In a Dublin Circuit Court hearing, Buti Sashi, aged 26, was sentenced to five years' imprisonment for a series of offences. He was found guilty of assaulting two women, one of whom he choked and threatened with a knife, and of theft involving €35,000 obtained through an invoice‑redirection fraud. The court heard that Sashi had supplied a prostitute with his bank account details, which was used to transfer the money. He pleaded guilty to the theft and the assaults. Judge Martin Nolan imposed a three‑year sentence for each assault, to run concurrently, and a two‑year sentence for the theft, back‑dated for time already served and consecutive to the assault sentences. The total custodial term was five years. The case highlighted the use of a mobile phone and CCTV evidence in linking Sashi to the crimes. The court noted his drug addiction and expressed regret for his actions. The sentences were delivered in November 2021.
Mark Fox, aged 29, was given a suspended sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after a high‑speed chase on three tyres. On 9 May 2021, Fox, driving a Nissan Qashqai with a missing fourth wheel, pursued Gardaí through Dublin and two counties, ramming two patrol cars and a garda helicopter. He threw bags of white powder, suspected cocaine, from his open door, accelerated past red lights, and smashed a taxi driver's wing mirror. The chase lasted 30 minutes over 28 km. Fox was found to have almost three times the legal blood‑alcohol limit and was disqualified from driving at the time of the offence. He pleaded guilty to eight charges, including endangerment, dangerous driving, drink driving, driving without a licence and resisting arrest. Judge Martin Nolan imposed a three‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence, suspended in full on the basis of Fox's mental‑health problems, and ordered a five‑year driving disqualification.
In June 2022, Shane Westwood, aged 26, was sentenced to two years in prison for assaulting his former partner. The victim was punched repeatedly, bitten, threatened with a knife, and an attempt was made to smother her. Westwood had previously pleaded guilty to assault causing harm in March 2018. Gardaí found him hiding under his mother's bed after the incident. He denied the assault, claiming it was only shouting, while his defence lawyer cited drug addiction and jealousy. The court noted his 19 prior convictions, including drug dealing and burglary. Judge Elma Sheahan imposed a three‑year sentence with the final 12 months suspended on the condition of keeping the peace for three years, and ordered him to attend probation, anger‑management, and drug‑treatment programmes.
Dorian Brylewicz, 23, pleaded guilty to impersonating a Garda during lockdown in April 2020 and to theft in May 2019. He drove an Audi A3 with a blue flashing light, stopped pedestrians and a bus driver, claiming to be a Garda, but did not produce identification when asked. He also attempted to take a man's phone and had previously stolen €560 from a Cork man via a phone sale on donedeal.ie. The court noted his prior convictions for road traffic offences and bicycle theft. Judge Nolan, after hearing the defendant's remorse and current employment, sentenced him to 18 months in prison, suspended in full on the condition that he pay €5,000 within three months – €4,000 to a Castleknock charity and €1,000 to the victim. The judge emphasised that the suspended sentence was a punitive measure and a reminder of the defendant's wrongdoing. The case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
A man has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison following a serious unprovoked assault in Dublin city centre. Daryl Cassells, aged 27 and of no fixed abode, attacked a man outside Burger King on Grafton Street at approximately 1am on 19 July 2019. The victim sustained significant injuries including a brain bleed, skull fracture, and fractured eye socket. He suffered seizures during transport to St James Hospital and was admitted for eight days. The assault subsequently resulted in the development of epilepsy, affecting the victim's employment prospects and quality of life. Cassells pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Judge Pauline Codd noted the serious nature of the unprovoked attack and the significant injuries inflicted. She suspended the final six months of the sentence on condition that Cassells keep the peace and be of good behaviour for one year, and cooperate with probation services. The sentence was backdated to account for time already served in custody.
George Gonzaga Bento, a 36-year-old Brazilian national from East Wall, Dublin 3, was acquitted by the Central Criminal Court of murdering 16-year-old Josh Dunne. The defendant, a delivery cyclist, had pleaded not guilty to four counts, including murder, producing a knife to intimidate, and assault causing harm to two other young men. The incident occurred on January 26, 2021, at East Wall Road, following a confrontation over a stolen bicycle. Defence counsel argued that Bento used reasonable force to defend himself and his friend from a violent group assault, while the prosecution alleged he exaggerated the threat and used lethal force against Dunne, who was merely reacting to protect his friend. The jury accepted the defence's position, resulting in a full acquittal on all charges. This finding concludes the criminal proceedings against Bento, who was found not guilty of the serious allegations brought by the state.
