A 46‑year‑old former journalist from Sierra Leone, Mercy Peters, was found not guilty by reason of insanity for the murder of her 42‑year‑old flatmate Tyrone McKenna on 17 July 2014 in Marlay Court, Rathfarnham. Peters claimed voices in her head compelled her to stab McKenna. Both had a history of mental health problems and had met in a psychiatric ward in 2010. McKenna was discovered dead on the stairs by his father, Tom McKenna, who called an ambulance. A post‑mortem found a stab wound to the trunk that collapsed his left lung and injured his left kidney, with a contributory left forearm wound. In court, Peters behaved erratically, spoke of spirits and claimed self‑defence. Two psychiatrists testified that she was suffering from schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and did not understand the wrongfulness of her act. The prosecution argued she had killed McKenna, while the defence highlighted her mental illness and medication lapse.
A 46‑year‑old woman, Mercy Peters, is on trial at the Central Criminal Court for the murder of her 42‑year‑old flatmate, Tyrone McKenna, who was stabbed to death on 17 July 2014 in their South Dublin home. Peters pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, claiming that voices in her head compelled her to stab McKenna. The trial, which began on 7 May 2019, is a two‑day hearing before a jury of eight men and two women. Testimony from Sergeant David Bunn and psychiatric experts, including Professor Aiden Corvin and Dr Sally Linehan, details Peters' history of schizophrenia and a severe episode at the time of the offence, during which she reportedly heard her dead mother's voice urging her to act. The court has not yet delivered a verdict, and the case remains before Mr Justice Michael White.
Nermana Gojak, 44, worked as a carer and housekeeper for a 90‑year‑old retired GP for ten years. She stole €41,380 from the GP's sale proceeds by withdrawing cash, using the victim's laser card and transferring money to the victim's current account. Gojak pleaded guilty to theft at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The victim, who had raised the money from a lifetime of hard work, gave a victim impact statement describing betrayal and financial insecurity. Judge Melanie Greally sentenced Gojak to three years' imprisonment, suspending the final 12 months on strict conditions, including 12 months' engagement with the Probation Service. The sentence reflected Gojak's lack of prior convictions, cooperation, remorse and the fact that the money had not been repaid. The case was reported to Gardaí, who arrested Gojak in January 2018 after her admissions.
Brian Kavanagh, 33, was jailed after attempting to mug US military policeman Christian Escobar in Dublin using a roll of tin foil that he claimed was a silver bar. Kavanagh, under the influence of drugs, tried to seize Escobar's backpack, leading to a scuffle that caused both men to crash through a shop window, damaging about €2,000 worth of goods. Escobar suffered severe tendon damage to his wrist. Garda Theresa Brady observed Kavanagh behaving violently, head‑butting security guards and a glass partition, and deemed him unfit for interview for six hours. Kavanagh pleaded guilty to attempted robbery, assault causing harm and violent behaviour in a police station. Judge Karen O'Connor, noting 147 prior convictions and failed attempts to address his addictions, sentenced him to two years and nine months' imprisonment, rejecting his offer to engage with Probation Services.
In a south Dublin case, Kuwaiti‑born doctor Maha Al Adheem, aged 43, was found not guilty by reason of insanity for the murder of her three‑year‑old autistic son, Omar Omran. On 10 July 2017, Al Adheem stabbed Omar 20 times, mainly to the trunk, and also stabbed herself. The boy's body lay in the middle of a bed, surrounded by blood. Al Adheem admitted to the act, saying a "power" compelled her to take a knife from a drawer. Two consultant psychiatrists testified that she suffered from paranoid schizophrenia in July 2017 and could not appreciate the moral wrongness of her actions. The Central Criminal Court delivered a unanimous verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity after a 1 hour 46‑minute deliberation. The judge ordered her to be committed to the Central Mental Hospital and to appear again the next day for a psychiatric assessment.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 5 June 2018, William Connors, aged 29, pleaded guilty to possession of two stolen rings found in a sock at Dom Marmion car park, Dundrum. The rings—a 13‑carat gold ring worth €2,000 and a second ring worth €200—had been stolen earlier that day from a house. Connors was caught after attempting to flee, having removed a sock from his pocket and discarded it. He has 62 prior convictions, including burglary, possession of stolen property, criminal damage and traffic offences. Judge Cormac Quinn sentenced him to two years' imprisonment, backdating the term to the day of his initial arrest. The sentence was mitigated by Connors' early guilty plea, personal circumstances, tragic family background and age, while the aggravating factor was the impact on the victim, who was deeply shaken and distressed upon discovering her bedroom had been upended.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Silver Drescan (32) and Margherita Lupu (37) pleaded guilty to possessing 52 cloned credit cards and to making false payments, including a €3,400 purchase of a ring for Lupu and attempts to buy two mobile phones and two watches. The pair had used the cloned cards at Dom Marmion car park on 25 June 2018. Judge Elma Sheahan sentenced Lupu to two years' imprisonment, suspended, with the condition that she leave the State within seven days and not return for at least ten years. Drescan received a two‑year sentence with the final 15 months suspended, taking into account his good work record and custody of two dependent children. Both defendants now live in the United Kingdom. The court noted that the offence was serious, but Lupu's guilty plea, remorse, lack of prior convictions and motherhood were mitigating factors. The couple's relationship ended after the arrest.
