Anthony Fitzgerald, a 32‑year‑old former professional boxer from Gloucester Place, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault causing harm after a confrontation with bus driver Toufik Slali on North Circular Road on 18 November 2014. The incident began when a Mini pulled out in front of Slali's bus without signalling, forcing the driver to brake hard and honk. Fitzgerald, who had been on the bus, shouted at Slali, accusing him of being a "foreign" and demanding he speak to him. When Slali did not respond, Fitzgerald allegedly struck him with an open hand, head‑butting him on the nose and then punching him. Slali suffered dizziness, blurred vision, headaches and a fractured nasal bone that required surgery. Fitzgerald denied head‑butting and punching but admitted striking with an open hand.
Paul Dempsey, 51, was sentenced to four years' imprisonment with the final year suspended after he was caught by Gardaí hiding a heroin‑filled football in a front garden. He had been caring for his son's maternal grandmother when Garda Stephen Byrne noticed him acting suspiciously and attempting to conceal a round object. A warrant was issued and within an hour the drugs were discovered. Dempsey pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of the drugs for sale or supply in Rathmines on 6 May 2015. He had previous convictions for road traffic offences and possession of drugs. Garda Eoin Hickey noted that a palm print on the package matched Dempsey's, but the court accepted that he was not the owner of the drugs. The judge acknowledged his past heroin addiction, recent gambling problems and positive steps taken to address his addictions, and imposed a four‑year sentence with the final year suspended on strict conditions.
Patrick Davis Snr (51), of Marrowbone Lane flats, Dublin city, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for two charges of assault causing harm to Garda Kieran Byrne and Brian Dunphy on Thomas Street, Dublin, on February 9, 2014. Davis Snr pleaded guilty to both charges. Judge Patrick McCartan imposed a three-year jail sentence, noting that Davis Snr used considerable and determined violence against the garda, who suffered a fractured eye socket. The court heard that the attack on Garda Byrne occurred after the accused and his son, Patrick Davis Jnr, had earlier assaulted the Dunphy brothers. Davis Jnr, who was sentenced last November to a suspended term of two and a half years by Judge Martin Nolan, had initiated the confrontation. Defense counsel Emmet Nolan BL argued that Davis Snr acted out of misguided loyalty to his son and in a state of drunkenness. The accused, who has 14 previous convictions including for assault on a garda, offered €600 in compensation. The judge rejected mitigation, emphasizing the severity of the injuries and the repeated identification of the victim as a garda during the sustained assault.
John O'Rourke, 18, pleaded guilty to robbery of Chinese man Fen Ling Wang on Liffey Street on 10 July 2015. The attack involved seven teenagers who assaulted Wang, delivering kicks and blows that left him unconscious. The gang robbed his phone and shoes before abandoning him. Gardaí monitored the assault live via CCTV and interviewed the attackers after a six‑hour delay. O'Rourke was sentenced by Judge Melanie Greally to a three‑year suspended term, with conditions of good behaviour, probation supervision and participation in drug, alcohol and anger‑awareness programmes. The court noted his difficult childhood and positive steps taken in his life. Other members of the group received separate sentences, including a ten‑month term for one male and a five‑month term for a 14‑year‑old girl. The case highlighted the violent nature of the assault and the victim's significant injuries and medical costs.
In July 2016 a teenager, Ciara Maguire, 18, was forced to jump from a moving car onto a busy Dublin road when her father's car was stolen from a petrol station. Sean Dowdall, 22, had taken the vehicle after the driver, Susan Maguire, entered the shop to pay for fuel. He saw Ciara in the back seat and drove off, refusing to exit the car. The incident caused Ciara to suffer cuts, bruises and ongoing nightmares. Dowdall, who was on a "binge" and disqualified from driving, pleaded guilty to false imprisonment and car theft. The Dublin Circuit Criminal Court sentenced him to two and a half years for the theft and false imprisonment, warning that further offences would lead to longer sentences. He had 55 previous convictions and admitted the car was taken to sell for debt repayment. The case highlighted the danger of vehicle theft and the impact on the victim.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Judge Patrick McCartan sentenced 43‑year‑old Robert Kealy to five years' imprisonment, suspending the final year on probation, after Kealy pleaded guilty to possession of heroin for sale or supply. Kealy was arrested following a Garda stop outside The Barge Pub, where he was found with heroin worth €7,598. A subsequent search of his home uncovered weighing scales and drug‑dealing "tick lists". The judge said the sentence was intended to remove one more dealer from the streets, noting Kealy was selling drugs to support his own habit despite medical warnings of possible amputations. Kealy's record includes 42 prior convictions for drug dealing, assault, theft, burglary and criminal damage. His defence counsel, Sarah‑Jane Callaghan, described him as a chronic drug user who was deeply sorry for the harm he caused. Garda Paddy Farrell confirmed Kealy's role as a trusted distributor within the local drug‑using community.
