Perry Wharrie, 56, from Loughton, Essex, was sentenced to 30 years in 2008 for his role in Ireland's largest drug seizure of €440 million, a haul that went awry at Dunlough Bay in 2007. He pleaded not guilty to possession for sale or supply and was found guilty by a Cork Circuit Criminal Court jury. Wharrie's appeal in 2016 was successful; the Court of Criminal Appeal ruled that the original judge had erred by not fully crediting Wharrie's refusal to give false evidence and by not considering his prior life sentence in England for the murder of PC Frank Mason. The appeal reduced his term to 17 ½ years, with a five‑year discount for good conduct, and the sentence is to run from the date of his initial custody. Wharrie's case was the last before the Court of Criminal Appeal before it was succeeded by the Court of Appeal.
Kris Collins, 25, of Murphy's Rock, Old Mallow Road, Cork, pleaded guilty to a headbutt assault on a man in Cork City on 7 September 2014. The assault caused serious harm, leading to a clot between the skull and brain and emergency neurosurgery. He was originally sentenced to eight years' imprisonment on 17 June 2015. On appeal, the Court of Appeal re‑sentenced him to five years' imprisonment, with the final 12 months suspended on condition of a two‑year good‑behaviour bond. The judge noted the victim's wife had been told to "prepare for the worst" and that the victim's life had been severely disrupted, including financial hardship. Collins had 15 prior convictions, had paid €4,000 in compensation, and had offered cooperation and a guilty plea, factors cited as mitigating in the appeal decision.
Martin McBride, 47, of Enniscorthy, pleaded guilty in 2011 to possessing €97,000 of cannabis for sale in Cork. While on bail, he was later caught with €40,000 of cannabis in Wexford. He received a seven‑year sentence in Cork and a consecutive ten‑year minimum in Wexford, totaling 17 years. His lawyer, Bernard Condon SC, appealed, arguing that the Wexford offence was a second offence triggering a mandatory minimum only if a conviction had already been recorded, and that the conviction was not yet formalised at the time of the second offence. He also questioned whether consecutive sentencing for bail offences and mandatory minimums should apply simultaneously. The Court of Appeal noted the case and reserved judgment. The article reports only the procedural arguments and the 17‑year sentence, without any further outcome.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Judge Patrick McCartan rejected the State's application to confiscate the "hard‑earned" cash of two Czech prostitutes who had been robbed by Mantas Grazevicius. The judge, after sentencing Grazevicius to three years' imprisonment (back‑dated to his February 2015 arrest), praised the women's courage for confronting the robber and delaying him until Gardaí arrived. The robbery took place on 17 July 2013 at the Clyde Court Hotel, where the women had earned about €5,000 in cash hidden in a wardrobe. Grazevicius, who had €2,675 on him at the time of arrest, was convicted of false imprisonment and robbery. The judge ordered that the €2,675 be forfeited to the State as proceeds of prostitution, but indicated he intended to return it to the women, describing it as "hard earned.". Mantas Grazevicius pleaded not guilty.
In 2015, approximately 350 people were serving life sentences in Irish prisons, with life terms averaging around 18 years. However, a select number of prisoners have served substantially longer. John Shaw and Geoffrey Evans, convicted in 1978 of abducting, raping and murdering two women in 1976 and 1977, received life sentences. Evans died in 2012 after 34 years in custody. Shaw remains imprisoned after nearly 38 years. Jimmy Ennis, now aged 84, is Ireland's longest-serving prisoner, having been incarcerated over five decades for a 1964 murder in County Cork. Noel Callan from Castleblayney, County Monaghan, and Michael McHugh were sentenced to death in 1985 for the killing of Sergeant Patrick Morrissey near Tallanstown, County Louth. Their sentences were commuted to 40 years imprisonment and both were released in 2015 after 30 years. Colm O'Shea and Patrick McCann received death sentences in 1980 for murdering two gardaí during a bank robbery in Ballaghedereen, County Roscommon, later commuted to 40 years. Both were released in 2013 after serving 33 years.
The High Court, on 29 January 2016, appointed Neil Hughes and Joseph Walsh of Hughes Blake as joint provisional liquidators for Innovation Enterprises Ltd, a Cork-based chemical manufacturing firm employing 31 people. The appointment followed a request from Ross Gorman Bl, who argued the company was "hopelessly" insolvent after its Swiss parent, Orphee SA, withdrew support. Innovation Enterprises, which produces and sells 200 chemical reagents to hospitals, laboratories and other businesses, had been loss‑making and could not meet its debt obligations or pay its wage bill due at the end of the month. Counsel noted the firm had failed to secure additional investment and that the provisional liquidators were required to preserve assets and monitor hazardous chemicals that must be stored at specific temperatures to remain usable. The case is scheduled to return to the court in February.
