Court reports mentioning Muff, Donegal

2023-02-20 · Cavan

Man jailed for rape of woman over 16 years ago

Paul Clarke, 40, of Muff, Kingscourt, Cavan, was sentenced at the Central Criminal Court for the rape of a woman in 2007. Clarke had denied the charge, claiming the victim fabricated the allegation to access his inheritance, but was convicted by a jury following a second trial after the first resulted in a hung jury. Ms Justice Karen O'Connor imposed a headline sentence of seven and a half years, which she reduced to six years, taking into account mitigating factors including Clarke's personal circumstances and a psychologist's report detailing memory issues from a 2002 car accident. The judge backdated the sentence to Clarke's initial custody in December and applied 18 months of post-release supervision. During the hearing, the judge acknowledged the victim's dignity and noted her horror that a member of Clarke's legal team had followed her on social media. The judge described Clarke's claim that the victim sought money as "unpleasant, hurtful and ugly." The court heard that the victim, then 22, was asleep in a friend's house when she was raped. She reported the incident in 2017 after years of anxiety and depression. The judge emphasized that the victim should have felt safe in her friend's home but was instead violated. The matter was concluded with the imposition of the six-year custodial sentence and supervision conditions.

2020-01-31 · Donegal

Judge "runs out of patience" with father and son over obstruction of windfarm

A High Court judge has warned a father and son from Muff, County Donegal, that they face imprisonment and seizure of machinery if they continue to obstruct access to a windfarm development at Glackmore. Ms Justice Leonie Reynolds expressed her impatience with Joseph McGonigle and his son Seosamh following allegations that they placed a tractor and mobile home on an alternative access route required for health and safety purposes. The plaintiffs, Storm Renewables Ltd, Michael Doherty, Enros Wind Farm Ltd, and Three Trees Wind Project Ltd, sought further court orders to remove the vehicles blocking the route to the construction site. The defendants claim ownership of the disputed lands and deny wrongdoing. Ms Justice Reynolds granted the requested orders, giving the McGonigles until Sunday afternoon to remove the obstruction, warning of potential incarceration for further breaches and contemplating orders for machinery seizure. She noted mounting legal costs in the ongoing dispute. The matter was adjourned for one week.