A 40‑year‑old man with no prior convictions, Michael Crotty, is on trial before the Special Criminal Court for allegedly topping up a prepaid mobile phone that was used in the murder of Christopher 'Noel' Kirwan, who was mistakenly linked to the Regency Hotel shooting. Crotty pleaded not guilty. The prosecution alleges he purchased a top‑up for the third phone at a Spar shop in Naas on 21 December 2016, the day before Kirwan's murder. They claim he knew or was reckless about the phone's potential use in a serious crime. Crotty was arrested in March 2021 and questioned by Gardaí. He is charged under Section 72 of the Criminal Justice Act for participating or contributing to the murder of Kirwan. The court will consider a media application regarding a party named only as AB in evidence. The trial is ongoing.
The inquest into the 1981 Stardust fire, which claimed 48 lives, focused on the tragic loss of three McDermott siblings—Marcella (16), George (18) and William (22). The jury heard that all three died from rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat. Marcella and George were identified by dental records and clothing, with Marcella's coffin carried by friends in Ska attire as a tribute. William was identified by dental records and had the highest carboxyhemoglobin level (61%) among victims, yet his death was also attributed to inhalation of fumes. The proceedings highlighted the profound impact on the McDermott family, particularly mother Bridget, and underscored the difficulty of fully grasping the scale and enormity of the tragedy. The inquest was set to continue the following day.
A 17‑year‑old was warned that detention is the only option after pleading guilty to two counts of assault causing harm and a count of production of an article. The first assault occurred on 5 December 2022 on the Luas red line, where the teenager and others attacked a passenger, striking him with a vice grip and causing a tooth injury. The second assault took place on 17 January 2023, when the teenager and four others attacked a man on the street, kicking and punching him until he fell and sustained a head wound requiring staples. CCTV footage of both incidents was shown to the court. The judge, citing the Children Act, adjourned the case to 22 January and directed that the teenager be placed in detention until that date. The defendant accepted responsibility, showed remorse, and has a supportive family and psychological reports indicating vulnerability and a history of autism and ADHD.
The High Court has appointed Mr Dessie Morrow and Mr Diarmaid Guthrie of Azets Ireland as joint provisional liquidators for Glenbeigh Construction Limited, a building company with 33 direct employees and many subcontractors. The firm is currently working on projects at Dublin Airport, two prisons, and a 100‑plus apartment development in South Dublin. It has six active projects, including a €36m contract at Dundrum Town Centre and works at Arbour Hill and Mountjoy Prisons, Terminal One at Dublin Airport, Northbank House, and Clarehaven & Seanchara Nursing Home. Glenbeigh has become insolvent after significant losses caused by Covid‑19‑related delays and rising labour and material costs, making several fixed‑price contracts loss‑making. The company had planned a €13m project in Killiney, expecting a €1m profit, but now anticipates a €1.2m loss. The liquidators are tasked with securing assets and ensuring an orderly winding up for creditors and employees. The case was adjourned to February.
Nicole Donohue, 32, of Harolds Cross, Dublin, was driving an uninsured car that contained more than €130,000 worth of pills when gardaí stopped the vehicle on Armagh Road in Crumlin on 5 December 2019. The car, not owned by Donohue, had no insurance disc and its NCT had expired. Gardaí found a black bag with over 65,500 Alprazolam tablets, valued at €131,108, after a smell of cannabis prompted a search. Donohue pleaded guilty to impeding the apprehension of an offender and driving without insurance. She claimed she was unaware of the drugs. The man in the car fled and was later arrested but not charged. Donohue received a suspended three‑year sentence, with a two‑year driving disqualification and other conditions, as the judge believed she was unlikely to reoffend. The case was heard in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Gavin Smith, 33, was sentenced to two years in prison after stealing money from four clients for landscaping work that was never carried out. Between May and October 2022, he took payments of €4,400, €3,150, €2,500 and €5,000 from a woman, a man, another woman and an 87‑year‑old woman whose garden he had only worked on for half a day. Smith had previously received a suspended 21‑month sentence in January 2022 for a similar offence. He pleaded guilty to four counts of theft. The court noted that each victim spent weeks and months trying to recover their money, which was never repaid. Smith admitted to a cocaine addiction and to taking on too many jobs. Judge Martin Nolan said a custodial sentence was unavoidable given the prior suspended sentence and the victims' hardship. The sentence was imposed today.
