Wesley Brennan, 28, was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment for stealing a Honda Accord belonging to Leoney Dunphy during their first date. The theft occurred after Brennan, who met Dunphy on the Plenty of Fish dating site, began shouting at her over her driving and demanded she exit the car so he could drive away. He subsequently sold the vehicle to scrap dealers in Ashbourne. Brennan pleaded guilty to theft of a vehicle worth €5,500. The court noted no violence was used and that Dunphy was not put in fear, though she was flustered. Brennan, who had grown up in Tallaght and was experiencing homelessness and drug debt, apologized to the victim. Judge Martin Nolan imposed the sentence, backdating it to September when Brennan entered custody after bail was revoked.
Two 24‑year‑olds, Gerard Monroe and Christopher Forbes, were found guilty of assault causing harm to Steve O'Sullivan and Des O'Leary after a "bumping" incident at Lillie's Bordello club in Dublin. The court heard that the pair waited outside the club, ambushed the victims as they left, and struck them on the head, with Forbes also kicking O'Leary. O'Sullivan suffered a concussion, a knocked‑out filling, a black eye and swollen lips; O'Leary sustained temporary hearing loss and injuries to his eye socket and nose. Both men pleaded guilty to two assault charges. Judge Mary Ellen Ring imposed a suspended three‑year sentence, conditional on the men keeping the peace for two years, and ordered restitution payments of €3,000 from Forbes and €550 from Monroe. The court noted their good work records, low re‑offending risk, and their participation in alcohol awareness programmes.
At the Central Criminal Court, the jury foreman in the trial of Mark Nash, accused of murdering two women in 1997, was excused from duty after disclosing his intention to sit a garda assessment test. Mr Justice Carroll Moran determined that the foreman's aspiration to join An Garda Síochána presented a perception of bias, particularly given that garda witnesses and their credibility form part of the case. The jury was subsequently reduced from twelve to eleven members, and a replacement foreman was elected. Detective Garda Anthony Reidy, now retired from Mill Street station in Galway, gave evidence concerning interviews conducted with Nash on 16 August 1997. During questioning about an assault in Roscommon, Nash allegedly volunteered an account of stabbing two women in Phibsborough months earlier. The court also heard that Nash subsequently pointed out a house at Orchard View in Grangegorman, which he identified as the location of the alleged murders. The trial continues. Mark Nash pleaded not guilty.
In a Dublin city‑centre robbery, 38‑year‑old Deborah Lee lured drunken Mark O'Brien onto a dark back street, where two accomplices seized him in a choke hold and threatened him with a syringe. Lee pleaded guilty to the robbery of O'Brien on 9 June 2014 at Great Strand Street. Judge James O'Donoghue sentenced her to six months, noting the sentence was already served from a prior offence, and conditioned it on her participation in a residential drug‑treatment programme. The judge described Lee's role as a minor, non‑violent consort who set up the robbery but did not take part in the assault. CCTV footage of the trio cashing the victim's winning betting slip led to their arrest. Lee had no convictions at the time of the robbery, though she had been on bail for other offences, and the judge believed she could turn her life around with treatment.
The High Court reserved judgement on a contempt of court case involving seven water‑charge protesters who may face jail or a fine for allegedly breaching a 20‑metre exclusion zone around water‑meter installation sites in Dublin. The court heard affidavits and viewed video footage supplied by GMC Sierra Ltd, the meter‑installation company, which claimed the protesters had entered the exclusion zone and interfered with workers. The seven named protesters were Damien O'Neill, Paul Moore, Bernie Hughes, Mark Egan, Richard Larkin, Michael Batty and Derek Byrne. GMC's lawyers presented surveillance footage from operatives and from a Facebook page, showing the protesters allegedly removing safety barriers and confronting workers. The court also heard an affidavit from Eoin Corrigan of First Pulse Ltd, who described threatening behaviour but admitted no video evidence existed. The case was scheduled for a decision by Judge Paul Gilligan on Thursday morning.
Stephen Devoy, aged 33, was given a three‑year suspended sentence after pleading guilty to threatening to kill Garda Sam Taylor on 26 February 2012. The court heard that Devoy had been extremely drunk and had been binging on a cocktail of drink and drugs for days after selling his car for €700. He was arrested outside Ned's pub on Townsend Street in the early hours of the morning. Devoy had no recollection of making the threats, but later made full admissions. He has 14 previous convictions, all dealt with in the District Court, including theft, public order offences and violent behaviour in a garda station. Judge Desmond Hogan noted that Devoy has been drug‑free for over a year and is attending Crumlin College studying Graphic & Web Design. He was also placed on a peace bond for three years and directed to undergo a drugs and alcohol treatment programme.