Silver Drescan (32) and Margherita Lupu (37), both from the United Kingdom, were arrested on 25 June 2018 in Dublin for possessing 52 cloned credit cards and for making false payments. They used the cards to buy a €3,400 ring, two mobile phones and two watches. Lupu pleaded guilty to each count and was sentenced by Judge Elma Sheahan to two years' imprisonment per count, suspended on the condition that she leave the State within seven days and not return for at least ten years. Drescan's sentencing was adjourned to 19 November 2018. Garda Karl O'Neill described how the pair were stopped at a shopping centre, followed to a car park, and searched, revealing the cards. The couple had arrived from the UK the day before to visit friends and family, but their relationship ended after the arrest.
Sean Foster, 21, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm at St Joseph's Adolescent Unit on 5 January 2015 and at Oak Ward, Phoenix House Care Centre on 7 April 2017. He struck music teacher Dean McEvoy with a pool cue, breaking the cue and fracturing McEvoy's skull and severing a brain artery, causing PTSD. Foster also punched staff member Michael Kelly, knocking out a tooth and requiring €7,500 in dental work. Foster suffers from treatment‑resistant schizophrenia and was an in‑patient at St Joseph's during the first assault. Judge Cormac Quinn sentenced him to 18 months' imprisonment for the first assault, suspending the final six months on conditions of good behaviour, drug‑free status and medical compliance, and to 12 months' imprisonment for the second assault; the sentences run concurrently.
Stefan Condurovici, a 32‑year‑old former professional footballer from Romania, was jailed for five months after using six cloned payment cards to buy a pair of runners and toiletries. He was arrested in Dublin on 25 June after Gardaí discovered him and three others in possession of 52 cloned cards at a car park near Dundrum Town Centre. Condurovici pleaded guilty to six counts of possessing cloned cards. Judge Melanie Greally sentenced him to 18 months in prison, with 13 months suspended, backdated to the day of his arrest. She ordered him to leave Ireland within seven days of release and not to return for ten years. Condurovici had made modest purchases totalling about €200 and had cooperated fully with Gardaí. The judge noted his lack of prior convictions and his sporting background. The case highlighted the seriousness of cloned card offences.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court case, a 34‑year‑old severely autistic man, Sean Winters, was found not guilty by reason of insanity after assaulting Judge Miriam Walsh on 11 December 2015. During the two‑day trial, forensic psychiatrists Dr Anthony Kearns and Dr Ronan Mullaney testified that Winters' autism spectrum disorder and associated mental disorder made it impossible for him to control his actions, describing him as emotionally dysregulated and triggered into unpremeditated aggression. The jury of nine men and three women returned a unanimous verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity. Judge Walsh reported that Winters punched and kicked her repeatedly, causing her to seek hospital care, though X‑rays showed no broken ribs. Following the verdict, Judge Cormac Quinn ordered Winters to be committed to the Central Mental Hospital in Dundrum until the next Monday pending an updated psychiatric report.
In November 2016 a burglary at a mosque in Milltown Bridge, Dundrum, saw 30‑year‑old Stefan Boyle, who has 110 prior convictions, including 63 burglaries, stab him with a knife and steal his phone. Boyle, who has a history of drug and alcohol addiction, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Earlier this year Judge Karen O'Connor granted him bail to attend a drug‑treatment residential programme, but he later used cocaine and the judge offered one more chance. At a hearing in June Boyle asked to be remanded into custody because he was struggling on bail. The judge adjourned the case to 20 July, told Boyle he looked healthier than before, and Boyle thanked her for "saving" his life by sending him back into custody. The court noted Boyle had previously admitted to stealing two phones from the mosque's caretaker, Ali Yassine, and had returned them after a chance encounter. The case remains pending.
Costel Tudor, a 44‑year‑old Romanian, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for his role in a bank‑machine scam that targeted elderly victims in Dublin. Tudor recruited two women to distract ATM users after they entered their PINs. One woman tapped the victim's shoulder, claiming a €20 drop, while the other, who had seen the PIN, swapped the victim's card for a different one. Tudor then used the swapped card to withdraw cash. The scheme took place at the Bank of Ireland in Stillorgan Shopping Centre on 27 April 2015 and at Permanent TSB on Main Street, Dundrum on 7 November 2015. Garda Stephen Dunican noted Tudor's extensive criminal record, including convictions in the Netherlands, Finland, England and Germany. Judge Melanie Greally, citing the women's instrumental role and the CCTV evidence, imposed the sentence and suspended the final 18 months of a 10‑year ban on returning to Ireland.
