Anthony Dwyer, 24, was sentenced to three years in prison for a violent attempted handbag snatch on Kilbarrack Road on 30 May 2013. He punched Rose Kim repeatedly in the head and grabbed her throat after she refused to give up her bag. Dwyer also admitted two offences of criminal damage at Howth Junction DART station on the same day. Judge Melanie Greally described the attack as "disgraceful" and imposed a consecutive two‑year sentence for the criminal damage, which she suspended on the condition that Dwyer keep the peace for three years and comply with Probation Services treatment for drugs and alcohol. Dwyer's history includes 47 prior convictions, including assault, robbery and 20 for criminal damage. He began abusing Ecstasy and petrol at age six, was taken into foster care at three, and later into residential care. He had stopped abusing tablets and was in a stable relationship with a young child at the time of sentencing. Anthony Dwyer pleaded guilty.
In a trial heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, four former senior bankers – Peter Fitzpatrick (63), John Bowe (52), Willie McAteer (65) and Denis Casey (56) – pleaded not guilty to conspiracy charges. They are accused of orchestrating a €7.2 billion circular transaction scheme between Irish Life and Permanent (ILP) and Anglo Irish Bank from March 1 to September 30, 2008. The alleged scheme involved ILP receiving money from Anglo, then placing it on deposit with Anglo on behalf of Irish Life Assurance, inflating Anglo's corporate deposits and misleading investors. Gerard Doyle, former Head of Group Financial Risk at ILP, testified that the transactions exceeded ILP's €150 million credit limit by €1.1 billion, and that no physical payments were made when the loans matured. The jury was instructed to remain silent about the case, and the trial was set to resume on April 4 after a two‑week Easter break.
The trial of Denis Casey, 56, of Raheny, Dublin, is ongoing at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Casey, along with Peter Fitzpatrick, John Bowe, and Willie McAteer, has pleaded not guilty to conspiring to mislead investors through financial transactions between March 1 and September 30, 2008. The defendants are accused of establishing a €7.2 billion circular transaction scheme between Anglo Irish Bank and Irish Life and Permanent to bolster Anglo's balance sheet. Evidence presented to the jury includes testimony from Matt Moran, Anglo's then Chief Financial Officer, who stated that Anglo's auditor, Vincent Bergin, expressed being "very uncomfortable" in February 2009 regarding the transaction's accounting treatment. Moran testified that Anglo's Finance department was "very annoyed" when it emerged that ILP had recorded the deposits and loans as netted, contrary to Anglo's representation that they were not. The jury heard that Anglo's auditors required evidence to support the absence of a set-off agreement. Defense counsel Michael O'Higgins SC argued that Casey's public press release in February 2009, indicating the transaction was collateralised, prompted a review of internal telephone recordings by auditors and Finance staff. The matter remains at the trial stage, with no final verdict or sentence recorded.
In 2009 the Secretary General of the Department of Finance contacted Irish Life and Permanent (ILP) about how the bank was accounting for a €7.2 bn transaction that had been described as circular. The trial of four former bankers, including ILP's former CEO Denis Casey (56), alleges that they conspired to mislead investors by using inter‑bank loans to manipulate Anglo Irish Bank's balance sheets in 2008. Casey told Gardaí that Anglo had misrepresented the €7.2 bn transactions, insisting they be fully collateralised, but that Anglo presented them as non‑collateralised. After Casey resigned in February 2009, three phone calls were made to change the accounting treatment to show the transactions as non‑collateralised. The calls were from Matt Moran, Donal O'Connor and Kevin Cardiff. Casey and three other former banking executives pleaded not guilty to conspiracy charges. The trial is being heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, four former Anglo Irish Bank senior bankers—Willie McAteer, Denis Casey, Peter Fitzpatrick and John Bowe—were accused of conspiring to mislead investors by using interbank loans to manipulate Anglo's balance sheet between 1 March and 30 September 2008. The alleged scheme involved transferring €7.2 bn from Anglo to Irish Life and Permanent (ILP) and then re‑depositing it through ILP's life assurance division, making the transfer appear as corporate deposits rather than interbank loans. This would inflate Anglo's corporate funding figure for the year‑end accounts published on 2 December 2008. All four pleaded not guilty. Witness Matt Moran, Anglo's former CFO, testified that the accounts did not link the €7.2 bn deposits to the bank's funding figures, and that a note indicating the linkage would have been beneficial. The trial, presided over by Judge Martin Nolan, is set to continue until May.