In a January 2020 incident at Carmen's Hall hostel, Peter Quinn, aged 52 and without a fixed address, assaulted a homeless man with a metal chair, kicking him and striking him with the victim's own crutch. Quinn, who has 106 prior convictions, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm and production of an article. The victim suffered 25 stitches to the head, five to the eyes, and severe bruising, and reported flashbacks. Quinn's history includes long-term institutional care from age five and psychiatric diagnoses of schizophrenia and substance abuse. The court noted a positive probation report and that Quinn was engaging with support services. Judge Melanie Greally sentenced Quinn to four years' imprisonment, describing the assault as "extremely brutal and violent." The second charge of production of an article was deferred to June 24.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 7 February 2021, a cyclist named Ariel Rocha Stefani, aged 26, was stopped for failing to stop at a red light. Gardaí found six small bags of cocaine, four small bags of MDMA, two bags of cannabis and an unknown blue tablet on him, along with €515 in cash. A search of his home later uncovered a large quantity of suspected cannabis, MDMA, a measuring spoon, three mobile phones and over €1,810 in cash. Stefani admitted to paying €200 for the MDMA and claimed all drugs were for personal use. He pleaded guilty and cooperated with investigators. Judge Martin Nolan, after considering a positive probation report and Stefani's cooperation, sentenced him to two years in prison for possession of drugs, suspending the entire term on the condition that he remains law‑abiding and well‑behaved for two years.
A Mayo native has been sentenced to two years imprisonment, with sixteen months suspended, following his conviction for a sustained harassment campaign against a former tenant at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Thomas Armstrong, aged forty-six, of Addison Avenue, Glasnevin, Dublin, pleaded guilty to harassment of the complainant between August 2016 and August 2018. The court heard that following a rental dispute, Armstrong engaged in a calculated course of intimidation involving multiple forms of abuse. These included making anonymous complaints to Dublin City Council regarding the complainant's parents' property, creating a fraudulent social media account in her name with photographs and false posts, and advertising tickets using her contact details. Judge Melanie Greally described the offending as an "extreme violation" of the complainant's privacy and peace of mind. Armstrong brought four thousand euros to court as a gesture of remorse, which was redirected to Pieta House after the complainant declined it. He was issued a forty-year non-contact order and a five-hundred-metre exclusion zone from the complainant's residence and workplace.
Paul Cahill, 39, pleaded guilty to two robberies in Dublin and was sentenced by Judge Martin Nolan to a suspended sentence. The judge, after hearing compelling testimony from Cahill's father, who described the family's 20‑year struggle with Cahill's drug and alcohol addiction and his father's experience walking past Cahill asleep in the snow, decided not to impose custodial time. The sentence is fully suspended on the condition that Cahill keeps the peace and behaves well for five years; if he reoffends within that period, he will serve five years in prison. Cahill's convictions were for robbing Jordon Casey on George's Street South on 11 September 2018 and robbing a Subway deli on Aungier Street on 21 February 2019, with both sentences to run concurrently. The court noted Cahill's 79 previous convictions and his father's testimony of his rehabilitation.
Dylan Murphy, 26, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for offences committed while on bail. He pleaded guilty to the attempted robbery of a taxi driver at Dolphins Barn, Dublin city, on September 20, 2019, as well as robbery and attempted robbery at St Stephen's Green on August 2, 2021. During the latter incident, Murphy allegedly posed as a garda to rob two teenagers, resulting in injuries to the male victim. Judge Pauline Codd described both attacks as vicious assaults. Acknowledging Murphy's tragic background and entrenched drug addiction, the judge imposed a total operative sentence of eight years. However, she suspended the final year to incentivise rehabilitation, conditional on Murphy engaging with the Probation Service and drug addiction treatment. The sentence was backdated to last March, when Murphy pleaded guilty to the offences. This decision follows his admission of guilt to the charges, which included his 65 previous convictions for robbery, burglary, and assaults.
Glen McEnroe, 39, of Cathedral View Walk, Dublin 8, was sentenced to four years in prison with the final 12 months suspended, backdated to 21 December 2020, for his role in a robbery that involved setting fire to a stolen cash‑in‑transit box. The incident occurred on 15 December 2020 when a Brinks security van driver, Brian Byrne, had taken a cash box from the van, entered a building on Thomas Street, and left with €19,300. Byrne was attacked by a man who threw the box at him; the box was later found on fire at St Kevin's Avenue. CCTV identified McEnroe buying a gas canister, entering the area, and attempting to ignite the box. He pleaded guilty, claiming he was threatened to do so. The court noted his limited role but considered the robbery pre‑meditated and the cash never recovered.
The High Court has quashed An Bord Pleanála's decision to grant planning permission for 300 apartments and housing units in Monkstown, south Dublin. In a judgment delivered on Tuesday, Mr Justice David Holland found that the board erred in accepting the developer's Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Screening Report, which failed to adequately describe the development's environmental effects. Consequently, the board could not lawfully determine that a full EIA was unnecessary. The judicial review was brought by the Monkstown Road Residents Association and three individual applicants: James Barry, a retired Dublin city sheriff; Bairbre Stewart, a chartered accountant; and Christopher Craig, a social entrepreneur. They challenged the permission granted to Lulani Dalguise Ltd for eight apartment blocks and 22 houses on a 3.6-hectare site at Dalguise House. The applicants alleged errors regarding the EU Habitats Directive, bathing water quality, and building height guidelines. While the court dismissed most other grounds, it held that the board failed to provide adequate reasons for finding insignificant effects on cultural heritage and improperly relied on specific planning policy requirements concerning height. The judge confirmed that the proposed development materially contravened Dun Laoghaire Rathdown's building height policy. The permission was therefore quashed, and the matter is concluded with this decision.
