Frank Kamara, 29, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. On 17 January 2018, while employed as a cleaner at a Dublin shopping centre, he emailed a video to his supervisor. The supervisor watched the four‑minute, 59‑second clip for two seconds, was shocked, and deleted it. Kamara claimed he sent the video to warn his supervisor about the dangers of child sexual exploitation and to advise him not to leave his own children with untrustworthy people. He said the video was sent to him by a woman in Nigeria and that he had deleted it after forwarding it. The prosecution, represented by Garda Joanne Grogan, described the footage as a male adult raping a boy about one or two years old.
Breda Cahill, owner of three convenience stores, gave a victim impact statement describing a "reign of terror" after her shops were robbed six times. She said she had to spend every minute in the shops to support staff and keep them safe. The statement was prepared for the sentencing of Brendan Payne, 36, who robbed one of her shops and was prevented from raiding another by Gardaí. Payne pleaded guilty to possession of a knife with intent to intimidate and to robbery. Judge Melanie Greally imposed a nine‑year prison sentence, suspending the last three years on the condition that Payne keep the peace, engage with Probation Services for 18 months, attend prison drug services and take up residential drug treatment. The sentence includes both offences and runs consecutively. Payne admitted he was tired of offending and had used drugs since age 12, citing his mother's alcoholism as a trigger.
Two Dublin men, Eddie Valentine (44) and Mark Kavanagh (40), pleaded guilty to stealing a cash register from Leisureplex, Stillorgan, during a children's birthday party on 4 May 2017. The theft, captured on CCTV, involved €95 in cash and four vending‑machine keys. At a hearing in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Karen O'Connor imposed a headline sentence of three years for each, reduced to two years fully suspended, citing early guilty pleas and chronic drug addiction. Both men were ordered to be supervised by Probation Services for 12 months and to comply with education and drug‑addiction treatment directives. The court noted the incident's aggravating context—children present and a party in progress—and praised a staff member who detained the men. The cash register was never recovered, and the victim impact statement estimated the loss at just under €1,000, including a €500 replacement and €400 for additional security measures.
Eddie Valentine, 44, and Mark Kavanagh, 40, both from Rathfarnham, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to stealing a cash register from Leisureplex in Stillorgan on 4 May 2017. Judge Karen O'Connor remanded them in custody and adjourned sentencing to 1 March next month.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 21 December 2018, a 29‑year‑old Latvian national, Olgerts Romanovs, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm outside a synagogue on Rathfarnham Road, Terenure, Dublin, on 1 September 2018. Romanovs, who had no fixed abode and was living in a tent in St Stephen's Green, had cycled down the footpath and spat at a security guard. After the guard challenged him verbally, Romanovs threw his bike, approached the guard aggressively, spat in his face, threatened to kill him with a spanner, and then pulled a silver kitchen fork from his bag and hurled it at the guard. The fork lodged in the side of the guard's head, causing a deep wound that required stitches. Garda Brian Greally later arrested Romanovs after witnesses were interviewed. The judge, Cormac Quinn, sentenced Romanovs to fourteen months' imprisonment, backdating the term to the day he first entered custody in September 2018.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Keith Mooney, aged 27, was sentenced to five years' imprisonment for assault causing harm and possession of a rock during an attack on Derek Curran at St Enda's Park, Rathfarnham, on 26 June 2017. Mooney struck Curran's face with a rock, causing multiple facial fractures, a dislocated eye socket, fractured ribs and a broken cheekbone, and left him unconscious. The judge, Melanie Greally, described the assault as "particularly violent and brutal" and noted that Curran was traumatised and his mental health severely affected. Mooney's sentence was the maximum five years, with the final 18 months suspended, taking into account his guilty plea, family background and substance‑use history. The case highlighted the severity of the offence and the impact on the victim.
Kieran Greene, 32, of Mountain View Park, Rathfarnham, is charged with the murder of 61‑year‑old Patricia O'Connor, whose remains were found scattered in the Wicklow mountains between 29 and 30 May 2017. The Central Criminal Court has adjourned his trial, which was scheduled for 3 December, and has applied to vacate the date. Four co‑accused have been charged with impeding the Garda investigation, and the State is seeking a joint trial. Mr Justice Michael White remanded Greene in custody until the new trial date is fixed on 28 January 2019.