Derek Guildea, 61, of Balbriggan, was sentenced to two and a half years' imprisonment for making 4,819 nuisance 999 calls between January 2021 and October 2022. He pleaded guilty to three counts of persistently calling emergency services to cause annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety. The calls were directed at the Garda emergency control room, the National Ambulance Centre and the 999 answering service, and included threats to a paramedic and to a call taker, saying he would kill the paramedic's children. The judge noted the sheer volume of calls disrupted ambulance and fire brigade responses and caused fear among emergency personnel. Guildea's sentence was suspended for 18 months on conditions that he desist from contacting emergency services unless a genuine need arises, and the sentence was back‑dated to his October 2023 arrest. He has 18 prior convictions and was diagnosed with a terminal illness in 2008. The court highlighted that alcohol was a core issue in his conduct.
Aaron Rodericks, a senior X employee and co‑lead of Threat Disruption, has filed defamation proceedings in the Irish High Court against Elon Musk and X's Irish subsidiary. He alleges Musk's tweet on 27 September, responding to a media story about X cutting half of its Election Integrity team, defamed him by implying he was undermining election integrity, acting unlawfully, and being incompetent. Rodericks claims the tweet, seen by 2.3 million users, damaged his reputation and good name. He seeks exemplary and aggravated damages. The court granted permission for the summons to be served on Musk at X Corp's San Francisco office, as Musk resides outside the jurisdiction. Rodericks also wrote to Musk and the subsidiary asking for the tweet's removal and an offer of amends, but received no response. He is also pursuing a separate case over a disciplinary process he says was a sham, following a temporary injunction that halted further disciplinary steps.
Jason Hunt, 31, of Woodlands, Courtmacsherry, Co Cork, pleaded guilty to importing over €160,000 worth of cannabis into Ireland. On 4 April 2023, a truck he drove was searched at Dublin Port by a drugs detection dog, which reacted to cannabis. Hunt admitted the presence of the drugs, stating he was under financial pressure and had been offered €3,000 for the shipment. Two shopping bags containing 8.1 kg of cannabis were seized. Hunt has seven prior convictions for minor offences, including drug possession. He has remained in custody since April 2023 and has been sober while in custody, participating in an enhanced prisoner regime. The court considered his financial hardship, depression, anxiety, good work history and family support before sentencing him to three years' imprisonment, back‑dated to his entry into custody. The judge noted Hunt's "terrible misjudgement" and "succumbed to temptation.".
Kartikey Gupta, 22, an Indian visitor, received a fully suspended 21‑month prison sentence for a single count of sexual assault at a Marlay Park concert. The judge directed him to leave Ireland within two weeks and not return for ten years. The victim, in her early twenties, described feeling a hand repeatedly touch her under her skirt for about seven minutes, causing lasting distress. Gupta admitted a single accidental touch but denied further contact. He was cooperative after arrest, had no prior convictions, and had only one beer at the event. The court noted the assault was "not too insidious" yet "very distressing." A €2,500 token of remorse was offered but declined; it will be given to charity if she refuses again. The judge emphasised the full suspension and strict conditions of the sentence. Kartikey Gupta pleaded guilty.
Thomas Lorigan, 34, of no fixed abode, is set to stand trial for the murder of 79‑year‑old John O'Neill in Lisdoonvarna, Co Clare, between 6 and 7 January 2022. He pleaded not guilty. The prosecution is led by senior counsel Eilis Brennan; the defence is headed by Michael Bowman SC. Judge Paul McDermott noted Lorigan's former residence in Lucan, Dublin, and that O'Neill ran a bed and breakfast on St Brendan's Road until 2021. The jury, five men and seven women, will hear the case, which is expected to last up to four weeks.
A privacy claim by Martin Foley and Sonya Foley, alongside applicant Sonya Doyle, has been struck out by the High Court. The applicants, who initiated proceedings in 2015, alleged that the defendants breached their privacy rights during a Criminal Assets Bureau search of their home in Crumlin on October 15, 2014. They claimed that the then-Dublin City Sheriff, James Barry, the Garda Commissioner, the Minister for Justice, Ireland, and the Attorney General disclosed confidential operational details to media personnel present at the scene. The applicants sought damages for alleged breaches of constitutional privacy, data protection, and European Convention on Human Rights rights, as well as negligence. The claims were fully denied by the respondents. Mr Barry, who retired in 2018, brought a pre-trial motion to dismiss the action on grounds of inordinate and inexcusable delay, arguing he was prejudiced by the lack of progress over several years. When the matter came before Mr Justice David Nolan, counsel for the applicants indicated they were not contesting the application. The court agreed with the motion, ordering that the actions against all respondents be struck out due to the delay.