Hoummada El Habri, a 44‑year‑old Moroccan from Wolseley Street, Dublin, was sentenced at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for a violent robbery that took place on 25 October 2014. He assaulted Damien O'Brien on Adair Lane, knocking him to the ground, kicking him until he was unconscious, and then stole O'Brien's mobile phone, a wristwatch worth €300 and €70 in cash. El Habri pleaded guilty and was found to have 16 prior convictions, including theft, handling stolen property and robbery. Judge Melanie Greally imposed a three‑year prison term, suspended the last 18 months on the condition that El Habri leave the State within 14 days of release and not return for ten years. The court noted that El Habri had previously set himself on fire outside the Dáil to protest his residency application, but the judge said this was not an excuse for his criminal conduct. The defendant expressed remorse for his actions.
Joseph Doyle, aged 35, was released on bail three times after a 2010 conviction for assaulting a foreign national. He pleaded guilty to five burglaries committed between 1 June 2014 and 15 January 2016. The burglaries involved houses on Camden Street, South Circular Road, the zoology department of Trinity College, Grantham Street, and Morning Star Avenue. In each case Doyle was charged, released on bail, and later arrested when CCTV identified him. He denied taking the items he was found with, claiming they were buttons or coins. The judge suspended the last 18 months of a four‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence on the condition that Doyle attend victim‑focused, relapse‑prevention and anger‑management programmes. Doyle's drug addiction was cited as a significant driver of his offending. The court noted he had a history of violence but did not act violently during the burglaries. The case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
In 2016 a man who was sexually abused by Garda Jack Dunne when he was 12 years old in the late 1950s and early 1960s settled a High Court action against the Garda Commissioner and the State. The abuse took place at Pearse Street Garda Station in Dublin, where Dunne was stationed. The claimant sought damages for personal injury, distress and upset caused by the abuse and alleged negligence and breach of duty of care by the Garda Commissioner, the Minister for Justice and the Attorney General. The defendants were found vicariously liable for Dunne's conduct. The case was settled before trial, with a statement read by the defendants acknowledging the abuse and committing to prevent and prosecute such offenders. No further settlement details were disclosed. The claimant expressed satisfaction with the outcome. Jack Dunne was convicted.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, 24‑year‑old Natasha Kavanagh of La Rochelle Apartments was found guilty of assault causing harm after a disturbance outside her bedroom window. The incident began when Catriona Traynor and her friend Karen Carter woke Kavanagh's boyfriend by shouting at the window. Kavanagh responded by shouting back, throwing a carton of milk at Ms Carter, and later, after a scuffle, striking Ms Traynor twice on the head with a hammer that had been handed to her by her boyfriend. Ms Traynor sustained cuts to her head, bruises to her neck, a pulled hair, and other minor injuries. Kavanagh admitted the assault, denied using the hammer, and pleaded guilty to the July 2014 charge. Judge Martin Nolan suspended a two‑year sentence on the condition that Kavanagh remain peaceful and comply with Probation Service instructions for one year, citing mitigating evidence of her mental health and background.
Trevor Curtis, aged 35 and of no fixed abode, has been sentenced to five years imprisonment at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court following guilty pleas to two separate offences. Curtis pleaded guilty to possession of a syringe to threaten injury or intimidate another person on Bedford Lane, Temple Bar, Dublin on April 14, 2014, and to robbery of a betting shop on Wicklow Street, Dublin on October 27, 2014. During the first incident, Curtis was experiencing hallucinations after consuming a head shop drug and believed he was being attacked by demons. When gardaí arrived, he was found holding a syringe which he waved aggressively, leading to his being pepper-sprayed. In the second offence, he jumped over the counter and brandished a syringe at a pregnant employee, demanding money. Judge Martin Nolan suspended the final year of the sentence and backdated it to 2014 when Curtis entered custody. Curtis has 43 previous convictions, including three for similar syringe-related offences.
A 24‑year‑old man, Michael Kinsella of Swiftbrook Close, Tallaght, was sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment at the Central Criminal Court for his role in the brutal killing of Adil Essalhi on 6 January 2011. Kinsella pleaded guilty to manslaughter in December 2015. Justice Deirdre Murphy described the death as "dreadful" and noted that Kinsella admitted bringing a knife, which he used to stab Essalhi twice while his uncle, Wayne Kinsella, attacked him with a machete. The judge accepted the manslaughter plea, found Kinsella acted under an immediate threat of violence, and refused to suspend any part of the sentence. She recommended that the Minister for Justice consider a reduction if Kinsella engages with educational and psychiatric services while in prison. A further hearing is scheduled for 25 July to decide on back‑dating the sentence. Michael Kinsella was convicted.
