Court archive
Court reports mentioning DERRY CITY, Derry
2025-11-24 · Derry
The High Court has ordered the surrender of James Meehan to Northern Ireland. Mr Justice Paul McDermott ruled there was no basis to refuse the extradition, which was sought under the Trade and Co-operation Agreement. Meehan, 56, was arrested by gardai in August following warrants issued after he failed to return to Magilligan prison in Derry while on day release in December 2024. He was sentenced in 2009 to life imprisonment, with a minimum of 14 years to be served, for the murder of Jim McFadden in May 2007. A second warrant seeks to prosecute him in Northern Ireland for being unlawfully at large, an offence carrying a potential sentence of up to two years. Meehan will remain on bail while arrangements are made for his surrender. Defence counsel Brian Storan BL had requested a delay to allow authorities to consider transferring his sentence to the Republic, noting Meehan's 2017 application was withdrawn by Northern Ireland authorities in 2022. However, the judge rejected the argument that Meehan could unilaterally initiate a transfer. Meehan, who previously had addresses in Derry City and Headfort Grove, Kells, Co Meath, was previously extradited to Northern Ireland less than two years ago after being described as unlawfully at large.
2025-10-30 · Meath
James Meehan, 56, a convicted murderer sentenced to life with a 14‑year minimum for the 2007 murder of Jim McFadden, fled from Magilligan prison in Derry during a day‑release in December 2024 and was arrested by Gardaí in August 2025 on extradition warrants issued under the Trade and Co‑operation Agreement. He had previously been extradited to Northern Ireland after being described as unlawfully at large. In 2017 he applied to transfer his life sentence from the North to the Republic, a request he reiterated in court. Defence counsel Brian Storan argued that Meehan's temporary release was granted by both Irish and Northern Irish authorities and that he sought a stay on the surrender to allow authorities to consider his transfer application. Judge Paul McDermott adjourned the case to 14 November to allow the defence to present evidence of correspondence regarding the transfer request.
2025-09-10 · Meath
James Meehan, a convicted murderer, appeared in the High Court where Ms Justice Caroline Biggs set October 23 for an extradition hearing. Meehan, 55, was arrested by gardai earlier this month under extradition warrants issued under the Trade and Co-operation Agreement after allegedly failing to return to Magilligan prison in Derry during day release in December 2024. He was sentenced in 2009 to life imprisonment, with a minimum of 14 years to be served, for the murder of Jim McFadden in May 2007. Meehan, who previously had addresses in Derry City and Headfort Grove, Kells, Co Meath, is alleged to have gone on the run for the second time in three years. In December 2023, the High Court found clear evidence that the terms of his release had been breached and ordered his surrender to Northern Ireland. Counsel for the State indicated that two matters regarding Meehan could be dealt with in approximately one hour each, potentially allowing the case to be heard in one day. Ms Justice Biggs ordered that all submissions be provided by the respondent one week prior to the hearing date. She further ruled that Meehan will be remanded on continued bail until October 23. The matter was adjourned to that date for the extradition proceedings.
2024-03-05 · Dublin
Ken Oman, a 41‑year‑old former League of Ireland centre‑back and Ireland U21 international, voluntarily surrendered to Northern Ireland authorities to face charges of causing a broken jaw to Cliftonville player Caoimhín Bonner during a 2016 Premiership match at Solitude. The incident, captured on TV, led to Bonner losing two front teeth and sustaining a broken upper jaw. Oman received a six‑match ban from the Irish Football Association. The warrant, issued in the Republic and endorsed by the PSNI, refers to the offence as grievous bodily harm, punishable by up to seven years' imprisonment in the UK. At the High Court, Oman confirmed he had been fully advised of his legal options and signed consent papers. The judge ordered his extradition to Northern Ireland within 20 days, noting Oman had complied with bail conditions and had engaged a solicitor in the North.
2023-12-08 · Donegal
The High Court has ordered the extradition of James Meehan, aged 54, to Northern Ireland following his refusal to stay proceedings on the matter. Meehan, with addresses in Derry City and Kells, County Meath, was convicted in 2009 of murdering Jim McFadden in Donegal in May 2007 and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 14 years. He was released on temporary release in 2022 subject to strict conditions, including a curfew and residency requirements in Limavady. In October 2022, he breached these conditions by absconding. Ms Justice Melanie Greally found clear evidence of breach and rejected arguments that Meehan had served the punitive element of his sentence or was on licence rather than temporary release. The judge expressed concern about frequent bail applications following surrender orders, stating such applications would henceforth be granted only in exceptional circumstances. Meehan remains on bail for a maximum of 25 days pending surrender.
