The jury was discharged in the trial of Ciprian Grozavu, a 42‑year‑old Romanian accused of murdering 27‑year‑old Jonathan Duke in Cork. Grozavu had dismissed his legal team on the sixth day of his trial at the Central Criminal Court. The court heard that Catherine O'Connor, Grozavu's acquaintance, had been found guilty of murdering Duke. The eight men and four women of the jury were informed that Grozavu had a new legal team, which the judge said could not prepare for the case by the next Monday deadline. Judge Paul Butler therefore discharged the jury, citing potential unfairness, and thanked them for their service. The case has been rescheduled for a new trial, with a new date to be set. The jury will be exempt from service for ten years.
The jury in the trial of 42‑year‑old Ciprian Grozavu, charged with murdering his friend Jonathan Duke in County Cork, was informed that Grozavu had discharged his legal team. The trial was in its sixth day at the Central Criminal Court. Grozavu, a Romanian father of one, pleaded not guilty to the murder of the 27‑year‑old on 13 November 2011. The court had heard that Catherine O'Connor, Grozavu's acquaintance, had been found guilty of murdering Duke, whose body was discovered in the River Bandon. The jury listened to the content of Grozavu's Garda interviews, which described O'Connor stabbing and poking Duke in his flat before dragging him down the stairs. After lunch the jury was told Grozavu had fired his counsel and was sent home, to return the next day. The case remains before Mr Justice Paul Butler.
During a murder trial in the Central Criminal Court, Ciprian Grozavu, aged 42, was charged with the killing of 27‑year‑old Jonathan Duke on 13 November 2011. The court heard that Grozavu claimed he only recalled witnessing a strangulation in his flat after a Garda officer mentioned it to him. The trial also involved testimony about Grozavu's acquaintance, Catherine O'Connor, who had been found guilty of murdering Duke, whose body was discovered in the River Bandon. Jury members listened to interviews with Grozavu in which he described O'Connor stabbing and poking Duke in the flat before dragging him, unconscious, down the stairs. Detective Sergeant Ann Murphy had left an interview and later returned with information that Duke likely died of strangulation. The court continued before Mr Justice Paul Butler and a jury of eight men and four women.
In a murder trial held in the Central Criminal Court, the jury heard that Jonathan Duke, aged 27, died from ligature strangulation after his body was found in the River Bandon. The prosecution presented a black electrical cable wrapped in three loops around Duke's neck, and a white cable tied to the plug, both shown by Inspector Fergal Foley. Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster testified that a complex ligature with crossing over was present, and that Duke suffered multiple blunt‑force and sharp‑weapon injuries, including bruises, abrasions, a short skull fracture, an incised wound to the lower back, a laceration to the cheek, and a possible injury to the right forearm. She concluded the cause of death was asphyxia due to ligature strangulation, with associated trauma causing bleeding and blood loss. The defendant, Ciprian Grozavu, 42, charged with Duke's murder, pleaded not guilty.
During a 2017 Cork murder trial, evidence was presented that the defendant's bare footprint was found in the victim's blood at the crime scene. The jury heard that the accused, Ciprian Grozavu, had told Gardaí that his girlfriend, Catherine O'Connor, had "beaten, bottled and poked" the 27‑year‑old Jonathan Duke to death. The trial concerned the murder of Duke, whose body was discovered in the River Bandon in 2011. Grozavu, aged 42, was charged with the murder and pleaded not guilty. Fingerprint and forensic evidence, including blood spatter and DNA matching Duke's profile, was examined by Garda technical experts. The court also heard Grozavu's first interview with Gardaí, in which he described a confrontation with O'Connor and claimed he could not stop her. The case was heard by Mr Justice Paul Butler with a jury of eight men and four women.
In a Central Criminal Court trial, Ciprian Grozavu, aged 42, pleaded not guilty to the murder of Jonathan Duke, aged 27, at Bridge House, Bandon, on 13 November 2011. Jury witnesses, including Aaron Nolan and Shane O'Driscoll, testified that on the night of the murder they heard loud music and saw Grozavu and Ms Catherine O'Connor carrying and dumping Duke's body into the river Bandon, describing the act as "like it was nothing." Garda Aine O'Regan reported a large pool of blood in Grozavu's apartment and later found a male body face‑up in the river. Garda Kieran Murphy arrested Grozavu at about 1 a.m. on 14 November, citing assault causing harm to Duke. The trial, presided over by Mr Justice Paul Butler, is set to continue for two weeks.
Ciprian Grozavu, aged 42, was arrested on 13 November 2011 for the murder of Jonathan Duke, aged 27, at Bridge House, Sean Hales Place, Bandon, Co Cork. During his arrest, Grozavu told Gardaí that he had been attacked and that a woman named Catherine O'Connor had intervened, striking Duke with a glass bottle and saving Grozavu's life. He pleaded not guilty. The prosecution, led by Mr. Tim O'Leary SC, presented evidence that Duke was seen alive on the evening of 13 November and later found dead in the River Bandon, strangled and tied up. Garda Ciaran Ryan recounted that Grozavu was arrested at about 1 a.m. in his apartment and that the arrest was for assault causing harm to Duke. The trial, presided over by Mr. Justice Paul Butler, is scheduled to last two weeks. The case also references Ms. O'Connor's prior conviction for Duke's murder. The proceedings are ongoing.