In a Central Criminal Court trial, a 30‑year‑old Dublin man was convicted of one count of rape on 9 February 2018. The victim, who remains unnamed, described how the defendant, who claimed to suffer from a sleep disorder called sexsomnia, had carried out the assault while supposedly asleep. The incident occurred after a night out on 8 February, when the couple had been socialising in a group. The man invited the group back to his apartment, where the victim was invited into his bedroom to sleep. She woke to find him having sex with her. DNA evidence linked his semen to her clothing. The victim's impact statement expressed feelings of weakness and humiliation, questioning the belittling nature of the defendant's claim. The court heard that the defendant had made sexual comments to the victim before the assault. The case was adjourned for finalisation on 25 January.
Michael Lynn, aged 55, was found guilty of 21 counts of theft involving nearly €18 million stolen from six banks during a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court trial last year. The jury reached verdicts on 10 counts but could not agree on the remaining 11. Lynn, a former solicitor and property developer, had pleaded not guilty to all charges. He has no prior convictions and has been in custody since his conviction just before Christmas. The sentencing hearing scheduled for 15 January 2024 was adjourned for two weeks to allow his defence team to obtain a psychological report. Judge Martin Nolan set a new sentencing date of 19 February 2024. The adjournment was requested to address matters concerning Lynn's psychological health and detention status.
Michael Crotty, 41, of Aras na Rí, Cashel, Co. Tipperary, pleaded not guilty to a single charge of facilitating a criminal organisation in the murder of Noel 'Duck Egg' Kirwan, 62, who was shot six times in his car on 22 December 2016 at St Ronan's Drive, Clondalkin, Dublin 22. The charge alleges that between 20 October 2016 and 22 December 2016, Crotty participated in or contributed to the commission of the murder while aware of the existence of a criminal organisation, contrary to Section 72 of the Criminal Justice Act. The trial, scheduled to last up to five weeks, will commence at the Special Criminal Court on Wednesday. Crotty's co‑accused, Declan Brady, 57, a senior Kinahan cartel member, pleaded guilty to the same charge and will also appear on Wednesday for sentencing. Brady was previously sentenced to 11.5 years in prison, with the final year suspended, for firearms offences and money‑laundering.
A 49‑year‑old Dublin man was found guilty by a jury of 11 counts of sexually assaulting his wife, who had been married to him for 20 years, between January 2005 and September 2014. The assaults involved penetrating her vagina with a range of household objects – a knife, a cheese grater, a bottle, a carrot, a banana, a cucumber, a tulip, a wooden spatula, a decanter stopper, part of a shoe and a bicycle pump – while she was unconscious. The abuse was discovered when the wife found images of the assaults on her husband's computer in March 2019. She had reported the abuse to the Gardaí and asked him to leave the family home. The man, who has no prior convictions, maintained that all acts were consensual. Mr Justice Paul Burns sentenced him to 12 years, suspending the final year, and imposed conditions including a course on sexuality and consent upon release.
An inquest heard that a dental plate might have been key to identifying the body of Murtagh "Murty" Kavanagh, whose remains were unknown for over 25 years. The jury reviewed a 1981 post‑mortem report that did not mention a dental plate being removed. Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane noted that the pathologist's report made no reference to a dental plate, and that expert witnesses could not confirm its presence. Family counsel Bernard Condon SC raised questions about the existence of a dental plate, citing a sister's statement that Murty had a partial plate from a sporting incident. Dr Richard Shepherd suggested that if records of the plate existed, they could aid identification, but no definitive evidence was presented. The inquest also discussed the identification of other Stardust victims through jewellery and dental records, but the case of Murty Kavanagh remains unresolved. The hearing will continue next Tuesday.
Edward Wall, 32, of Newtown Park, Tallaght, was sentenced to five‑and‑a‑half years in November 2022 for the burglary of an unoccupied residence belonging to an Asian restaurant owner in Carlow Town. The burglary, committed with three others in December 2019, was part of a gang that targeted Asian businesspeople. Wall was on bail for burglary, trespass and handling stolen goods at the time of the offence and had 33 prior convictions. Judge Eugene O'Kelly imposed a six‑year term, suspending the final six months, and also sentenced two older co‑defendants to six years with 18‑month suspensions and a younger co‑defendant to a fully suspended three‑and‑a‑half year term. Wall's appeal to reduce his sentence was dismissed by the Court of Appeal, with the judge affirming that the sentencing reflected appropriate parity and mitigation considerations.". Edward Wall pleaded guilty.
Patrick McCann, 75, was sentenced to nine months' imprisonment for making offensive sexual remarks to a 15‑year‑old boy at an Applegreen petrol station on Stillorgan Road on 23 March 2023. The court heard that McCann, who has 391 prior convictions dating back to the 1960s, including two rapes, four sexual assaults and five breaches of the Sex Offenders Act, asked the boy questions such as "Are you a virgin?" and "Do you know how to break it in?" and told him he was a "handsome boy". The boy was alone when the offence occurred, a factor the judge said aggravated the conduct. McCann pleaded guilty early, was homeless for a long period, and has a history of alcohol addiction and other hardships, which the judge considered mitigating. The nine‑month term was back‑dated to the date he entered custody.