A 45‑year‑old woman, Mercy Peters of Sierra Leone, was declared fit to stand trial for the 2014 murder of Tyrone McKenna, 42, in their shared home in Marley Court, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14. The alleged killing occurred on 17 July 2014. At a brief hearing, the prosecution's counsel, Paul Burns SC, presented a report indicating Peters' fitness for trial. Justice Tony Hunt added her to the court's list for fixing dates, and a trial date was set for the following Monday. Peters had been deemed unfit and sent to the Central Mental Hospital in July of the previous year.
In 2006, Niall Healy, 42, was sentenced to 20 years for aggravated sexual assault and false imprisonment, with the final 10 years suspended. He had a prior 12‑year rape conviction in 1993, the last six years of which were suspended. After his release in January 2014, Healy was jailed for two years for robbery. He was released again in January 2018 and subsequently relapsed into drug use, attacked a woman's car at traffic lights, and broke into an unoccupied house. On 6 June 2015, six years of the suspended term were re‑activated and back‑dated, leaving four years suspended on strict conditions. Mr Justice McCarthy ordered drug treatment, anger management, and educational courses, noting that Healy had failed to fulfil the obligations imposed by the courts. The judge emphasised that the community's protection required Healy to remain under a suspended term upon release.
The High Court will decide later on a case that could affect many inheritance tax assessments. The dispute concerns a 2003 Capital Acquisitions Tax Act Section 86 exemption for a family home. Dublin woman Leanne Deane inherited her father's house at Aranleigh Mount, Rathfarnham, and also shares in four other residential properties under a 2011 family agreement. She applied for the dwelling‑house exemption, which was initially refused because of her other property interests. Revenue sent her a €52,000 assessment, which she appealed to a Tax Appeals Commissioner (TAC). In late 2017 the TAC found she met the exemption conditions and reduced the assessment to zero. Revenue now asks the High Court to confirm whether the TAC's decision is correct and whether Deane was precluded from claiming the exemption because she had other dwelling‑house interests at the time of inheritance.
Peter Hilliard, 54, of Tallaght, was convicted of sexually assaulting two vulnerable residents in a nursing home in Rathfarnham between February 2013 and June 2016. He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. In June 2016 a colleague saw a Facebook video of Hilliard assaulting an elderly resident; Hilliard had recorded the assault with a mobile phone and uploaded the video, claiming he had only a few hours of sleep and had "mistakenly" posted it. He received an 18‑month suspended sentence from Judge Karen O'Connor on 24 October 2017. The Court of Appeal, hearing the case before Justices John Hedigan, George Birmingham and Alan Mahon, found the sentence "unduly lenient" and re‑sentenced him to 12 months imprisonment, with the final six months suspended. The victims were patients with profound intellectual disabilities, one with advanced dementia and the other with limited awareness of the assault.
A 38‑year‑old driver, Aisling Keogh, pleaded guilty to careless driving causing serious harm after striking a pedestrian, Paschal Walsh, in Rathfarnham on 29 December 2015. Keogh had been driving at 43 km/h, within the 50 km/h limit, and applied her brakes when she first saw the man. She left the scene, tended to the injured man, called an ambulance and later reported the collision to Gardaí. CCTV and forensic analysis confirmed the circumstances. Walsh was taken to Tallaght Hospital, suffered a sore arm and ribs, was later put into an induced coma and died, but the court ruled his death was not a direct result of the collision. The Dublin Circuit Criminal Court sentenced Keogh to 125 hours of community service in lieu of a six‑month prison term, imposed a four‑year mandatory driving ban, and confirmed her suitability for community service.
John Matthews, aged 38, was sentenced by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to four and a half years imprisonment for 56 burglaries committed over a 16‑month period, 33 of which occurred while he was out on bail. The judge suspended an additional four and a half years on the condition that Matthews keep the peace for five years after release and attend drug treatment programmes. Matthews, from Desmond Avenue, Dun Laoghaire, had 124 previous convictions, 115 of them for burglary. Prosecutor Marie Torrens BL described how Matthews would knock on doors, check for occupants, then break in by smashing windows or door glass. Victims reported loss of jewellery, a wedding ring, Christmas presents, and €20 in loose change, and one elderly victim incurred €30 in window repair costs. Matthews pleaded guilty to sample counts of burglary between 19 January 2015 and 22 April 2016 at locations in south Dublin, including Rathfarnham and Dun Laoghaire.