Graham Armstrong, 33, was sentenced to 20 months' imprisonment for stabbing Thomas McDonnell, his partner's father, in the back of the neck with a screwdriver on 11 September 2015. The wound measured two to three millimetres and McDonnell recovered after a tetanus injection. Armstrong also pleaded guilty to an attempted robbery at Eddie Rockets on 16 December 2015, where he tried to force a worker to bring cash into the restaurant. He was arrested an hour later. The court noted Armstrong had 42 prior convictions, including possession of stolen property and burglary, and that he had been struggling after his mother's death in 2016. He was ordered to pay €1,500 to his victims as a token of remorse. Armstrong and his partner have since reconciled, and McDonnell declined to pursue the matter further. The judge, Martin Nolan, imposed the custodial sentence on the basis of Armstrong's serious criminal record.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Donnavan Staddon, aged 39, received a suspended prison sentence after assaulting a 12‑year‑old girl in an H&M children's clothes shop. CCTV showed Staddon entering the shop behind two girls, following one into the children's section, and touching her bottom. He then approached a second girl, who was elsewhere in the shop, and asked her for directions to the cinema, claiming she was about 17. Staddon denied inviting her to the cinema and said he had been lost. He had previously pleaded guilty to an assault in 2014. Judge Terence O'Sullivan imposed a €500 fine and a one‑month suspended sentence, requiring Staddon to keep the peace for three months. The victim's mother expressed that she did not want Staddon to go to prison, and Staddon's wife stated she did not condone his behaviour. The court noted Staddon had no prior convictions and had worked as a security guard.
During an investigation of a crashed van on a laneway, Gardaí discovered a cannabis growhouse at a rented house on Heronford Lane, Rathmichael. The house, which had been rented three months earlier, contained 917 plants under artificial lights, valued at €733,600, with 501 plants ready for harvest worth €400,800. Harvested cannabis bagged for street sale was worth €29,960. The operation's electricity supply had been spliced. Steven Hudson, 39, the van driver and a low‑level participant, was arrested after returning to the site at 11 pm. He pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis for sale or supply. The court sentenced him to four and a half years, suspending the final two years, and directed him to keep the peace for two years and engage with probation and addiction programmes. Hudson had 15 prior convictions and was described as not the mastermind or a man of means.
Stefan Boyle, 28, was arrested after a knife‑wounding burglary at Ali Hussain House in Milltown Bridge, Dundrum, on 2 November 2016. He was caught when a caretaker, Ali Yassine, saw him hiding under a mosque table and later confronted him. Boyle admitted the burglary and pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. He has 110 prior convictions, 63 of which are burglary. Judge Karen O'Connor, after assessing Boyle as suitable for residential drug treatment, adjourned sentencing to January to allow him to enter a program at Coolmine Therapeutic Centre. The court noted Boyle's willingness to apologise, his homelessness, and his desire to recover stolen phones, and gave him a final chance to present himself favourably before sentencing. The case remains pending until the sentencing hearing.
Stefan Boyle, 28, was arrested after a burglary at Ali Yassine's house in Milltown Bridge, Dundrum, on 2 November 2016. Boyle entered the house through an open window, stole two phones, and later confronted Yassine in a mosque where he had been hiding. Boyle lunged at Yassine with a knife, nicking him before Yassine escaped. Yassine, a caretaker, defended himself, then made Boyle scrambled eggs and sat with him. Boyle confessed to the burglary, pleaded guilty, and admitted he had stolen the phones during a 30‑minute conversation with Yassine. He claimed he wanted money for drugs and had forgotten the phones. Boyle has 110 prior convictions, 63 for burglary. The case was adjourned to 26 June for sentencing, with a probation report to be prepared.
John Connors, 36, of Dundrum, pleaded guilty to theft of €2,250 from an 82‑year‑old woman with early dementia in Carpenterstown on 19 February 2016. He had previously been convicted of assault and public order. Connors claimed to have performed roofing, patio and hedge work, but evidence showed only about ten minutes of roof work and no other repairs. He had cashed the cheque in his own account and was arrested in May. Connors repaid the victim in full. Judge Martin Nolan sentenced him to three years' imprisonment, suspended in full on strict conditions, citing his remorse, repayment and lack of serious prior convictions. The court noted his role as sole breadwinner for a family of six, with his wife unable to work due to health issues. The case was prosecuted by Anne‑Marie Lawlor BL and defended by Kitty Perle BL.