The trial of four former Anglo Irish Bank and Irish Life and Permanent executives continued in legal argument on 10 March 2016. Willie McAteer, 65, former Head of Finance at Anglo, Denis Casey, 56, former CEO of ILP, and two others were accused of conspiring to mislead investors by manipulating Anglo's balance sheets through interbank loans. The alleged scheme involved transferring money from Anglo to ILP and then back to Anglo via ILP's life assurance division, presenting the transfers as corporate deposits rather than interbank loans to inflate Anglo's corporate funding figures for the year‑end on 30 September 2008. McAteer, Casey, Peter Fitzpatrick (63), and John Bowe (52) pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. A legal issue on day 36 halted evidence before the jury, and the judge asked them to return the next day. The court did not sit on Thursday morning due to the funeral of Supreme Court judge Adrian Hardiman.
The trial of four former banking executives at Anglo Irish Bank and Irish Life and Permanent (ILP) is proceeding at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The accused are Denis Casey, former ILP CEO; William McAteer, former Anglo Head of Finance; Peter Fitzpatrick, former ILP director of finance; and John Bowe, former Anglo head of capital markets. All four have pleaded not guilty to conspiring together and with others to mislead investors through financial transactions between March 1st and September 30th, 2008. The prosecution alleges the defendants manipulated Anglo's balance sheets using interbank loans, where money was allegedly transferred from Anglo to ILP and then redeposited with Anglo via ILP's life assurance division. This process allegedly disguised interbank loans as corporate deposits, artificially inflating the bank's corporate funding figures for its year-end report on September 30, 2008. On day 35 of the trial, Judge Martin Nolan stated that certain legal rulings had probably shortened the proceedings, which were originally scheduled to last five months. The judge assured the jury the trial was running according to timetable. He adjourned the court for the day due to a new legal issue and further suspended proceedings until the following afternoon to observe the funeral of Supreme Court Justice Adrian Hardiman, who died suddenly that week. The matter remains ongoing.
During a trial in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, four former senior bankers of Anglo Irish Bank and Irish Life & Permanent were accused of conspiring to mislead investors by manipulating interbank loans. The alleged scheme involved Anglo transferring money to ILP, which then deposited it back into Anglo through its life assurance division, disguising the transaction as a corporate deposit rather than an interbank loan. This would inflate Anglo's corporate funding figures for the year‑end on 30 September 2008. The defendants—Willie McAteer (65), Denis Casey (56), Peter Fitzpatrick (63), and John Bowe (52)—all pleaded not guilty. Anglo's former Chief Financial Officer, Matt Moran, testified that he learned on 30 September 2008 that the interbank loans exceeded €7 billion, a figure he described as "very significant" and expressed surprise at.
During the trial of four former Anglo Irish Bank bankers, witnesses testified that Anglo had considered a merger with Irish Life & Permanent (ILP) during the 2008 financial crisis. The alleged scheme involved interbank loans that would be recorded as corporate deposits, inflating Anglo's corporate funding figures for the year‑end 30 September 2008. The defendants – Willie McAteer, Denis Casey, Peter Fitzpatrick and John Bowe – pleaded not guilty to conspiring to mislead investors. Witness Matt Moran, Anglo's former CFO, described a project called "Universe" that aimed to create a universal bank by merging Anglo with ILP and Permanent TSB. He also recounted discussions with Allied Irish Bank about depositing funds with Anglo, but the merger never materialised. The trial is ongoing.