The Central Criminal Court heard that Ciprian Grozavu (42) pleaded not guilty to the murder of Jonathan Duke (27) on 13 November 2011 at Bridge House, Bandon. The prosecution presented evidence that Duke was seen alive that evening and later found dead in the River Bandon. Retired Garda Pat Dolan testified that the body was recovered face‑up with black flex around the neck, a black lace tied to the left ankle, a grey lace around the neck, a white flex over the right knee and purple marks on both arms. Denis Boyle, a resident of Bandon, described seeing Duke on the steps of Bridge House with a woman and a man he called the "Romanian chippy." The jury was told that Grozavu, his girlfriend Catherine O'Connor, and the "Romanian chippy" were present that night, had been drinking, and that Grozavu and O'Connor were involved in the assault and disposal of Duke into the river.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, Ciprian Grozavu, aged 42, pleaded not guilty to the murder of Jonathan Duke, aged 27, who was found strangled and "trussed up" in the River Bandon on 13 November 2011. The prosecution presented evidence that Duke was seen alive that evening at Bridge House, Bandon, and later discovered dead in the river. Witnesses from apartments 2 and 3 reported a serious commotion, with one individual stepping into the hallway to investigate. The court heard that Grozavu, Duke, and Catherine O'Connor—who had previously been convicted of Duke's murder—were together that night, had consumed alcohol, and that Grozavu and O'Connor were involved in assaulting and disposing of Duke. Gardaí testimony included attempts to enter apartment 3 and blood patches on the stairs. The trial, presided over by Mr Justice Paul Butler, is expected to last two weeks.
A jury of eight men and four women was sworn in at the Central Criminal Court for the trial of Ciprian Grozavu, a 42‑year‑old Romanian, who pleaded not guilty to the murder of Jonathan Duke, 27, at Bridge House, Sean Hales Place, Bandon, Co Cork, on 13 November 2011. The trial, presided over by Mr Justice Paul Butler, is scheduled to begin that afternoon and is expected to last two weeks.
Trevor O'Donoghue, 34, pleaded guilty to robbing €750 from a 61‑year‑old man at Cork City Bus Station on 29 June 2014. The original sentence was five years' imprisonment with the last 18 months suspended. On appeal the Court of Appeal reduced the term to four years' imprisonment, with the final 18 months still suspended, after finding the Circuit Court had incorrectly been told O'Donoghue had a prior conviction he did not possess. The victim, who used a walking stick, did not give a victim impact statement and asked that O'Donoghue not be sent to jail. O'Donoghue's associate, who was present that night, had died of heroin before the case reached court. The appeal judge noted O'Donoghue's history of drug use and his efforts to address his addiction while in prison. The final sentence remains four years' imprisonment with 18 months suspended.
The Court of Appeal ordered a retrial for Romanian national Ciprian Grozavu (42) after finding that the trial judge should have simply answered "yes" to a jury question. Grozavu had pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Duke on 12 November 2011 and was convicted of that murder by a jury at the Central Criminal Court, receiving a mandatory life sentence on 17 July 2013. During the trial, the jury asked the judge whether they could find one defendant guilty of murder without prejudicing the verdict in the case of the other defendant, referring to his girlfriend Catherine O'Connor (40). The judge replied that he was only concerned with Grozavu's case, a response the Court of Appeal deemed "of concern" and likely to have confused the jury. The Court therefore set aside the murder verdict and directed a retrial. Grozavu has also appealed his conviction for the murder of John Forrester.
Ciprian Grozavu, a 42‑year‑old Romanian, was convicted of murdering Jonathan Duke in Bandon on 12 November 2011 and received a mandatory life sentence from Mr Justice Paul Carney on 17 July 2013. He has now filed an appeal in the Court of Appeal. His barrister, Thomas Creed SC, argued that the trial judge failed to give the jury a clear option to return a manslaughter verdict, potentially prejudicing another case, and that the judge incorrectly addressed the jury on common design and did not discharge them at the end of the prosecution's case. The Director of Public Prosecutions' counsel, Timothy O'Leary SC, maintained that the trial was never a murder/manslaughter trial and that the defence had always claimed Grozavu did not commit the murder. The three‑judge panel, consisting of Mr Justice George Birmingham, Mr Justice Alan Mahon and Mr Justice John Edwards, has reserved judgment on the appeal. Ciprian Grozavu pleaded not guilty.
The Central Criminal Court jury heard technical evidence on the 27th day of the trial of Graham Dwyer, who is charged with murdering Elaine O'Hara at Killakee, Rathfarnham on 22nd August 2012. Mr Dwyer, aged 42, has pleaded not guilty to the charge. Witnesses including telecommunications engineers provided detailed mobile phone records and data covering periods before and after the alleged offence. The court also heard from a woman who had engaged Mr Dwyer's architectural services in County Galway in 2009, and from witnesses who placed him at various locations during July 2012. A Ballyshannon hotel proprietor testified to his movements that month. The State's case is that the killing occurred hours after Ms O'Hara's discharge from a mental health facility. Her remains were discovered at Killakee in September 2013. The trial continues before Mr Justice Tony Hunt and a jury of five women and seven men.
A 37‑year‑old Cork mother of three, Catherine O'Connor, was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of her 42‑year‑old neighbour, John Forrester, on 12 November 2011. O'Connor pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court. Forrester's body was found on 15 November 2011 in the River Bandon, wrapped in carpet and tied with a belt from O'Connor's cardigan. The autopsy revealed blunt force trauma, asphyxia, a broken hyoid bone, bruising to the throat, a fractured skull, broken ribs, a broken hip and lacerations to the head and mouth. Evidence included O'Connor's fingerprints on a broken Man Utd cup and Forrester's blood on a mobile phone in her flat. O'Connor had been in custody since 28 January 2012 and had 55 prior convictions, including a previous murder. Mr Justice Paul Carney imposed a mandatory life sentence, and O'Connor was led away in a grey hooded jacket, black trousers and boots.