Bernard Corrigan, 39, with 147 prior convictions, was further sentenced for head‑butting a prison officer at Mountjoy Prison on 27 December 2021. The officer suffered bruised and bulging spinal discs, left‑arm, torso and neck injuries, and was unable to work for six months. Corrigan pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to a prison officer. Judge Orla Crowe described the attack as unprovoked and reprehensible, noting the large number of prior convictions as an aggravating factor, while mitigating factors included his guilty plea, the officer's full recovery and Corrigan's apology. She sentenced him to two years and nine months, back‑dated to his guilty plea on 25 October 2023, to run concurrently with his existing sentence, with an earliest release date of 2 March 2027. The court heard the officer's victim impact statement detailing the pain, fear of future assault, and financial costs. The case was heard in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 12 January 2024, Aaron Costello, 24, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to a male victim in Ballymun on 12 October 2022. The court noted that the victim, who had no animosity toward Costello, accepted the apology and expressed a "generous and spirited" attitude, stating he did not wish the defendant to be jailed. Judge Pauline Codd, after viewing CCTV footage showing Costello striking the victim from behind and kicking him twice while he was on the ground, found the assault unnecessary and placed the offence in the upper mid‑range of offending. Costello had no prior convictions and expressed genuine remorse, bringing €5,000 to court as a token of regret. The judge sentenced him to 18 months' imprisonment, suspended in full for two years, and imposed a lifetime criminal conviction.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court sentenced four men for money laundering offences linked to €121,000 stolen from a Dublin solicitors' firm via invoice redirect fraud. Judge Martin Nolan warned that the court is "totally fed up" with young money mules using "stupidity as a shield" and stated that those providing bank details after January 2022 face potential custody. Cameron Fanning, 25, pleaded guilty to two counts of money laundering and one count of giving false information to gardaí. He was sentenced to three and a half years in prison, suspended in full on strict conditions. The judge noted the court would not use Fanning as a "sacrificial lamb" given his reckless but believable explanation. Mubarak Salawu, 22, pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering and possessing €600 Balenciaga runners bought with proceeds of crime; he received a suspended two-year prison sentence. Olumide Lawal, 27, admitted to two counts of money laundering and possession of an iPhone bought with proceeds of crime; he was also given a suspended two-year prison sentence. Aaron Clancy, 21, pleaded guilty to possessing €3,020 in proceeds of money laundering and a further unrelated count of possessing €4,650 in proceeds of crime; he received a suspended two-year prison sentence. The judge noted that for Salawu, Lawal, and Clancy, the amounts involved were lower and all three were young men with their "futures in front of them".
Richard Cox, 40, of Tallaght, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography on 26 October 2020. Gardaí, acting on confidential information, searched his home on that date and seized a mobile phone, two Xboxes and a USB stick. The phone contained 269 images and 39 videos of child abuse; 53 images and 39 videos were category one, showing children in or witnessing sexual activity. A production order from Google Ireland recovered an additional 110 images and 37 videos that had been automatically uploaded to the cloud. Cox admitted to accessing the material while at home during a Covid‑19 lockdown, when he was not working and was taking drugs and drinking. He had no prior convictions and cooperated with Gardaí. The court, noting the early guilty plea and his cooperation, imposed a two‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence, fully suspended on strict conditions, and referred him for therapy to address underlying addiction issues.
In a Special Criminal Court hearing on 12 January 2024, Declan 'Mr Nobody' Brady, aged 56, pleaded guilty to a single charge of aiding the Kinahan cartel in the murder of Noel 'Duck Egg' Kirwan, an innocent man shot six times on 22 December 2016. Brady admitted that between 20 October and 22 December 2016 he participated in or facilitated the commission of the murder while aware of the cartel's existence. He will appear again next Wednesday for a sentencing hearing. Brady's co‑accused, Michael Crotty, 40, was due to trial but the case was adjourned to Monday morning to allow him to consult his lawyers. Brady has previously pleaded guilty in 2019 to supervising a firearms arsenal and in 2021 to laundering over €400,000 in crime cash, receiving 11.5 years with the final year suspended. The court noted that Kirwan's murder was "disturbing" as it appeared to be a targeted killing with no criminal motive.