Paul Carabini, aged 48, was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment with three years suspended for a series of armed robberies in Dublin. He pleaded guilty to the robbery of €3,050 at Permanent TSB in Phibsboro on 16 November 2012, to €300 from Mr Sims Shop on 13 June 2013, and to €280 and four pairs of shoes from Shoe Rack on 4 December 2013. He also pleaded guilty to attempted robberies at Hamilton Pharmacy, Dowling's Pharmacy and McDonald's in Phibsboro. During the TSB robbery he held a knife to a pregnant bank worker's stomach while demanding €10,000, and he held a knife to a shop worker's torso at Mr Sims. The court noted his history of 21 prior convictions, heroin addiction since age 16, and lack of formal education. Judge Martin Nolan described him as a "menace to society who caused fear and terror.".
Anthony Paget, 39, of Carnlough Road, Cabra, was jailed for two years after pleading guilty to robbing Mark O'Brien in Dublin city centre on 9 June 2013. Paget had 39 prior convictions, including a serious assault. He was arrested following police work and admitted the offence. Garda Patrick Gallagher described the robbery: O'Brien was walking along Millennium Bridge when a girl with a Dublin accent approached him, told him to "clear off," and a man behind him lifted him into a choke hold while another man patted him down. O'Brien could not describe the men but reported that they took his wallet, which contained a winning Boyle Sport betting slip, a bank card and a Luas card. The next day CCTV from a nearby Boyle Sports shop showed Paget and two accomplices cashing in the betting slip. Paget later claimed he spent the money on snow blow and alcohol.
In the Central Criminal Court trial of 42‑year‑old architect Graham Dwyer, the jury was shown a photograph of a punctured, blood‑stained mattress found in Elaine O'Hara's apartment at Belarmine Plaza, Stepaside. The mattress, removed by Detective Garda Brian Barry, displayed multiple puncture cuts and blood staining. The trial also presented evidence that O'Hara's remains were discovered in a forest in the Dublin Mountains on 13 September 2013, where forensic anthropologist Laureen Buckley testified that the skeleton was largely recovered and that the body had decomposed for about a year. Dwyer is charged with O'Hara's murder on 22 August 2012, after she was discharged from hospital as a psychiatric patient. The case continues before Mr Justice Tony Hunt and a jury of five women and seven men.
In January 2014, Thomas Greene McDonagh, a 22‑year‑old drug addict from Mullingar with no fixed address, robbed Darragh Losty, a 22‑year‑old man with Freidreichs Ataxia who has a mental age of about 12. McDonagh approached Losty on O'Connell Street while he was heading to the Central Remedial Clinic, offered drugs, and lured him into a secluded area. He then threatened Losty, seized his coat, hat, mobile phone and bus pass, and forced him to stay put. Losty later managed to escape and called his mother for help. Garda John Saunderson presented evidence that the robbery occurred on the first day Losty was attempting independent travel to the clinic. McDonagh pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court and was sentenced to four years' imprisonment, back‑dated to the date of his arrest. The sentence was imposed by Judge Martin Nolan, who noted that Losty's special needs were obvious to anyone.
The High Court has declined to deliver judgment in a test case brought by anti-water charge protester Anthony Eccles, as the matter is now moot. Mr Justice Paul McDermott ruled that the Legal Aid Board's recent determination, which granted Mr Eccles state-funded legal costs for his contempt proceedings, rendered the case pointless. Mr Eccles had argued that the State's failure to provide legal aid to individuals facing potential committal in non-criminal proceedings was unconstitutional and incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights. The State opposed the action, arguing it was premature, but conceded it was no longer necessary following the Board's decision. The underlying contempt allegations, which accuse Mr Eccles and others of breaching court orders obtained by GMC Sierra Ltd to prevent interference with water meter installations, are denied by the protesters. These separate proceedings stand adjourned before Mr Justice Paul Gilligan. Additionally, the court heard that the State intends to make a similar application regarding a parallel case brought by protester John Darcy, who also seeks state coverage for his legal costs. Unlike Mr Eccles, Mr Darcy did not apply to the Legal Aid Board. Judgment in Mr Darcy's action was reserved, and his case is scheduled to return before the courts later this month. Both men are alleged to have breached injunctions secured by GMC Sierra Ltd, though they maintain their actions were lawful and peaceful protests.
In August 2013, Michael McDonald (44) broke into the parochial house of a priest on Cherry Orchard Avenue, Tallaght, stealing a Yankees baseball cap and a Lourdes‑branded purse containing €660. The intruder was caught by Gardaí hours after the burglary, still wearing the stolen cap and carrying the purse. McDonald pleaded guilty to burglary at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, where Judge Patricia Ryan adjourned sentencing to July of the following year and ordered him to keep the peace and participate in victim empathy programmes. McDonald, who has 27 prior convictions and was previously sentenced to three years for robbery and assault in 2002, admitted the theft and apologized to the priest. His defence counsel, Keith Spencer BL, highlighted McDonald's background in the Travelling community and his son's success as a professional footballer. The case remains at the sentencing stage.