Feri Anghel, a 43‑year‑old Romanian gypsy, was sentenced to life imprisonment at the Central Criminal Court for the murder of Ioan Artene Bob, a 49‑year‑old construction worker who was found badly beaten in Sean Walsh Memorial Park, Tallaght, on 13 April 2018. The court noted that Bob had been lured to the park after a casino win of about €2,700, which he had largely sent to his family in Romania. Anghel had a history of violent offences, including attempted murder, and had 24 prior convictions across Romania, France and Ireland. CCTV footage and forensic evidence showed a brutal attack involving stamping and blunt‑force trauma that caused Bob's death. Anghel pleaded not guilty but was unanimously convicted by a jury after a trial that lasted two days. The judge imposed a mandatory life sentence, backdated to Anghel's arrest on 18 April 2018, and highlighted the role of CCTV in the prosecution's case.
Martin Aylmer pleaded guilty in the Special Criminal Court to participating in or contributing to the murder of Noel "Duck Egg" Kirwan in 2016 and the attempted murder of James 'Mago' Gately. The court heard that Aylmer imported electronic tracking devices used by a criminal organisation to monitor the victims, who were targeted due to perceived links to the 2016 murder of David Byrne. Aylmer, described by the judge as occupying the lowest level of the gang's cellular structure, admitted to travelling to Leeds in the UK under his own name to purchase the devices. The judge noted that Aylmer made a "schoolboy error" by using his own identity and vehicle, which allowed Gardaí to trace the devices to him. Although Aylmer had previously been sentenced to six years for buying mobile phones for the gang involved in the 2016 murder of Michael Barr, this current appeal-stage hearing focused on his new convictions. The defence argued that Aylmer's involvement was limited to importing the devices and that he has potential for rehabilitation. The judge acknowledged Aylmer's lack of criminal sophistication but stated he would pass sentence on July 29. Consequently, the matter was adjourned and not concluded at this stage.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 13 February 2021, William Gaynor, aged 56 and without a fixed abode, was convicted of armed robbery after he twice targeted Medipharm pharmacy on North Frederick Street. In the first incident, Gaynor entered the shop with a knife, demanded Xanax and €300, and left after the staff complied. He later claimed the robbery was an act of "euthanasia" because he was ill and could not eat or sleep. Four months later he returned armed with a corkscrew, demanded cash and Valium, and left with €300 and 150 Valium tablets. Gaynor admitted guilt at the earliest stages of both cases. The judge cited the repeated targeting of the same pharmacy and prior convictions as aggravating factors, but noted early guilty pleas and medical conditions as mitigating. He was sentenced to four years' imprisonment, back‑dated for time already served.
A High Court judge, Mr Justice Charles Meenan, ruled that a challenge brought by former Stardust manager Eamon Butterly, which seeks to prevent a new inquest from potentially finding unlawful killing, is not yet ready for hearing. The judge noted that pre‑trial exchanges of legal documents and submissions have not yet taken place, and that once these are completed a hearing date will be set. Butterly, who owned the Artane nightclub that burned on 13/14 February 1981, causing 48 deaths and 128 injuries, has applied for judicial review against the coroner, Dr Myra Cullinane, and the Minister for Justice. He seeks orders to prohibit the coroner from considering an unlawful‑killing verdict, to quash the coroner's refusal to rule it out, and to declare that such a verdict is not permissible under the Coroners Acts. The coroner and the families of the deceased oppose the application, arguing it is premature.
The High Court heard that work on converting Lefroy House, a former homeless shelter on Eden Quay, into accommodation for Ukrainian refugees has stopped because the building was allegedly broken into and occupied on 1 May by a group calling itself the Revolutionary Workers Union. The Salvation Army, which holds a long leasehold interest and had been renovating the property, cannot access the premises or continue repairs. Lawyers for the Salvation Army presented evidence that the occupiers refuse to vacate, have renamed the building James Connolly House, and display flags such as the Starry Plough. The occupiers claim the building was seized under a 'People's Acquisition Order' and that they are protecting it from being retaken. The Salvation Army seeks an injunction to stop trespassing and to allow its agents to take possession.
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear appeals by Gerry "The Monk" Hutch and former Sinn Féin councillor Jonathan Dowdall, who seek to stop their murder trials for the 2016 Regency Hotel attack from proceeding before the Special Criminal Court (SCC). Earlier this year, High Court Judge Anthony Barr refused their requests, ruling that the Director of Public Prosecutions may certify that the SCC can try them under the 1939 Offences Against the State Act. The appeals raise questions about the SCC's legal authority, its status as a permanent court, and the interpretation of emergency powers. A three‑judge panel, including Justices Peter Charleton, Seamus Woulfe and Gerard Hogan, found the appeals to involve matters of public importance and granted a "leap‑frog" appeal to the Supreme Court. No hearing date has yet been set. The men, aged 58 and 44, are charged with the murder of David Byne, 33, at the Whitehall hotel on 5 February 2016.