An electrician, Karl Lawlor, 40, was jailed for five and a half years after Gardaí stopped his untaxed van in Clondalkin. The van contained just under 25 kilos of cocaine worth €1.74 million and €220 worth of cannabis. Lawlor pleaded guilty to possession on 15 April 2022. He admitted having a drug debt of €7,000 and that he had been forced to carry the drugs. The court noted his severe cocaine addiction, visible septum erosion, and that he had been using drugs recreationally before escalating after his father's death. Judge Martin Nolan cited mitigating factors such as no prior convictions, a long work record, a guilty plea, cooperation, remorse, and a low likelihood of reoffending. The sentence reflected his maturity and the circumstances of his substance abuse. The case was heard in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
During the 1981 Stardust nightclub fire, Dr Richard Shepherd testified that any delay in escaping the toxic, hot environment would have increased the likelihood of death. He explained that rapid incapacitation from inhaling fire fumes and heat was the cause of death for the 48 victims. Shepherd cited specific cases: Jacqueline Croker, 18, who fell after running across a seat aisle; Liam Dunne, 18, who died 25 days later from bronchial pneumonia and lung abscesses; Michael Farrell, 26, with a high hydrogen cyanide reading; Michael French, 18, identified in 2007 with significant burns and a 24% carbon monoxide level; David Flood, 18, with a 56% carbon monoxide level; Thelma Frazer, 20, with a 25% carbon monoxide level; Josephine Glen, 16, who survived five days after being found near exit five; Brian Hobbs, 21, with 39% carbon monoxide; Eugene Hogan, 24, who was last seen on the dance floor before lights went out; Murtagh Kavanagh, 27, with a 48% carbon monoxide.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, a 38‑year‑old man was jailed for six years after pleading guilty to four counts of rape against his 8‑year‑old cousin between 2002 and 2003. The victim, now 29, described the abuse as repeated anal, oral and vaginal rape while he was babysitting in her Dublin home. The judge noted the defendant's teenage status and the grooming element, reducing a potential headline sentence of 13 years to nine, then to seven years and six months with 18 months suspended. Conditions include probation supervision and no unsupervised contact with children. The victim's impact statement detailed the lasting trauma, loss of innocence and subsequent substance abuse, concluding that the abuse was no longer a secret. The defendant's prior drug conviction was mentioned, and the sentence was back‑dated to his custody entry.
Ryan Kelly, 24, of Crumlin, pleaded guilty before the Special Criminal Court to possessing a .38 special calibre Smith & Wesson revolver and five rounds of ammunition on 23 November 2021 at Captain's Road, Dublin 12. He answered only "guilty" when the charges were read. Kelly also faces a charge of participating in or contributing to activity that could facilitate a serious offence by a criminal organisation, knowing of its existence, on the same date. Prosecutor Anne Marie Lawlor said the State will file a nolle prosequi on this final charge when Kelly appears for sentencing in April. Brendan Grehan SC noted Kelly's full compliance with bail conditions. Judge Caroline Biggs extended his bail to 8 April, when he and co‑accused Anthony Walker will appear for a sentence hearing. Walker, 52, also pleaded guilty to possession of a revolver and ammunition on 23 November 2021, and faces a pending charge of ammunition possession, with a plea required on 8 April.
Patrick Challoner, a former AIB manager aged 54, was sentenced to three years' imprisonment with the final 12 months suspended for two years after a 16‑year scheme that saw €2.7 million stolen from the bank. He created bogus loans and investment accounts, taking money from customers who believed they were authorising investments that were never made. The scheme involved over 100 charges and thousands of transactions, with the bank suffering a total loss of €3.2 million. Challoner did not personally profit; he repaid €60,000 and expressed remorse. He pleaded guilty to five theft charges and one deception charge, and the court noted his early guilty plea, cooperation, and good character as mitigating factors. The judge highlighted the seriousness, amount involved, duration, and repetitive nature of the offence as aggravating factors. The case was heard in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
A secondary school teacher from Donegal Town has been sentenced to two and a half years imprisonment following her conviction for indecently assaulting a male pupil in 1985. Jacintha McSherry O'Connor, aged 63, was found guilty of two counts of indecent assault at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after a trial in October 2023. The offences occurred when she was a student teacher and the complainant was 13 years old. Judge Elma Sheahan considered the serious breach of trust, the age disparity between the parties, and the lasting impact on the victim in determining sentence. Mitigating factors included the defendant's previously unblemished record and her cooperation with gardaí. McSherry O'Connor was sentenced to three years on each count to run concurrently, with the final six months suspended. She will be supervised by the Probation Services for six months following release and must register as a sex offender.