The trial heard that former Irish Life and Permanent finance director Peter Fitzpatrick, aged 63, was concerned that Anglo Irish Bank would lose money if it went bust. Fitzpatrick, along with Anglo's former head of finance Willie McAteer (65), former ILP CEO Denis Casey (56), and two others, is accused of conspiring to mislead investors by using €7.2 bn of inter‑bank loans to manipulate Anglo's balance sheets. The alleged scheme involved transferring money from Anglo to ILP and then back to Anglo via ILP's life assurance division, making the transfers appear as corporate deposits rather than inter‑bank loans. This would inflate Anglo's corporate funding figures for the year‑end on 30 September 2008. During the trial, excerpts of a telephone call were heard in which Fitzpatrick discussed the possibility of "set‑off" or netting the loans against each other to protect the banks' positions if Anglo collapsed. Denis Casey pleaded not guilty.
In the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, four former Anglo Irish Bank bankers—Willie McAteer (65), John Bowe (52), Peter Fitzpatrick (63), and Denis Casey (56)—have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy charges. They are accused of orchestrating inter‑bank loan transfers between March 1 and September 30, 2008, to inflate Anglo's balance sheet by €7.2 billion, thereby misleading investors. The trial, presided over by Judge Martin Nolan with a jury, continues to examine the alleged financial manipulations.
The trial of four former senior bankers accused of conspiring to mislead investors continued at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court before Judge Martin Nolan. John Bowe, Willie McAteer, Peter Fitzpatrick, and Denis Casey, all from Dublin or Tipperary, have pleaded not guilty to charges alleging they used interbank loans between March and September 2008 to make Anglo Irish Bank appear €7.2 billion more valuable than it was. Prosecutors Una Ni Raifeartaigh SC and Paul O'Higgins SC presented evidence regarding circular transactions involving Irish Life and Permanent (ILP) and Anglo Irish Bank. Witness Paul Kane, a former ILP liquidity manager, testified that he was instructed to transfer funds from Anglo to Irish Life Assurance and back, a structure he initially did not understand. He stated that Peter Fitzpatrick approved the €1 billion transaction via email. Another witness, Stephen Fox, a former Anglo banker testifying via video link from London, explained that such transactions were used to report larger customer funding at year-end. He noted that while he was aware of transactions between Anglo and ILP, he assumed they were wholesale deposits. The defense, represented by Diarmaid McGuinness SC for Mr Bowe, cross-examined Fox on the commonality of short-term deposits in banking. The trial is ongoing, with no final verdict or sentence recorded at this procedural stage.
During a trial of four banking executives, a senior banker from Irish Life and Permanent (ILP) testified that he felt "discomfort" with alleged inter‑bank transfers of €7.2 bn involving Anglo Irish Bank. The transfers, which allegedly moved money from Anglo to ILP and back via ILP's life assurance division, were said to appear as corporate deposits rather than inter‑bank loans, inflating Anglo's year‑end funding figures for 30 September 2008. The four men on trial – Anglo's former Head of Finance Willie McAteer (65), former head of capital markets John Bowe (52), ILP's former director of finance Peter Fitzpatrick (63) and former CEO Denis Casey (56) – have all pleaded not guilty. The evidence presented by ILP's former treasury head, David Gantly, highlighted his discomfort with the non‑standard nature of the transactions and his awareness of regulatory reporting requirements. The trial is proceeding before Judge Martin Nolan and a jury.
Patrick Anderson, a 47‑year‑old former drug addict, received a suspended five‑year jail sentence for a series of robberies committed in 2009. He was first on bail for an armed robbery at a Spar shop when he threatened hairdresser staff, then robbed €1,817 from a hairdressers in Coolock on the last Saturday before Christmas. CCTV identified him and Gardaí questioned him three days later. The next day he hijacked a car, threatening the owner with a screwdriver, drove dangerously and crashed into a tree, leading to his arrest. In 2011 Anderson pleaded guilty to robbery of €300 cash and €399.60 in cigarettes from a Spar shop in Raheny, robbery of the hairdressers, and taking a Nissan car by force from Joe Ennis in Portmarnock. He had prior convictions for robbery and drink driving.