A 17‑year‑old boy in State care was sentenced to four and a half years' detention for a series of robberies committed with a group of teenagers. Between 23 June and 15 November 2015 he pleaded guilty to seven robberies in Dublin city centre and Tallaght. The offences included the early‑morning robbery of three men on 23 June, a robbery of a Chinese man on 10 July, and a robbery of three women on 15 November. The boy had prior convictions for burglary, theft and drug offences. Judge Melanie Greally noted his difficult family background, periods of homelessness and influence from negative peer groups. She observed that when away from these influences he showed insight, remorse and shame. The judge imposed a five‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence with the final year suspended, giving a total of four and a half years' detention.
In a High Court hearing on 28 April 2016, Mr Justice Paul Gilligan heard that a dispute between Lynams Hotel's operator, Theresa Andreucetti, and a receiver appointed by NAMA over the hotel's landlords had been settled. Andreucetti, who has run the hotel since 2008 under a lease, had obtained a temporary injunction to retain possession after the receiver's agents entered the premises, claiming she owed €528,000 in rent arrears. She denied the arrears and counter‑claimed that the landlords should pay for roof repairs and damages caused by water‑damaged bedrooms. The parties agreed that the hotel would be handed over to the receiver on 1 August, with Andreucetti continuing to operate it for three months. She will give vacant possession at midnight on that date, pay the receiver rent, rates and arrears, and the 21 staff will be made redundant. The receiver intends to sell the property quickly, and the case will be revisited in July.
Patrick Ryan, 38, was tried for robbing a tourist office in Dublin's city centre. He claimed the gun he used was a toy wrapped in black tape and that he was "laughed out of the place" by the workers. Ryan had a large drug debt owed to criminals for his crystal‑meth addiction. The debt holders drove him around the city and forced him to commit robberies to repay it. He pleaded guilty to robbery of Londis and attempted robbery of the Tourist Information Office on College Green on 21 September 2012, and to possession of an imitation firearm. He is already serving an eight‑year sentence for 16 robberies committed in a 12‑month period. Judge Melanie Greally added a five‑year sentence with two years suspended, to run concurrently with his existing term. Ryan's history includes 135 prior convictions, including false imprisonment, burglary and aggravated burglary.
Ms Justice Deirdre Murphy adjourned the sentencing of Michael Kinsella, 24, of Tallaght, to May 3 after expressing "enormous difficulty" in determining the appropriate penalty. Kinsella pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Adil Essalhi, who was killed in 2011. His uncle, Wayne Kinsella, was previously convicted of murdering Mr Essalhi. The judge noted that while the plea was accepted on an agreed basis, there are "differing accounts" regarding Kinsella's culpability. Specifically, conflicting evidence exists as to whether Kinsella knew his uncle had lured Mr Essalhi to extract revenge for the murder of Lee Kinsella, or if he was only informed of this at the scene. Ms Justice Murphy stated that without a clear factual basis from the prosecution, the court could not perform its task. She highlighted that the sentencing range available spans from a suspended sentence to life imprisonment. The judge requested that the prosecution clarify the basis on which the guilty plea was accepted before the court can set an appropriate sentence. This follows an earlier adjournment on April 11, during which a victim impact statement was heard from Mr Essalhi's mother, Geraldine.
In 2016 the High Court ruled that parts of Section 99 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006 were unconstitutional, meaning courts could no longer activate suspended sentences when a person re‑offended. As a result, the State asked for "no order" in two cases. Sonia Eglington, 23, had been sentenced in 2013 to four years with two suspended for falsely imprisoning a recruitment agency owner and later stealing from a church box. She was released from prison last year and was due to have her suspended sentence activated, but the High Court ruling prevented it. A second case involved Karl O'Brien, 21, who had been sentenced in 2013 to four years with two suspended for mugging a UCD student. He had also been convicted of other offences in 2015 and was out on a suspended sentence when he stole from a shop. Karl O'Brien pleaded guilty.