Zilvinas Antanovas, a 27‑year‑old Lithuanian, was given a suspended sentence after pleading guilty to possession of heroin, assaulting two gardai, and possession of M‑CAT in Dublin. He was arrested in Dublin's city centre after Garda officers found €305 worth of heroin and a bag of M‑CAT on him. During the arrest he bit two officers and resisted, prompting the use of pepper spray. Judge Mary Ellen Ring imposed a two‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence, suspended the remainder on the condition that Antanovas be flown back to Lithuania from Mountjoy Prison on Sunday. He is barred from returning to Ireland for five years. Antanovas has prior convictions for handling stolen property and for dealing heroin, and his defence claimed he was coerced into drug dealing by a gang that took his passport in Lithuania.
In December 2014 the High Court was set to decide in January on legal‑aid applications filed by anti‑water‑charge protesters John Darcy and Anthony Eccles. The men, who are also joined by other protesters, are accused of breaching court orders that prohibit interference with the installation of water meters by GMC Sierra in Dublin. They deny the allegations and argue that the state's refusal to provide legal aid to persons facing potential loss of liberty in non‑criminal proceedings contravenes the Irish Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights. The court had adjourned the proceedings before Mr Justice Paul Gilligan, and after hearing submissions from both sides, Mr Justice Paul McDermott reserved his decision, to be delivered in January. The state, represented by Oisin Quinn SC, urged dismissal, while the protesters' counsel contended that the state's arguments were superficial and that the contempt proceedings were criminal in nature.
Sunny Idah, a 39‑year‑old former CIE bus driver of Nigerian origin, was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment, with the final year suspended, for soliciting two undercover Gardaí to import a kilogram of cocaine from Brazil. The case stemmed from an international police operation involving Swiss and Irish undercover officers. Idah secretly recorded offers of €5,000 each to the undercover officers to swallow 1 kg of cocaine, worth €140,000, and bring it back to Ireland. He had provided the officers with €400 for a hotel room and $1,000 for flight tickets, but the officers never travelled. The court back‑dated the sentence to September 2010, when Idah was first taken into custody. Idah had previously received a 13‑year sentence for a related drug trafficking offence, which was overturned on appeal. The judge described the operation as sophisticated and noted the potential impact on users and addicts if the drugs had reached the market. Sunny Idah pleaded guilty.
In a case heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Judge James O'Donohoe sentenced 30‑year‑old Fintan Phelan to six months' imprisonment for an attempted robbery that took place on February 23, 2012, when he entered the passenger seat of a car stopped at a traffic light on the North Circular Road. Phelan, who was already serving a suspended sentence for robbery, was caught after a passing detective heard the victim, nurse Lorraine Maloney, scream for help. The victim had thrown her phone at Phelan, who then panicked and rolled down the window. Phelan also pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer on August 19, 2012, and received a three‑month sentence for that offence. Both sentences are to run consecutively with the sentence he is already serving.
Three Dublin water‑meter protesters—Paul Moore, Damien O'Neill and Terence Sheridan—were found to have breached a High Court order that barred them from entering a 20‑metre exclusion zone around sites where GMC Sierra Ltd was installing meters. The court committed each man to 28 days' imprisonment for contempt of court, but suspended the sentences for six months on the condition that they comply with the order. The judge also awarded costs to the contractor. The article reports that the protesters had not denied entering the zone and that the court considered affidavits and witness statements but not video evidence. No violence was alleged against workers, and the fourth protester, Derek Byrne, was not sentenced. The case highlights the court's insistence on respecting its orders.
An Albanian chef, Emil Duro, 28, was caught by Gardai in Dublin city centre carrying a white bag containing €67,000 of cocaine and later found to have €20,000 of cannabis at his home. He pleaded guilty to possession of the cocaine on Gardner Street Lower and the cannabis on Francis Street. Duro claimed he owed €6,000 from a drug debt and offered €3,000 from savings, which was rejected. Judge Mary Ellen Ring imposed a six‑year suspended sentence, requiring Duro to keep the peace.
In a High Court hearing on 24 November 2014, Chief Superintendent Fergus Healy explained that the sites where GMC Sierra Ltd was installing water meters were not considered public areas under the Public Order Act, creating a dilemma for Gardaí in policing protests. Healy said the Gardaí would comply with any court order directing them to bring people who breached the 20‑metre exclusion zone to court. The court had earlier granted GMC Sierra an injunction preventing anyone from assaulting, intimidating or interfering with its workers. The case involved three men alleged to have breached the order, with a fourth man's attachment and committal motion struck out. The judge, Justice Paul Gilligan, adjourned the case and was set to decide on a potential prison sentence on Wednesday. The hearing highlighted the "Catch‑22" situation faced by the Gardaí, who could only act under a court order and were guided by the Water Act and the Public Order Act.