Jonathan Dowdall, a former Sinn Fein councillor aged 44, and Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch, aged 58, have each filed a two‑pronged appeal against the High Court's refusal to overturn the Director of Public Prosecutions' decision to try them for the murder of David Byrne, 33, at the Regency Hotel in Whitehall, Dublin, on 5 February 2016. Both men are charged with Byrne's murder and are scheduled to stand trial before the Special Criminal Court, a non‑jury court. In separate judicial review proceedings, they argued that a trial before the SCC would be unlawful and a breach of their fundamental rights, claiming the court was a permanent institution despite being established on a temporary basis half a century ago. Judge Anthony Barr dismissed these challenges, ruling that the legislation was neither temporary nor limited in time. The appellants have now sought leave to appeal Judge Barr's decision directly to the Supreme Court.
In a Commercial Court case involving the Kilkenny Shop and Restaurant on Dublin's Nassau Street and its landlord, Setanta Centre Unlimited Company, the dispute was settled out of court. Clydaville Investments, which operates the Nassau Street store and other Kilkenny Group outlets, had challenged a €150m redevelopment plan for the centre, arguing that the proposed rules would impede pedestrian and vehicular access, including deliveries, and would undermine the business. The case, originally scheduled to commence before Mr Justice Michael Quinn, was adjourned to allow settlement talks. When it returned to the court, Declan McGrath SC for Clydaville informed the judge that the parties had reached an agreement. The court struck out the proceedings and vacated all prior orders, with no costs order required. The settlement terms remain confidential. The case had been listed for ten weeks and centred on the redevelopment approved by Dublin City Council and An Bord Pleanala.
In a Commercial Court dispute, Clydaville Investments, operators of the Kilkenny Shop and Restaurant on Dublin's Nassau Street, has brought proceedings against Setanta Centre Unlimited Company over €150m redevelopment plans for the centre. The case, which was to commence before Mr Justice Michael Quinn, was adjourned to allow out‑of‑court settlement talks. Clydaville, represented by Declan McGrath SC, Andrew Fitzpatrick SC and Stephen Byrne BL, alleges that the proposed rules by Setanta would interfere with pedestrian and vehicular access, including deliveries, to its Nassau Street outlet, and that the rules are designed to remove the plaintiff from the way during redevelopment. The company seeks orders prohibiting the implementation of the new rules and preventing interference with ingress and egress. Setanta, represented by Eoin McCullough SC, Rossa Fanning SC and John Lavelle BL, denies the claims.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, 23‑year‑old Denis Condron pleaded guilty to harassing his former girlfriend, Elva Duffy, between December 2019 and March 2020. Condron, who had been dating Duffy for several months, claimed that a car crash had altered his personality, making him paranoid, obsessive and possessive. He allegedly called her up to 15 times a day, demanded photographs to prove her identity, video‑called her while she slept, and threatened to kill himself and to send intimate photographs to her parents. After the relationship ended, he continued to contact her, sometimes following her to public places and her college. Judge Martin Nolan found the cumulative behaviour amounted to harassment, imposed a two‑year sentence suspended in full for two years, and ordered Condron no contact with Duffy for 30 years. No custodial sentence was imposed. The court noted that the harassment lasted three months and that both parties had since gone their separate ways.
Kevin Brazil, aged 52, was sentenced by the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to five and a half years' imprisonment for sexual assault and related offences committed between January 2019 and August 2020. The court found that Brazil had driven a 13‑year‑old boy in his car, given the boy money, cigarettes and alcohol, and on occasions invited him to stay at his home. Brazil also pleaded guilty to communicating by technology with a child to facilitate sexual exploitation. The judge re‑activated two years of a previously suspended three‑year term and imposed a consecutive term of three and a half years, making the total term five and a half years. Brazil is currently serving a term that is due to expire on 24 November. The case was brought by the prosecution after Garda investigations revealed Brazil's extensive history of child sexual assault, including 33 prior convictions. The judge praised the Gardaí for their work in apprehending Brazil.
A jury in Dublin found 42‑year‑old Feri Anghel guilty of murdering fellow Romanian Ioan Artene Bob, 49, in Sean Walsh Memorial Park, Tallaght, on 13 April 2018. Anghel, a Romanian gypsy with no fixed abode, had pleaded not guilty. The trial, opened at the Central Criminal Court seven weeks earlier, lasted three hours and 44 minutes. Evidence included CCTV footage of Anghel and Bob together, a broken nose, extensive bruising, broken jaw and fractured ribs on Bob, and a cause of death of blunt‑force trauma with bilateral lung collapse. Anghel had been seen on CCTV attempting to use Bob's bank card at a shopping centre that night. The jury found the case against Anghel to be strong enough to convict, despite the defence's claims of prejudice and lack of direct evidence. Anghel was remanded in custody pending sentencing.