Pierce Hilliard, a 32‑year‑old former resident of Ballyogan Green, Carrickmines, was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for possessing 1.48 kg of heroin in Sandyford Road, Dublin, on 24 May 2016. He admitted that he had agreed to transport more than €200,000 worth of heroin to raise a deposit for a new flat, describing the act as one of desperation. Hilliard's daughter was in care and he claimed he was trying to secure a home to better look after her. He had 84 prior convictions, mainly for traffic offences, but no previous drug convictions or links to the drug trade. Gardaí had set up a surveillance operation that caught him placing the drugs in a shopping bag in a car park. He pleaded guilty, took full responsibility, and the court accepted his explanation that he had agreed to transport the drugs for monetary gain.
Stephen Egan, aged 33, was convicted of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility for killing fellow inmate Gary Douche, aged 20, in Mountjoy prison on 1 August 2006. A psychiatrist testified that Egan suffered from a schizoaffective disorder and was in a paranoid state at the time of the killing, which reduced his responsibility. He received a life sentence in 2009, upheld in 2010. In 2023 his lawyers applied to reopen the appeal under Section 2 of the Criminal Procedure Act 1993, citing new facts from the 2014 Commission of Investigation report that Egan was in an acute psychotic state in July 2006 and that he should not have been discharged from the Central Mental Hospital back to prison. The court rejected the application, stating the Commission's findings were not new or newly discovered, as the evidence was available at trial. The appeal was dismissed, and Egan's counsel intends to seek a Supreme Court appeal. Stephen Egan was acquitted.
Michelle Butterworth, 56, was sentenced to one year in prison for her role in a credit‑card fraud gang that operated over three weekends in September and October 2016. The gang travelled to Ireland from the UK, using fake credit cards to purchase high‑value goods worth €8,875, including Sony Playstations, Gucci watches, Samsung and Apple smartphones, and a Claddagh ring. Butterworth admitted her involvement and identified her accomplices after one of them nearly ran her over while fleeing from Gardaí. She had 31 prior convictions for similar fraud and theft offences in the UK, plus a conviction for running a brothel. Her defence counsel argued that she committed the offences to repay a loan taken to bury her husband, who died in 2013. Judge Karen O'Connor noted her early plea and imposed a one‑year sentence back‑dated to October 2016. The case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Michelle Butterworth pleaded guilty.
Michelle Butterworth, 56, of Stanley Street, Rochdale, faces jail after pleading guilty to 13 credit card fraud offences committed over three weekends in September and October 2016. The offences occurred in Galway, Kildare and Dublin, where she and a gang used high‑quality fake credit cards to purchase €8,875 worth of goods, including Sony Playstations, Gucci watches, Samsung and Apple smartphones and a Claddagh ring. The gang targeted Field's Jewellers, Argos and Gamestop, exploiting a loyalty scheme and manual card entry to bypass security checks. Garda James Codd reported that the gang was apprehended after staff became suspicious and a surveillance operation led to arrests at a petrol station. Butterworth admitted her role, identified accomplices and claimed the fraud was to repay a loan taken to bury her husband, who died in 2013. Judge Karen O'Connor remanded her in continuing custody on 10 March, when a sentence will be imposed.
An Armagh man has been ordered to complete 240 hours of community service following his conviction for attempting to remove markers from diesel fuel. Paul Haughey, aged 36 and resident in Keady, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to the offence, which occurred on 1 September 2011 at a property near Castleblaney, County Monaghan. Gardaí and customs officials conducted a surveillance operation and discovered over 13,000 litres of laundered diesel on the premises. The markers are used to differentiate between taxed diesel fuel and untaxed mineral oil, with significant tax rate variations between the two products. Judge Melanie Greally imposed the community service order in lieu of a one-year prison sentence, allowing Haughey eight months to complete the work. The judge noted he played a minor role in the operation and maintained an otherwise unblemished record in the jurisdiction. The defence submitted psychological evidence indicating Haughey was suffering severe depression and stressed his cooperation with investigating gardaí and his family responsibilities.
An oncologist at Beacon Hospital in south Dublin, identified only as Dr A, was censured by the Medical Council after prescribing more than twice the correct dose of the chemotherapy drug Temozolomide to Sinead Ni Dhulaing Johnson, a 44‑year‑old RTE producer who later died of a brain tumour. The patient received 350 mls of the drug, whereas the correct dose was 135 mls, and she took the excess for 16 days in August and September 2008. The overdose caused severe symptoms including a hot rash, hair loss, extensive bone‑marrow damage and required hospitalisation from September until November 2008. Dr A admitted the mistake, implemented precautions by 15 September 2008, and pledged not to repeat the behaviour. The Medical Council inquiry, held in September 2016, concluded that the error had no suggestion of hastening Ms Ni Dhulaing Johnson's death. The council censured Dr A for the conduct that led to the inquiry.
