Court archive
Court reports mentioning Banteer, Cork
2023-02-07 · Cork
In February 2023, William O'Riordan, a 48‑year‑old farm labourer from Banteer, Cork, was sentenced to one year in prison for sexually abusing his niece on three occasions between September 2001 and March 2006. He pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual abuse at a location in County Cork. The judge, Mr Justice Paul McDermott, noted O'Riordan's reduced cognitive function but also that he understood his actions were wrong and showed no remorse. The sentence was suspended for two years, with conditions that he keep the peace and behave well for three years. The victim, who was nine to ten at the time, described the abuse as devastating, stating she no longer wanted to stay at her grandmother's home and feared future harm to her children. O'Riordan's mother, an elderly woman in her 80s, has been affected by the case, delaying her surgery and relying on O'Riordan for care.
2022-12-13 · Cork
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, William O'Riordan, a 48‑year‑old farm labourer from Derry, Banteer, Co Cork, pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual abuse of his niece between September 2001 and March 2006. The judge noted O'Riordan's reduced cognitive function but also that he understood his actions were wrong and showed no remorse. He was sentenced to a three‑year term, with the final two years suspended on conditions of good behaviour and peacekeeping for three years. The sentence will be deferred until early next year to allow his elderly mother, who has postponed surgery, to recover. O'Riordan was remanded on bail until February 7, when he must report to begin serving his sentence. The victim, who was nine to ten at the time, described the abuse as deeply traumatic and expressed fear for her children. The case was brought to court after a formal complaint in July 2018.
2019-11-18 · Cork
In the Special Criminal Court, Eoin Morrissey (20) was sentenced for two counts of impeding the apprehension or prosecution of the killers of Aidan O'Driscoll. Having pleaded guilty, Morrissey received two two-year suspended sentences on each count. Mr Justice Hunt, sitting with Judges Gerard Griffin and Ann Ryan, cited Morrissey's age, positive probation report, progress since 2016, and willingness to perform community service as mitigating factors. The court ordered him to enter a €100 bond. The judge warned that this was a unique opportunity and that further offending would likely result in custody. Earlier in April, co-accused Colin Casey (32) and Daniel Hegarty (24) were convicted on four counts of impeding the apprehension or prosecution of O'Driscoll's killers. Both pleaded guilty. Casey was sentenced to four years and six months in prison, while Hegarty was jailed for four years. The court noted that Casey and Hegarty provided substantial assistance, including burning vehicles and burying evidence, whereas Morrissey's involvement was less proximate, limited to providing a fire-lighter and transport after the events. The State acknowledged it could not prove the defendants knew a murder was planned. O'Driscoll, a Real IRA figure, was shot in Cork in December 2016.
2019-04-12 · Cork
Two men, Colin Casey (32) and Daniel Hegarty (24), were jailed for assisting the murder of Aidan "The Beast" O'Driscoll, who was shot on Cork's Old Commons Road in December 2016. Casey was sentenced to four years and six months, Hegarty to four years, both sentences running concurrently. They pleaded guilty to four counts each of impeding the apprehension or prosecution of O'Driscoll's killers. Casey supplied the alleged gunmen with vehicles and acted as a support driver; Hegarty transported and concealed a bag linked to the killers and set fire to a motorbike and a red Opel Astra. A third man, Eoin Morrissey (19), pleaded guilty to two counts of impeding the apprehension or prosecution of the killers and was given a suspended sentence of two years, with a probation report to be finalised in October. The Special Criminal Court, presided over by Justice Tony Hunt, found the defendants' assistance to be substantial and proximate to the murder.
2019-03-11 · Cork
Aidan "The Beast" O'Driscoll, a senior Real IRA member, was shot four times on Old Commons Road, Blackpool, Cork, on 7 December 2016. The Special Criminal Court heard that the killing was part of an internal dispute between the Real IRA and the New IRA. Colin Casey (32) and Daniel Hegarty (24) pleaded guilty to four counts of impeding the apprehension or prosecution of O'Driscoll's killers, while Eoin Morrissey (19) pleaded guilty to two such counts. Casey collected the alleged gunmen from Redemption Road, drove them in a white Vauxhall Astra van that he later burned, and was involved in the disposal of the Nissan Almera used by the killers. Hegarty buried a bag used by the killers and set fire to a Honda motorbike and a red Opel Astra. Morrissey supplied a firelighter and followed Hegarty to the site where the Opel Astra was burned.
2018-12-21 · Cork
A 19‑year‑old man, Eoin Morrissey, appeared before the Special Criminal Court on 21 January 2018 charged in connection with the murder of Aidan "The Beast" O'Driscoll, a senior Real IRA figure who was shot dead in Cork on 7 December 2016. Morrissey is charged with impeding the apprehension or prosecution of Daniel Hegarty by providing a firelighter to burn a red Opel Astra used by the alleged killers and by following Hegarty to a site where a red Opel Astra was burnt to facilitate transport after the burning. The offences are alleged to have occurred between 8 and 19 December 2016. The Director of Public Prosecutions applied for a Section 49 order and the court directed that Morrissey be tried before the Special Criminal Court. The case was set for mention on 21 January. Earlier, Colin Casey (32) and Daniel Hegarty (24) pleaded guilty to related charges and were remanded on continuing bail until 11 March.
2018-05-14 · Cork
Christopher Twohig, aged 24, was found guilty of sexually assaulting a 15‑year‑old girl at a house party in Cork in 2011 and a 19‑year‑old girl at another house party in Cork in 2014. In the first incident, the victim had gone to sleep on the couch; Twohig partially removed her clothing, touched her breasts and penetrated her vagina for about fifteen minutes. In the second incident, the 19‑year‑old had gone to sleep alone in a room; Twohig was found beside her and digitally penetrated her. Twohig pleaded guilty early, admitted full involvement, and was described as genuinely remorseful. He was sentenced to four years' imprisonment with the final year suspended, plus a concurrent 12‑month term for the first offence. His appeal against the sentence was dismissed by the Court of Appeal, which found the sentence "arguably lenient" but not disproportionate. The Court upheld the three‑year effective custodial period.