The Special Criminal Court has denied Frederick "Freddie" Thompson's request to dismiss the murder charge against him. Thompson, 36, is charged with the July 1st, 2016 killing of David Douglas, 55, who was shot dead in a shop on Bridgefoot Street, Dublin. Thompson's barrister, Michael O'Higgins SC, argued for dismissal under Section 4E of the Criminal Justice Act 1999, while Seán Gillane SC represented the prosecution. Justice Isobel Kennedy, presiding, stated that the three‑judge panel had reviewed all evidence and submissions and found sufficient evidence to proceed with a trial.
In a Special Criminal Court hearing, Frederick "Freddie" Thompson, aged 36 and residing on Loreto Road, Maryland, Dublin 8, applied for the non‑jury court to dismiss a murder charge. The charge concerns the killing of David Douglas, 55, on Bridgefoot Street, Dublin, on 1 July last year. Michael O'Higgins SC represented Thompson, while Sean Gillane SC represented the prosecution. Justice Isobel Kennedy, presiding, announced that the court would rule on the application on 31 August.
Frederick "Freddie" Thompson, aged 36 and residing on Loreto Road, Maryland, Dublin 8, has applied to the Special Criminal Court to have a murder charge dismissed. The charge concerns the killing of David Douglas, 55, on Bridgefoot Street, Dublin, on 1 July last year. Mr Thompson's solicitor, Michael O'Higgins SC, presented the application under Section 4E of the Criminal Justice Act 1999.
In a High Court hearing on 12 May 2017, William Thompson secured a temporary freezing order over €30,000 that had been awarded to Kevin Buckley, a teenager who assaulted Thompson on 24 August 2016 in Cork city centre. Thompson, a University College Cork student, was knocked to the ground and repeatedly kicked, sustaining injuries including a fractured eye socket. Buckley had previously pleaded guilty to assaulting Thompson and to false imprisonment of a woman, for which he was sentenced to four years' detention and is currently incarcerated. The €30,000 award, lodged in court for Buckley's benefit until he turned 18, was to be released to him after that date. Thompson's lawyers argued that the only way he could enforce a damages award against Buckley is to have the court‑lodged monies frozen until his personal injuries claim is decided.
Frederick "Freddie" Thompson, aged 36, will be tried at the Special Criminal Court for the alleged murder of David Douglas, aged 55, who was shot dead on 1 July last year. Thompson was charged at Cloverhill District Court and is currently in custody. The Director of Public Prosecutions has applied for a non‑jury trial, arguing that ordinary courts are inadequate for effective administration of justice. The order was made by Mr Justice Tony Hunt, with Judges John O'Hagan and Ann Ryan presiding.
Nathan Foley, 18, lives on Rosary Road, Dublin 8. He was charged at Dublin District Court with the murder of David Douglas, 55, who was shot dead on 1 July 2016 at Bridgefoot Street. Foley is also charged with damaging a car on 4 July 2016 at Strand Road, Dublin 4. State solicitor Michael O'Donovan informed the court that the Director of Public Prosecutions was applying for Foley to be tried in the Special Criminal Court. Judge Tony Hunt, with Judges John O'Hagan and Ann Ryan, granted the order.
Judgement has been reserved in a pre-trial application brought by RTÉ to dismiss the action of businessman Sean Gallagher, which arose from the 'Tweetgate' incident during the 2011 presidential election. RTÉ argued that the case should be halted because Gallagher allegedly failed to comply with discovery orders, specifically regarding emails and documents generated during his campaign. Alternatively, the broadcaster sought an order compelling full compliance. Gallagher opposed the application, with his counsel, Niall Buckley BL, stating that he had largely complied with discovery obligations and that the remaining material was unavailable, irrelevant, or peripheral. RTÉ's counsel, Douglas Clarke BL, countered that the discovery was essential to their defence and that Gallagher's failure was manifestly prejudicial. Mr Justice David Keane reserved his decision, noting he would carefully study the submissions, without indicating when the judgement would be delivered. In his underlying action, Gallagher seeks a declaration that the October 2011 RTÉ Frontline debate was deliberately and unfairly edited to damage his electoral prospects. He claims damages for alleged breach of statutory duty, negligence, and misfeasance in public office, including exemplary damages for comments allegedly made by Pat Kenny. RTÉ denies these claims, asserting that Gallagher damaged his own prospects through his responses to specific assertions. The matter remains at the hearing or decision stage, with no final determination yet issued.
In February 2016, the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal of Indian national Dileesh Soman, 33, who had been sentenced to four years' imprisonment with the final 12 months suspended for sexually assaulting a 30‑year‑old postgraduate student in Cork City on 11 November 2013. Soman, who had lived and worked in Ireland for over six years, had used the alias 'Aaron' and entered the victim's apartment after she had advertised a room on daft.ie. During the assault he forced her to expose parts of her body, touched her breasts, opened her jeans, and inserted his hand into her vagina, while making remarks such as 'nothing bad is going on' and 'it's okay, we're not going to have sex here.' The victim, who had never advertised for a flatmate before, later reported the incident to the Gardaí. Dileesh Soman pleaded guilty.