David Radford, aged 21, was sentenced by Judge Martin Nolan to three and a half years' imprisonment, with the final 15 months suspended, for assaulting a 14‑year‑old girl on 5 and 6 September 2017. Radford had previously been jailed for two and a half years in November 2015 for sexually assaulting a teenage girl, and he has three earlier convictions for sexual assault of women dating back to 2010. The court found that Radford attacked the girl for no apparent reason, noting a "propensity towards violence". Radford pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault causing the girl harm at Washington Lane, Rathfarnham. He was described as effectively homeless at the time, with difficulties in literacy, numeracy and drug use. The sentencing followed the court's statement that Radford had no welcome in his family's home and had been involved in repeated violent incidents.
A 38‑year‑old driver, Aisling Keogh, pleaded guilty to careless driving causing serious harm after failing to notice a pedestrian crossing the road in Rathfarnham on 29 December 2015. The collision left the man, Paschal Walsh, with serious injuries; he later died in hospital, but the court ruled his death was not a direct result of the collision. Keogh, who had no prior convictions, stopped her car after striking the man, tended to him, called an ambulance, and reported the incident to Gardaí. For her conduct after the crash, the court deemed a prison sentence unnecessary and imposed 125 hours of community service in lieu of six months' imprisonment. The case was adjourned to April for a suitability assessment of the community service order. The judge noted no aggravating circumstances and described the incident as an accident in the true sense of the word.
David Marsh, 31, was sentenced to an additional 14 months in jail after he deceived a woman he met on a dating website by claiming he was anaemic and needed money for medication and a flight to the US to see a specialist. He also extracted €300 from a new girlfriend for a holiday that never occurred, and €800 from the same woman under various pretences. Marsh's criminal history includes six counts of deception, one theft from an Eir store, and possession of heroin while in prison. He had previously been jailed for two years in 2016 for fraud, including defrauding a Limerick couple of €76,000, stealing €740 from his employer, and scamming colleagues and rugby teammates out of nearly €8,000. He has 23 prior convictions, mainly for fraud. The court noted his "active fantasy life" and impulsive behaviour, but did not attribute any motive beyond his charm and confidence tactics. David Marsh pleaded guilty.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court sentenced Dubliner Jason Kennedy, 45, to three years in prison for robbery and theft. Kennedy pleaded guilty to robbing Park Pharmacy in Cabinteely and stealing two USB keys from Shankill Garda station on August 18, 2016. Prosecution evidence indicated that Kennedy, armed with a hammer, threatened pharmacy staff before taking €500 and prescription drugs. He was later arrested after his vehicle was spotted in Rathfarnham. While being interviewed at the station, surveillance footage showed Kennedy pocketing two USB keys when the interviewing garda left the room; he later claimed it was a joke. Judge Karen O'Connor noted Kennedy's 43 previous convictions and his failure to complete a court-ordered residential drug treatment course, despite his history of addiction. The judge expressed sadness at his non-completion but acknowledged his desire for rehabilitation. Judge O'Connor imposed a three-year sentence, suspending the final 12 months on strict conditions. This means Kennedy will serve two years in custody before being released on probation for the suspended period.
In October 2016, 24‑year‑old Charles Cleary murdered Leo Carolan, a 25‑year‑old student of creative music at IADT, after a robbery attempt at the South Circular Road flat. Cleary, who had no fixed abode but was from Rathfarnham, was motivated by the €14,000 that Swiss student Ludovic Thomas had withdrawn from a bank. Thomas had approached Carolan for an envelope for the money; when Carolan left the room, Cleary stabbed Thomas with a butterfly knife, allowing Thomas to escape. Cleary then returned and stabbed Carolan to death, inflicting 12 wounds that severed his jugular vein and pierced his heart and lungs. Thomas survived with multiple knife wounds, including a liver laceration. Cleary pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court and was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder and a concurrent 15‑year term for the attempted murder, with the robbery taken into account.
Charles Cleary, 24, pleaded guilty to the murder of Leo Carolan, 25, who was stabbed to death in a Dublin flat on 4 October 2016. Cleary, who has no fixed abode and is from Rathfarnham, appeared briefly at the Central Criminal Court where he was arraigned on the single charge. The prosecution requested that he be remanded in custody until 11 January for sentencing, and the victim's family was scheduled to give a statement on that date.