Evidence has been heard at the Central Criminal Court in relation to a driving licence found in the name of a witness in a murder trial. Tomas Strugacz testified that his Polish driving licence went missing in Dublin in June 2013, which he reported to gardaí in Lucan before obtaining a replacement. An identification card bearing his name and address but a different photograph was produced in court during proceedings. The trial concerns Leszek Sychulec, aged 34, of Drinan, Ballymahon, County Longford, and Andrzej Gruchacz, aged 35, with an address in Warsaw, Poland. Both men have pleaded not guilty to the murder of Patryk Krupa, aged 23, at Bogganfin, Athlone, County Roscommon on 20 June 2014. They also deny falsely imprisoning the deceased on the same date. The court has heard that Mr Krupa drowned following a violent assault. The trial before Mr Justice Tony Hunt continues.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, taxi driver Lookman Kareem was accused of biting off part of Darren O'Connor's thumb after passengers laughed at his name. O'Connor and his girlfriend Noelle Donohue were in a taxi to Rathmines with Donohue's sisters Stacey and Helena. Stacey giggled when she saw Kareem's first name on his taxi plate, prompting other passengers to join. Kareem allegedly shouted abusive remarks, punched Donohue in the nose, and struck her twice after the group left the vehicle. O'Connor claimed Kareem grabbed his leg, causing him to feel excruciating pain and lose the top of his thumb. O'Connor ran to a pub for ice, collapsed, and was taken to St James's Hospital for surgery. Defence barrister Conor McKenna denied the assault allegations, asserting the passengers were not laughing at Kareem's name. The case remains before Judge Patricia Ryan and a jury.
At the Central Criminal Court, Michael Kinsella, aged 24, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of 29‑year‑old Adil Essalhi, who was stabbed on 6 January 2011. Essalhi suffered 50 stab and chop wounds before his killers attempted to set his body on fire and then dumped it in a ditch in Tyrrelstown. Kinsella's mother, Geraldine, spoke of the devastation to her family, describing her son as kind, loving and full of promise. Detective Sergeant Dan Callaghan revealed that Kinsella's uncle, Wayne, was convicted of murder for his part in Essalhi's death. Kinsella had been in detention since age 14, had 30 prior convictions, and claimed he was coerced by his uncle. Justice Deirdre Murphy adjourned the sentencing to 25 April. The hearing focused on the circumstances of the killing and the defendant's background.
In a High Court hearing on 8 April 2016, Theresa Andreucetti, the operator of Lynams Hotel at 63/64 Upper O'Connell Street, secured a temporary injunction restoring her to possession of the premises. Andreucetti had run the hotel since 2008, employing 21 staff and paying €240,000 in rent annually. The hotel had been taken over by agents of receiver Aiden Murphy after the landlords claimed Andreucetti owed more than €528,000 in arrears. Andreucetti denied any arrears and argued the agents were not entitled to take possession. She also brought a counterclaim for hundreds of thousands of euros for roof repairs and damages caused by water damage, claiming the landlords should bear those costs. The injunction, granted ex‑parte by Justice Paul Gilligan, required the agents to return possession to Andreucetti and was made returnable to the next Wednesday. The case remains pending.
A homeless family have initiated High Court proceedings against South Dublin County Council over its refusal to grant them priority status for housing allocation. Rosemary and Stephen Mongan, currently residing in emergency hotel accommodation in Dublin City Centre with their young child, became homeless in September 2015 when their landlord in Edgeworthstown, County Longford sold their rented property. The family subsequently applied to South Dublin County Council for priority status, citing family connections to the council's administrative area. Their application was verbally refused, though they were later approved for social housing support. The Mongans, represented by the Mercy Law Resource Centre Solicitors, contend they meet criteria for priority status on exceptional medical grounds. They seek orders to quash the council's January decision and compel reconsideration of their application. The family also seek declarations that the council acted in breach of statutory duty by failing to provide reasons and that the refusal was irrational and unlawful. Mr Justice Richard Humphreys granted permission to bring the action, with the matter returnable later that week.
Niall McGlynn, a 30‑year‑old Trinity Law School graduate, was sentenced to two years in prison with the final six months suspended. He pleaded guilty to two counts of assault and one count of assault causing harm for attacking a bouncer at the Czech Inn in Temple Bar after being denied entry, and for punching Garda Brian Cleary in the mouth at North King Street. He also pleaded guilty to robbery at Paddy Power in Swords. The judge credited him for three months already spent in custody and suspended the last six months of the sentence. McGlynn was described as very drunk during the nightclub incident, and the court noted his serious gambling addiction. He had not practised law after graduating from Trinity College. The case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Dylan Murphy, aged 20, was sentenced to a partially suspended three‑year term for assaulting Jonathan Cooley with a pint glass on 24 May 2015 at Dame Court, Dublin. Murphy admitted he had "snapped" and overreacted "out of pure rage" after seeing an altercation involving his sister. He also pleaded guilty to possessing a stolen iPod found at the same location. The court noted Murphy's 24 previous convictions, including four assaults, and the victim's permanent facial scars. Judge Melanie Greally suspended the last 18 months of the sentence and ordered post‑release supervision. Murphy was described by Garda Elaine Murtagh as a "feral youth" with a difficult upbringing and periods of homelessness. The victim, who had forgiven Murphy, expressed hope he would not assault anyone else in the future.