In the Special Criminal Court, a Meath man, Darren Weldon, 45, is on trial for alleged IRA membership. The prosecution presented DNA evidence linking him to a number plate found in debris from a car bomb outside Newry courthouse on 22 February 2010. Weldon, of Drinadaly, Trim, pleaded not guilty on 14 October 2014. Evidence also showed his Mazda 6 was stolen from his Dundrum driveway in January 2010, and that he was seen in conversation with Alan Ryan and Declan Smith in April 2012. The case is heard before Justice Tony Hunt, with Judges Martin Nolan and Cormac Dunne.
Paul Haughey, a 36-year-old father-of-five from Keady, Co Armagh, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to one count of attempting to remove markers from gas oil without the consent of the Revenue Commissioners on September 1, 2011. Prosecutors stated that markers differentiate diesel from mineral oil, noting the significant tax disparity between the two fuels at the time. Detective Garda Paul Kane testified that Haughey was observed entering a property near Castleblaney, Co Monaghan, with another man to launder diesel before armed gardaí and customs officials raided the site. Over 13,000 litres of laundered diesel were discovered, and Haughey was stopped by an armed garda as he attempted to flee. Defending counsel Michael O'Higgins SC argued that Haughey played a minor role, cooperated fully with gardaí, and suffered from severe depression, requesting a non-custodial sentence such as community service. He also highlighted that the case had been delayed for five years. Judge Melanie Greally described the offence as one requiring a serious sanction to deter similar behavior. She ordered a community services report and adjourned the matter for sentencing on December 19.
Niall Barron, a 44‑year‑old former Vodafone Ireland executive, was sentenced to three years' imprisonment for a fraud scheme that deprived the company of about €1.95 million. Between 2003 and 2007, while serving as head of corporate financial services and fraud prevention, Barron used his authority to approve purchase orders and invoices for a company he owned, Tel‑Q Ltd, registered in Vanuatu. He ordered services that were never performed and paid invoices for work that did not occur. The court described the thefts as a sophisticated, pre‑meditated breach of trust. Barron pleaded guilty to sample charges under the Theft and Fraud Act. Co‑accused Elaine and David McGovern received suspended sentences and a nine‑month term, respectively, for lesser roles in the same fraud scheme. The case remains an ongoing civil matter for Vodafone.
Gavin Fitzhenry, 32, of Tallaght, pleaded guilty to three failed burglaries in south Dublin on the night of 27 June 2014. He was sentenced to three years' imprisonment. The court noted his 42 prior convictions and that he was helping to pay off his brother's €19,000 drug debt. Judge Elma Sheahan highlighted his efforts to become drug‑free while in prison, his remorse, and his willingness to enter a residential drug treatment programme after release. She also mentioned that he was expecting his first child and that Probation Services had given positive reports. The judge recorded the trauma and upset caused to the victims, especially the young children, and the fact that Fitzhenry carried out two further robberies after the first. The court heard from Garda Vincent Carroll about the incidents, the victims' reactions, and the impact on the families. Fitzhenry was caught after hiding in bushes near the scenes.
James Redmond, 60, of Killinarden Estate, Tallaght, Dublin 24, was found not guilty by reason of insanity of murdering Mary Dargan and attempting to murder Karina Dargan at their home on March 15, 2014. Redmond pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to both charges at the Central Criminal Court. The jury returned majority verdicts of not guilty on both counts after four hours and five minutes of deliberation. The court heard that Redmond allegedly jumped over a back wall with a shotgun, shooting Mary Dargan dead and Karina Dargan in the head. Two consultant forensic psychiatrists testified that Redmond was suffering from severe depressive episodes with psychotic symptoms, rendering him unable to refrain from his actions. Justice Robert Eagar committed Redmond to the Central Mental Hospital and ordered him to be brought back before the court at 9am the following day for a psychiatric assessment. The matter was adjourned for this purpose. Redmond expressed his sorrow for his actions and the devastating consequences for the Dargan family. Victim impact statements were read on behalf of the Dargan children and Karina Dargan, who described her ongoing fear and trauma. The judge exempted the jury from further service for five years.
In a 2016 trial, forensic psychiatrist Dr Conor O'Neill testified that James Redmond, 60, suffered from severe depressive episodes with psychotic symptoms and would have been unable to refrain from his actions. Redmond, charged with murdering Mary Dargan and attempting to murder Karina Dargan on 15 March 2014, pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Dr O'Neill described Redmond's history of hearing voices, weight loss, and persecutory delusions, noting that he had been admitted to the Central Mental Hospital after a transfer from Cloverhill Prison. He diagnosed Redmond with psychotic depression, stating that Redmond was fit to be tried but would remain under treatment. The case was set to continue before Mr Justice Robert Eagar.