A Dublin man, Kieran Greene, 32, of Mountain View Park, Rathfarnham, is accused of murdering a 61‑year‑old woman whose remains were found scattered in the Wicklow mountains. Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy has set the trial for 3 December 2018 before a Central Criminal Court jury.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, 37‑year‑old Larry Connors was sentenced to two years and three months' imprisonment, with the final 12 months suspended. Connors, a father of six, pleaded guilty to assaulting his estranged wife, Margaret Connors, on 31 March 2016, after a two‑day period of violent conduct that included pulling a knife, threatening to kill her, slashing her car tyres and stealing her phone. He also breached two Safety Orders and damaged her property. Connors denied all charges but admitted the assault. The judge, citing the seriousness of the breaches and Connors' remorse, noted his completion of a 12‑week rehabilitation programme at Cuan Mhuire and his involvement in his children's lives. The sentence was back‑dated to 8 July 2017, and Connors was ordered to keep the peace and exhibit good behaviour for two years after release. The court refused to defer the sentence until after Christmas, despite Margaret's request.
In a 2017 Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Julius Jakelaitis, a 26‑year‑old Lithuanian national, was sentenced to three and a half years' imprisonment for assault causing serious harm. The offence occurred on 1 January 2010 at a New Year's party on Bancroft Avenue, Tallaght, when Jakelaitis, then 19, kicked a 19‑year‑old man to the chest and head after a scuffle. The victim suffered multiple facial fractures, a coma, memory problems, seizures and was unable to resume boxing. Jakelaitis pleaded guilty, expressed remorse and had a good work history in insurance and military service. The judge, Martin Nolan, noted the victim's injuries and the provocation but found Jakelaitis had crossed into criminality. The sentence was back‑dated to June when Jakelaitis entered custody. The victim is believed to have returned to Romania. The case was prosecuted by Lisa Dempsey BL.
Gareth White, 29, of Harcourt Street, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to five counts of using a false instrument to secure loans from various credit unions in 2016, and to using a false instrument to purchase seven phones on behalf of a non‑existent business from Three Ireland on 13 August 2015. Garda Noel Whelan explained that the fraud was discovered when a credit union manager noticed that the address on the AIB bank statement White supplied did not exist. White also used forged bank statements to apply for loans at Phibsborough Credit Union, Larkfield Credit Union in Santry, Whitehall Credit Union and Core Credit Union in Dalkey. He claimed the loans were to buy a wheelchair for his disabled daughter and a headstone for his mother's grave, but the court heard they were actually needed to pay gambling debts. €908 was still owed to Rathfarnham and Dalkey Credit Unions.
David Radford, 21, was released from prison in March after a three‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence for sexual assault. The final 12 months of his sentence were suspended on the condition that he complied with the probation service. He had 15 previous convictions, including three for sexual assault. At an October hearing Judge Martin Nolan found that Radford had breached bail conditions by refusing emergency accommodation and sleeping rough. He had also begun using substances. The judge said Radford's refusal to live in the accommodation provided by the probation service meant the suspended portion of his sentence had to be re‑activated. Radford was remanded in custody for one month, and the judge noted that the decision was not without difficulty, as Radford had been ordered to cooperate fully with the probation service. The court also heard that Radford had been attacked on several occasions and was concerned for his safety in a hostel.
Peter Hilliard, 54, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to two counts of sexual assault against vulnerable residents at Bloomfield nursing home between February 2013 and June 2016. The first assault was discovered when a colleague saw a video of Hilliard touching an elderly resident's breasts on his Facebook page. Garda Shane Whelan reported that the video also showed a male present during the assault. Following a search of Hilliard's devices, investigators found a second video of a similar attack on another resident. Hilliard had no prior convictions. After his arrest he expressed remorse and mentioned suicidal thoughts. The judge noted Hilliard's loss of employment and his engagement with counselling. A suspended sentence of 18 months was imposed, conditioned on Hilliard keeping the peace, attending weekly therapy, and remaining under Probation Service supervision for 18 months.
David Radford, 21, was remanded in custody for one month after the court found he had breached bail conditions by refusing emergency accommodation and sleeping rough. Radford had been released in March after a 3½‑year sentence for sexual assault, with the final 12 months suspended on the condition of full compliance with the probation service. He has 15 prior convictions, including three for sexual assault of women. Probation Officer Rob Pickles reported that Radford had not followed directions, had begun using substances, and the situation was deemed unworkable. Radford's defence argued that he had been attacked and feared for his safety, but the judge said he would re‑activate the suspended sentence if he refused accommodation. Judge Martin Nolan remanded him for a month, stating it was Radford's decision where he wished to reside.