2023-11-22 · Meath
A man convicted of murder has sought a stay on extradition proceedings pending the outcome of his application to transfer his prison sentence from Northern Ireland to the Republic. James Meehan (54), with addresses in Derry City and Kells, Co Meath, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2009 for the murder of Jim McFadden in May 2007 following an incident in Donegal. Meehan left Northern Ireland in October 2022 whilst on release conditions and later moved to Kells. He was arrested by arrangement in May this year on foot of extradition warrants. At the High Court hearing, his counsel argued that the punitive element of his sentence had been served and that determination of his sentence-transfer application, pending since 2017, should precede any extradition decision. The State's counsel contended he was unlawfully at large from temporary release and that court could not delay proceedings whilst a live prosecution existed in the North. Ms Justice Melanie Greally adjourned judgment to Friday, 8 December.
2023-05-29 · Meath
A man convicted of murder in Northern Ireland was arrested in the State on an extradition warrant following his disappearance from custody seven months earlier. James Meehan, aged 53, with addresses in Derry city and Kells, Co Meath, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2009 for the murder of a man in Derry in 2007. He had absconded while on home leave in October 2022 and was declared unlawfully at large by the Northern Ireland Prison Service. Gardaí arrested Meehan by arrangement at a garda station in Dublin this morning. At the High Court, his defence counsel submitted that he had moved to live with his brother in Kells to work and had notified the Department of Justice of his whereabouts in December. The judge noted Meehan was living openly and had engaged with authorities. Bail was granted on condition of a €2,000 deposit, daily signing-on, provision of a mobile phone number to gardaí, and surrender of any travel documents. He was remanded to appear again on 12 June.
2019-02-08 · Dublin
Kevin Braney, the Dublin leader of the New IRA, was convicted of murder for the killing of dissident republican Peter Butterly. The New IRA, formed in 2012 from remnants of the Real IRA, Republican Action Against Drugs, former Provisional IRA activists and criminal elements, is regarded by the gardai and PSNI as the biggest terrorist threat in Ireland. Braney's conviction followed extensive garda operations involving the Special Detective Unit, Garda Security and Intelligence and the National Surveillance Unit (NSU). NSU members observed Braney's movements before, during and after the murder, and provided evidence in court, though the public were excluded from the proceedings. Braney was also convicted of IRA membership in 2022 and is serving a four‑year sentence in Portlaoise Prison. The New IRA remains a primary target of Garda Security and Intelligence, with about 50 active members and several hundred sympathisers across the island.
2017-11-28 · Derry
Stephen Cahoon, aged 44, was found guilty of murdering his ex‑girlfriend Jean Teresa Quigley, aged 30, who was ten weeks pregnant with his child. The murder took place on 26 July 2008 at Cornshell Fields, Derry. Cahoon admitted strangling Quigley but denied it was murder, claiming it occurred after consensual sex and that she was still alive when he left her home. He did not call an ambulance. The jury at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin unanimously convicted him and he received a mandatory life sentence in December 2015. The appeal focused on the admissibility of witness statements under Section 16 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006. Judge Alan Mahon upheld the conviction, finding the trial judge's decision to admit the statements correct and the jury instructions fair. Cahoon was not present at the hearing.
2017-10-03 · Derry
Stephen Cahoon, aged 44, was found guilty of murdering his pregnant ex‑girlfriend Jean Teresa Quigley, aged 30, who was 10 weeks pregnant when strangled at Cornshell Fields in Derry on 26 July 2008. Cahoon denied the murder. He was first tried in the Central Criminal Court in Dublin, where a hung jury failed to reach a verdict. In April 2012 he was again found guilty, but the conviction was overturned because the judge's instruction on provocation was incorrect. A retrial in December 2015 resulted in a unanimous conviction. Cahoon now appeals the conviction, arguing that a witness's Section 16 statement was admitted without proper consideration of a threat from police officers and that the statement's reliability was compromised. The appeal is pending, and the court has reserved judgment. The case is notable for being the first murder in Northern Ireland tried in the Republic under the Criminal Law Jurisdiction Act 1976.
2015-07-21 · Wicklow
In July 2015 the High Court resolved a dispute between Bray Wanderers Ltd and three former associates. Mr Justice Paul Gilligan had granted temporary injunctions against Mr John Deering, Paul Lennon and former goalkeeper Darren Quigley, preventing them from trespassing on the club's Carlisle Grounds, misrepresenting themselves as directors, calling official meetings or publishing official‑looking material. The injunction was withdrawn after the defendants offered undertakings: they would not trespass without prior arrangement, would not publish official‑looking information, would not misrepresent themselves as directors or claim to act in an official capacity, and would not call official meetings. Mr Deering also agreed to delete data he had accessed from the club's email and website systems. The parties agreed to amend the Companies Registration Office filings that had purportedly removed four directors and appointed Mr Deering. The court left open the possibility of future proceedings if necessary.