A woman who says she was forced to work in Magdalene laundries for ten years has taken legal action against the Minister for Justice for excluding her from the government's redress scheme for victims of those institutions. She claims she was used as "forced labour" at St Mary's laundry in Waterford and St Mary's Refuge Magdalene Laundry in Dublin from age eight to 18, during the 1970s and early 1980s, and was not paid. She applied to the scheme set up in 2013 to compensate survivors, but her application was rejected because she was admitted to two industrial schools rather than the laundries themselves. In the High Court, she seeks orders to quash the Minister's refusal and to admit her to the Ex-Gratia Scheme for Women who were admitted to and worked at the laundries. The case was granted permission on an ex‑parte basis and is set for a hearing in March.
An elderly man, aged 75, was sentenced by the Central Criminal Court to 12 years' imprisonment, with six years suspended, for attempting to rape and sexually assaulting his special‑needs niece between 2005 and 2011. The court heard that the victim, aged 11 to 14 at the time, was abused in various locations in County Cork and County Limerick, including a house, a car and a bedroom in the niece's grandparents' home. The man pleaded guilty, and his cooperation and early plea were cited as mitigating factors. Judge Tony Hunt suspended the final six years on the condition that the defendant keep the peace and have no contact with the victim for life. The victim's impact statement described ongoing fear and emotional distress caused by the abuse. The defendant had no prior convictions. The case was prosecuted by Martina Baxter BL and defended by Mary Rose Gearty SC.
Perry Wharrie, 56, an Englishman, is awaiting a new sentencing decision after a 30‑year prison term was overturned on appeal for his role in Ireland's largest drug seizure. The 2007 haul of €440 million in cocaine was recovered off Dunlough Bay when a rigid inflatable boat, carrying 1.5 tonnes of the drug, sank after its petrol engine was filled with diesel. Wharrie was found guilty of possession for sale or supply by a Cork Circuit Criminal Court jury and sentenced by Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin to 30 years imprisonment on 23 July 2008. Two accomplices received 30 and 25 years respectively, while a third who pleaded guilty was jailed for ten years. The Court of Criminal Appeal ruled that the original sentence was too severe, and a new, lower sentence will be imposed on 15 February. The case highlights the scale of the seizure and the legal process for reviewing sentencing in Ireland. Perry Wharrie pleaded not guilty.
A trial date has been set for Darren Murphy, a Cork man from Dan Desmond Villas, Passage West, who is accused of murdering 36‑year‑old Olivia Dunlea at Pembroke Crescent, Passage West, on 17 February 2013. The trial will be held at the Central Criminal Court on 15 May 2017.
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.
A 52-year-old man from Cork has been granted bail at the Special Criminal Court following charges relating to IRA membership and explosives offences. Martin McHale of Blackwater Grove, Togher, Cork, was charged on November 1st, 2013, with membership of an unlawful organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army, and with possession of an explosive substance consisting of ten sealed bags of white prills containing ammonium nitrate and calcium carbonate discovered at Mall Road, Tirkeenan, Monaghan. The State consented to the bail application. Mr Justice Paul Butler, presiding with Judge John O'Hagan and Judge Ann Ryan, imposed strict conditions including a daily curfew from 12pm to 7am, three weekly sign-ons at Togher Garda Station, and surrender of his passport. Mr McHale was also prohibited from associating with individuals charged or convicted of scheduled offences and from contacting proposed prosecution witnesses.
Kevin Mulcahy, a 57‑year‑old GP from Creggan, was jailed for two years after being found guilty of indecently assaulting a 15‑year‑old girl in 1989. He pleaded not guilty to the single charge. The conviction was reached after 39 minutes of jury deliberation in the Cork Circuit Criminal Court. On 25 November, Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin sentenced him. On 17 December, the Court of Appeal granted him bail pending an appeal, with conditions including signing in at a Cork Garda station three times a week. The appeal is scheduled for 9 February next year.