Daniel O'Connell, 33, is standing trial at the Central Criminal Court, where he has pleaded not guilty to the alleged attempted murder of his sister, Olivia O'Connell. Prosecutors allege that on April 25, 2016, O'Connell stabbed Ms. O'Connell, who was 26 and a half weeks pregnant and suffering from chemotherapy effects, three to four times in the back at her home in Knocklyon, Dublin. The prosecution contends the attack was premeditated, driven by O'Connell's alleged pathological dislike of Dublin and his desire to prevent her from raising a child there. Evidence presented includes O'Connell's admission to Gardaí that he intended to kill her, describing the incident as a "failed murder suicide." He allegedly carried a hammer and duct tape to subdue her and was found wearing latex gloves to hide fingerprints. Ms. O'Connell escaped to a neighbor's house, where she was treated for her injuries; the child was later born healthy. The jury has been informed that not guilty by reason of insanity is an available verdict, with expert psychiatric evidence expected from both sides. The trial is ongoing before Mr Justice Paul Butler.
Ahmed Ayadi, aged 25, was sentenced to six years' imprisonment for possession of a 9mm Glock pistol in suspicious circumstances and for possession of cannabis. He pleaded guilty at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Ayadi had approached undercover Gardaí to buy a firearm, claiming he was involved in drug sales and wanted a weapon "just in case." He initially wanted an AK‑47 but chose a Glock after seeing a picture, paying €450 on 12 May 2016. Gardaí had been alerted through confidential information and set up a surveillance operation, recording meetings with Ayadi. He was arrested after his vehicle was intercepted. The judge, Karen O'Connor, noted his early guilty plea, remorse, and community work, but considered the offence serious. She imposed a six‑year term, suspended the final 12 months, and ordered 12 months of probation supervision upon release.
A 44‑year‑old former journalist, Mercy Peters, originally from Sierra Leone, was found unfit to stand trial for the 2014 murder of Tyrone McKenna, 42, in his South Dublin home. The Central Criminal Court, after hearing two consultant psychiatrists, determined that Peters suffers from Schizoaffective disorder. She had not taken her prescribed medication for several months before the incident and her illness involves entrenched persecutory and delusional themes. Dr Ronan Mullaney, her treating psychiatrist at the Central Mental Hospital (CMH), confirmed that Peters maintains she is not responsible for McKenna's death and believes she is the victim of an elaborate plot. He noted she has only partial insight into her illness and continues to dispute her diagnosis. Judge Tony Hunt ordered Peters to be committed to the CMH for inpatient care, with proceedings adjourned until October 2. The remand is indefinite.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing on 12 July 2017, a 44‑year‑old woman from Sierra Leone, Mercy Peters, was declared unfit to stand trial for the 2014 murder of Tyrone McKenna, aged 42, in their shared home in Marley Court, Rathfarnham. The judge, Mr Justice Tony Hunt, considered evidence from two forensic psychiatrists. Dr Sally Linehan, who had interviewed Peters twice, reported that Peters had been admitted to the Central Mental Hospital since July 2014 and had a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia, later revised to schizoaffective disorder. She described Peters' delusional beliefs, persecutory themes involving the Gardaí, MI5, and a belief that McKenna had a death wish, and noted her impaired insight and judgment. Dr Aiden Corvin, Peters' treating psychiatrist, confirmed her chronic mental disorder and the persistence of her delusional belief system.
During an interview about a robbery he had committed, Dubliner Jason Kennedy (45) stole two USB keys from Shankill Garda station. He was captured on footage putting the keys in his pocket when a Garda stepped out of the interview room. Kennedy pleaded guilty to robbery at Park Pharmacy, Cabinteely, and the theft of the USB keys on 18 August 2016. He has 43 prior convictions and had been drug‑free for years before a "slip" led to these offences. Judge Karen O'Connor granted him bail, ordering him to attend a residential treatment programme at Coolmine and a step‑down and after‑care programme, with a staff member accompanying him. The court will finalise sentencing in January after a progress report. Kennedy was also charged with threatening pharmacy staff, stealing €500 and prescription drugs, and was arrested after a car search recovered medication and the hammer used in the robbery.