Swords District Court heard several matters presided over by Judge Denis McLoughlin. Jandean Hyland, who pleaded guilty to assault causing harm, had his case struck out after paying €750 compensation. Anthony Lambe, convicted of causing criminal damage, was fined €200 and remanded on continuing bail until May 18th to pay the fine. Patrick McDonagh was convicted and fined €250 for theft, while his brother Eddie McDonagh, also convicted of theft, was given the benefit of the Probation & Offenders Act. Karl McQuillian, who pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of cannabis, had his case adjourned until May 18th for a Probation & Welfare report to assess suitability for 200 hours of community service in lieu of a five-month prison sentence. Algars Putnins, who pleaded guilty to intoxication, obstruction, and threatening behaviour, was remanded on continuing bail to reappear in May to make a €200 charitable contribution, with the Probation Act to be applied if the donation is made. Martin Maughan, who pleaded guilty to careless driving and failing to give a specimen, was disqualified from driving for four years and fined €300.
Sean Donnelly, aged 20, was sentenced to ten years for his role in an armed raid on a Portmarnock credit union. During the raid, a gun was pointed at Garda Michael Bolton and a car was hijacked. Donnelly attempted to calm the other raider, who threatened staff and a customer with a hand pistol. Bolton pursued the raiders on his bicycle, was threatened with a gun, and later chased the hijacked car until it crashed near Belmayne Road. Donnelly had previously pleaded guilty to robbery of €2,900 from the credit union, possession of a firearm, and hijacking in 2012, and to robbery of a cash‑in‑transit worker in 2014. He had 43 prior convictions. Judge Martin Nolan imposed consecutive sentences totaling ten years, suspending the final three years on strict conditions. The case highlighted Donnelly's involvement in multiple criminal acts and his relationship with his father, who is serving a life sentence for murder.
At Swords District Court, Jason McDonagh (19) pleaded guilty to being in unlawful possession of €20 worth of cannabis herb and was ordered to make a charitable contribution of €250 by December 17th to avoid a conviction. Nermia Ibrahimovic (40) pleaded guilty to the theft of groceries worth €34.91 and was fined €300 with a warning that her liberty is at risk if she reoffends. James English (22) pleaded guilty to the theft of €130.39 worth of cosmetics and was given the benefit of the Probation Act. Mark Cole (34) faced charges of being in unlawful possession of cannabis herb, cannabis resin and cocaine for sale or supply, and the case was adjourned until November 25th. Amy Bergin (20) was found guilty of driving without insurance, without L-plates displayed, without an NCT, and driving on a provisional licence without a qualified driver, and was fined €750 and disqualified from driving for two years. Ryan Montgomery (18) and Dale Monks (19) pleaded guilty to non-payment of a taxi fare of €43 and were ordered to make a charitable contribution of €250 each by November 25th to avoid a conviction. The case of St Margaret, accused of being in unlawful possession of cannabis herb, cannabis resin and cocaine for sale or supply at his home address on April 3rd, and non-payment of a taxi fare of €43, was adjourned.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 20 October 2014, Judge Martin Nolan, a former garda, declined a defence application to recuse himself from sentencing Derek Murphy, 45, who had pleaded guilty to robbing Portmarnock Credit Union of €2,205 and to producing a firearm while seizing a vehicle and using it while resisting arrest. Defence counsel Sean Guerin SC requested a different judge, citing Murphy's discharge of a firearm during the arrest as a potential conflict. Judge Nolan explained that his only prior experience with gardaí was as a police officer, and he refused to step aside, arguing that doing so would create "profound ramifications" for judges with past police roles. Prosecutor Melanie Greally BL confirmed the pleas were acceptable to the Director of Public Prosecutions. Judge Nolan remanded Murphy in continuing custody until 18 December for sentencing.