A 52-year-old man from Cork has been charged at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin with membership of an unlawful organisation and possession of an explosive substance. Martin McHale, of Blackwater Grove, Togher, was charged with IRA membership on November 1st, 2013. He was additionally charged with possessing ten sealed bags containing ammonium nitrate and calcium carbonate at Mall Road, Tirkeenan, Monaghan on the same date. Detective Sergeant Gabriel Bell told the three-judge court that Mr McHale was arrested this morning under the Offences Against the State Act. The defendant made no reply when cautioned or when shown the charge sheet. Mr Justice Paul Butler, sitting with Judge John O'Hagan and Judge Ann Ryan, remanded Mr McHale in custody pending a bail application hearing scheduled for Thursday.
Darren Murphy, 38, of Passage West, Cork, was convicted of murdering Olivia Dunlea, a mother of three, in her Pembroke Crescent home on 17 February 2013, and of arson. He had pleaded not guilty to the murder but admitted killing her and setting the house on fire, claiming he did not want the children to find her. The Central Criminal Court jury found him guilty after four hours of deliberation and he received a mandatory life sentence on 29 May 2014. Murphy appealed on the basis that the trial judge's definition of provocation was incorrectly directed to the jury. The Court of Appeal allowed the appeal, remanded him in custody, and ordered a retrial. The Director of Public Prosecutions will seek a new trial. The case involved allegations that Dunlea had provoked Murphy by suggesting a former intimate would call, which he claimed enraged him.
The Court of Criminal Appeal adjourned the hearing of Perry Wharrie, a 56‑year‑old Englishman from Loughton, Essex, whose appeal against a 30‑year prison sentence for his role in the €440 million drug seizure at Dunlough Bay in 2007 was set to be heard. The appeal was delayed because the prison escort from Portlaoise Prison failed to arrive at the court on time. Wharrie had pleaded not guilty to possession of drugs for sale or supply, was found guilty by a Cork Circuit Criminal Court jury, and was sentenced to 30 years by Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin on 23 July 2008. The Court of Criminal Appeal, comprising Justices McMenamin, Moriarty and Hunt, noted the escort's failure as "not very satisfactory" and adjourned the case to 11 January 2016. The court also remarked that Wharrie had previously been late at a hearing and that prison authorities had been specifically requested to prevent a repeat.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court manslaughter trial, retired pathologist Dr Declan Gilsenan opposed Chief State Pathologist Professor Marie Cassidy's conclusion that Jason Saunders died from commotio cordis, a rare cardiac arrest caused by a chest blow. Gilsenan argued Saunders' death resulted from a combination of an argument with Paul Brannigan and a cocktail of illegal drugs, noting that cocaine can disturb heart rhythm regardless of dose. He cited the absence of commotio cordis deaths in Ireland and estimated a 1‑in‑50‑000 incidence for cocaine‑related deaths in Cork and Kerry, versus 1‑in‑50‑million for commotio cordis in the US. Brannigan, 24, pleaded not guilty to manslaughter, assault, and possession of a golf club, admitting a verbal row and head‑butting but denying striking Saunders with the club. The trial continues before Judge Patrick McCartan and a twelve‑person jury.
Patrick Constant, aged 32, received a seven‑year prison sentence with four years suspended for possessing 122.6 grammes of heroin worth €18,390 in Dublin's Bus Aras on 17 February 2015. He will begin serving the sentence after completing a three‑year term for a prior drugs offence. Constant, of Riverview Estate Tower, Blarney, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Garda Joanne Myles described how she approached him in the Bus Aras lobby after hearing a question about a package, and how he resisted her attempt to handcuff him. She later found a heroin package in a sock between his trouser legs. Constant claimed he was receiving €500 to offset a €3,000 drug debt if he collected a package in Dublin and returned it to Cork. He said he had been promised a job upon release.
Eoin O'Sullivan, a 28‑year‑old man from Cork, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for a series of offences including dangerous driving, unlawful use of a stolen vehicle and endangerment. On 24 November 2014, Garda Blaine Feely stopped O'Sullivan on the M50 at Santry after a suspicion of dangerous driving. While the garda was partially inside the vehicle, O'Sullivan refused to stop, drove off, and later performed a U‑turn, travelling the wrong way on the M50 and the M1 before colliding with another vehicle at the Oscar Traynor Road Roundabout. He was also accused of tracing a stolen white Ford Transit box van used in a burglary in Louth. The court noted that O'Sullivan had 195 previous convictions, including dangerous driving, driving without insurance and a licence, careless driving and drink driving. Eoin O'Sullivan pleaded guilty.