Derek McCann, 35, of Walkinstown Park, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to robbing two young boys of their mobile phones at knifepoint on 29 September 2014. He had 31 prior convictions for robbery, burglary, assault and firearm possession. The boys, aged 12 and 14, handed over their phones and €6 each; McCann returned the money before demanding silence. He expressed shame and wrote apology letters. Judge Patricia Ryan imposed a four‑year sentence, suspending the final two years under strict conditions. McCann is currently serving the reactivated two‑year term, which will begin anew in April. The case highlighted the boys' fear and the older boy's maturity in calming his younger brother during the robbery.
A Northern Irish man, Samuel Devlin, 55, was found guilty by the Special Criminal Court of possessing an explosive substance (PETN). The court heard evidence from the Special Detective Unit that Devlin was an engineer for the IRA and a bomb‑maker. He was alleged to have been at the Finnstown House Hotel in Lucan, Dublin, where a car‑bomb had been found on the hotel grounds. During a search of a chalet adjacent to the hotel, detectives discovered 21 metres of detonator cord wrapped in a towel inside a laptop case, a laptop, a plug, an Irish passport, a Social Welfare Card and receipt, all bearing Devlin's name. Fingerprint evidence matched Devlin to the laptop and plug. The court rejected evidence from Devlin's interviews and a plastic bag incident, and accepted that Devlin possessed the PETN. He was remanded in custody until his sentencing on 6 April.
Niall McGlynn, a 30‑year‑old Trinity Law School graduate from Castlefarm, Swords, pleaded guilty to two counts of assault and one count of assault causing harm after a night of heavy drinking. On 27 January 2014 he knocked a bouncer's teeth out at the Czech Inn in Temple Bar, Dublin, after the bouncer refused them entry. McGlynn then punched a Garda in the mouth at Pearse Street Garda Station. He also pleaded guilty to robbery at Paddy Power in Swords on 12 June 2015, where he was thrown out and held by staff until Gardaí arrived. The case was adjourned to 16 March at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for sentencing. The court noted McGlynn's serious gambling addiction and substance abuse problems, but that he had remained out of trouble since the bookies incident. The judge will finalise his sentence on the adjourned date.
Robert Jones, a 26-year-old bank worker from Tallaght, Dublin, received a suspended sentence of 18 months at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for assault causing harm. Jones pleaded guilty to the charge, which carries a maximum penalty of five years, after the Director of Public Prosecutions agreed to withdraw a more serious charge of assault causing serious harm, which carried a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. A nolle prosequi was entered on the withdrawn charge. The incident occurred on July 20, 2014, at Palace night-club, Camden Street, where Jones allegedly struck victim Brian Murphy with a pint glass, leaving the medical student blind in one eye. Judge John Aylmer noted that while he made no determination on provocation, he was legally bound to give Jones the benefit of the doubt regarding witness accounts of provocation. The judge cited Jones' impeccable character, the spontaneous nature of the act, and the fact that a custodial sentence would destroy Jones' career prospects, thereby affecting the victim's ability to seek civil compensation. Jones brought €8,000 to court as a token of remorse. The court heard that Jones had previously faced trial on the more serious offence before pleading guilty to the lesser charge.
In a 2016 High Court decision, Justice Peter Kelly denied the Reinstate 48 Initiative (R48) an injunction, allowing Dublin City Council to remove six posters it had placed around the city. The judge found the posters, which promoted a constitutional amendment to restore Article 48 and enable referendums with 75,000 signatures, did not violate electoral law because they did not mention the election, candidates, or constituencies, nor did they exhort voters to support any party. R48's chairman, Stephen Mulcahy, argued the posters were exempt and relevant to the upcoming general election, seeking declarations that the removal was unlawful and breached the Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights. The court ruled the posters were not election‑related, permitting their removal, and adjourned the full hearing to allow the council to prepare its defence. The case involved €30,000 spent on the posters and a social media campaign, with over 30 candidates pledging support for R48.
In February 2016 the Reinstate 48 Initiative, led by Stephen Mulcahy, filed a High Court action against Dublin City Council (DCC) after the council removed posters that promoted the group's campaign to restore Article 48 of the Irish Free State Constitution. The initiative seeks to re‑introduce a clause that would allow a constitutional referendum to be triggered by 50,000 voter signatures, a mechanism that existed in the 1922 constitution but was removed in 1929. The group has spent about €30,000 on six posters and a social media campaign, and claims it is entitled to display them during the election campaign. Mulcahy's lawyers requested declarations that the posters are lawful, that their removal was unlawful, and that the removal breaches the Irish Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights. They also sought an injunction to prevent further removal of the posters.