Jonathan Douglas, aged 30, was convicted of murder after shooting Aidan Bryne, 31, 10 times in Dublin on 20 February 2010. The jury found him guilty after an 11‑day trial and he received a mandatory life sentence on 23 July 2012. Douglas had been hired to kill Bryne, who was a front‑seat passenger in a Toyota Corolla driven by another man. Douglas waited for the car, walked up to it and fired 10 bullets into the passenger window, killing Bryne. The prosecution alleged Douglas had left a pub shortly before the shooting. In October the Court of Appeal heard Douglas's appeal, which centred on the admissibility of statements made by his step‑niece Stacey Douglas and her boyfriend Andrew Sheridan. The Court of Appeal, led by Justice Alan Mahon, dismissed all grounds of appeal, ruling that the judge had correctly admitted the evidence and that the jury had been properly directed. Jonathan Douglas pleaded not guilty.
Jonathan Douglas, aged 30, was convicted of murder after shooting Aidan Bryne 10 times in Dublin in 2010 and received a mandatory life sentence. He pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court, but a jury found him guilty after an 11‑day trial. The prosecution argued Douglas had been hired to kill Bryne, who was a front‑seat passenger in a Toyota Corolla driven by another man. Douglas allegedly waited for the car, then fired 10 bullets into the passenger window, killing Bryne. The court heard that Bryne died from multiple gunshot wounds, with eight bullets exiting his body and two remaining inside. Douglas has now filed an appeal, challenging the trial judge's handling of witness statements from his step‑niece and her boyfriend, who had initially implicated him but later recanted. The appeal was opened in the Court of Appeal, where the judge will consider whether the judge's treatment of the statements was correct. The case remains pending.
The trial of former Anglo Irish Bank officials Tiarnan O'Mahoney, Bernard Daly, and Aoife Maguire continues before Judge Patrick McCartan and a jury. The three accused, who have all pleaded not guilty to seven alleged offences committed in 2003 and 2004, are charged with attempting to hide bank accounts from the Revenue in an alleged tax evasion scheme. Specifically, Mr. Daly and Mr. O'Mahoney deny omitting the name of John Peter O'Toole from a list provided to the Revenue Commissioners, while Mr. O'Mahoney and Ms. Maguire deny attempting to delete six other accounts connected to former chairman Sean FitzPatrick from the bank's Core Banking System. On day ten, former fraud officer Patrick Peake testified that Mr. O'Mahoney and Mr. FitzPatrick jointly received a US$1.2 million bridging loan in 1997 to fund a share deal. Mr. Peake also presented evidence that details on several closed accounts, including Lock Ltd/Susie Ltd and Carnahalla Ltd, were altered on the internal computer system years after closure. He noted that Mr. FitzPatrick's name was removed from a Triumvirate Properties Ltd account record between 2003 and 2012. The trial is ongoing, with Mr. Peake's evidence continuing before the court.
John Wilson, 56, of Oliver Bond Street, Dublin, was sentenced to eight years in prison at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for his involvement in a €528,000 cannabis operation. Judge Martin Nolan imposed the sentence, backdated to February of this year, stating Wilson deserved the same term as his co-accused. Wilson pleaded guilty to possessing 88kg of cannabis at Forrest Little Road, Swords, on August 8, 2008. He had previously taken a bench warrant in 2011 and was rearrested in England earlier this year after serving a five-year UK sentence for conspiring to supply cannabis. His co-accused, Joseph Douglas, 38, and James Griffin, 48, were both jailed for eight years for the same offence in 2011. Robert Wilson, 51, received a ten-year sentence in 2011, with the final two years suspended. Detective Sergeant Emmet Casserly testified that surveillance linked Wilson's phone and pickup truck to the loading of 370 slabs of cannabis into a van driven by Griffin. Defence counsel Sean Gillane SC argued for leniency, noting Wilson had "buried his head in the sand" by fleeing. The court accepted that a person above Wilson guided the operation. This sentencing concludes the proceedings for Wilson, while the matters for Douglas, Griffin, and Robert Wilson were finalised in 2011.
In a 2015 Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Carl Feighery, 32, was sentenced to 240 hours of community service within 12 months in lieu of a two‑year jail term for dangerous driving that caused the death of 77‑year‑old Rose Douglas. Feighery, an electrician, had already been disqualified from driving for five years. The judge, Martin Nolan, found no aggravating factors such as drink driving or excessive speed, describing the offence as a loss of focus. Feighery pleaded guilty and expressed remorse, having made a voluntary statement at the scene and taken a jumper over Douglas's legs. The Douglas family, who lost a wife, mother, grandmother and great‑grandmother, received the sentence as a form of closure, with the judge noting the tragedy's impact on them. The case concluded with the community service order and no custodial sentence.