In the Central Criminal Court, the jury is hearing the case of Feri Anghel, 42, a Romanian gypsy with no fixed abode, who has pleaded not guilty to the murder of fellow Romanian Ioan Artene Bob, 49, found beaten in Sean Walsh Memorial Park, Tallaght on 13 April 2018. The prosecution presents circumstantial evidence: CCTV footage of Anghel and Bob together, Anghel's attempt to use Bob's bank card at The Square Tallaght, and the fact that Bob's phone pinged a tower after the attack. Witnesses claim blood on Anghel's hands and boots and that Anghel had complained of pain after a night of drinking. The defence argues the evidence is weak, lacking DNA, fingerprints or motive, and that the prosecution has not proven the time of the alleged murder. Judge Paul Burns instructs the jury that if they find Anghel caused Bob's death but are not satisfied he intended to kill, they may return a verdict of manslaughter.
Joseph O'Brien, aged 35, was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment, with the final two years suspended, for a series of robberies and violent assaults committed while serving a suspended sentence. On 21 January 2019, he struck a robbery victim on the back of the head with a glass bottle, then repeatedly kicked the man 20–30 times before stealing his phone. The victim suffered a laceration, facial bruising, black eyes and a broken tooth. O'Brien had previously robbed the same pharmacy on 19 January and again on 23 April 2019, using a knife and a screwdriver to threaten staff and steal cash. His 56 prior convictions include robbery, burglary, theft, assault of a peace officer and drug‑related offences. The judge noted the offences were aggravated by his suspended sentence and his drug difficulties, and he must comply with strict probation conditions for 12 months after release. Joseph O'Brien pleaded guilty.
A jury at the Central Criminal Court could not reach a verdict in the case of a 14‑year‑old boy accused of murdering Urantsetseg Tserendorj during the 2021 winter lockdown. The teenager admitted stabbing Ms Tserendorj in the neck but his lawyers argued he was attempting a robbery and did not intend to kill or seriously harm her, seeking a manslaughter conviction. The jury spent over eight hours deliberating and, after multiple reviews of evidence, was unable to agree on a verdict. The judge, Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring, noted that ten votes were required for a verdict. The case will return to the Central Criminal Court list. The accused had pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter on 29 January 2021, a plea the State rejected. He also pleaded guilty to producing a knife and attempting to rob Ms Tserendorj on 20 January 2021.
Former Taxing Master James Flynn and his firm, JT Flynn and Co Solicitors, have launched High Court judicial review proceedings against the Garda Commissioner, the DPP, and a District Court judge. The applicants seek to quash a warrant that authorised the search and seizure of confidential documents, files, and Mr Flynn's mobile phone from their Dublin City Centre offices. The search relates to a Garda investigation into alleged money laundering, which the applicants claim is a "spurious investigation" linked to a dispute over the exchange of damaged banknotes valued at €4,400. Mr Flynn was arrested and held for questioning for two days. The applicants allege the warrant was unlawful, breached privacy and property rights, and ignored less intrusive methods. They seek the return of seized items, disclosure of information used to obtain the warrant, and a decision by the DPP on whether a criminal offence occurred. The Law Society, Central Bank of Ireland, and European Central Bank are notice parties. The matter was briefly mentioned before Mr Justice Charles Meenan on Monday. Counsel sought an urgent hearing, but the judge did not accept the matter was sufficiently urgent given the raid occurred over a month ago. Consequently, the case was adjourned to a date later this month, after Easter.
The Central Criminal Court heard the case of a 14‑year‑old boy who stabbed Urantsetseg Tserendorj to death in Dublin on 20 January 2021. His defence counsel argued that the boy intended only to rob her, not to kill, and should be convicted of manslaughter. The prosecution maintained that a neck stabbing can only be intended to cause serious harm, and therefore the appropriate verdict was murder. The boy had pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter, and also pleaded guilty to producing a knife and attempting to rob Ms Tserendorj. Witnesses for the defence included the boy's aunt and grandmother, who described his drug habit and lack of intent to kill. The jury was instructed to decide whether the boy intended to cause serious injury or death, and to return tomorrow for deliberation.