Dubliner Jason Kennedy (45) pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to robbery at Park Pharmacy, Cabinteely, and stealing two USB keys at Shankill Garda station on August 18, 2016. Kennedy, of Butlers Place, Benson Street, has 43 previous convictions. The court heard that Kennedy had been clean of drugs for a number of years but had suffered a 'slip' at the time of these offences. Garda Desmond Molloy stated that Kennedy, armed with a hammer, threatened staff at the pharmacy before making off with €500 in cash and a large quantity of prescription drugs. He was arrested after being spotted in an Audi with a large dent in the door, and Garda recovered a large amount of medication in the car, as well as the clothes worn in the robbery and the hammer. Kennedy was taken to Shankill Garda Station for questioning, where footage revealed that he stole the USB keys while the garda was out of the room. Kennedy returned the USB keys and told gardaí 'it was only a joke.' Olan Callanan BL, defending, said that Kennedy had been assessed as suitable for a place in Coolmine residential treatment centre and asked the court to allow him the opportunity to attend. Judge Karen O'Connor adjourned sentencing until next week to hear further detail in relation to the drug rehabilitation course.
A Central Criminal Court jury acquitted a 35‑year‑old Dublin man of rape after a trial that lasted just over four hours. The man had been charged with raping a university student on a first date after they met on Tinder and were driven to an unlit country road in the Dublin Mountains. He pleaded not guilty. The jury, composed of six men and six women, returned a not‑guilty verdict. The defendant expressed gratitude, while the complainant and a juror cried. The judge, Mr Justice Paul Butler, released the man from custody on this matter, noting he was in custody for other offences. The case ended with the defendant being escorted away by prison officers. No further legal actions were described in the article.
The jury in the trial of a 36‑year‑old Dublin man accused of raping a university student after meeting on Tinder will continue deliberations tomorrow. The defendant, charged with rape at Kilmashogue Lane, Rathfarnham, on 11 September 2014, pleaded not guilty. The complainant says they drove to an unlit country road and were raped in the car; the defendant claims consensual sex. The jury began deliberating at 2.50 pm on Wednesday, has deliberated for just over an hour, and will resume tomorrow morning before Mr Justice Paul Butler.
A jury has begun deliberating a case in which a 36‑year‑old Dublin man is accused of raping a university student on their first date after meeting on Tinder. The alleged rape took place in the defendant's car after a drive up the Dublin Mountains on 11 September 2014. The defendant pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court. Judge Paul Butler told the jury that the evidence is largely uncorroborated and that conviction would rely on the complainant's word alone, urging caution. He noted that the complainant's distressed state could be explained by other factors. The jury started deliberations at 2.50 pm and will resume tomorrow. The defence argued that the complainant's subsequent Tinder activity and the deletion of texts undermined her credibility, and that her visit to a GP rather than a Sexual Assault Treatment Unit suggested a different motive. The judge emphasised that any conviction must be based on the strongest evidence available.
In a Central Criminal Court case, a 36‑year‑old Dublin man is accused of raping a university student he met on Tinder. The prosecution, led by Alex Owens SC, argued that the victim's decision to use Tinder and to get into a car with an unknown man was irrelevant to the alleged crime, emphasizing that the law protects those who take risks from predators. Owens highlighted alleged "nasty streak" behaviour and suggested the accused could act badly if crossed. The defence, represented by Michael Bowman SC, countered that Owens' remarks implied prejudice, likening the accused to a "controlling" predator and suggesting the victim's attire justified the alleged assault. Garda evidence showed the accused claimed consensual sex, citing a series of texts and sexting, and alleged the victim's complaints stemmed from a disagreement over condom use. The case remains pending jury deliberation. The unnamed accused pleaded not guilty.
A 36‑year‑old Louth man accused of raping a university student he met on Tinder was heard in the Central Criminal Court on 11 September 2014. He pleaded not guilty and told Gardaí that the sex was "fully consensual". The prosecution alleged he raped the woman in his car after a drive up the Dublin Mountains following a McDonald's visit. The alleged victim was tested for STIs and given the morning‑after pill the next day; all tests returned negative. The case is pending before Mr Justice Paul Butler and a jury, with both parties anonymous.
A man from Louth has gone on trial at the Central Criminal Court for the rape of a university student he met on Tinder. The prosecution, led by Alexander Owens SC, told the jury that the victim downloaded the dating app in September 2014 and began messaging the accused. Three days later they arranged a date, during which the accused took the victim to a McDonald's for ice‑cream and coffee. Owens said the accused became "extremely angry" when the woman rebuffed his sexual advances, and he angrily ordered her out of the car after 10 pm. He then drove her back to her home, told her to get back into the car, and allegedly drove her further up Kilmashogue Lane, Rathfarnham, where the rape took place. The accused pleaded not guilty to the charge of rape on 11 September 2014. The trial is expected to last one week, with the alleged victim scheduled to give evidence tomorrow.