Seven teenagers, all in State care, attacked a Chinese man, Fen Ling Wang, in Dublin city centre at 3 am. The group, five males and two females, assaulted Wang, delivering numerous kicks—many to the head—until he was knocked unconscious. They then robbed his phone and shoes before abandoning him on the street. The assault was captured live on CCTV, and three attackers were apprehended near the scene. The gang was on acid during the attack, delaying police interviews for six hours. In court, the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court found the attack extremely vicious. Judge Melanie Greally imposed a suspended sentence of two and a half years on one teen, deferred sentencing for another, and remanded a third on bail pending a probation report. The three accused pleaded guilty to robbery of Wang on Liffey Street on 10 July 2015.
The sentencing of Faisal Ellahi, 34, who was convicted of raping a young woman with Down syndrome in Dublin, was adjourned to the following day. The court had to delay because a psychological report proving Ellahi's very low IQ was not ready. Ellahi had pleaded not guilty to rape, sexual assault and having sex with a mentally impaired person at his home on 12 June 2013. The jury had found him guilty of rape and sexual assault, and the case was set for sentencing last month.
In a Special Criminal Court hearing, Gardai alleged that Samuel Devlin, 55, a Northern Ireland man, was a bomb maker for the IRA and possessed PETN at his address in Finnstown House Hotel, Lucan. The prosecution claimed Devlin used a false name to book a Golf Suite chalet at the hotel, where an explosive substance was found. Detective Sergeant Padraig Boyce reported that on the morning of the alleged offence a car bomb had been abandoned outside the hotel. He entered the chalet with the Emergency Response Unit, saw items he believed were for improvised explosive devices, and arrested Devlin, who was then taken to Lucan Garda station. Devlin denied possession or control of explosives during Garda interviews. The trial continues. Samuel Devlin pleaded not guilty.
Jamie Gordon, James Gantley, and David Ward were sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to various charges. Gordon, who admitted to trespassing with intent to commit an offence at an ESB substation on Ninth Lock Road, Clondalkin, on November 3, 2013, received a three-year jail sentence suspended in full on the condition that he keep the peace for five years. Gantley, who pleaded guilty to demanding money with menaces from DX staff, was sentenced to five years, which was suspended in full. Ward, who also pleaded guilty to demanding money with menaces from DX staff and attempting to dishonestly cause a loss to FBD Insurance between July 22, 2013, and January 1, 2014, was sentenced to one year in prison. The court noted Ward's previous conviction in determining his effective custody. All defendants had admitted their respective charges, and the proceedings reached the sentencing stage with no further adjournments recorded for these specific finalisations.
Sunny Idah, 41, a Nigerian national, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to soliciting two undercover Gardaí posing as Polish drug mules to import cocaine into Ireland between 14 and 19 September 2010. He was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment, with the final 12 months suspended, by Judge Catherine Murphy on 5 December 2014. Idah's appeal to reduce the severity of the sentence was dismissed by the Court of Appeal. Justice Alan Mahon upheld the 10‑year term, noting Idah's central role in a well‑planned, sophisticated operation that involved sending the mules to Brazil to ingest one kilogram of cocaine worth €140,000, with each mule to be paid €5,000. The Court of Appeal confirmed that the suspended 12 months and the overall sentence were appropriate, and Idah remains on temporary release. The appeal was dismissed on 2 February 2016.
A 28‑year‑old army private, Bernard Fleming, was convicted of attempted rape, oral rape and sexual assault of a woman in Dublin on 24 September 2011. The incident began after the victim and Fleming's friend had been drinking outside an early house; the victim later went to Fleming's home where they continued drinking. Fleming, drunk and wearing only a towel, attempted to kiss and have sex with the victim, who fled the room and was helped by others. He was arrested and denied the allegations, claiming he was fully clothed. The victim, who declined a victim impact statement, was found to have bruises consistent with being held down. The court noted no predatory element but that Fleming had taken advantage of a drunken woman. He was sentenced to six years' imprisonment, with the final three years suspended, and ordered 18 months of post‑release supervision and probation service engagement. Bernard Fleming pleaded not guilty.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Dylan Murphy, aged 20, pleaded guilty to assaulting Jonathan Cooley on 24 May 2015, when he glassed Cooley in the face after witnessing an altercation involving his sister. Murphy admitted he had "snapped" and overreacted "out of pure rage." Cooley, who sustained facial cuts and now has scars and flashbacks, forgave Murphy but expressed concern about future assaults. Murphy also pleaded guilty to possessing a stolen iPod taken from a bag belonging to another man at Dame Court on the same date. He has 24 prior convictions, including four assaults. Garda Elaine Murtagh described Murphy as a "feral youth" with a difficult upbringing and periods of teenage homelessness. Judge Melanie Greally adjourned sentencing until March pending a probation report. The case highlights the court's focus on anger management and supervision for Murphy.