In a High Court hearing on 1 April 2022, Collen Construction Limited sought an injunction against residents of Castleforbes Square and Liffey Trust/North Bank Apartments who had blocked access to its new 270‑bed hotel and office development at Castleforbes Business Park, Dublin 1. Collen claimed the blockade had caused it to lose €350,000 per week, citing 16 lost working days and ongoing financial harm. The company offered €75,000 to community projects, which was rejected, and the protest resumed on 23 March. The court, hearing a sworn statement from Collen's counsel, granted an ex‑parte injunction preventing five named residents and unknown persons from obstructing entry or exit of the site. The judge noted the protest was peaceful, allowed for talks, and warned residents that they could pursue their own legal action if they had concerns about dust, noise or nuisance. The injunction was adjourned for a week.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, Garda David O'Callaghan recounted how he visited the home of a teenage accused of murdering Urantsetseg Tserendorj. While on a search warrant for a stolen e‑bike, he called the boy's grandmother, who said the boy had "done something terrible" and would turn himself in. O'Callaghan found the boy in his bedroom, who admitted stabbing the woman and robbing her. The boy, a minor, pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter, and the State has not accepted his plea. He also pleaded guilty to producing a knife and attempting to rob Ms Tserendorj. The victim died nine days later from a single stab wound that severed a major brain artery. Garda Maria Harmon and Garda Karl Bolger provided further statements and evidence, including a knife found in the boy's home and CCTV footage of the incident. The jury will hear the prosecution's evidence before the next trial phase.
Ian Moore, 31, was sentenced to two years' imprisonment for the unlawful killing of Jason Kearney, 25, who had broken into Moore's home on 12 September 2020. Moore claimed he had heard noises, entered the house, and punched Kearney once after a brief confrontation. Kearney fell, hit his head, and died ten days later in a coma after the ventilator was turned off. Moore said he had no intention to use a knife he had been given by his pregnant partner and that he had returned to the scene to call emergency services and assist Kearney until an ambulance arrived. The court noted Moore's lack of prior convictions, his guilty plea, remorse, and cooperation with investigators as mitigating factors. The judge emphasised that Moore had taken the law into his own hands and that the act was impulsive, emotional and violent, but not pre‑meditated.
Kevin Brazil, 52, was caught driving a 13‑year‑old boy in his car four days after a suspended sentence for sexually abusing another child. The boy was given money, cigarettes, alcohol and was invited to stay at Brazil's home, where Brazil offered the boy money for sexual acts. Brazil had previously received a three‑year suspended sentence in July 2020 for sexual assault offences dating back to 2002, and in 2021 was sentenced to two‑and‑a‑half years' imprisonment for the sexual assault of a 12‑year‑old child in Dublin. He also pleaded guilty to sexual assault and communication with a child for sexual exploitation between 2019 and 2020. The court heard that the boy's mother reported the abuse three days after the incident. No victim impact statements were presented. Judge Elma Sheahan remanded Brazil in custody and adjourned the case for finalisation on 26 April.
During a Central Criminal Court hearing, Feri Anghel, a 42‑year‑old Romanian office cleaner, denied murdering Ioan Artene Bob, a 49‑year‑old construction worker. Anghel, who had no fixed abode, was arrested five days after Bob's body was found in Sean Walsh Park, Tallaght, on 13 April 2018. In a police interview on 18 April, Anghel described Bob as a "good guy" who often shook hands and saluted people, noting he was a heavy drinker. Anghel claimed he last saw Bob the week before the murder, at a group meal near the GPO where Bob had been handing out free food. Anghel said he had never spoken to Bob personally and that he and Bob had never gone out together. He also explained that he earned €550‑€600 a week cleaning offices and sent most of his wages back to his family in Romania. Feri Anghel pleaded not guilty.
A 64‑year‑old taxi driver, Tajudeen Balogun, was sentenced to 14 months in jail for careless driving that caused serious harm to a German couple on Trinity Street, Dublin, on 6 September 2018. Balogun failed to look ahead before turning right from Dame Street onto Trinity Street, driving straight into the couple as they crossed. The driver's car struck Verena Schneider, who sustained minor bruising, and her husband Benjamin Schneider, who was thrown onto the road, sustaining multiple skull and spinal fractures and severe brain trauma. The court found no evidence of intoxication or speeding. Balogun pleaded guilty; the judge noted his good character and lack of prior convictions but imposed a custodial sentence. The sentence was 21 months, reduced to 14 months with six months suspended, and Balogun was disqualified from driving for four years.
In a Dublin murder trial, paramedics testified that Romanian man Ioan Artene Bob, aged 49, was severely beaten in Sean Walsh Park on 13 April 2018, suffering "racoon eyes" and extensive bruising. He was taken to Tallaght Hospital where he died at 4.37 pm after respiratory and cardiac arrest. Witnesses described Bob's swollen face, blood from his mouth and nose, and a cracked jaw, fractured ribs, and punctured lungs. The prosecution alleges that after the attack, Bob's phone and bank card were used in Dublin and Meath, implicating Feri Anghel, 42, who denies the murder. Bob had recently won €2‑3,000 at a Dublin casino and had sent much of it to Romania. The case is heard before Mr Justice Paul Burns and a jury.