In a High Court hearing on 19 November 2014, GMC Sierra Ltd sought contempt of court proceedings against four anti‑water‑charge protesters who allegedly breached a 20‑metre exclusion zone around sites where the company was installing water meters in Dublin. The company had obtained injunctions to protect its workers from harassment and intimidation. GMC Sierra's counsel, Jim O'Callaghan SC, presented an affidavit alleging that, after the court's November 5 order, the company's planned installation of about 500 meters was reduced to 200, and that a worker was struck by a van, another was knee‑knocked, and the 20‑metre zone was breached. The judge, Justice Gilligan, acknowledged evidence of breaches by the four respondents, allowed them to submit affidavits and to apply for leave to cross‑examine GMC Sierra workers, and adjourned the attachment and committal motion to the following Monday.
In November 2014, anti‑water‑charge protesters John Darcy and Anthony Eccles filed applications with the High Court seeking legal aid for proceedings in which they are accused of breaching court orders that prohibit intimidation or interference with the installation of water meters by GMC Sierra. The men, along with other protesters, deny the allegations and argue that the state's refusal to provide legal aid to those facing potential loss of liberty in non‑criminal proceedings violates the Irish Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights. The High Court, presided over by President Nicholas Kearns, set a hearing for 9 December and ruled that no stay would be granted to prevent the contempt of court applications from proceeding. The case involves separate judicial reviews and a contempt of court application by GMC Sierra, which seeks to protect its workers from alleged harassment and interference.
Gary Broderick, aged 42, pleaded guilty to an attempted robbery at Ulster Bank on College Green on 9 January 2012. The court found he was homeless, drug‑ and alcohol‑addicted, and living a chaotic life at the time of the offence. A woman in the bank saw him enter, screamed, and called 999; Garda Paul Burke later identified him and he was arrested. An imitation firearm was found abandoned at the bank door, and CCTV footage captured his approach. Broderick claimed he wanted to discuss a money issue with bank officials and had been to a drug clinic en route, making him unfit for interview. He has 79 prior convictions, including traffic offences and court appearances. Judge Mary Ellen Ring sentenced him to three years, suspended in full for 18 months, and directed him to continue housing, drug counselling, urine analysis and Probation Services for 18 months.
A Waterford resident, Zilvinas Antanovas, aged 27, was heard in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after biting two Gardaí who were attempting to arrest him for drug offences. Antanovas pleaded guilty to possession of heroin on Exchange Street Lower, Dublin, on 18 January 2014, to assaulting two Gardaí, and to possession of the synthetic drug M‑CAT. He claimed he had been lured to Ireland by Eastern European gangsters who seized his passport and forced him into drug dealing. Garda Gerard Reddy described the incident, noting that Antanovas threw away a plastic bag containing €300 worth of M‑CAT, resisted arrest violently, and required pepper spray to subdue him. The judge remanded him in custody until December, when a final sentence will be imposed. The State is considering an application to deport Antanovas.
In the first criminal case heard by the new Court of Appeal, Kastriot Boza, aged 41, appealed a February 2012 sentence of six years' imprisonment with the final two years suspended for impeding a Garda murder investigation. The case concerned the murder of Peter Gunn, 29, who was found stabbed to death in Dunsoghly Lane, The Ward, on 15 January 2009 after being missing for 11 days. Boza admitted to disposing of a meat knife and a blood‑stained carpet to hinder the apprehension of the alleged murderer. He pleaded guilty on the morning of his trial, which took place in Dublin on 6 and 7 January 2009. The Court of Appeal, presided over by Justice Seán Ryan, reduced Boza's sentence to four years with the final two years suspended, noting mitigating factors such as duress, his cooperation with the prosecution, and his participation in the Witness Protection Programme.
In November 2014 the High Court granted GMC Sierra Ltd an order creating a 20‑metre exclusion zone around its water‑meter installation sites in Dublin. The company had earlier obtained injunctions in October to protect its workers from harassment, intimidation and interference. GMC claimed that protesters had escalated their activities, including blocking vehicles, damaging equipment and threatening workers, and that the protests were "seriously impairing" the installation work. Video evidence showed what the judge described as a significant deviation from lawful protesting, and other evidence suggested workers were followed home and subjected to assault. The judge, while recognising the constitutional right to protest, ruled that the exclusion zone would not apply to residents or people carrying out normal business. The order also prevented protesters from blocking GMC's vehicles from accessing or leaving the sites. The case was not about the policy of water charging but about protecting the rights of GMC's workers.
