Court archive
Court reports mentioning Rivermeade, Dublin
2025-11-04 · Dublin
A man has been sentenced to fifteen months in prison at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for two counts of animal cruelty connected to protests against asylum seeker accommodation at Thornton Hall in north Dublin. In June 2024, security personnel discovered two pigs with severe stab and slash wounds on the site, one of which was also missing a limb. Both animals were subsequently euthanised, while two others brought to the location were rehomed. Darren Jackson, aged forty and from Rivermeade in County Dublin, admitted to transporting four pigs from a County Cavan farm to the facility but maintained that an associate inflicted the injuries using a scalpel. The court heard evidence that Jackson recorded video footage while driving the animals and that some individuals involved believed introducing pigs would deter Muslim people from the site due to religious observance. Following his arrest, Jackson engaged with local community representatives and attended a mosque for discussions regarding radicalisation. Judge Martin Nolan accepted Jackson was not the primary architect of the scheme but had participated substantially. Darren Jackson pleaded guilty.
2023-05-25 · Dublin
Letitia Barry, 23, pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention, causing the death of John Byrne, 39, at a pedestrian crossing in Rush on 7 June 2019. Barry was sentenced to eight months' imprisonment, fully suspended, and received a six‑year driving ban at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The Court of Appeal found that the interpretation of the law for first‑time careless driving offenders had not been properly applied, and that a mandatory four‑year ban should not automatically apply when the offender has no prior convictions. The appeal argued that the judge had not explained the basis for the six‑year ban and that the statutory ban should have been four years. The Court of Appeal therefore quashed the six‑year ban and substituted a four‑year driving ban, citing the tragic circumstances of the case.
2022-02-23 · Dublin
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, 22‑year‑old Letitia Barry was sentenced to eight months' imprisonment, fully suspended, for driving through a red light and fatally striking pedestrian John Byrne on Whitestown Road, Rush. Barry admitted driving without due care and attention, causing Byrne's death. The court noted Byrne had waited for the pedestrian green light and that a six‑second gap existed between the vehicular red light and the pedestrian green light. Witnesses said the traffic lights were red for drivers when Byrne was struck. Barry's defence argued she was inexperienced, having held her licence for only three months, and that she had not seen the red light. The judge cited Barry's guilty plea, cooperation, lack of prior convictions, and youth as mitigating factors, and imposed a six‑year driving disqualification. The sentence was suspended on strict conditions.
2016-11-10 · Dublin
Michael Cawley, 44, of Swords, was sentenced to four years' imprisonment with two years suspended, meaning a two‑year custodial term, for attempted theft and criminal damage. The offence occurred on 26 March 2015 when he followed a man, Alan O'Neill, who had just cashed a €2,100 cheque at Bank of Ireland. Cawley entered the bank, joined the queue behind O'Neill, and after the cheque was cashed he followed O'Neill to his car. CCTV and a witness photo showed Cawley smashing the front passenger window and reaching into the vehicle, though he took no money. He pleaded guilty; the judge noted his 153 prior convictions, 120 of which were thefts linked to social welfare fraud, and his serious alcohol problem. He was also the sole provider for his wife, who receives a disability allowance. The court accepted a €100 payment as an expression of remorse for the damage.
2015-02-09 · Dublin
Swords District Court heard four matters. Gary Daly, 25, pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of PVP. He was deemed suitable for 240 hours of community service in lieu of a prison sentence and is currently engaging with the Probation Service. Ann Gavin, 45, pleaded guilty to theft of clothes and theft of perfume and hair dye. Judge Dermot Dempsey convicted her and sentenced her to four months in prison. Babatunde Eyinola, 41, pleaded guilty to driving without insurance and driving without a driving licence. Judge Dempsey convicted him, fined him €400, and disqualified him from driving for one year for the insurance offence, taking the licence charge into consideration. Ailish Hammond, 38, pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis herb. Judge Dempsey ordered a probation report to assess her suitability for 240 hours of community service in lieu of a three-month prison sentence. The matter was adjourned until April 20th.
2014-12-15 · Dublin
Swords District Court sentenced five defendants in separate matters. Mark Delaney, 24, pleaded guilty to possessing €300 worth of cannabis for sale or supply and unlawful possession. Judge Dermot Dempsey sentenced him to nine months in prison for sale and supply, with a concurrent three-month term for possession, noting he had exhausted all avenues. Gary Daly, 25, pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of PVP. He was ordered to complete 240 hours of community service in lieu of a four-month prison sentence; the case was remanded until February for a review and updated Probation Report. William O'Brien, 58, pleaded guilty to being intoxicated. He received a six-month suspended sentence and a two-year Peace Bond with a condition of sober habits. Caroline Collins, 32, pleaded guilty to stealing €256.81 worth of children's clothes. She received a six-month suspended sentence and a two-year Peace Bond. Dean Whelan, 27, pleaded guilty to stealing €85 in cash. The matter was adjourned until March for an updated Probation Report to assess suitability for community service.
2014-10-28 · Dublin
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.
2014-10-14 · Dublin
Swords District Court heard several matters presided over by Judge Dermot Dempsey. Sean Brennan, 32, pleaded guilty to being intoxicated and using threatening and abusive behaviour outside Wright's Cafe Bar on June 7th. He was ordered to complete 240 hours of community service work in lieu of a two-month prison sentence. Thomas Nicholson, 23, was charged with the theft of an €18,000 mini digger from Balbriggan on March 6th. The matter was sent forward for trial at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, and Nicholson was remanded on continuing bail. Gary Daly, 25, pleaded guilty to the unlawful possession of PVP, valued at €1,300, found at his home on November 16th last year. The court adjourned the case until December 15th to allow for a Probation and Welfare report to assess his suitability for a 240-hour community service order in lieu of a four-month prison sentence. James Egan, 29, pleaded guilty to failing to provide a blood, urine, or breath sample at Ballymun Garda Station on December 12th last year. He was convicted, fined €600, and disqualified from driving for four years, with the disqualification postponed for five months until March 30th. Aldona Pastuhova, 42, was charged with having a dog off its lead in a public place. The case was adjourned until November 17th due to the unavailability of the prosecuting garda.