A 43‑year‑old woman, Mercy Peters, originally from Sierra Leone, faces trial for the murder of her former partner, Tyrone McKenna, aged 42, who was killed on 17 July 2014 at their shared home in Marlay Court, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14. The Central Criminal Court, presided over by Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy, has set the trial for 3 July 2017.
Aidan Quigley, 43, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to two burglary and one attempted burglary offences committed between June 2014 and May 2015 while on bail for each. He had 41 prior convictions, 21 for burglary. Gardaí noted he always ensured houses were unoccupied and that each raid was to fund a heroin addiction. All stolen items were returned to owners as Quigley was still in possession when arrested. Judge Patricia Ryan imposed consecutive sentences totalling four years, suspended in full, citing Quigley's "trojan efforts at rehabilitating himself". Quigley's counsel argued that a personal tragedy and drug addiction had driven his crimes, and that he had ceased burglaries and was drug‑free since July of the previous year. No further burglary charges had been brought against him since May 2015. The suspended sentence reflects the court's view that Quigley was moving away from the lifestyle he had lived.
Noel Murtagh, 29, pleaded guilty to assaulting Christopher and Joseph Lennon on Camden Street, Dublin, on 26 June 2014. The assault was unprovoked and involved punching and kicking the brothers. Joseph Lennon suffered a badly broken jaw, requiring metal plates and still cannot fully open his mouth. Murtagh's co‑accused, Michael Coleman, was found to have caused the more serious injuries, including punching and kicking Joseph Lennon while he was on the ground. Coleman was jailed for 18 months in July 2015. Judge Melanie Greally accepted evidence that Coleman was the instigator and that Murtagh's role was less violent. She sentenced Murtagh to a three‑year prison term, suspended in full, and ordered 240 hours of community service within 12 months. The court noted a probation report indicating Murtagh was at low risk of re‑offending and had shown appropriate shame for his actions.
David McGuinness, aged 27, fraudulently obtained a €99,000 mortgage on his parents' house by presenting a forged payslip and bank statement. The loan was advanced before the fraud was discovered, and the money was handed to a criminal gang to pay his older brother's drug debt. McGuinness did not profit personally. He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to obtaining a mortgage by deception and using false instruments. With 21 prior convictions, Judge Melanie Greally described the operation as "relatively sophisticated" and noted the documentation appeared legitimate. She imposed a two‑year sentence, suspended in full, and ordered 240 hours of community service within one year. The court heard the mortgage was being paid and the bank was not at a loss. The case highlighted the bank's reliance on false information and the family's hardship due to the brother's drug addiction.
Jamie Morris Cox, 19, pleaded guilty to arson of a Mercedes SUV at Rathfarnham Shopping Centre on 18 October 2015. He admitted he had no recollection of lighting the fire, describing himself as "crazy drunk, off my head in a different world." Garda Shane McGrath reported that staff at a nearby pub had thrown Morris Cox and another man out, after which they smashed the vehicle's windows and set it on fire. The fire was extinguished by bar staff, and the men fled toward a housing estate where they were later arrested. The damage to the vehicle was €5,000, and the owner, a carpenter, was unable to work for two weeks. Judge Melanie Greally sentenced Morris Cox to a three‑year suspended prison term, noting his admission of responsibility, remorse, and the positive influence of his grandfather. The sentence was suspended in full, with the court emphasising the need for intervention to prevent future criminal behaviour.
Ron Tulie, an ex-fireman aged 58, had his five‑year jail term cut to two on appeal after pleading guilty to four counts of sexual intercourse with a 16‑year‑old girl. The girl met Tulie during a transition‑year fire safety course she attended at her school. After the course ended, Tulie maintained contact with her and her friends via email and Bebo, and later took the girl on drives and up the Dublin mountains where the first offence occurred. The girl suffered health problems after the interactions. Tulie was arrested in 2012, pleaded guilty, and was originally sentenced to seven years with the final two suspended. The Court of Appeal found the maximum sentence applied was incorrect and re‑sentenced him to four years with the final two years suspended, requiring a good‑behaviour bond for the suspended period.