At Swords District Court, Jason McDonagh (19) pleaded guilty to being in unlawful possession of €20 worth of cannabis herb and was ordered to make a charitable contribution of €250 by December 17th to avoid a conviction. Nermia Ibrahimovic (40) pleaded guilty to the theft of groceries worth €34.91 and was fined €300 with a warning that her liberty is at risk if she reoffends. James English (22) pleaded guilty to the theft of €130.39 worth of cosmetics and was given the benefit of the Probation Act. Mark Cole (34) faced charges of being in unlawful possession of cannabis herb, cannabis resin and cocaine for sale or supply, and the case was adjourned until November 25th. Amy Bergin (20) was found guilty of driving without insurance, without L-plates displayed, without an NCT, and driving on a provisional licence without a qualified driver, and was fined €750 and disqualified from driving for two years. Ryan Montgomery (18) and Dale Monks (19) pleaded guilty to non-payment of a taxi fare of €43 and were ordered to make a charitable contribution of €250 each by November 25th to avoid a conviction. The case of St Margaret, accused of being in unlawful possession of cannabis herb, cannabis resin and cocaine for sale or supply at his home address on April 3rd, and non-payment of a taxi fare of €43, was adjourned.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court case, 32‑year‑old Fergus Gallagher pleaded guilty to assault causing harm after slashing the ear of Italian rugby fan Andrea Muggetti with a teacup on 25 February 2012 at Sinnott's Pub. Muggetti required 45 stitches and suffered lasting disfigurement and pain, with a medical report indicating reduced eye closure and ongoing ear pain. Muggetti's financial loss was assessed at €20,491. Gallagher, who had four prior convictions, was ordered to pay €15,000 in instalments to Muggetti and to surrender the €10,000 he had previously paid as a token of remorse. He received a three‑year suspended sentence and was remanded in custody pending further proceedings. The court noted Gallagher's admission of intoxication, depression, and his subsequent participation in Alcoholics Anonymous.
Kevin Roland, 62, a long‑distance lorry driver, and Seamus O'Hara, 29, a sales assistant, were sentenced to a combined eight years in prison for transporting €442,000 worth of heroin. Roland claimed he had picked up the drugs in Brussels from a Belgian or Dutch man, expecting €4,000 for transport, and planned to drop them off in an unlocked car in Ashtown, Co. Dublin. O'Hara was to drive the car to a business premises in Rialto. After stopping at a petrol station on the Navan Road, O'Hara drove to his Dublin city centre home and left white plastic bags of heroin at his front door. Both men pleaded guilty to possession of three kilos of heroin for sale or supply at Navan Road on 13 September 2012.
Leonard Dumbrell, 26, from Wexford, led Gardaí on a high‑speed chase through Dublin's city centre after stealing a car in Ballsbridge. He drove the vehicle at speed, up the wrong way on one‑way streets, and crashed it at Temple Bar Square. The court heard he nearly knocked over pedestrians on O'Connell Bridge while evading police. Dumbrell pleaded guilty to car theft in Dublin 4 and two counts of dangerous driving in Dublin city centre on 2 January 2013. He has 108 prior convictions, including car thefts, assaulting a Garda and violent disorder. Judge Mary Ellen Ring remanded him in custody until sentencing but granted bail to attend an eight‑week residential drug treatment programme, with a four‑week after‑care programme to follow. The court warned that any breach of the bail bond would result in remand in prison. The case highlights the Gardaí's pursuit of a repeat offender with a serious drug problem.
Sunny Idah, a former CIE bus driver, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to soliciting another person to unlawfully import cocaine between September 14 and 19, 2010. The plea was entered a week after his trial commenced. Judge Catherine Murphy remanded Idah in custody for sentencing in December. Prosecutors alleged that Idah, using the alias Mr T, recruited two undercover gardaí posing as Polish nationals to swallow one kilogram of cocaine each in Brazil and smuggle it to Ireland. He offered each €5,000 for the transport of drugs with an estimated street value of €140,000. Idah was arrested the day the men were scheduled to depart. Idah had previously been sentenced to 13 years imprisonment for this and another drug trafficking offence, but that conviction was overturned by the Court of Criminal Appeal due to issues with the authorisation of secret recordings. Defence counsel Noel McCarthy SC noted Idah's remorse and lack of violent history, stating he had been in custody for four years. The matter was adjourned for sentencing in December.
Michael Jones, a 30‑year‑old Belfast sex offender, was sentenced in Dublin for assaulting a security guard, James Bowe, at the Powerscourt Shopping Centre on 26 June 2010. Jones, who was intoxicated, entered the closed centre through an open goods delivery entrance, confronted Bowe, and pulled him to the ground. He struck Bowe's head, kicked and pummelled him, bit Bowe's index finger bone and palm, causing a fractured neck bone and bleeding. A jury convicted Jones in July 2010. Judge Desmond Hogan heard the case and remanded Jones in custody for sentencing next month. Garda Shane Moriarty noted Jones's prior 2007 conviction for indecent assault, a two‑and‑a‑half‑year prison term, and a suspended sentence that was breached in 2010 when he left Northern Ireland for Kildare. Jones has further convictions for theft, assault and traffic offences, and was recently sentenced to two years in prison for a robbery in June 2010. Michael Jones pleaded not guilty.
In October 2014 a Laois man, Conor Moonen, aged 20, was ordered to pay €9,000 to Paul McNevin, a doorman at the Academy nightclub on Abbey Street, Dublin. Moonen, a DCU student at the time, and his group were denied entry to the nightclub. After being told to wait in the back of the queue, they were again denied entry. Moonen struck the doorman, fracturing a facial bone and dislocating an eye socket. McNevin later said he was lucky to avoid more serious injuries and that the assault forced him to give up door work, costing him €10,000. Moonen pleaded guilty to assault causing harm at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 20 January 2013. Judge Martin Nolan imposed a two‑year suspended sentence, with the condition that Moonen pay the compensation, and declined a jail term due to his lack of prior convictions.