In a sentencing hearing on 23 November 2015, Peter Jackson, aged 41, was given a mandatory life sentence for the murder of David Hamilton, aged 31, on 4 May 2012. Jackson, a former heroin addict, admitted remorse, saying "I'm sorry, I didn't set out to do this." The court heard that the killing occurred during a heroin injection session at a house on Kerryhall Road, where an argument over the drug escalated into a stabbing. Jackson had 73 prior convictions, mainly for traffic, public order, theft and burglary, and a previous three‑year sentence for heroin supply. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter but not to murder, a plea rejected by the prosecution. The sentence was back‑dated to the day of the murder, 4 May 2012. The hearing included a victim impact statement from Hamilton's uncle, Robert Denby, describing the family's profound grief. The judge, Justice Isobel Kennedy, confirmed the life sentence and the back‑dating. Peter Jackson was found guilty.
A dispute over Shane Long's transfer from Reading FC to West Bromwich Albion has been brought before the High Court by Mr Alan O'Mahony. O'Mahony claims he acquired a 10% interest in Long's earlier 2005 transfer from Cork City FC to Reading FC, which should entitle him to a share of the £5.1 million fee paid by West Bromwich Albion in 2011. He alleges that the liquidator of Cork City Investments, Mr Carl Dillon, sold the benefit of Long's contract to Reading FC in 2010, thereby depriving him of the contractual benefit. O'Mahony seeks damages for alleged negligence, breach of duty and breach of contract, and requests declarations that he is entitled to the benefit and that the sale to Reading is void. The case is ongoing; a pre‑trial motion was adjourned to allow document exchange. The action does not involve Shane Long, who is currently playing for Southampton FC.
An elderly 75‑year‑old man, whose name is withheld to protect the victim's anonymity, has pleaded guilty to attempted rape and sexual assault of his niece with special needs. The offences occurred in County Cork between 2005 and 2008 when the victim was aged 11 to 14, and in County Limerick between 2011 and 2012, including a December 23, 2011 assault. He admitted touching her breast and attempting sex, including an incident in a hallway after she returned from school and another in a car en route to her grandparents' home. The victim, who has a mild intellectual disability and was in residential care, reported ongoing fear and life changes in a victim impact statement. The case is set for sentencing next month, with a court adjournment to December and a risk assessment ordered for the Probation Services.
A Lithuanian woman pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to providing false information and using forged documents in connection with an attempted sham marriage in County Cavan. Rita Skvarcinskaite (42) was charged with offences committed in May and August 2015 at the Civil Registration Office in Cavan town. She had been recruited online to marry a Bangladeshi man to facilitate his visa application, with the expectation of receiving €1,500. Gardaí from the National Immigration Bureau objected to the marriage, preventing it from proceeding. Skvarcinskaite was arrested at Dublin airport on 26 August as she attempted to depart the country. Her legal representative submitted that she had undertaken the arrangement due to financial hardship and had cooperated fully with the investigation. Judge Martin Nolan sentenced her to time already served.
Sean Casey, 27, of Cooragannive, Skibbereen, was convicted of dangerous driving that caused the death of Megan Johnston, 22, and serious bodily harm to Kate Petford, 24, in a 2013 crash. He was originally sentenced to seven years' imprisonment and a 30‑year driving disqualification. In July 2015 the Court of Appeal found the sentence too severe and reduced it to five years, suspending the final twelve months. The disqualification remained. The Court considered victim impact reports from the Petfords and the Johnsons, a psychologist's report on Casey's mental state, and the principle of proportionality. The final sentence was five years' imprisonment with the last year suspended, and a 30‑year driving ban that will continue to affect Casey's rehabilitation. The decision was made after a successful appeal and a hearing in the Cork Circuit Criminal Court. The case remains a record of the Court's approach to dangerous driving convictions. Sean Casey pleaded guilty.
Corkman Colin Joyce, 35, was remanded in jail for three months after a judge said he had "signally failed" to stop him from sending harassing letters to the Royal College of Surgeons (RCSI). Joyce had previously received a three‑year suspended sentence in February for sending threatening letters to ten former supervisors and tutors at the college, after being refused re‑admission to complete his medical degree. The suspended sentence included a structured treatment plan for his autism spectrum disorder and a prohibition on contact with the college. The court heard that Joyce had continued to send letters and had committed other acts of harassment, including bomb‑threat phone calls to the Criminal Courts of Justice, St Patrick's Psychiatric Hospital and the Civic Offices at Wood Quay, as well as throwing paint at the RCSI building, breaking windows, and knocking over a trolley of Jehovah's Witness leaflets. Corkman Colin Joyce pleaded guilty.