Catherine Ryan, a former Deputy Head of Group Performance at Bank of Ireland, applied to the High Court for an order that would require the bank to pay her salary while her full legal action was pending. The court dismissed the application, ruling that it could not order ongoing salary payments until the case was fully heard. Justice Paul Gilligan noted that the evidence presented was conflicting and that a trial judge would need to assess witnesses and supporting facts before deciding. The judge directed that the dispute proceed to a full hearing at the earliest opportunity and set the case for the start of the new legal term in October. Ryan's claim that she was marginalised and "set up to fail" by her employer was rejected by the bank, which said her dismissal was performance‑related and that she had not met the required standard during her probationary period.
Catherine Ryan, a former Deputy Head of Group Performance at Bank of Ireland, has applied to the High Court for an injunction to compel the bank to pay her salary until her case is heard. She alleges that after her appointment in September to a €177,000 role, her superior redefined her position to a lower one, marginalising her and setting her up to fail. Ryan claims the bank's decision to terminate her employment was performance‑related, but she disputes this, saying she was isolated at work and that a six‑month probation period was used to remove her. The bank denies all allegations, stating the termination was valid and performance‑based. The court, presided over by Mr Justice Paul Gilligan, has reserved judgment, with a ruling expected on Friday. The case remains an ongoing legal dispute between Ryan and Bank of Ireland.
An autistic man, Bijan Afshar, 23, was found not guilty by reason of insanity for murdering his mother, Lynn Cassidy, 50, in Bray, County Wicklow, on 26 or 27 June 2014. The Central Criminal Court, after less than an hour of deliberation, ordered his committal to the Central Mental Hospital (CMH) in Dundrum. Justice Isobel Kennedy acted on a report by Dr Anthony Kearns, who diagnosed Afshar with autism and a mental disorder that impaired his thinking, emotions and judgment. Dr Kearns and defence counsel Michael O'Higgins agreed that Afshar was vulnerable and required inpatient care to prevent further harm. The court noted that Afshar would be reviewed by the Mental Health Board and considered for discharge under Section 13 of the Criminal Law (Insanity) Act. Justice Kennedy thanked the jury and exempted them from service for 15 years.
In a June 2016 sentencing hearing, 32‑year‑old Gavin Fitzhenry of Tallaght pleaded guilty to three failed burglary attempts in south Dublin on the night of 27 June 2014. The first incident occurred at 1 a.m. in a Palmerston Road home when a woman, awake in bed, saw a man enter her bedroom. She froze, the intruder apologized, and he fled. At 2:45 a.m. in a Kilmacud Road house, a man heard a dark figure in his dining room; he confronted the intruder, who pleaded not to be hit and escaped. At 4:10 a.m. another Kilmacud resident was awakened by a noise from his bathroom; he saw a man on his roof, shouted, and the intruder leapt off and fled. Fitzhenry was later found near the scenes, fled, and hid in bushes before being arrested. He claimed he broke in because he owed €7,000 in drug‑related debt.
In a 2015 High Court ruling, Mr Justice Raymond Fullam declared a 2‑litre VW Golf bought in 2014 for €17,000 and €6,000 in a Dundrum Credit Union account belonging to Thomas Connors to be proceeds of crime. Connors, a married man in his mid‑thirties, had purchased the car under a fictitious name and only sought to register it in his own name after Gardai seized it. CAB presented evidence that Connors was involved in multiple burglaries across South Dublin, Kildare and Meath, and that he had not worked between 2001 and 2013, receiving social welfare. A financial expert noted that €279,000 had been deposited into several of Connors' accounts between 2000 and 2015, mainly in 2008 and 2009, and could not be explained. Connors did not appear in court or submit a defence.
Michael Doran, aged 29, was sentenced to five years' imprisonment, with the final two years suspended, for a series of offences committed in 2009. He pleaded guilty to two robberies, one hijacking, one car theft and one theft of car keys in the Dundrum area of south Dublin. On 12 March 2009 he mugged David Morgan, taking his ATM card, €10 and PIN, and threatened him with a knife, claiming a friend would follow him with a sniper rifle to prevent him from calling the Gardaí. Three days later he was involved in the theft of a car belonging to Caroline Caffrey, using stolen keys. He also participated in a hijacking of a pizza delivery man's vehicle. Doran had 11 prior convictions and had recently completed a four‑year sentence in England for a car‑theft offence. The judge cited his efforts at rehabilitation and his time spent in UK prison as reasons for suspending part of the sentence.
Kenneth Valentine, 27, and Richard McCudden, 24, were convicted of assaulting cyclist Darren Molloy on Dundrum Road on 20 November 2013. Valentine struck Molloy in the face and McCudden joined the beating when Molloy tried to defend himself with his bike lock. The pair also pleaded guilty to damaging a taxi's front passenger window on Churchtown Road on the same day, causing €100 in damage. Valentine, an electrical engineering student at Rosemount Glade, had 11 prior convictions, including two assaults; McCudden, an apprentice electrician, had four prior convictions. Judge Martin Nolan sentenced Valentine to 14 months' imprisonment and McCudden to eight months, citing Valentine's larger role in the "savage" attack. Both pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The court noted the defendants' cooperation and prior remorse gestures, but did not alter the sentences.