The Central Criminal Court jury is deliberating the case of Alan Wilson, a 35‑year‑old Dublin man charged with the murder of 18‑year‑old Romanian teenager Marioara Rostas. The trial, which has lasted five weeks, recounts that Rostas was last seen begging at a Dublin City junction on 6 January 2008, after which her younger brother saw her enter a car that was driven away. Her body was discovered four years later in a shallow grave in the Dublin mountains, with four bullet wounds to the head. Wilson and his friend Fergus O'Hanlon were arrested in October 2008, but progress stalled until late 2011 when O'Hanlon, a convicted criminal with immunity, offered to help locate the body. He claimed to have found Rostas dead in his house on 8 January 2008, with Wilson holding a gun, and that he assisted in burying her and cleaning the scene. Alan Wilson pleaded not guilty.
The Central Criminal Court jury will start deliberations on Thursday morning in the trial of Alan Wilson, 35, charged with the murder of 18‑year‑old Romanian teenager Marioara Rostas. Wilson pleaded not guilty. The case covers the period between January 7 and 8, 2008, when Rostas was last seen begging at a Dublin City junction and later found dead with four bullet wounds to the head in a shallow grave in the Dublin mountains. Wilson and his friend Fergus O'Hanlon were arrested in October 2008, but progress stalled until late 2011 when O'Hanlon, a convicted criminal with immunity, offered information. He claimed to have found Rostas dead in his house on January 8, helped Wilson bury her, and later cleaned the scene. O'Hanlon's testimony was described by the defence as a "master class in perjury," while the prosecution argued it was unreliable.
In the Central Criminal Court, Michael O'Higgins SC criticised the State's main witness, claiming the jury received a "master class in perjury." He argued that Fergus O'Hanlon, a convicted criminal with immunity, only offered information about the 2008 murder of 18‑year‑old Romanian teenager Marioara Rostas after being questioned about another crime. O'Higgins said O'Hanlon had lied to Gardaí and in court, and that he had benefited from the Witness Protection Programme. He described O'Hanlon as domineering, violent, and uncontainable, and questioned whether he was involved in the murder or merely a conspirator. O'Higgins also noted that O'Hanlon had refused a formal identification parade, claiming fear of Alan Wilson, the accused. Judge Patrick McCarthy has now charged the jury of 10 men and 2 women before deliberations begin. Alan Wilson pleaded not guilty.
In the Central Criminal Court, the prosecution argued that the murder of 18‑year‑old Romanian teenager Marioara Rostas was a precise, pre‑planned execution rather than a crime of passion. Seán Gillane SC presented evidence that the victim had been taken by a car driver on January 6, 2008, and that the accused, 35‑year‑old Alan Wilson, owned the vehicle. He cited forensic findings of bullets matching the victim's head, the discovery of the body in a pre‑prepared grave on Brabazon Street, and the destruction of personal effects. The prosecution also highlighted testimony from Fergus O'Hanlon, who had assisted in burying the body and had been granted immunity. The defense, led by Michael O'Higgins SC, challenged the reliability of O'Hanlon's statements and the sole reliance on a single witness. The judge instructed the jury to consider the evidence presented before deciding on Wilson's guilt. Alan Wilson pleaded not guilty.
In a High Court hearing on 22 July 2014, Mr Justice Paul Gilligan granted a temporary injunction to the owners of a Dublin city centre property at No 6 Merrion Square, preventing Charlie Allen and his supporters from entering or approaching the premises. The owners, Claude Fettes, Annette Cooper and Marc Godart, alleged that Allen, who claims the Rodolphus Allen Family Private Trust has an interest in the property, unlawfully forced his way in earlier that month and remained with several supporters, including a man with a large Alsatian dog, for several days. During the occupation, carpets were removed and the basement, used by a sound‑recording business, was blocked. Allen and his associates left the building last weekend, but the owners feared he might re‑enter, prompting the injunction. The order was granted ex‑parte and was adjourned to later that week.
In the trial of Alan Wilson, 35, charged with the murder of 18‑year‑old Romanian teenager Marioara Rostas, the judge, Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy, apologised to the jury for a delay that had pushed proceedings beyond the expected four‑week period. The jury had been absent for more than a fortnight while complex legal matters were addressed. Mr Wilson, who pleaded not guilty, was accused of killing Rostas at a house on Brabazon Street, The Coombe, between 7 and 8 January 2008. The teenager had vanished from Dublin city centre on 6 January, and her body was discovered in a shallow grave on the Wicklow border four years later, with four bullet wounds to the head. Mr Justice McCarthy explained that the delay was due to legal issues that required discussion in the jury's absence and that a bill was being considered to prevent such delays in future trials.