In a Central Criminal Court trial, Peter Jackson, 41, was found guilty of murder after stabbing David Hamilton, 31, during a heroin dispute on Kerryhall Road, Fairhill, Co Cork, on 4 May 2012. Jackson had pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. The jury, consisting of ten men and two women, deliberated for nine hours and fifty‑four minutes, reaching a verdict by a majority of 11 to one after four days of evidence. The case involved an argument over heroin use, with both men injecting and attempting to share a second bag of heroin. A friend, Ms Pamela McHale, 26, testified that a fight ensued, leading Jackson to stab Hamilton with a knife. Jackson later admitted his role. The verdict was read at 4.15 p.m., and the sentencing is scheduled for 23 November, when victim impact statements will be heard. The court thanked the jurors and exempted them from further service for 15 years.
The jury in the trial of Peter Jackson, 41, accused of murdering David Hamilton, 31, during a heroin dispute, was informed that a majority verdict could be returned. Jackson, a drug addict, pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. After more than six hours of deliberation, Justice Isobel Kennedy told the ten‑man, two‑woman jury that a verdict would be accepted if ten or eleven members agreed. The jury had been deliberating for almost eight hours and was scheduled to resume at 2 p.m.
The jury in the trial of Peter Jackson, a 41‑year‑old heroin addict, will resume deliberations on the third day at the Central Criminal Court. Jackson pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter for the fatal stabbing of David Hamilton, 31, on 4 May 2012 at a house on Kerryhall Road. The ten‑man jury has spent six hours debating the case and has been instructed not to discuss it with anyone outside the jury.
An Algerian national, Khaled Benfares, aged 32, was found with 17 stolen mobile phones in his Rathmines flat, described by the court as an "Aladdin's cave". He pleaded guilty to eight charges of possessing stolen phones, claiming he had no contact details for the man who left the phones and that he had not stolen them himself. Benfares admitted that the presence of so many phones was suspicious and that he had allowed the flat to be used as a storage place for them. He had no prior convictions and was seeking refugee status in Ireland, having arrived in 2011. Judge Martin Nolan imposed a suspended sentence of two years, noting that imprisonment would be more difficult for a foreign national. The case was prosecuted by Ronan Kennedy BL and defended by Dean Kelly BL. The Garda raid was triggered by a tip‑off, and Benfares was arrested and interviewed five times before the court hearing.
The jury in the trial of Peter Jackson, a 41‑year‑old heroin addict from Kerryhall Road, Fairhill, Co. Cork, will resume deliberations tomorrow after Justice Isobel Kennedy finished her charge. Jackson has pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter for the fatal stabbing of David Hamilton, 31, on 4 May 2012 at a house on Kerryhall Road. Kennedy explained that the jury can return a verdict of guilty of murder or not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter. She reminded the ten men and two women that the burden of proof lies with the prosecution and that a murder conviction requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Jackson intended to kill or cause serious injury and that he was not provoked. The jury spent one hour and 24 minutes considering their verdict today and was asked to return tomorrow morning. The judge also instructed them not to discuss the case with anyone outside the jury.
In the murder trial of Peter Jackson, a 41‑year‑old drug addict, the jury was instructed to consider his mental state on the day of the incident. Jackson pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter for the death of 31‑year‑old David Hamilton, who was stabbed on 4 May 2012 at a house on Kerryhall Road. Defence counsel Dominic McGinn SC explained that by pleading guilty to manslaughter, Jackson accepted responsibility for Hamilton's death but denied intent to kill. Justice Isobel Kennedy told the jury that the prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Jackson intended to kill or cause serious harm, and that provocation could negate murder if the accused lost control. The prosecution argued that Jackson had tried to inject heroin, an argument escalated, and Jackson then stabbed Hamilton. Witness Pamela McHale confirmed the fight and that Jackson had taken a knife from the table.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing on 9 November 2015, Peter Jackson, 41, pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter for stabbing David Hamilton, 31, on 4 May 2012 at a house on Kerryhall Road, Fairhill, Co Cork. Jackson, a heroin addict, claimed the act was accidental, stating he wanted Hamilton's family to know he was sorry. Prosecutor Thomas O'Connell SC described how Jackson had tried to inject Hamilton after injecting himself, leading to an argument over a vein and resulting in Jackson stabbing Hamilton in the chest with a knife. Garda Donal O'Casey testified that Jackson had been interviewed three times at Gurranabraher Garda Station and had told the officers, "It was a complete accident. I'm sorry." Jackson also admitted knowing Hamilton for about 14 years and that he had never intended harm. The trial proceeded with a jury and Justice Isobel Kennedy scheduled to continue the next day.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, Peter Jackson (41) pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter for the death of David Hamilton (31) on 4 May 2012. Jackson and his girlfriend, Pamela McHale (26), had bought two bags of heroin and met Hamilton at a house on Kerryhall Road, Fairhill. After Jackson injected himself and McHale, he struggled to find a vein for Hamilton, sparking an argument. Jackson then seized a knife from the table and stabbed Hamilton in the chest. McHale later called an ambulance under a false name and did not disclose the incident to police until the next day. Hamilton died three days later. The trial continues before a jury and Justice Isobel Kennedy.
