Court archive
Court reports mentioning Magherafelt, Derry
2023-02-20 · Derry
A 24-year-old man from County Derry has initiated a High Court judicial review challenge against the Defence Forces following the rejection of his application to join the Permanent Defence Forces. Ronan Corey, with an address in Magherafelt, was initially accepted into the PDF subject to vetting procedures and was instructed to report to Finner Camp in County Donegal to commence training. After passing all medical, fitness and vetting assessments, his enlistment offer was suspended in July and he was required to undergo re-vetting at Cathal Brugha Barracks in Dublin. In September, he was removed from the recruitment competition for failing security vetting, with no substantive reasons provided. Mr Corey contends that the decision may be linked to convictions held by his biological father during the Troubles, from whom he has been estranged since childhood. He claims this amounts to a breach of fair procedures and constitutional justice. His counsel argues that the absence of adequate reasons for the decision constitutes a procedural violation.
2020-03-05 · Dublin
Ryan Johnston, a 36‑year‑old truck driver from Cedar Grove, Magherafelt, was found carrying €166,720 in cash in a blue canvas bag in the cab of his tractor unit. He was arrested after a Garda surveillance operation and pleaded guilty to possession of the cash and the proceeds of criminal conduct on 3 June 2016. Johnston had six prior convictions in Northern Ireland, mainly for road traffic offences, and made no admissions during his interview. His defence lawyer, Justin McQuade, argued that Johnston was a valued member of his business, was embarrassed and ashamed, and that the offence was a one‑off transgression committed recklessly. Judge Melanie Greally, noting Johnston's respectable family background, good work record and character references, imposed a three and a half year sentence, suspending the final 18 months, and jailed him for two years. The sentence reflected the seriousness of money laundering and the need for deterrence in the haulage trade.
2018-05-30 · Westmeath
Two peat extraction companies have sought permission to appeal High Court decisions rejecting their challenges to An Bord Pleanála determinations that their operations are no longer exempt development. Bulrush Horticulture Ltd and Westland Horticulture Ltd, alongside Westmeath Peat Ltd and Cavan Peat Ltd, were rejected by Mr Justice Charles Meenan in February after the Board found their activities required planning permission from September 2012 onwards. The companies argue the cases raise points of exceptional public importance with significant implications for the peat industry. Key issues centre on whether environmental impact assessments apply to peat extraction and whether EU directives on environmental and habitat protection apply to operations that lawfully commenced as exempt development before 2012. An Bord Pleanála opposes the applications. Mr Justice Meenan reserved his decision on permitting appeals to the Court of Appeal following submissions from all parties.
2017-05-16 · Ireland
High Court proceedings were heard on Tuesday regarding a dispute over Ballycommon Bog in Co Offaly. The applicants, comprising the Eclipse Marine Retirement Benefit Scheme, the EJ Godwin (Peat Industries) Ltd director's pension scheme, Richard Bond, Andrew Rowland, and Bulrush Horticulture Ltd, claim exclusive ownership and occupation of the land since 1995. They allege that William Dunne and Mark Dunne have unlawfully trespassed and carried out detrimental works on the bogland. The Dunnes counter-claim to own a one-eighth share of the land, which they state they purchased for €100, and intend to apply for registration under the 1964 Registration of Title Act. The applicants refute these claims, asserting they have held the freehold interest to the exclusion of all others for over 22 years. Represented by Frank Crean BL, the applicants sought injunctions restraining the Dunnes from entering or interfering with the land, declarations confirming the pension schemes' ownership and Bulrush Horticulture's leasehold rights, and damages for alleged unlawful interference. Counsel noted that the Dunnes' activities have excluded Bulrush from lands it lawfully possesses, impacting its four full-time employees. Although the dispute had previously been pending before the Circuit Court, the matter was deemed urgent. Mr Justice Paul Gilligan granted permission to serve short notice of the proceedings on the Dunnes on an ex-parte basis and made the matter returnable to a date later this week.
2016-02-05 · Derry
Stephen Cahoon, aged 43, was given an extension to file an appeal against his most recent murder conviction. He had been convicted twice for the murder of his pregnant ex‑girlfriend Jean Teresa Quigley, who was strangled at Cornshell Fields in Derry on 26 July 2008. The first trial ended with no verdict, the second trial on 30 April 2012 resulted in a unanimous guilty verdict by a jury of seven women and five men, and he was sentenced to life imprisonment by Mr Justice Barry White. Cahoon successfully appealed that conviction, arguing the trial judge had misdirected the jury on the defence of provocation. He was tried a third time, found guilty again, and sentenced to life imprisonment by Ms Justice Deirdre Murphy on 3 December.