An inquest jury in Dublin has begun hearing evidence on the deaths of the 48 victims of the 1981 Stardust nightclub fire. Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane explained that the jury's role is to determine each victim's date, place and cause of death. Pathologists Dr Richard Shepherd, Dr Nat Carey and Dr Benjamin Swift presented post‑mortem, toxicology and photographic evidence. They confirmed that high levels of carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide and heat were present in many victims, and that inhalation of fire fumes and heat caused rapid incapacitation and death. The evidence was presented alphabetically, starting with 17‑year‑old Michael Barrett, who had 50% carbon monoxide in his blood, and included other victims such as 17‑year‑old Richard Bennett, 18‑year‑old Carol Bissett, 23‑year‑old Jimmy Buckley, 19‑year‑old Paula Byrne, 17‑year‑old Caroline Carey and 21‑year‑old John Colgan.
Yong Yue Wang, a former Dublin Bus driver, was dismissed in September 2022 after the company found he had used a mobile phone while driving twice in under a year, breaching its zero‑tolerance policy. The Workplace Relations Commission heard Wang's claim under the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977, seeking reinstatement. Wang had previously received a final written warning and a three‑day unpaid suspension for an earlier incident in November 2021. In July 2022, a chief inspector reported seeing Wang holding a phone while driving a 15B bus on Townsend Street; Wang maintained the phone was in his pocket or had fallen off the dashboard. The tribunal noted procedural concerns, including language barriers and the lack of CCTV evidence, and the adjudicator said a decision would be issued in weeks. Wang has since obtained a taxi licence and is earning about €700 a week.
An expert witness has stated that the lack of proper documentation of body recovery following the Stardust fire prevents any meaningful analysis of the fire's effects on victims. Dr Richard Shepherd, a forensic pathologist, testified that the mortuary facilities were overwhelmed and inadequate, with victims placed on the floor beneath mortuary tables. He emphasized that immovable exit doors during emergencies could cause significant issues, as people tend to congregate near them. The inquest has moved into a new phase, with expert pathological witnesses providing evidence on the cause of death for the 48 victims. Dr Shepherd noted that the management of mass fatalities has evolved significantly since 1981, with modern practices including unique identifiers for each body. He highlighted that the lack of documentation made it impossible to analyze the effects of the fire and fumes on individuals.
The jury in the trial of a 59‑year‑old teacher accused of sexually assaulting six young men, including students, has retired for the evening after a day of deliberation. The teacher, who was in his 30s at the time of the alleged offences, pleaded not guilty to one count of attempted anal rape and eight counts of sexual assault. The State alleges that five complainants were assaulted in shared beds and one in a pub toilet, while the accused denies wrongdoing. The jury will resume tomorrow.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Adam Murphy, aged 22, pleaded guilty to manslaughter after he threw businessman Ian McDonnell from the bonnet of McDonnell's own car while attempting to steal it. Murphy also pleaded guilty to multiple counts of vehicle theft, attempted vehicle theft, property theft and possession of stolen property. His co‑accused, Keith McCormick Smith, also pleaded guilty to similar offences. The court heard that McDonnell was stopped at his business, Ozone Car Sales, and that Murphy and Smith had stolen several cars earlier that day. CCTV footage showed Murphy driving McDonnell's car, accelerating, and throwing McDonnell 46 metres before the car was abandoned. McDonnell was taken to Tallaght Hospital but died on 28 January 2022. The court noted the maximum sentence for manslaughter is life, but the Director of Public Prosecutions suggested a 10‑15 year range. The case was adjourned for finalisation on 12 February.
Soufiane Mountassir, 39, was sentenced to three years' imprisonment for false imprisonment and assault causing harm after he attacked a woman who had let him into her home. The court heard that on the night of 13 November 2022 he forced the woman into the boot of her car, repeatedly punched and smashed her face against the vehicle's interior, and drove the car onto the footpath, damaging the wheel. Witnesses described him as "full of anger" and "entering into a blind rage", and the victim said she was left with blood all over her face and body. Mountassir pleaded guilty, was described as remorseful and ashamed, and the judge noted his lack of prior convictions in Ireland. He is currently under 23‑hour protection in Wheatfield Prison and is wanted in Germany for arson. The sentence was back‑dated to the date he entered custody on 13 November 2022.
Tony Hudson, 61, of Ballymurray, Enniscorthy, was found guilty by a Central Criminal Court jury of 70 charges of sexual offences against four children aged 12 to 17 between 2000 and 2009. The offences included oral rape, sexual assault, buggery, gross indecency and defilement. Hudson had befriended the children, invited them to his house for chores, paid them modest sums and gave them cigarettes and alcohol. He began touching them sexually, forced them to masturbate, and in some cases forced them to have sex with each other. One victim was recorded having anal sex with Hudson and the video was shown to another victim. Hudson denied the allegations. Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford sentenced him to 13 years in prison, with the final two years suspended, back‑dated to his custody entry on 27 October. The sentence was imposed on 21 December 2023.