Peter Jackson, 41, of Kerryhall Road, Fairhill, Cork, faces trial at the Central Criminal Court for the 2012 murder of a 31‑year‑old. He pleaded not guilty to the murder but guilty to the manslaughter of David Hamilton, 31, who died on May 4, 2012. Justice Isobel Kennedy thanked the jury for arriving promptly, noted an unavoidable delay, and said the trial would resume Thursday at 11 a.m. The trial is expected to last about five days.
A 41‑year‑old Cork resident, Peter Jackson, was arraigned at the Central Criminal Court on 2 November 2015. He pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter in the 2012 killing of David Hamilton, a Wexford native who had been living in Cork. The court heard that Jackson stabbed Hamilton on 4 May 2012 at Kerryhall Road, Fairhill. A jury of ten men and two women was sworn in, and Justice Patrick McCarthy announced the trial would start on Wednesday or Thursday and last six days.
Brian Fitzpatrick, 50, of Castleross, Dundalk, was sentenced by the Special Criminal Court to five years' imprisonment, with the last two years suspended, after pleading guilty to possession of an explosive substance under suspicious circumstances. The offence was committed on 16 December at Mitchelstown Cross, Castletown, Navan, Co. Meath. Fitzpatrick pleaded guilty to one of the two counts shortly after the incident and has shown remorse. The court heard that he suffered severe psychiatric problems following a brutal assault 18 years earlier, which left him unable to work and depressed, and that he had received ongoing mental‑health treatment. He is described as a family man; his wife said she would be "lost without him" and that he had helped her after a fall. Fitzpatrick had raised funds for foreign missions and had worked with underage groups in his local GAA club. He had previously worked on boats and in factories in the UK to support his family.
Two men, aged 22 and 24, were convicted of attempted rape, sexual assault and oral rape after a jury found them guilty in a 2012 trial for an alleged predatory gang rape in Cork. The men denied the charges. They were sentenced to ten years' imprisonment each in January 2013. Their appeals against conviction were dismissed in July, but they successfully appealed their sentences. The Court of Appeal reduced each sentence to ten years with the final 12 months suspended, citing rehabilitation considerations. The men were 16 and 18 at the time of the offence, and the victim was 31. The case involved a van with a mattress and four males present. The men were required to enter €100 bonds for good behaviour during custody and for three years after release. The article does not state any further legal developments.
At the High Court in Dublin, an investment fund has secured a judgment of €47 million against property developers Michael and Kevin Corbett for unpaid loans, with an additional €10 million ordered against Michael Corbett alone. LSREF III Achill Investments Ltd, which acquired the loan facilities from Ulster Bank, sought summary judgment in the Commercial Court following the Corbetts' failure to repay monies advanced in 2010 and 2011. The loans, which were repayable on demand, financed various property developments across Cork including office buildings, student accommodation, and commercial premises. Mr Justice Max Barrett granted judgment, noting that whilst he sympathised with the developers' circumstances, the law provided no basis to defer the case to a full hearing. The judge used the ruling to highlight the vulnerability of a category of borrowers who fall outside consumer credit protections, describing them as occupying a middle ground between consumers and commercial actors. He emphasised that courts must remain vigilant against unconscionable bargains but found no such concerns in this matter.