Two Romanian men, Vasile Bizau (24) and Ioan Bizau (31), were convicted in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for a scheme that involved attaching a card‑trapping device to ATMs and using an iPod Nano to record customers' PINs. The trial, which lasted four weeks and heard 80 witnesses, resulted in seven counts of possession of stolen ATM cards for each defendant and additional counts of theft and possession of a card‑trapping device. Judge Melanie Greally sentenced Ioan to four and a half years and Vasile to three and a half years, suspending the final year of each term on the condition that they leave Ireland and do not return for ten years. The case was built on extensive CCTV footage, recovered devices, and forensic evidence collected by Gardaí, who praised the police work in the investigation. Ioan Bizau pleaded guilty.
The court heard that Tom O'Gorman, a 39‑year‑old Dublin man, was killed by his tenant, Saverio Bellante, in Castleknock between 11 and 12 January 2014. Bellante, aged 36, admitted the killing and that he had eaten what he believed to be part of O'Gorman's heart. A jury found him not guilty of murder by reason of insanity after deliberating 1 hour 36 minutes. The judge, after hearing from psychiatrists, ordered Bellante to be committed to the Central Mental Hospital in Dundrum. Bellante has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and has shown improvement but remains at risk. The order will keep him under treatment and supervision, with his plan reviewed every six months. The case ends with Bellante's commitment rather than a custodial sentence. Saverio Bellante was found not guilty by reason of insanity.
Derek O'Brien, aged 33, was jailed for four years after a robbery at a shop on Fortfield Park, Terenure, on 26 May 2014. He threatened the shop owner with a knife, jumped over the counter and stole €600. O'Brien pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. He had previous convictions for assault, theft, burglary and drug offences and had been released from prison a few months earlier. He had a five‑year sentence for three robberies in July 2012, with the final two and a half years suspended. Judge Martin Nolan re‑activated two years of that suspended sentence and added a consecutive two‑year term for the Terenure robbery, giving a total of four years. Garda Keith Morrissey and other officers identified O'Brien through CCTV and a distinctive shoe print left on the counter. O'Brien was later arrested on Aston Quay with €460 in his bag, but no further charges were brought.
Paul Haughey, a 35-year-old water meter installer and company director, appeared at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court where the State withdrew its case against him. He had been charged in the District Court last year with removing or attempting to remove a prescribed marker from mineral oil without the consent of the Revenue Commissioners. The alleged offence occurred on September 1, 2011, at Corragarry, Castleblayney, Co Monaghan. Gardaí alleged that Haughey was caught standing on a tanker containing 30,000 litres of diesel, with a potential exchequer loss of €15,000. A search of the yard revealed €110,000 litres of diesel, representing a potential €55,000 loss. Authorities alleged the yard had a capacity to produce 18 million litres of fuel annually, with a total possible loss to the State of €9 million. The offence carried a maximum fine of €10,000 and a sentence of five years in prison on conviction. At the hearing, counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions stated she was not proceeding with the case and applied to strike out the charge. Judge Patricia Ryan agreed to strike out the charge and adjourned the matter until April 24 next, when an application for costs will be heard. No reason was given for the strike-out. Previously, a District Court judge had deferred a decision on granting legal aid to Haughey after noting his firm held a three-year contract with Dublin City Council for installing water meters.
During the 28th day of the murder trial at the Central Criminal Court, evidence was presented that Graham Dwyer, aged 42, sent 847 text messages to Elaine O'Hara between January 2008 and December 2009, including 53 on a single day. Garda Paul Kane testified that he analysed Dwyer's work‑phone bills and confirmed the volume of messages, though the content remained unknown. A call from Dwyer to O'Hara's message minder was also identified. Additionally, a crime analyst, Sarah Skedd, used toll‑booth and mobile‑tower records to trace a mobile phone and a vehicle, concluding that Dwyer owned the car that travelled from Galway to Dublin on 4 July 2012. The trial also heard from a friend of O'Hara, who described her personal struggles and relationships, and noted that O'Hara was last seen on the evening of 22 August 2012, after being discharged from a mental‑health hospital.