In a High Court case concerning the Pygmalion Public House, businessman Paul McGlade, who had acquired an interest in the Dublin nightspot last year, claimed he was excluded by his fellow shareholders, brothers Jay and Tim Bourke, from the premises. McGlade, together with Fellerim Ltd and Lintrath Holdings Ltd, sued the Bourke brothers and Pygmalion Public House Ltd, asserting that a 2013 agreement entitled him to run the business. He sought orders to restore his management role and injunctions to prevent the Bourkes from barring his entry or changing the locks. On the day the matter was heard, counsel for McGlade, Patricia Dillon SC, informed Justice Paul Gilligan that the dispute would not trouble the court and could be struck out. Counsel for the respondents, Patrick McCann SC, agreed that the matter could be struck out. No agreement details were disclosed in open court.
The Central Criminal Court is set to resume the trial of Alan Wilson, 35, who is charged with the murder of 18‑year‑old Marioara Rostas. The jury, consisting of ten men and two women, is expected to return to court on Monday after being excused last week. Wilson pleaded not guilty to the killing that took place at a house on Brabazon Street, The Coombe, between 7 and 8 January 2008. The prosecution has presented evidence that Rostas disappeared from Dublin city centre on 6 January, and her body was later found in a shallow grave on the Wicklow border, having died from four bullet wounds to the head. Testimony from Alexandru Rostas, Marioara's brother, and from Fergus O'Hanlon, who claimed Wilson showed him the corpse and assisted in burying it, has been heard. The trial will continue before Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy next week.
The Central Criminal Court is set to resume the trial of Alan Wilson, 35, who is charged with the murder of 18‑year‑old Romanian teenager Marioara Rostas. Wilson pleaded not guilty at a house on Brabazon Street, The Coombe, between 7 and 8 January 2008. The jury, which had been excused from attending the previous week, is expected to return on Thursday. The case recounts that Rostas disappeared from Dublin city centre on 6 January, and her body was later found in a shallow grave on the Wicklow border, having died from four bullet wounds to the head. Testimony includes Rostas's brother, Alexandru, who described a phone call to her brother in Romania after her disappearance, and Fergus O'Hanlon, who claimed Wilson showed him the corpse and assisted in burying it. The trial will continue before Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy with a jury of ten men and two women.
The Central Criminal Court trial of Alan Wilson, 35, charged with the murder of 18‑year‑old Romanian teenager Marioara Rostas, is paused until the jury returns next week. The jury was expected to come back on Tuesday but is delayed by a legal issue. The case concerns the disappearance of Rostas on 6 January 2008 and the discovery of her body in a shallow grave on the Wicklow border four years later, with four bullet wounds to her head. Testimony included a phone call from Rostas to her brother in Romania, where she asked for her father to come get her. Prosecutor Fergus O'Hanlon testified that Wilson had shown him the corpse and assisted in burying it. The trial, presided over by Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy, will resume next week with a jury of ten men and two women. Alan Wilson pleaded not guilty.
In a 2008 murder trial, 18‑year‑old Marioara Rostas was reported missing after a phone call to her brother in Romania, where she pleaded for her father to come get her. Her body was later found in a shallow grave on the Wicklow border, with four bullet wounds to the head. The accused, 35‑year‑old Alan Wilson, pleaded not guilty. Evidence included a description of a man in a silver Ford Mondeo who allegedly took Marioara to a McDonald's, and a lock on a bedroom in Wilson's house. Ballistics expert Detective Garda Shane Curran examined bullets from the house and from Marioara's body, noting they were of the same calibre but could not confirm they came from the same firearm. The trial proceeded to legal argument before Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy and a jury of ten men and two women.
The High Court has wound up Paris Bakery and Pastry Ltd, the Moore Street establishment that closed in May following a worker sit-in over unpaid wages. Mr Justice Brian Cregan appointed Carl Dillon of Moore Stephens Nathans as official liquidator. The Revenue Commissioners sought the winding-up order after the company failed to satisfy a demand for €117,000 in unpaid taxes, including VAT, PRSI and PAYE. Although over €52,000 had been paid, the outstanding amount remained unsettled. The court heard the company's approximately 25 employees, mostly foreign nationals, are owed some €158,000 in unpaid wages. Following the workers' 20-day sit-in, the Migrants Rights Centre Ireland confirmed their support for Revenue's application. The company's two directors, including one resident in County Cavan, must file statements of affairs within 21 days. The matter was made returnable before the Examiner's Court in October. Workers will now be eligible for the Insolvency Payments Schemes and LRC awards.