A 42‑year‑old man was sentenced to four years' imprisonment, with the final year suspended, for four counts of sexual assault of a girl aged between four and seven, committed between 2016 and 2020 while her mother was away. The assaults included one on the girl's sixth birthday. The judge highlighted the man's position of authority, the large age gap, and the impact on the victim as aggravating factors, while noting his good work history and mental health difficulties as mitigating factors. The sentence was back‑dated to the man's entry into custody on 29 July. The court heard that the man had begun a relationship with the mother in 2015, moved in with her family, and looked after the children when the mother worked. He had taken the victim into the mother's room on several occasions, touched her private parts, and told the child not to inform her mother. The unnamed 42-year-old was found guilty.
Peter McHale (38) and Robert O'Rourke (30) pleaded guilty in the District Court to burglary, false imprisonment, threats to kill, money laundering and, for O'Rourke, production of a screwdriver. The offences took place between mid‑March and 11 April 2023 when they broke into a man's home, held him for about four hours, threatened him with a screwdriver and demanded cash to satisfy a drug debt that had risen from €1,500 to €26,000. O'Rourke's partner, Nicole Munson (30), pleaded guilty to money laundering for allowing the victim's mother to transfer €5,000 to her Revolut account. The court sentenced O'Rourke to five and a half years, McHale to five years and Munson to a fully suspended sentence of three and a half years. The judge described the men as the "more serious actor" and the "lower tier" and noted the victims' fear and distress. The case was heard at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Anthony Walker, 52, pleaded guilty before the Special Criminal Court to possessing a .38″ special calibre Smith & Wesson revolver on November 23, 2021, on the south side of Dublin. He admitted that the circumstances suggested he had not obtained the firearm for a lawful purpose. A separate charge of possessing five rounds of .38 ammunition in similar circumstances remains active. Walker is also charged with participating in or contributing to activities that could facilitate a serious offence by a criminal organisation, knowing of its existence. The court ordered a psychological report and remanded him on continuing bail until April 8, when sentencing will occur. His co-accused, Ryan Kelly, 24, faces similar possession charges and a charge of facilitating a serious offence, with his trial date set for January 11 next year. The trial is expected to last four weeks.
Alan Ecock, a banking professional who had worked as a barman at Kavanagh's pub for nearly 30 years, was dismissed by the pub's owners in April for cost‑cutting. He claimed the dismissal was heartless and unlawful. Ecock had been employed full‑time by AIB since 1994 and worked two nights a week at the pub, a fact unknown to his bank colleagues. The pub's owners, the Peacock family, argued that Ecock was self‑employed and therefore not entitled to employment rights. The tribunal found Ecock was an employee under the Revenue code, and that the owners had breached the Unfair Dismissals Act by failing to consult or offer alternatives. Ecock was awarded €22,750 for unfair dismissal, €2,000 for lack of notice, and €1,000 for no written statement, totalling €25,750. The case was heard under the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977 and related statutes.
In a 2023 Workplace Relations Commission hearing, landlord Brendan O'Brien successfully defended a discrimination claim brought by pregnant tenant Megan Kenna under the Equal Status Act 2000. Kenna alleged that her tenancy at an apartment in Howth, Co Dublin, was terminated because of her gender and family status, and that she and her husband were bullied and threatened. O'Brien argued that his request for Kenna to move to a different apartment was based on genuine health and safety concerns about a spiral staircase that could not safely accommodate a baby or a buggy. He offered alternative accommodation, which Kenna deemed unsuitable. The WRC disregarded secret recordings of meetings with O'Brien, noting that the recordings were made covertly and that the landlord's statements were not evidence of discrimination. The tribunal concluded that the landlord's actions were not discriminatory and rejected Kenna's statutory complaint.
The multi‑million euro theft trial of former solicitor Michael Lynn, aged 55, ended after two trials totalling 24 weeks. The first trial in spring 2022 failed to reach a verdict after 16 weeks of evidence. The second trial, held in October 2023, lasted eight weeks. Lynn was charged with 21 counts of theft for taking about €27 million from seven financial institutions between October 2006 and April 2007 while working as a solicitor and property developer. He pleaded not guilty. The prosecution alleged that Lynn obtained multiple mortgages on the same properties, forged documents, and used the loans for overseas property developments. Lynn denied the allegations, claiming banks had allowed him to use the money for such projects. The trial concluded with the jury still undecided, and no verdict was reached.