Jonathan Chubb, a 35‑year‑old former Dublin letting‑agent employee, was sentenced to 200 hours of community service instead of a prison term for stealing €8,660 from tenants across the country between July and December 2012. He pleaded guilty to 11 charges of stealing rent money from properties managed by Grant Thornton Receivers. Chubb claimed he had intended to repay the money and had taken it to ease his own financial difficulties. The judge, Martin Nolan, noted that the crime was a form of white‑collar theft and that Chubb had been found eligible for community service by the Probation Service. Chubb must complete the hours within 12 months. The case was prosecuted by Gerardine Small BL and defended by James Dwyer BL, who highlighted Chubb's prior financial hardship following the economic crash.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Sandra Doyle, aged 37, was found not guilty of stealing over €102,000 from the AIB bank account of retired chef Fergus Brugha, aged 62. Doyle had pleaded not guilty to 131 theft charges covering transactions between September 2008 and May 2010, including payments to Ticketmaster, a veterinary clinic, a beauty clinic, a Dundrum credit union, and mobile phone top‑ups. Judge Patrick McCartan directed the jury to acquit, stating the evidence was "entirely confused and inconclusive" and that there was insufficient proof to sustain the charges. Doyle denied all allegations, claiming she had not made any payments without permission and had not used Brugha's card. The judge noted Brugha's own uncertainty about some transactions and his admission that he may have authorized certain payments, leaving the jury to decide which, if any, were authorized. The case concluded with Doyle's acquittal.
The trial of Sandra Doyle, aged 37, continues at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. She denies stealing money from the AIB bank account of retired chef Fergus Brugha, aged 62, over a three‑year period. Evidence shows disputed transactions to Ticketmaster, online motor tax, a veterinary clinic, a beauty clinic, a Dundrum credit union account and mobile phone top‑ups. Doyle, of McCabe's Villas, Booterstown, pleaded not guilty to 131 theft counts at AIB Bank, Morehampton Road, Donnybrook, covering September 2008 to May 2010. Judge Patrick McCartan told the jury to return tomorrow after the State finished its evidence.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Fergus Brugha, aged 62, testified that he never authorised Sandra Doyle, aged 37, to withdraw €102,000 from his AIB bank account over a three‑year period. Doyle, who lives in Booterstown and previously in Gorey, pleaded not guilty to 131 theft counts covering the period from September 2008 to May 2010. The disputed transactions included payments to Ticketmaster, online motor tax, a veterinary clinic, a beauty clinic, a Dundrum credit union account and mobile phone top‑ups. Brugha explained that he had given Doyle money for a college course and a catering job, and that they had a non‑sexual, friendship‑based relationship. He noted that he had not regularly checked his statements and that he had been unaware of the withdrawals until he noticed money moving to a credit union account. The trial, presided over by Judge Patrick McCartan, is scheduled to continue until Friday.
The trial of Graham Dwyer at the Central Criminal Court heard testimony from two men who met Elaine O'Hara on the alternative‑sexuality website alt.com. Robert Cullen Jones, who met O'Hara in March 2011, described their meetings in Dundrum Shopping Centre and at her apartment in Stepaside, noting her interest in bondage and the presence of handcuffs and vibrators. He also recalled receiving texts from her and later deleting her number. Seán Guerin SC presented items recovered from Vartry Reservoir, including a butt plug, and questioned the witness about her sexual fantasies. Mark Guerin, another alt.com user, recounted meetings with O'Hara in Blackrock and Stepaside, describing her restraints and references to self‑harm. The jury heard that O'Hara was last seen on 22 August 2012, her remains found at Killakee on 13 September 2013, with no cause of death determined. The case remains before Mr Justice Tony Hunt and a jury.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, Lateef Bello, a 42‑year‑old man from Clonee who was originally from the Ivory Coast, was found not guilty by reason of insanity for attempting to murder Adejoke Opesusi. Bello, who had lived in Ireland for nine years, claimed he believed his wife was having an affair and that Opesusi had convinced her to do so. On 19 February 2012, after returning from work as a taxi driver, Bello entered Opesusi's home at 4.30 am, stabbed her repeatedly with two knives and tried to choke her. He fled through a first‑floor bedroom window but was soon apprehended by Gardaí. Prior to the incident, he had threatened his wife Elizabeth that he would stab himself. After a two‑month stay at the Central Mental Hospital in Dundrum, he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.
The jury has begun deliberating in the trial of Lateef Bello, a 42‑year‑old Dublin man from Clonee, who has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to attempted murder of Adejoke Opesusi, burglary, criminal damage, endangerment and assault causing harm. The prosecution, represented by Paul O'Higgins SC, presented evidence that Bello, a former taxi driver, believed his wife was having an affair and that he was hearing voices and experiencing religious delusions. He allegedly broke into Mr. Oroleye's house, smashed property, drove his car at Mr. Carrick, and then approached Mrs. Opesusi at Littleplace Close, stabbing and choking her. The defence, led by Michael Bowman SC, described Bello's behaviour on 19 February 2012 as terrifying and mentally unwell, citing a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia and a two‑month stay at Central Medical Hospital. Mr. Justice Paul McDermott instructed the jury of seven men and five women to return a unanimous decision.