employment in construction. The judge imposed a fully suspended three and a half year prison term and a two-year driving ban. Conditions included remaining sober and substance free and continuing to attend AA meetings. The matter was adjourned.
In a High Court hearing on 9 July 2018, the Court of Appeal (CAB) applied to have an apartment, allegedly bought with proceeds of crime, declared as such under the 1996 Proceeds of Crime Act. The apartment, purchased in 2014 for about €34,000, is owned by Aulicete Walsh, 55, and her son Maicon Morelli. Walsh was convicted of brothel keeping in 2015 and served eight months; she had earlier been fined for the same offence in 2012. CAB, following a Garda investigation, argues the purchase was funded by criminal proceeds and seeks freezing orders. Walsh and Morelli contest the claim, asserting that over €20,000 of the purchase price came from legitimate earnings and that they should receive a share of any sale proceeds. They also argue that the money used was from lawful work and from funds received from Walsh's late father in Brazil.
Felicity O'Kelly, wife of Circuit Court judge Eugene O'Kelly, has filed a lawsuit in the High Court alleging that farmer John Brew of Tarmon, Kilkee, has been trespassing on her property, specifically the site of a former creamery at Termon West, Kilkee, which she owns in her sole name. O'Kelly claims Brew has left cattle on the disputed land, causing them to wander onto the main road, and that he has installed fencing and a lock on a gate to her property. She seeks an injunction to prevent further trespassing, to remove any fencing, locks, and animals from the land, and for damages. The High Court, on an ex‑parte basis, granted O'Kelly permission to serve short notice of the proceedings and adjourned the case to a June hearing. The matter, normally a Circuit Court case, is being heard in the High Court because Judge O'Kelly sits on that division of the courts.
In Limerick, Melissa Whelan, aged 27, pleaded guilty to assault causing serious harm to Wayne Fitzgerald, a recovering road crash victim, on 6 May 2015. She was originally sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment, with the final three years suspended, by Judge Tom O'Donnell. On appeal, the Court of Appeal reduced her jail term by 18 months, citing mitigating factors. The Court held that the mitigating factors warranted a greater reduction than the 25% originally applied. The final sentence was 12 years' imprisonment, with four and a half years suspended, leaving a net jail term of seven and a half years. The case involved a house party where Whelan struck Fitzgerald with a bottle, punched and kicked him, and dragged him outside, where he was found unconscious the next morning. Fitzgerald suffered severe brain injury, required surgery, and was left with significant impairments in speech, swallowing, and memory.
A 22‑year‑old Dublin man, Karl Proudfoot, was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for a series of violent offences. He pleaded guilty to slashing a drug addict on the back of the head with a Stanley knife on Arran Street East on 16 June 2017, an act captured on CCTV that showed him striking the victim "out of the blue." Proudfoot also admitted to two phone‑robberies: one at Fingal Place on 17 June 2017, where he left the victim with a nasal fracture and facial bruising, and another at Phoenix Park on 24 June 2017, where he beat a Moldovan woman and stole her phone. The court noted the assaults were "extremely nasty and senseless" and that Proudfoot had never been in custody before. Judge Martin Nolan, after considering the young man's age, remorse and lack of prior convictions, imposed the sentence, warning it could have been longer without those mitigating factors.
Anthony Callaghan, aged 45, and Paul Zambra, aged 39, were apprehended on 29 May 2015 in Coolock after a three‑day surveillance operation by specialist Gardaí. Both men were found with a Ruger Revolver and a semi‑automatic pistol, the latter wrapped in newspapers and equipped with a silencer, and a full 5‑litre petrol container. They were charged with possession of firearms with intent to endanger life. Callaghan was sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment and Zambra to 10 years' by Judge Melanie Greally on 16 March 2016. On appeal, Callaghan's sentence was reduced to 11 years, while Zambra's remained unchanged. The Court of Appeal, citing a "slight distinction" in their prior convictions, quashed the original 12‑year term and substituted it with 11 years. The case remains at the appellate stage. Anthony Callaghan pleaded guilty. Paul Zambra pleaded guilty.
Patrick Mahony, 50, former director of Boxform Ltd, pleaded guilty to five revenue offences for failing to remit VAT, PRSI and income tax for 2006‑2007. He was initially given a wholly suspended three‑year sentence and a €10,000 fine by Judge Gerald Keys at Ennis Circuit Criminal Court on 25 April 2017. The Director of Public Prosecutions appealed, arguing the sentence was "unduly lenient". In the Court of Appeal, Mr Justice Alan Mahon reviewed the case, noting the fraud was discovered in March 2008 when former employees sought PRSI and found no records. The company's accountant later submitted an amended return, revealing additional liabilities. Total unpaid taxes amounted to €1,224,329, with a loss to Revenue of €2,594,000 including penalties and interest. Mr Justice Mahon re‑sentenced Mahony to 12 months imprisonment, with the remaining two years suspended, and ordered him to report to a Dublin Garda station to begin serving his term.
Noel Kelleher, 64, an auctioneer described as a man of some standing in his community, was found guilty by a jury of six counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, three counts of oral rape and one count of attempted oral rape of a girl who was aged between 12 and 14 when the attacks took place. The offences occurred at various locations in County Clare between June 1991 and August 1992. Kelleher was also tried for 16 further counts of rape, indecent assault and sexual assault but was found not guilty on those charges. The victim, who waived her right to anonymity, said the abuse had a deep and lasting impact on her life. Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy sentenced Kelleher to nine years, suspended the final 12 months, and ordered that he have no contact with the victim in perpetuity. Kelleher has not admitted guilt or expressed remorse. The case was heard in the Central Criminal Court.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, a 64‑year‑old auctioneer, Noel Kelleher, was found guilty of six counts of rape, three of sexual assault, three of oral rape and one of attempted oral rape against a victim aged 12 to 14 between June 1991 and August 1992. The jury acquitted him of 16 other counts of rape, indecent assault and sexual assault. The victim, who waived anonymity, described the abuse as beginning when she was 12, involving rape, sexual assault and forced oral sex in two office locations, and ending shortly before her 14th birthday. She recounted attempts to kill herself, post‑natal depression, psychiatric care and repeated suicide attempts. In her victim impact statement she said the shame should be Kelleher's, not hers, and that the abuse had ruined her education, relationships and mental health.