2015-12-03 · Donegal
A jury at the Central Criminal Court unanimously found Stephen Cahoon guilty of murder on 3 December following his third trial over six years. Cahoon, aged 43, from Derry, was convicted of strangling his pregnant ex-girlfriend Jean Teresa Quigley at Cornshell Fields in Derry on 26 July 2008. Ms Quigley, aged 30 and ten weeks pregnant with Cahoon's child, was discovered dead at her home by her mother. Cahoon had admitted killing Ms Quigley but denied murder, claiming loss of self-control. The prosecution presented evidence of forced entry, defensive injuries, and bruising inconsistent with Cahoon's account. The jury deliberated for three hours and forty-three minutes before reaching their verdict. Justice Deirdre Murphy sentenced Cahoon to life imprisonment, backdated to his arrest on 5 August 2008. This conviction follows a previous guilty verdict in 2012, which was quashed on appeal due to judicial misdirection regarding provocation. Cahoon became the first person tried in the Republic under the Criminal Law Jurisdiction Act 1976 for a murder committed in Northern Ireland.
2015-07-20 · Derry
Stephen Cahoon, aged 42, was convicted of murdering his pregnant ex‑girlfriend Jean Teresa Quigley, aged 30, in 2012 and sentenced to life imprisonment. His conviction was quashed in March 2015 by the Court of Appeal after a judge misdirected the jury on the defence of provocation. The Court ordered a retrial, and Cahoon's lawyers appealed to avoid a third trial. The Court of Appeal, led by Mr Justice Seán Ryan, upheld the quashing, citing the seriousness of the alleged murder and the need to determine whether Quigley was murdered or the victim of manslaughter. Cahoon had served nearly ten years in prison before the quashing. The retrial was scheduled for October 27, 2015, with Cahoon remaining in custody. The case is notable for being the first under the 1976 Criminal Law Jurisdiction Act to be tried before a jury in the Republic of Ireland.
2015-05-21 · Derry
Stephen Cahoon, a 42-year-old man from Derry, Northern Ireland, is seeking to prevent a second retrial for the alleged murder of his pregnant ex-girlfriend, Jean Teresa Quigley. Cahoon admitted strangling Quigley in 2008 but denied the charge of murder. His initial conviction was quashed by the Court of Appeal in March after the court found that the trial judge misdirected the jury regarding the defence of provocation. The Court of Appeal, led by President Mr Justice Seán Ryan, ruled that the judge's error was a mistake on a central point of the case, leading to the quashing of the conviction and an order for a retrial. Cahoon, who was previously sentenced to life imprisonment by Mr Justice Barry White in 2012, is now in custody. His counsel, Niall Flynn BL, argued that a third trial would be unfair given he has already served six years in custody. The Director of Public Prosecutions, represented by Patrick Marrinan SC, expressed urgency to fix a trial date but did not object to Cahoon's application. Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan fixed a hearing for July 20 to consider whether a third trial should proceed. The matter remains at the appeal stage, with the outcome of the application pending.
2015-03-04 · Derry
Stephen Cahoon, aged 42, had been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his pregnant ex‑girlfriend, Jean Teresa Quigley, 30, who was 10 weeks pregnant when she was strangled on 26 July 2008. The Central Criminal Court found him guilty on 30 April 2012, and Mr Justice Barry White imposed the life sentence. On 4 March 2015 the Court of Appeal quashed Cahoon's conviction, citing a misdirection by the trial judge regarding the defence of provocation. The appeal was successful because the judge's brief statement that provocation could not involve intent was deemed a mistake at a crucial point in the jury's deliberation. The Court ordered a retrial and remanded Cahoon in custody, noting that a retrial would be his third attempt after six years already served. The case was notable for being the first trial under the Criminal Law Jurisdiction Act 1976 before a jury in the Republic of Ireland.
2015-01-13 · Derry
A man convicted of murdering his pregnant ex-girlfriend is awaiting the outcome of his appeal against conviction in the Court of Appeal. Stephen Cahoon, originally from County Derry, was found guilty of strangling Jean Teresa Quigley at her home in Derry in July 2008. She was ten weeks pregnant at the time. A jury unanimously convicted him of murder in April 2012, and he received a life sentence. His appeal, heard today, centred on whether the trial judge misdirected the jury regarding the defence of provocation. Cahoon's counsel argued the judge conflated provocation with insanity by suggesting a person cannot form criminal intent when provoked. The Director of Public Prosecutions' counsel contended the trial judge's direction was correct and characterised the case as a straightforward provocation matter. The Court of Appeal indicated it would reserve its decision. Cahoon was arrested in Donegal Town ten days after the killing.