In a High Court hearing on 30 June 2014, businessman Jonathan Bourke sued fellow shareholders John Reynolds and Eoin Foyle, along with Mercroft Taverns Ltd, over a claimed dilution of his shareholding, his dismissal from employment at The Market Bar, and removal as a director. Bourke alleges that at a purported meeting on 9 May, the company decided to dilute his shares, oust him from his role, and strip him of directorship. He seeks court orders to set aside those decisions, to restrain his removal as director, to maintain his employment status and salary, and to prevent Reynolds from presenting himself as the majority shareholder. Reynolds and Foyle were not represented when the case was mentioned, and the court granted an adjournment and permission to serve the papers by post. The proceedings were adjourned to later in the month.
Eurotrek Raleigh (Ireland) Ltd., owners of the Eurocycles/Eurobaby chain, obtained a temporary High Court injunction on 5 June 2014 preventing the receiver appointed by NAMA to lock out the company's South William Street shop. The receiver, acting for landlord Marlindale Ltd., had taken possession of the premises and changed the locks without notice, forcing the shop to close and its ten employees to leave. Eurotrek, represented by Dominic Hussey SC and Colm O'Dwyer BL, argued that the receiver had no right to lock them out and that the repossession was not conducted peacefully. Mr Justice Kevin Cross granted the injunction ex‑parte, allowing Eurotrek staff to re‑enter the premises and preventing further trespassing. The case was adjourned for a later hearing. Eurotrek has operated the shop since 2005, spent €350,000 on refurbishments, and has been negotiating lease terms with the landlord since the original lease expired in 2010.
Paul McGlade, a businessman who acquired a share in the Pygmalion Public House in 2013, has filed High Court proceedings against his fellow shareholders, brothers Jay and Tim Bourke, and the company Pygmalion Public House Ltd. McGlade alleges that he has been excluded from the premises and that the Bourke brothers have changed the locks to prevent his entry. He seeks injunctions to restore his management role and to stop the Bourkes from further restricting his access. The case, involving McGlade and two companies, Fellerim Ltd and Lintrath Holdings Ltd, was briefly addressed by Mr Justice Brian McGovern, who adjourned it to allow document exchange. The matter is scheduled for a hearing in July. The proceedings are pending a full trial.
In a High Court decision on 9 May 2014, Mr Justice Iarfhlaith Ó Neill dismissed the appeal of 70‑year‑old Edward Lattimore, who had sought to remain in the council‑owned house at 21 Ennis Grove, Irishtown, Dublin 4. Lattimore had lived there since 1956, paid rent, and believed he was a joint tenant. After his sister's death in 2012 he discovered he was not a tenant and applied for succession to the tenancy. Dublin City Council (DCC) had refused, citing that a three‑bedroom dwelling was not suitable for a single person and offering a one‑bedroom accommodation nearby. Lattimore claimed the refusal breached his constitutional rights and the European Convention on Human Rights, citing medical evidence that leaving would seriously affect his health. The court found no breach of rights, upheld DCC's decision, and noted that DCC had met its statutory obligations by providing suitable housing close to his former home.
The High Court has adjourned proceedings in a dispute between the Irish Fire and Emergency Service Association (IFESA) and Dublin City Council (DCC) over alleged unsafe breathing equipment. IFESA, representing 300 of the city's 800 firefighters, initiated High Court action in January following equipment failures during a blaze in Dolphin's Barn. The association sought injunctions to restrain the use of Scott ACSfx breathing apparatus until independently tested and deemed safe, and to order DCC to withdraw current stock. DCC rejects claims that the equipment is defective, noting it is used internationally, including by the New York City Fire Department. During the hearing before Mr Justice Paul Gilligan, counsel for IFESA stated that matters had moved significantly since January. An expert report by the Dublin Fire Brigade recommended enhanced procedures to test, monitor, and review the equipment, along with improved training and communication. Counsel indicated these steps were taken by DCC as a result of the High Court action. Consequently, IFESA decided not to pursue its application for interlocutory injunctions. DCC did not oppose the adjournment. Mr Justice Gilligan agreed to adjourn the matter to a date in late May for mention only, allowing the parties to work out a timetable for the exchange of legal documents before a trial date can be fixed. The case has been adjourned on several occasions since permission was granted in January for IFESA and three members to serve short notice of injunction proceedings.
In Swords District Court, Henry Afeni (49) admitted to making a gain or causing loss by deception at TK Max in The Pavilions Shopping Centre in Swords on December 8th, 2013. He was sentenced to 100 hours of community service in lieu of a five-month prison sentence. Raymond O'Hara (47) pleaded guilty to burglary at Portmarnock Hotel on December 11th, 2012, and his case was adjourned to June 23rd for the facts to be heard and sentencing. Declan Fitzsimons (34) admitted to using threatening and abusive behaviour at Cedar Grove in Ridgewood, Swords on January 1st. Judge Dermot Dempsey imposed a conviction and fined him €500, noting that Fitzsimons had the opportunity since February to make a charitable donation. Debra Maguire (44) was found guilty of handling stolen goods worth €363.55 at The Pavilions Shopping Centre in Swords on November 17th, 2013, and was sentenced to 100 hours of community service in lieu of a five-month prison sentence. All cases were at the sentence stage.