Swords District Court handed down sentences to several defendants. John Budgie McDonagh pleaded guilty to stealing a leather jacket and tools worth €87 from TK Maxx on February 11th. Judge Dermot Dempsey convicted him and imposed a six-month prison term, noting he was beyond probation. Co-accused Owen McDonagh pleaded guilty to stealing shoes valued at €54.99 from the same store on the same date. He received a five-month sentence suspended for two years. Stephen O'Doherty pleaded guilty to taking a car without permission and burglary on August 5th, 2013. Judge Dempsey sentenced him to eight months in prison to run concurrently with a term he is already serving. Lisa Jenkins pleaded guilty to three thefts from TK Maxx totaling €842. She was remanded on continuing bail until October 6th for a Probation & Welfare report. Caroline McAleer pleaded guilty to driving without insurance on October 19th last year and was remanded on continuing bail to re-appear on September 1st for facts to be heard. Neil Curran is alleged to have assaulted Peter Lynch causing harm; the DPP directed trial on indictment, and he was remanded on continuing bail. Co-accused Jennifer Quinn, charged with assaulting Mr Lynch and using threatening behaviour, was remanded on continuing bail to re-appear on September 1st for a plea or to fix a hearing date.
Swords District Court heard several matters involving defendants who pleaded guilty or faced allegations. Jason Kirwin, 27, pleaded guilty to driving without insurance, while disqualified, and without a licence. Judge Conal Gibbons noted his 79 prior convictions and ordered a Probation Report, adjourning the case to September 15th. Stephen O'Doherty and David Fagan pleaded guilty to the unauthorised taking of a car; Fagan also admitted burglary. Both were remanded on continuing bail to reappear on July 15th for sentencing. Rebotilwe Mohlala pleaded guilty to theft and received the benefit of the Probation Act after making a charitable donation. Graham Doyle pleaded guilty to theft; his case was struck out after compensation was paid. Philip Garland, alleged to be in unlawful possession of cannabis, had his case adjourned to July 21st for a plea or hearing date, with the judge remanding him on continuing bail.
Raymond O'Hara, 47, a grandfather with 215 convictions, pleaded guilty to burglary at Portmarnock Hotel in December 2012. He entered through a fire door at 7 am, went behind the bar and removed €280 worth of alcohol, an act captured on CCTV. O'Hara, a chronic heroin addict, is currently serving a prison sentence. Judge Dermot Dempsey sentenced him to six months in prison, concurrent with his existing term. The sentence reflects the seriousness of the burglary and O'Hara's extensive criminal history.
In Swords District Court, Henry Afeni (49) admitted to making a gain or causing loss by deception at TK Max in The Pavilions Shopping Centre in Swords on December 8th, 2013. He was sentenced to 100 hours of community service in lieu of a five-month prison sentence. Raymond O'Hara (47) pleaded guilty to burglary at Portmarnock Hotel on December 11th, 2012, and his case was adjourned to June 23rd for the facts to be heard and sentencing. Declan Fitzsimons (34) admitted to using threatening and abusive behaviour at Cedar Grove in Ridgewood, Swords on January 1st. Judge Dermot Dempsey imposed a conviction and fined him €500, noting that Fitzsimons had the opportunity since February to make a charitable donation. Debra Maguire (44) was found guilty of handling stolen goods worth €363.55 at The Pavilions Shopping Centre in Swords on November 17th, 2013, and was sentenced to 100 hours of community service in lieu of a five-month prison sentence. All cases were at the sentence stage.
Swords District Court heard three matters. Owen Mooney, 43, pleaded not guilty to drink driving and driving without insurance. Judge Dermot Dempsey convicted him, rejecting his claim he was not the driver. Mooney was sentenced to five months in prison and fined €750 for drink driving, with a six-year disqualification. He received a concurrent four-month prison sentence and eight-year disqualification for driving without insurance. Ivo Ignatenki, 26, pleaded guilty to drink driving and having no insurance. He was sentenced to three months in prison, suspended, and bound to the peace for two years. He was fined €750 and disqualified for six years for drink driving, and fined €200 with a two-year disqualification for no insurance. Raymond O'Hara, 47, is alleged to have committed burglary at Portmarnock Hotel. The matter was adjourned because the injured party was unavailable. Judge Dempsey remanded O'Hara on continuing bail to reappear on April 28th.