A 33‑year‑old woman from Cork testified that a man, now 29, raped her at her home after a party. He slapped her, forced her to remove her pants, lie on her bed, and put her face in her pillow. She described repeated sexual acts, including anal and oral sex, and that he used a carrot during the assault. The incident occurred while her young son slept in a bedroom. The jury, after nearly four hours, found him guilty on counts of rape, anal rape, oral rape, aggravated sexual assault, sex assault and assault causing harm. He was found not guilty of an additional aggravated sexual assault charge. The judge declared him a sex offender, remanded him in custody pending sentencing, and excused the jurors from civic duties for ten years. The man had ten prior convictions, including imprisonment for breaching a barring order and assaulting his ex‑partner.
In 2013, Sean Casey, aged 27, drove a BMW four times over the legal limit and crashed into a roundabout in Skibbereen, killing 22‑year‑old Megan Johnston and leaving 24‑year‑old Kate Petford paralysed. Casey pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death and serious bodily harm. He was sentenced in February 2014 to seven years' imprisonment and a 30‑year driving disqualification. He appealed, and the Court of Appeal found the sentence "out of line with other decided cases", ordering a new sentencing hearing. On 19 October 2015 the Court of Appeal adjourned the sentencing to 17 November, citing a letter from Petford's parents describing changes in her condition and requesting the court consider these circumstances. The court noted the DPP's submission that Casey had been 4.1 times over the limit and had travelled at 80 km/h into the roundabout, and that the vehicle was heavily intoxicated. No further sentencing decision was made in the article.
Darren Murphy, 38, of Passage West, Cork, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2014 for the murder of Olivia Dunlea, a mother of three, at her Pembroke Crescent home on 17 February 2013. He admitted unlawfully killing her and setting her house on fire, claiming he did not want the children to find her. Murphy pleaded not guilty to the murder charge but guilty to the arson charge. The Central Criminal Court jury, after four hours of deliberation, found him guilty of murder and the judge imposed the mandatory life sentence. He has now filed an appeal on four grounds, including alleged misdirection by the trial judge regarding the defence of provocation. The Court of Appeal will reserve judgment and deliver a decision as soon as possible. The appeal concerns only the conviction, not the sentence. The case remains at the appeal stage.
David O'Brien, aged 63, was sentenced to four and a half years' imprisonment for indecent assault of six boys during Scout camping trips between 1975 and 1980. He pleaded guilty to ten counts of assault in Dublin, Kilkenny and Cork. The court noted that each offence could carry a maximum of two years under the law at the time, but imposed three consecutive two‑year sentences and suspended the final 18 months, resulting in an effective custodial term of four and a half years. O'Brien, a former postman, admitted to unzipping sleeping bags, fondling private parts, forcing masturbation and inserting fingers into a boy's anus. He has no prior convictions and has lived in social isolation since the abuse. Victim impact statements highlighted long‑term depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts caused by the assaults. The judge emphasised that O'Brien used his position of trust and authority to plan and premeditate the offences.
Patrick Bassett, 80, of Glanmire, Cork, was jailed for 4 years after pleading guilty to 22 counts of indecent assault on a 10‑year‑old boy and one count against the boy's brother in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Court of Appeal, hearing on 13 October 2015, suspended the final 12 months of his sentence, citing his early guilty plea and the fact that the abuse was systematic, involving daily acts of masturbation, oral sex and an attempted buggery. The judge noted the victims' vulnerability, their lack of a father figure, and that Bassett had inserted himself as a surrogate. The suspended period is to be followed by 12 months of post‑release supervision, a €100 bond, and probation service oversight. Bassett denied remorse and had been assaulted in prison by a younger inmate. The decision was made by Justices Birmingham, Sheehan and Edwards.
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 High Court has dismissed a challenge by Cork Harbour Alliance for Responsible Development (CHARD) against An Bord Pleanála's decision to grant planning permission for a scrap metal processing facility at Cork Dockyard in Cobh. Mr Justice Seamus Noonan ruled that the planning authority's decision was neither unreasonable nor irrational. The applicants, local residents, had alleged that the development would generate excessive traffic endangering public safety and that An Bord Pleanála failed to conduct a proper Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in accordance with the Planning and Development Act 2000 and EU law. They sought orders quashing the March 2013 permission, which had been granted despite Cobh Town Council's initial refusal and An Bord Pleanála's own inspector recommending against it. An Bord Pleanála, the respondent, maintained that it had carried out the requisite EIA and determined the project would not pose unacceptable adverse effects or traffic congestion. The court found that the board had explicitly engaged with the traffic concerns and provided clear reasons for its decision. While the judge noted that one condition requiring the developer to provide car parking spaces was unenforceable, he determined this condition was severable from the permission. Consequently, the dismissal of the challenge does not prohibit the development from proceeding.
