Court archive
Court reports mentioning Clonakilty, Cork
2023-11-30 · Cork
In November 2023 the Court of Appeal rejected a mother's attempt to set aside her guilty plea for harassing a doctor at Temple Street Hospital. Marlies Walsh, 51, had pleaded guilty in 2022 to one count of harassment after repeatedly contacting the doctor by phone and email between 2017 and 2020 while her son awaited a kidney transplant. She argued that she was under duress and that her lawyers had given ineffective assistance, but the appeal court found no evidence of coercion or inadequate representation. The court noted that Walsh had been under significant stress but had understood the implications of her plea. The judge also dismissed her claim that the Garda investigation was flawed, stating that such matters were for trial. Walsh will appeal the severity of her suspended two‑year sentence at a later hearing.
2023-11-28 · Dublin
A 23‑year‑old Dublin man, Josh Reidy, pleaded guilty to possessing more than €19,000 as proceeds of crime in two smishing frauds that occurred in August 2021 and July 2022. Smishing involves sending text messages with fake links that redirect money to other accounts. Bank of Ireland recovered all but €900 of the first €19,421 withdrawal and €18,973 of the second €19,877 withdrawal, leaving victims with losses of €900 and €904 respectively. Gardaí traced the beneficiary accounts to Reidy, who was living on Sundrive Road and later at Landsdowne Gate apartments. He claimed a €3,000 drug debt and said he had been forced to provide his passport and mobile details to pay it off. The court accepted his cooperation and the threat he faced, and imposed an 18‑month suspended sentence with strict conditions, including continued drug rehabilitation.
2023-11-08 · Dublin
A 23‑year‑old Dublin man, Josh Reidy, was found guilty of two counts of possessing over €19,000 as proceeds of crime. The money was moved through a smishing scheme, where victims received text messages with fake bank links that redirected their funds to Reidy's accounts. Bank of Ireland recovered all but €900 of the first €19,421 withdrawal and €18,973 of a second €19,877 withdrawal, leaving victims with losses of €900 and €904 respectively. Gardaí traced the transactions to Reidy, who was living on Sundrive Road and later at Landsdowne Gate, Drimnagh. Reidy admitted he had a €3,000 drug debt and had supplied his passport and mobile details to the fraudsters. He claimed he was threatened and physically assaulted by the group, and that his mother was also threatened. The court noted Reidy's good work history and his intention to resume employment in January after paying the €900 owed.
2023-07-27 · Cork
Marlies Walsh, 51, of Pedlers Cross, Clonakilty, pleaded guilty on the first day of her trial to one count of repeated harassment of a Temple Street Hospital doctor in 2018 and 2019. She had contacted the doctor and other hospital staff by phone and email from December 2017 to August 2020 while her 21‑year‑old son, a kidney transplant patient, was cared for at the hospital. The judge found that Walsh had engaged in repeated harassment and imposed a two‑year sentence, fully suspended on strict conditions, and barred her from contacting the doctor or approaching his residence or workplace for 20 years. At the Court of Appeal, Walsh, representing herself, claimed she was under duress and that her guilty plea was made to prioritise her son's care. The appeal was dismissed, with the court reserving its judgement.
2022-11-24 · Cork
Marlies Walsh, 50, of Pedlers Cross, Clonakilty, pleaded guilty to one count of harassment at Temple Street Hospital, Dublin, after contacting a doctor and hospital staff by phone and email from December 2017 to August 2020. She sought a patient‑advocacy role for her 20‑year‑old son, a kidney‑transplant patient, but the hospital declined. Walsh repeatedly called, emailed, and visited the hospital, sending parcels that alarmed the doctor. A formal complaint was made to Gardaí in February 2019. She was charged in April 2020 and faced bail conditions to stay away from the hospital, which she initially breached. In August 2020 she complied. Judge Elma Sheahan imposed a two‑year sentence, suspended on strict conditions, and banned Walsh from contacting the doctor or the hospital for 20 years. The court noted her guilty plea, good character, and the stress of her son's illness.
2022-07-27 · Cork
A yoghurt factory worker accused of plotting a wildcat strike has been awarded over €4,000 in compensation and redress after being unfairly dismissed. The Workplace Relations Commission found that the worker was 'singled out' and 'made an example of' in a rushed dismissal without proper procedure. Bartlomiej Wilczynski denied the allegations against him and had his complaints under the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977 and the Minimum Notice & Terms of Employment Act 1973 upheld by the WRC. The company's production manager claimed that a sudden 'wall of refusals' from staff in the packaging department occurred when he asked for volunteers for overtime. He stated that some workers called out 'Give us more money.' The tribunal heard that the firm paid minimum wage, with an overtime premium of €12. The company's managing director said he saw staff looking in the direction of the complainant and called him in for a meeting.
2021-11-15 · Cork
Michael O'Regan, 43, pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a 14‑year‑old girl with Down's syndrome, asking her to send pictures of her breasts. He was sentenced to seven months in prison at Clonmel Circuit Criminal Court, a term described by Judge Eoin Garavan as "utterly exploitative" and "reprehensible". The Director of Public Prosecutions appealed, arguing the sentence was unduly lenient and lacked deterrence, citing O'Regan's 35 prior convictions for similar offences between 2016 and 2017. The Court of Appeal, hearing the appeal on 15 November 2021, rejected the request to increase the term. O'Regan's seven‑month sentence was to run consecutively with earlier sentences, a point noted by the court as a deterrent. The case highlights the court's decision to uphold the original seven‑month term despite the DPP's appeal.
2020-06-16 · Cork
Junaid Manzoor, an Indian national, and Tara Wrenne, an Irish citizen, have brought High Court judicial review proceedings against the Registrar of the Civil Registration Service, Cork, the HSE, and the Registrar General. The couple, represented by Colm O'Dwyer SC and solicitor Wendy Lyon, claim the Civil Registration Service has unlawfully failed to permit them to marry or make a decision on their application, which was lodged in November 2018. They allege that the requirement for a second interview to determine if their union constitutes a marriage of convenience, triggered solely by Mr Manzoor's non-EU status, is discriminatory. Mr Manzoor, who arrived on a student visa that expired in 2015 and faced a deportation order in March 2020, and Ms Wrenne deny any such intent. The Civil Registration Service stated it could not proceed until the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service resolved Mr Manzoor's status. The applicants seek an order compelling the Registrar to make a decision, along with declarations that the service acted unlawfully and in breach of their rights. Mr Justice Charles Meenan granted permission to bring the challenge on an ex-parte basis and made the matter returnable to a date in July.
2019-05-14 · Cork
Greg Lordan, 29, of Parish Field, Clonakilty, pleaded guilty in Cork Circuit Criminal Court to possessing 1,027 images of child pornography on 16 February 2017. He had an old mobile phone containing 638 images of child nudity, 386 images of sexual activity involving children and adults, and three images of a child with an animal. The original judge, Seán O'Donnabháin, imposed a wholly suspended three‑year sentence on 9 November 2018, which the Court of Appeal found unduly lenient. On appeal, Patrick McCarthy re‑sentenced Lordan to three years imprisonment, suspending the final two years. He must enter a good‑behaviour bond for the suspended period and was taken into custody immediately. Lordan had no prior convictions, had cooperated with Gardaí, and had undergone therapy, but the Court emphasised the need for deterrence in sentencing.