Swords District Court sentenced five defendants at the sentencing stage. Nerijus Dumbris pleaded guilty to drink driving and dangerous driving; he was sentenced to four months in prison, fined €250, and disqualified from driving for three years for drink driving and five years for dangerous driving. Florin Amarrii pleaded guilty to theft; he was convicted, fined €100, and ordered to pay €30 expenses to the security officer. Ciara Tynan pleaded guilty to theft and intoxicated, threatening, and abusive behaviour; she received a four-month suspended sentence, was placed on a one-year Peace Bond, ordered to stay away from the injured party, and fined €100. Aidan McDonnell pleaded guilty to failing to comply with garda direction and pushing a garda; he was convicted and fined €350. Daniel Betley pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of pepper spray; he was ordered to complete 200 hours of community service in lieu of a two-month prison sentence. All matters were finalised with sentences imposed.
In a Swords District Court hearing on 21 January 2014, Cillian Mahoney, aged 22, was charged with assaulting two men outside The Wright Venue nightclub on 25 November 2012. The court adjourned the case to 24 March, noting that Garda interviews had been completed and the case was ready for hearing. Judge Dermot Dempsey remanded Mahoney on continuing bail pending the March hearing. In a separate matter, Fortunato Nardoni, 28, was subject to a bench warrant for failing to appear in court over a no‑insurance driving charge dated 10 December 2012. Judge Dempsey issued the warrant after Nardoni did not attend. A third defendant, David Fortune, 32, was charged with possession of a knife on 26 December 2013. A bench warrant was issued after he failed to appear, and the court adjourned his case to 17 February, remanding him on his own bond. All proceedings were conducted under the jurisdiction of Swords District Court.
A man from Donaghmede was convicted of using threatening and abusive behaviour towards gardai at a County Dublin beach in July 2013. Anthony O'Connor, aged 24, was part of a group consuming alcohol at Portmarnock Beach on 8 July when gardai requested he surrender the cans. He became abusive to both members of an garda síochána and members of the public during the interaction. O'Connor, who works as a student fitness instructor and has nineteen previous convictions, pleaded guilty to the charge at Swords District Court. Judge Dermot Dempsey imposed a community service sentence of 200 hours as an alternative to one month's imprisonment. His defence solicitor indicated O'Connor had struggled with excessive drinking and apologised for his conduct during the incident.
In a burglary case, Raymond O'Hara, a resident of St Mary's Mansions in Dublin 1, was charged with breaking into the Portmarnock Hotel at Golf Links on 11 December 2012. He allegedly attempted to access the cash register and took several bottles of alcohol before leaving. The Director of Public Prosecutions directed a summary disposal of the case. Defence solicitor Patrick Jackson sought a hearing date and requested CCTV footage. Judge Dermot Dempsey remanded O'Hara on continuing bail to re‑appear before Swords District Court on 27 January for the case to be heard. Separately, Martin Maughan, 42, of St Margaret's Park in Ballymun, was convicted in his absence of driving without insurance and without a licence after he reversed into his driveway when Garda Keith Delaney saw him. Maughan, who has 97 previous convictions, had a bench warrant issued for his arrest for sentencing.
At Swords District Court, Judge Alan Mitchell handled several matters. Wayne Reid (34) of Swords pleaded not guilty to alleged cultivation of two cannabis plants and possession of cannabis herb for sale or supply. The court accepted jurisdiction and remanded Reid on continuing bail to reappear on December 16th. In a separate matter, Martin Connors (21) of Dublin 13 faced an alleged public order offence. The case was struck out after the prosecuting garda failed to appear, despite notice. David O'Toole (36) of Swords pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis herb. He was convicted and fined €300. Michael Conners (29) of New Ross, Wexford, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving at the Strand Road junction in Malahide. He was convicted and fined €300. Additionally, Conners was disqualified from driving for two years. The judge refused to reduce the charge to careless driving, citing the risk posed to a cyclist and motorist, and noted Conners' previous careless driving conviction as a significant factor in the decision.