Carl Feighery, 32, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to dangerous driving causing death after killing 77-year-old Rose Douglas in Finglas, Dublin 11, in January 2013. Judge Martin Nolan adjourned the sentencing until May 5 to allow for a Probation Service report to determine Feighery's suitability for community service. The judge indicated that the driving did not justify a custodial sentence, describing the loss of focus as a human frailty rather than an aggravating circumstance like drink driving or excessive speed. Feighery was remanded on bail and disqualified from driving for five years. The court heard that Feighery had zero alcohol in his blood and was not speeding. The Douglas family, represented by Dermot Douglas, described the devastating impact of their mother's death, noting she was a community volunteer and church minister. Feighery, an electrician from Ashbourne, County Meath, expressed remorse and accepted full responsibility. He has one minor previous conviction and a 2007 drink-driving offense. The matter remains adjourned pending the probation report.
In a tragic incident on 9 January 2013, 77‑year‑old Rose Douglas was struck by a silver Peugeot while crossing the North Road in Finglas, Dublin. The driver, 32‑year‑old electrician Carl Feighery, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death. He was found sober, not speeding, and had a prior drink‑driving conviction. The court heard a victim impact statement from Douglas's son Dermot, detailing her roles as wife, mother, grandmother, great‑grandmother, church minister, and hospice volunteer. Feighery remained at the scene, offered a voluntary statement, and expressed remorse. The sentencing hearing was postponed to allow the judge to consider the case overnight. The family expressed relief that Douglas was not at fault and hoped Feighery might engage in charity work in her memory. The case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Jonathan Chubb, a 35‑year‑old former Dublin letting‑agent employee, was sentenced to 200 hours of community service instead of a prison term for stealing €8,660 from tenants across the country between July and December 2012. He pleaded guilty to 11 charges of stealing rent money from properties managed by Grant Thornton Receivers. Chubb claimed he had intended to repay the money and had taken it to ease his own financial difficulties. The judge, Martin Nolan, noted that the crime was a form of white‑collar theft and that Chubb had been found eligible for community service by the Probation Service. Chubb must complete the hours within 12 months. The case was prosecuted by Gerardine Small BL and defended by James Dwyer BL, who highlighted Chubb's prior financial hardship following the economic crash.
In 2010, Douglas Ward, 38, of Louth, killed 18‑year‑old Niall Dorr in a prolonged assault on Castle Road, Dundalk. Ward pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was originally sentenced to 16 years' imprisonment, with three years suspended, by Mr Justice Paul Carney in 2012. The Court of Appeal, led by Mr Justice Seán Ryan, found the sentence excessive, citing Ward's lack of pre‑meditation, no serious prior convictions, and his efforts to address alcohol and drug problems. The appeal court reduced the sentence to 13 years' imprisonment, again with three years suspended. The decision was based on the violent nature of the attack, the severity of injuries, and the absence of provocation or prior conflict involving Dorr. Ward expressed remorse for the killing. The case remains a manslaughter conviction with a reduced custodial term.
Jonathan Chubb, a former employee of a Dublin letting agency, was found guilty of stealing €8,660 in rent payments from tenants across several properties between July and December 2012. He admitted to taking the money to address his own financial difficulties and claimed he intended to repay it. Chubb had previously been convicted of minor traffic offences. The theft involved redirecting rent payments to his personal bank account instead of the company's account, a scheme uncovered when the agency's receivership firm contacted tenants who had not received funds. Chubb was dismissed from his position and had not repaid any of the money. He pleaded guilty to eleven charges at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Judge Martin Nolan, noting the offence as a form of white‑collar crime, remanded Chubb on continuing bail and adjourned the case to consider whether he might be eligible for community service.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, 32‑year‑old Carl Feighery of Millbourne Crescent, Ashbourne, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing the death of Rosemary Douglas on North Road, Finglas, on 9 July 2013. Judge Mary Ellen Ring remanded him on continuing bail until 4 March 2015, when all evidence will be heard. Prosecutor Diarmuid Collins said there was no objection to bail and requested a victim impact report for the sentencing date.
John Douglas, a 30‑year‑old convicted murderer, was sentenced to life in prison in July 2012 for the shooting death of a father‑of‑one in a parked car. In a separate incident, he pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to a prison officer at Mountjoy Prison on 26 August 2008. Judge Martin Nolan ruled that a life sentence cannot be extended by an additional term, following a Supreme Court decision. Consequently, Douglas will not serve extra time beyond his life sentence. Instead, Nolan imposed an 18‑month sentence that will run concurrently with the life term, beginning immediately. Douglas, who has 95 prior convictions including a dangerous driving conviction that caused death, was hired to kill 31‑year‑old Aidan Byrne, a front‑seat passenger in a car driven by another man.
A 37‑year‑old man, Darren Murphy, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of 36‑year‑old Olivia Dunlea, who was his partner for three months. The trial, held in the Central Criminal Court, lasted seven days. Murphy pleaded not guilty to murder but attempted to plead guilty to manslaughter. He admitted setting fire to Dunlea's home, claiming he did not want children to see her, and pleaded guilty to a second charge of arson. The jury found him guilty of murder by a 10‑to‑one majority after four and a half hours of deliberation. The judge imposed a mandatory life sentence, backdated to the date of his arrest, and remanded him in custody for the arson charge. The verdict was met with sobbing from Dunlea's family, while Murphy remained silent throughout the proceedings.