In a Central Criminal Court trial, a 59‑year‑old teacher faces one count of attempted anal rape and eight counts of sexual assault involving six complainants aged 17 to 24 between March 1991 and November 1997 in County Dublin. Defence counsel Michael O'Higgins SC urged the jury to consider the historical context of gay discrimination in 1990s Ireland, arguing that the accused's alleged self‑preservation and fear of repercussions may explain his alleged false statements. He highlighted inconsistencies in the complainants' accounts and suggested the accused's emotional immaturity and the age disparity between him and the victims. Prosecutor Anne‑Marie Lawlor SC countered, stressing the need to disregard sympathy, noting the implausibility of multiple similar allegations, and emphasising the lack of consent in five incidents where victims were asleep. The judge, Mr Justice Alexander Owens, began his charge, with the trial expected to continue tomorrow. The unnamed 59-year-old pleaded not guilty.
In a High Court hearing, Garvagh Homes Limited presented evidence that its agents were assaulted with bricks, rocks, delft and other objects while attempting to secure parts of properties it claims have been illegally occupied for months. The judge, Justice Rory Mulchay, had earlier granted an injunction requiring all alleged trespassers to vacate the properties, including a former carpet showroom, flats over disused commercial units and a garage on the North Circular and Phibsborough Roads in Dublin 7. The injunction applied immediately to the commercial sections, while a stay was placed on the residential part until 8 January. Garvagh's counsel sought to vary the order, arguing that the assault constituted an affray and that the residential area should be vacated immediately. The court accepted that some named defendants were not involved, but others, whose identities remain unknown, were throwing objects from the residential side.
Declan Service, a 63‑year‑old former multinational employee now a carer, was fined £60,000 at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for insider trading. Between 18 and 22 May 2020, he used confidential information about Open Orphan's discounted share sale to sell his 3.89 million shares before the public announcement and then buy back a smaller amount at the lower price. The court heard he made a profit of about £11,500, which could have risen to £44,000 if he had held the shares for a year. Service pleaded guilty, admitted the wrongdoing, and expressed regret. He faces a potential 18‑month prison term when sentencing is finalised next February. The judge noted his cooperation, good character, and mental health issues as mitigating factors, but confirmed the insider‑trading offence. The fine was ordered to be paid to his solicitor's account.
In a High Court case on 20 December 2023, a judge granted a temporary injunction lifting suspensions imposed on four members and officers of the Cabra Racing Pigeon Club. The suspensions were imposed by the Irish Homing Union Southern Region in October after the club's new committee, led by Daniel Boylan, requested documents from former committee members. The club's former members allegedly failed to provide the requested information and were accused of discussing a property developer's sale of the club's leasehold interest in exchange for a new clubhouse and a six‑figure sum. The four plaintiffs – Daniel Boylan, David Boylan, John Aylmer and Robert Timmons – claim the suspensions are wrongful and prevent them from registering or ringing new pigeon chicks, which would risk culling them. The judge, Mr Justice Mark Sanfey, issued the injunction ex‑parte, hoping the dispute could be resolved through mediation. The matter will return to the High Court in the New Year.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, a jury convicted former solicitor Michael Lynn on ten counts of theft, finding him guilty of stealing approximately €17.9 million from six financial institutions between 2006 and 2007. The verdicts were delivered after a two‑day, eight‑week trial and six and a half hours of deliberation. The jury could not reach a verdict on the remaining eleven counts, including a single count against Bank of Ireland alleging a €2.7 million theft. Judge Martin Nolan remanded Lynn in custody and set a sentencing date for 15 January. Lynn, who had pleaded not guilty to 21 theft charges, had previously been struck off the roll of solicitors and had spent time in Brazilian prison before extradition. The case centred on Lynn's alleged use of "off‑the‑books" agreements to obtain multiple mortgages on the same properties, a practice he claimed was common in Celtic Tiger Ireland.
The 59‑year‑old teacher, accused of attempted rape and eight counts of sexual assault against six students aged 17‑24 between 1991 and 1997, pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court. He testified that he initially lied to Gardaí during voluntary interviews, denying any sexual contact with the complainants out of panic and shame. He later provided statements clarifying his position, admitting he had lied. During cross‑examination he denied grooming or pressuring the students, claimed some were mistaken or lying, and described his actions as "mutual" or "happened" without intent to assault. He denied attempting anal sex and said he stopped when a student did not want it. The trial, presided over by Mr Justice Alexander Owens, continues with the jury hearing his direct evidence and the prosecution's case.
The jury in the multi‑million euro theft trial of former solicitor Michael Lynn retired after a day of deliberation, having spent three hours and 45 minutes in the courtroom. Judge Martin Nolan sent them home, and they will resume consideration of their verdicts tomorrow. Lynn, 55, of Millbrook Court, Redcross, Co Wicklow, faces 21 counts of theft for allegedly stealing about €27 million from seven financial institutions between 23 October 2006 and 20 April 2007. He has pleaded not guilty. The trial continues.