Belfast man Kevin Hannaway, aged 67, was granted bail by the Special Criminal Court pending trial for allegedly assisting the Irish Republican Army (IRA). He and four co‑accused were arrested on 8 August 2015 in an operation targeting dissident republican activity in the Dublin region. Hannaway was charged on 10 August 2015 with knowingly rendering assistance to the IRA on 7 and 8 August. His co‑accused, Edward O'Brien (41), Eva Shannon (59), David Nooney (52) and Seán Hannaway (47), faced similar charges. The court imposed conditions including €100 bonds, residence requirements, daily curfews, provision of mobile phones to Gardaí, and restrictions on contact with witnesses and other charged persons. Additional sureties of €15,000 and €10,500 were posted for O'Brien and Nooney. The bail remains in force until 3 November 2015, when the book of evidence is expected to be served.
Kevin Hannaway, 67, a Belfast man linked to the "Hooded Men", appeared before the Special Criminal Court on Monday, 10 August 2015. He was charged with knowingly assisting the Irish Republican Army (IRA) on 7 and 8 August 2015, an unlawful organisation. Hannaway, along with four co‑accused—Edward O'Brien (41), Eva Shannon (59), David Nooney (52) and Sean Hannaway (47)—were arrested on Saturday afternoon during a Garda operation targeting dissident republican activity in the Dublin region. The operation involved the Garda Special Detective Unit, Emergency Response Unit and Crime and Security Branch. The court remanded all five accused in custody, with a subsequent hearing scheduled for 17 August 2015. The case is part of a broader effort to address the detention of the "Hooded Men" during the Troubles and their appeal for a revision of a 1978 European Court of Human Rights judgement.
Niall Fitzpatrick, 48, from Corrin Close, the Glen, Cork, faces a retrial after successfully appealing his conviction for attempted aggravated burglary and the possession of a pump action shotgun and ammunition at the home of Patrick Glavin in Glanmire on August 11, 2013. Fitzpatrick had pleaded not guilty at Cork Circuit Criminal Court. Following a three-week trial, a jury found him guilty, and Judge David Riordan sentenced him to 14 years imprisonment on November 13, 2014. On appeal, counsel Brendan Nix SC argued that the trial was compromised by the judge's failure to properly discharge a juror who sought to be excused. Nix SC stated that the Court Registrar entered the jury room to resolve the matter privately, a process that deprived both parties of input. The appellate court, comprising Mr Justice George Birmingham, Mr Justice Alan Mahon, and Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan, agreed that this procedure was unsatisfactory. Mr Justice Birmingham noted that Fitzpatrick may have been left with an understandable sense of grievance due to the lack of public administration of justice in that instance. Consequently, the court quashed the conviction and ordered a retrial. Fitzpatrick was remanded in custody to appear before Cork Circuit Criminal Court on October 28.
Brian Fitzpatrick, 49, of Castleross, Dundalk, pleaded guilty at the Special Criminal Court to possessing two complete Improvised Explosive Devices in County Meath. The devices were allegedly in his possession on 16 December 2014 at Mitchelstown Cross, Castletown, Navan. The judge remanded him on continuing bail to return on 29 October for sentencing.
Christopher Wiggins, a British citizen residing in Spain, has lost his appeal against a conviction for possession of cocaine for sale or supply. Wiggins pleaded guilty at Cork Circuit Criminal Court in November 2008 after 1.9 tonnes of cocaine, valued at over €400 million, were discovered on the vessel 'Dances With Waves' 250km off the Irish coast. He was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment by Mr Justice Carroll Moran on May 8, 2009. In May, Wiggins, representing himself, moved to appeal his conviction. The Court of Appeal, presided over by Mr Justice Seán Ryan alongside Mr Justice Gerard Hogan and Mr Justice Alan Mahon, dismissed the appeal. The court held that Wiggins could not reopen his guilty plea, which he entered with full legal advice and in exchange for a reduced sentence. Mr Justice Ryan noted that Wiggins had not demonstrated that his plea was invalidated by erroneous advice, failing to surmount the high threshold required. The judge acknowledged the case's complexity, including potential legal issues regarding the vessel's boarding, but ruled that Wiggins had waived the possibility of acquittal by pleading guilty. Co-accused Philip Doo, a British citizen from Devon, withdrew his appeal before proceedings commenced. The matter was concluded with the dismissal of Wiggins' appeal.