Murad Kandokar, 49, of Gleann Ribh, Lusk, Co. Dublin, was sentenced by the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to 16 months in prison for two sexual assaults. He pleaded guilty to an assault on a Luas train in Dublin on 26 May 2021 and to an assault on a Galway‑to‑Dublin Airport City Link bus on 17 July 2019. The court heard that on the Luas incident a young woman was approached by Kandokar, who pressed his body against her and displayed an erection, causing her to disembark at the Four Courts and seek assistance from Garda Sonya Mooney. In the bus incident, a woman was found with Kandokar's hand in her crotch area; she shouted at him and he moved seats before being arrested. Judge Martin Nolan described the acts as compulsive yet criminal, sentencing Kandokar to two and a half years with fourteen months suspended, leaving a net 16‑month custodial term.
In a murder trial at the Central Criminal Court, the prosecution presented evidence that Romanian man Ioan Artene Bob, aged 49, was found beaten in a "very, very bad state" in Tallaght's Sean Walsh Memorial Park on 13 April 2018. A Polish woman, Marzana Jurzak, discovered him early in the morning, noting bruises, swelling and blood on his face, and that he could not stand. She reported that Bob had shown her four fingers, which she interpreted as indicating four attackers. The prosecution alleged that Bob had recently won €2‑3 000 at a Dublin casino, sent much of it to Romania, and that he and accused Feri Anghel, 42 and homeless, had travelled together from the city centre to Tallaght on Luas. CCTV and mobile phone evidence were said to link Anghel to the attack and subsequent use of Bob's phone and bank card. Bob died of cardiac arrest at Tallaght Hospital later that day.
Philip Murphy, 41, had recently been released from a 10‑year sentence for false imprisonment when he sexually assaulted two women in Dublin in February 2016. He grabbed each victim from behind, threatened to kill them and demanded sex. Murphy pleaded guilty to both assaults and was originally sentenced to six years' imprisonment for each offence, to run concurrently, by Judge Melanie Greally at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The Director of Public Prosecutions appealed, arguing the sentence was unduly lenient and that consecutive sentences were warranted because the attacks constituted a crime spree. The Court of Appeal quashed the original sentence and ordered Murphy to serve a total of 10 years behind bars for the two offences. The decision was based on the fact that Murphy had been released the day before the attacks and the impact on the victims.
In March 2022 the High Court heard a challenge by Sergeant Martin Bright, a serving soldier and Deputy General Secretary of the Permanent Defence Force Other Ranks Representative Association, against an order issued by the Deputy Chief of Staff in August 2018. The order directed all members of the Permanent Defence Forces to refrain from attending unofficial parades and protests, including a 2018 Dublin City Centre protest about army pay and conditions that Bright intended to attend. Bright argues the order infringes his rights to freedom of assembly and expression, and seeks a declaration that the order is unlawful, outside the Deputy Chief of Staff's powers, and unconstitutional under the European Convention on Human Rights. The Defence Forces argue Bright lacks standing, the order is within his authority, and that the protest was a political demonstration. The case is before Justice Mark Sanfey.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, John Tobin of Corran Ard, Athy, was found guilty of assault causing harm after he kicked in the door of a man's home and carried out a prolonged attack. Tobin claimed he had been misinformed that the victim had harmed a woman, the victim's partner, and that his actions were a misguided attempt to help. He admitted his wrongdoing. The victim, who wished to remain unnamed, suffered cuts, a punctured lung and other injuries but no serious consequences. Tobin, who has prior convictions for assault and public order offences and a history of alcohol and cocaine abuse, was given €1,000 as an expression of remorse, which the victim accepted. Judge Melanie Greally imposed a 30‑month prison sentence, suspended the final 15 months, and required Tobin to keep the peace and engage with Probation Services for 15 months after release.
A jury convicted Declan McGowan, 33, of assaulting Andra Calauz and attempting to coerce her into his car on the night of 18 September. McGowan claimed he had pulled alongside Calauz on Kimmage Road Lower, believing she was in danger, and told her he was a Garda with a gun. He kissed and hugged her, then repeatedly urged her to get into his vehicle. Calauz said she felt frightened and pressured. Her husband, Daniel Ion, testified that McGowan choked him and threatened to call Tusla, demanding Calauz enter the car. Ion called Gardaí, who arrested McGowan. The four‑day trial ended with guilty verdicts on all four counts: attempted coercion, assault on Calauz, impersonation of a Garda, and assault on Ion. McGowan was remanded in custody until a sentencing hearing on 17 June. The judge thanked the jury for their time. The case remains at the sentencing stage. Declan McGowan pleaded not guilty.