At the High Court on 20 January 2016, Mr Justice Paul Gilligan granted an injunction to the owners of the former Neary's Hotel, now called the Barricade Inn, requiring all occupants to vacate the premises within 14 days. The injunction was sought by Mary Bergin, executrix of the late owner Ellen McGuill, and Vandelure Ltd, the freehold holder. The property, vacant since McGuill's death in 2002, had been used as a café and social club since March 2015. The court was informed that Vandelure had appointed two new directors, resolving earlier concerns about the company's ability to seek the injunction. Mr James Cleaver, the sole person to appear, consented to the injunction on the condition of a two‑week stay and no costs order. The injunction compels Cleaver and all others to leave, hand over possession, remove belongings, and prohibits re‑entry until the full action is heard.
Tony Walsh, a former priest known as the "Singing Priest," was sentenced to one year in prison for the sexual assault of a child in the early 1970s. At the time of the offence he was a seminarian. The assault, which occurred between 17 April 1973 and 9 September 1976, involved Walsh locking a girl aged between seven and ten into a room and forcing himself on her until he climaxed. After the assault he told her it was only a game. Walsh, aged 61, was convicted in December 2015 at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. He is currently serving a 16‑year sentence imposed in 2010 for the rape and abuse of three schoolboys. Judge Catherine Murphy imposed the one‑year sentence, suspended the final year on condition of good behaviour, and ordered it to run consecutively to the termination of his current sentence in October 2020. Tony Walsh pleaded not guilty.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court trial, Ivan Seredych, a 42‑year‑old taxi driver from Clonee, was convicted of sexually assaulting a 24‑year‑old woman in Dublin city centre on 10 June 2012. The victim, who had become separated from friends during a night out, was invited into Seredych's taxi, where he repeatedly touched her in a sexual manner, including placing his hand under her underwear and exposing himself. She managed to record his name and badge number on her phone and fled to a Garda station immediately after the assault. Seredych, who has five prior traffic convictions and arrived in Ireland from Ukraine in 2001, was sentenced to three years' imprisonment. He does not accept the jury's verdict. The judge noted the victim's vulnerability and the seriousness of the offence, imposing the three‑year term. The case highlights the victim's ongoing emotional distress and the court's consideration of the defendant's foreign status.
In a Dublin city robbery on 29 September 2014, 35‑year‑old Derek McCann, who has 31 prior convictions, held a knife and forced two boys to hand over their phones and €6 each. The older boy, 14, kept his younger brother calm. McCann returned the money and told the boys not to speak of the incident. A Garda praised the older boy's maturity and noted that the children had become less fearful over time. McCann pleaded guilty to the robbery. The case is set for sentencing on 26 February 2015, pending a probation report. The article reports no further legal outcomes beyond the pending sentencing.
Thomas Mooney, aged 74, was sentenced by the Appeal Court to 14 months' imprisonment, with 11 months suspended, for indecently assaulting a boy between 1983 and 1985. The court found that the maximum sentence for indecent assault at the time was two years, not ten as previously thought. Mooney had pleaded not guilty at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, where he was found guilty after an eight‑day trial and originally sentenced to four years, two of which were suspended. He had been granted bail pending appeal. The judge noted that the victim was paid to visit Mooney's flat for sexual acts, which ceased when the victim entered an industrial school. Mooney had no prior convictions, was a bachelor with limited intellectual capacity, and his health was deteriorating, factors the court considered in reducing the custodial term. The appeal was heard by Mr Justice Alan Mahon, Mr Justice George Birmingham and Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan.
In a High Court hearing, Jeremiah Healy SC represented LS Catering, a company linked to Lorraine Sweeney, and alleged that OCS Operations, the former operators of Clerys, ran a payment system that effectively functioned as a Ponzi scheme. Healy argued that all sales receipts, including those of concession holders, were deposited into a single bank account and that OCS used the proceeds from concession sales for its own purposes, paying concession holders only from the previous month's sales. The court considered that OCS had been losing money and lacked sufficient funds to meet its obligations, with an estimated €1.4 million owed to 50 concession holders. Judge Donald Binchy granted directions to release €654,000 to concession holders for the period 4–12 June, while the status of May sales remained unresolved. LS Catering was also permitted to sue OCS for breach of trust.
Ionut Potop, a 26‑year‑old Romanian, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assaulting Pakistani shop employee Tariq Mohammed on 4 June 2014. Potop head‑butted and bit Mohammed, shouting "F**k off, you Paki bastard" twice. The victim suffered nose, torso and wrist injuries, requiring hospital treatment. Judge Patrick McCartan warned Potop that failure to pay €3,000 within six months would result in prison. Potop, remanded on continuing bail, later paid the amount and was dismissed under the Probation of Offenders Act. The court noted Potop's lack of prior convictions and his remorse, and the judge exercised leniency. The case involved a single assault charge, with no further convictions reported. The incident occurred at a Londis shop on Westmoreland Street, Dublin.