The Central Criminal Court trial of seven accused individuals for the murder of Dale Creighton and violent disorder is ongoing before Ms Justice Deirdre Murphy. The defendants, Aisling Burke, David Burke, Graham Palmer, Ross Callery, James Reid, Jason Beresford, and Gerard Stevens, have all pleaded not guilty to murder. While all initially pleaded not guilty to violent disorder, Jason Beresford subsequently changed his plea to guilty on that specific charge. The jury is currently hearing evidence regarding garda interviews with David Burke, who was arrested in Tallaght on January 2, 2014. Mr. Burke alleged that the deceased pulled a knife on him and stole his sister's phone, prompting him to strike the victim. He denied participating in the fatal assault, claiming he attempted to stop others and protect the deceased. However, when shown CCTV footage, he admitted to hitting and kicking Mr. Creighton, stating he did so in self-defense. The trial continues with further evidence to be presented to the jury.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Judge Patrick McCartan sentenced 43‑year‑old Robert Kealy to five years' imprisonment, suspending the final year on probation, after Kealy pleaded guilty to possession of heroin for sale or supply. Kealy was arrested following a Garda stop outside The Barge Pub, where he was found with heroin worth €7,598. A subsequent search of his home uncovered weighing scales and drug‑dealing "tick lists". The judge said the sentence was intended to remove one more dealer from the streets, noting Kealy was selling drugs to support his own habit despite medical warnings of possible amputations. Kealy's record includes 42 prior convictions for drug dealing, assault, theft, burglary and criminal damage. His defence counsel, Sarah‑Jane Callaghan, described him as a chronic drug user who was deeply sorry for the harm he caused. Garda Paddy Farrell confirmed Kealy's role as a trusted distributor within the local drug‑using community.
An interim examiner, Mr Kieran Wallace of KPMG, was appointed by the High Court to oversee four companies that run the Dobbins restaurant in Dublin and the Becketts Hotel & Restaurant in Leixlip. The group, employing about 60 people, sought court protection because of cash‑flow problems caused by lost business contracts and historic bank debts. The companies, which acquired their assets during the Celtic Tiger boom, now carry a high level of debt. Mr Wallace was appointed after an Independent Expert's Report indicated the companies had a reasonable prospect of survival if a scheme of arrangement with creditors were approved. The scheme would involve restructuring bank debt, paying a dividend to creditors, securing new investment and leasing the premises on the open market. The case is set to return to the court in July. The main creditors are the Revenue Commissioners and KBC Bank.
Richard Higgins, a 26‑year‑old former Vodafone employee, was given an 18‑month suspended sentence for stealing mobile phones and a Dell laptop from the company between 2011 and 2013. The court heard that Higgins had exploited a flaw in Vodafone's ordering system to send phones to himself, mainly Samsung Galaxy and iPhone models, and had also sold six phones online. He pleaded guilty at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court and had a prior speeding conviction. Judge Karen O'Connor noted that Higgins had been spending thousands of euros a month on cocaine and had made poor decisions because of his drug addiction. She cited testimonials from family describing him as a "beautiful person" who had performed good deeds, and she suspended the sentence on the condition that he keeps the peace. Higgins brought €2,000 to court as a token gesture of recompense.
A 43‑year‑old man from Templeogue, Aidan Quigley, was remanded on bail pending sentencing after pleading guilty to two burglary and one attempted burglary offences committed between June 2014 and May 2015. He had 41 prior convictions, 21 of them for burglary, and had been on bail for each offence before the court heard the latest. Gardaí accepted that Quigley only broke into unoccupied houses to fund a heroin addiction, and that all stolen items were returned to their owners while he was still in possession of them. His barrister, Luigi Rea BL, argued that Quigley had become a father of three, lost his job after his youngest daughter's death, and had increased drug use, leading to burglary. Rea said Quigley had stopped using heroin and methadone in July of the previous year and had not committed any further burglaries since May 2015.
In a 2016 Central Criminal Court hearing, Detective Garda Janette O'Neill presented a Webley & Scott revolver found in a car near the site where Seamus 'Shay' O'Byrne was shot dead in 2009. The gun had been decommissioned by the Birmingham Proof House museum, but O'Neill noted that the firing arm had been replaced and the barrel refilled, restoring its functionality. Five spent cartridges were recovered, and State Pathologist Professor Marie Cassidy confirmed five bullets in O'Byrne's body, though they were of the wrong calibre for the revolver. Gary Flynn, 31, pleaded not guilty to the murder. The court also heard CCTV evidence from a local Spar showing a nervous man purchasing items on the day of the shooting, and additional surveillance from petrol stations and a Topaz shop. The trial proceeded before Justice Patrick McCarthy and a jury.