A jury has begun deliberating the trial of Declan McGowan, a 33‑year‑old builder from Branswood, Athy, who is accused of attempting to coerce Andra Calauz into his car on the night of 18 September. McGowan pleaded not guilty to the charge of attempting to coerce Calauz, to assaulting her by kissing and hugging her, to impersonating a Garda, and to assaulting her husband Daniel Ion. Calauz testified that she was walking alone on Kimmage Road Lower at about 2.30 a.m., arguing with her husband on a video call when McGowan's car pulled up beside her. He told her he was a Garda, praised her beauty, kissed her hand, and hugged her. She claimed he urged her to get into his car. Her husband, Daniel Ion, said McGowan choked him, claimed to have a gun, and that McGowan only restrained him after Ion struck Calauz. Both Calauz and Ion denied this version of events.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, a 33‑year‑old builder, Declan McGowan, was accused of assaulting a man and attempting to coerce a woman into his car while claiming to be a Garda. The prosecution described McGowan's account as "fantastical," asserting that when the woman's husband, Daniel Ion, intervened, McGowan "flew into a rage" and assaulted him. McGowan denied assaulting the woman, stating he never touched her and that he had only tried to protect her from the husband. He also denied impersonating a Garda, claiming any reference to being a Garda was a misunderstanding due to a language barrier. McGowan pleaded not guilty to attempted coercion, assault, impersonation of a Garda, and assault of Mr. Ion. The case remains at the trial stage, with jurors set to deliberate after the judge's instructions.
The Court of Appeal has upheld a High Court ruling that SEDA (Skills & Enterprise Development Academy) Limited, which operated an English language school in Dublin, should not be wound up. The case involved an appeal by Rezaul Karim and Mahbuba Sultana against a 2019 decision by Mr Justice John Jordan. The High Court had found that shareholder and director Tiago Mascarenhas was entitled to relief under Section 212 of the Companies Act 2014, citing oppressive conduct by the appellants. The Court of Appeal, comprising Ms Justice Caroline Costello, Mr Justice Robert Haughton, and Mr Justice Maurice Collins, dismissed the appeals on most grounds but allowed Ms Sultana's appeal regarding the finding that Mr Karim was the beneficial owner of her shares. The court affirmed that Mr Mascarenhas should be permitted to acquire Ms Sultana's shares rather than the reverse, noting his local presence and experience. Regarding costs, the court initially proposed a 10% reduction against the applicant due to his lack of candor regarding his immigration status. However, the Court of Appeal ultimately decided not to make any deduction from the applicant's costs, citing the appellants' refusal to engage in mediation and their conduct of the litigation. The matter was concluded with the High Court's substantive decision upheld, subject to the correction on beneficial ownership.
A senior High Court judge has granted former Stardust manager Eamon Butterly permission to bring a judicial review challenge aimed at preventing a new inquest into the 1981 Stardust fire from considering an unlawful‑killing verdict. Butterly, who owned the nightclub with his family, claims that the new hearing could wrongly target him for such a verdict. The families of the 48 victims, who have opposed his application, argue that the challenge is premature, especially as it is launched weeks before the inquest is set to begin. The judge, who is not yet ruling on the merits, noted that time is of the essence and that the proceedings should be heard as soon as possible. The challenge seeks an order to prohibit the coroner from considering an unlawful‑killing verdict, to quash the coroner's refusal to rule it out, and to declare that such a verdict cannot be lawfully returned under the Coroners Acts.
Gardai followed a trail of blood to catch Kevin Maughan, 48, a serial offender with 240 convictions, carrying a stolen cash register from a high‑end bar closed during the first lockdown. Maughan broke a window that bore a "stay safe, stay home" sign, cutting his hands and leaving DNA‑containing blood throughout the bar. He stole a cash register and alcohol during the break‑in on 28 April 2020 at Bar 37, Dawson Street. The blood trail led to St Stephen's Green where Maughan was seen carrying the register. He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Judge Melanie Greally noted his intoxication, the damage caused, and his addiction‑related offending. She imposed a three‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence, suspending the final year on strict conditions, including drug and alcohol intervention and cooperation with community mental health treatment.
In a sentencing hearing on 24 February 2022, Judge Melanie Greally imposed a suspended three‑year prison term on 22‑year‑old Kieran Comerford of Blackhall Parade, Stoneybatter, for a violent, unprovoked attack that took place on 17 February 2017 in Dublin city centre. The assault involved Comerford, then 17, and four friends who attacked two Brazilian men walking along the Luas line at Mary's Abbey. The victims were punched and kicked; one was hit several times. Comerford later admitted drunkenness and pleaded guilty to violent disorder in June 2021. The judge described the assault as "very frightening and cowardly", noting that while there was no lasting physical harm, one victim now feels unsafe at night and left Ireland that same year. She highlighted that most of Comerford's prior convictions were as a juvenile and that he has had no significant offending since the 2017 incident. The suspended sentence is conditional on him keeping the peace and behaving well.
In the trial of Michael Lynn, a 53‑year‑old former solicitor accused of stealing about €27 million from seven banks, a witness named Jim Madden denied claiming that "all of the banks felt collectively they had no choice but to move against him." Madden, a former senior business manager at Bank of Ireland, explained that his role involved meeting prospective clients but that loan approval rested with the bank's group credit section. He recalled meeting Lynn in 2005 and 2006 regarding mortgages for eight investment properties, noting that Lynn signed a loan offer and accepted its terms. Madden also stated he had met Lynn at least twice, once in a non‑working setting, and could not remember any conversation about banks' collective stance. The court heard that Lynn has pleaded not guilty to 21 theft charges covering October 2006 to April 2007, and the trial is ongoing.