A Dublin man has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Adil Essalhi following a five-day trial at the Central Criminal Court. Michael Kinsella, aged 22, with addresses in Tallaght and Ardkeen, Cavan, had initially pleaded not guilty to murder. The State's case alleged that Mr Essalhi, aged 29, was killed at Tyrellstown, Dublin on 6 January 2011 by two people acting together. The prosecution accepted a plea to the lesser charge of unlawful killing on condition that Kinsella admitted assaulting the deceased with a weapon. Medical evidence heard during trial indicated Mr Essalhi sustained in excess of fifty stabbing and chopping wounds, predominantly to the head and neck. His body was subsequently burnt. Kinsella's uncle, Wayne Kinsella, was previously convicted of Mr Essalhi's murder in 2012. Justice Deirdre Murphy adjourned sentencing to a later date.
In a six‑day trial at the Central Criminal Court, a 40‑year‑old Kerry man was acquitted of rape and sexual assault after a jury found no evidence that he had forced the woman to perform oral sex in a Dublin hotel room on 28 March 2010. The jury, however, found him guilty of two counts of threatening or putting the woman in fear between 29 April and 28 May 2010. He had sent her text messages and emails from unregistered numbers calling her a whore, threatening to expose her as a prostitute to her family and neighbours, and claiming she had "false allegations." The man pleaded not guilty to all charges. He was remanded in custody pending sentencing, and his defence sought bail to see his children, a request denied by the judge.
The Central Criminal Court trial of an unnamed accused, who has pleaded not guilty, is ongoing. He faces charges of oral rape and sexual assault of a woman in a Dublin hotel room on March 28, 2010, as well as two counts of threatening or putting in fear a witness between April 29 and May 28, 2010. Prosecuting counsel Sean Gillane SC argued the case centered on the accused's attempts to exercise control, rejecting the defense suggestion that the complainant's allegations stemmed from being underpaid. Gillane stated the texts sent to the complainant were a campaign of intimidation to drop charges. Defending counsel Thomas Creed SC contended the accused believed the encounter was consensual and that the complainant's testimony lacked corroboration of violence. Creed suggested the accused suspected the allegations were a scam to extort money, noting he did not know the complainant's real identity. The trial heard the accused used a pseudonym and unregistered mobile phone, only being identified when Detective Garda Ronan Conway linked an email address to a former employer via IP addresses. The jury is set to begin deliberations following the judge's directions.
During the trial of a Kerry man accused of raping a sex worker in a Dublin hotel room on 28 March 2010, evidence was presented that semen found at the scene belonged to two unknown men. The accused pleaded not guilty to oral rape and sexual assault, and denied two counts of threatening a witness in a Garda investigation between 29 April and 28 May 2010. Forensic scientist Michael Burlington extracted DNA from semen samples recovered from a sink in the hotel room, which did not match the accused's DNA profile; this profile was labelled "unknown one". The woman testified that the accused ejaculated into her mouth, after which she spat the semen into the sink and wiped her mouth with a towel. DNA from the towel yielded a second unknown profile, labelled "unknown two", which could not be ruled out as the source.
A Kerry man is on trial at the Central Criminal Court for oral rape and sexual assault of a sex worker in a Dublin hotel room on 28 March 2010. He pleaded not guilty and denied that he pursued a vendetta to force the woman to withdraw her allegations. The accused also denies two counts of threatening or intimidating a witness in a Garda investigation between 29 April and 28 May 2010. The complainant, who had worked as an escort for four years, advertised herself as a former model on the Escorts Ireland website. She claimed the meeting was for a "girlfriend experience" but that the accused became rough, forced her to perform oral sex while holding her by the hair, and did not pay her. The accused was identified through a pseudonym email linked to a former employer. After his arrest he told Gardaí that the sex was consensual and that he had never assaulted anyone.
A Kerry man, whose identity is protected, is on trial at the Central Criminal Court for oral rape and sexual assault of a prostitute in a Dublin hotel room on 28 March 2010. He pleaded not guilty. The woman, who had agreed to a "girlfriend experience", claims the man forced her to perform oral sex while holding her by the hair, threatened her, and sent threatening texts and emails to her family and neighbours after the alleged assault. She says she was not consenting and that the man's behaviour was aggressive and violent. The accused's counsel argues that the woman consented and that the acts were a quickie for which she was paid. The trial is before Justice Patrick McCarthy with a jury of twelve. The case also involves the man's alleged attempts to pervert the course of justice by sending threatening messages to the victim.