Two Romanian men, Vasile Bizau (24) and Ioan Bizau (31), were convicted in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for a scheme that involved attaching a card‑trapping device to ATMs and using an iPod Nano to record customers' PINs. The trial, which lasted four weeks and heard 80 witnesses, resulted in seven counts of possession of stolen ATM cards for each defendant and additional counts of theft and possession of a card‑trapping device. Judge Melanie Greally sentenced Ioan to four and a half years and Vasile to three and a half years, suspending the final year of each term on the condition that they leave Ireland and do not return for ten years. The case was built on extensive CCTV footage, recovered devices, and forensic evidence collected by Gardaí, who praised the police work in the investigation. Ioan Bizau pleaded guilty.
Joseph Bates, aged 36, appeared at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court following a guilty plea to burglary at Milltown Institute on Sandyford Road, Dublin on 21 July 2013. The charges allege that while trespassing in the building, he committed theft and criminal damage. Bates had previously received a three-year suspended sentence from Longford Circuit Court for burglary in County Longford, imposed on condition he keep the peace for five years. The prosecution indicated the matter requires return to the Midlands Circuit, with Judge Desmond Hogan adjourning the case for mention at Tullamore on the following day. The breach of the suspended sentence condition raises the prospect of activation of the earlier custodial term.
Titilayo Kilanko, a 38‑year‑old care worker from Carrigmore Lawn, Citywest, Dublin, pleaded guilty to ten counts of theft from Ulster Bank on 22 June 2012. She admitted making 115 fraudulent withdrawals totalling €57,708 from ATMs in Dun Laoghaire, Lower Kilmacud Road, Stillorgan, Main Street, Blackrock and the Beacon Centre in Sandyford. Kilanko claimed the money was used to pay a man to donate a kidney to her father in Nigeria, where he was being treated at University College Hospital in Ibadan and owed €80,000 for treatment and dialysis. She flew to Nigeria with the cash, converted it to naira, and paid a donor €25,000. The court sentenced her to three years' imprisonment with 15 months suspended, noting she had no prior convictions and had cooperated with authorities. The judge expressed regret at sentencing her but stated the repeated theft could not be condoned.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 21 April 2015, Ulster Bank presented evidence that several individuals had withdrawn money fraudulently during a software failure that allowed ATM withdrawals even when accounts were empty. The court heard that Titilayo Kilanko, aged 38, had pleaded guilty to ten counts of theft for making 115 fraudulent withdrawals totalling €57,708 from Ulster Bank ATMs in Dublin between June 2012 and the time of her arrest. Kilanko claimed the money was used to pay for her father's kidney transplant in Nigeria, where she had flown with the cash and converted it to naira. She had repaid €4,600 and was continuing to pay €100 a week, with a plan to increase to €200. The judge adjourned sentencing to allow the defence to obtain medical records from Nigeria. The case highlighted the bank's decision to prosecute other offenders who failed to repay the withdrawn sums.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court case, Edward Connors, a 30‑year‑old deaf mute with no fixed abode, was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment for the unlawful killing of Eoghan Dudley, 28, who died after being knocked under a bus on Dawson Street on 6 December 2012. Connors had pleaded not guilty to the murder charge, but a jury found him guilty of manslaughter after an eight‑day trial. Judge Patrick McCartan described Connors as a serious danger to society, citing his history of aggression and violence, and noted his severe communication difficulties stemming from lifelong deafness. The judge also ordered Connors to be assessed for rehabilitation services in the UK, as no suitable services exist in Ireland for deaf offenders. Connors had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of threatening injury with a syringe, for which he received two concurrent two‑year sentences.
Mihalache Marian, 53, was convicted of murdering his ex‑girlfriend Loradena Pricajan in a Sandyford hotel room on 27 January 2010. He pleaded not guilty, claiming Pricajan had committed suicide after an alleged injury that left him unconscious. The court found the suicide claim "infinitely unlikely" and cited circumstantial evidence, including a timeline of their relationship and recorded phone conversations, to support the jury's guilty verdict. Marian received a mandatory life sentence on 28 January 2010. On 12 February 2015 he appealed to the Court of Appeal on the ground that the jury's verdict was perverse and not supported by the evidence. The Court of Appeal, presided over by Justice Seán Ryan, dismissed the appeal, upholding the conviction and sentence. The appeal was based solely on the jury's verdict and the weight of evidence presented. The case remains at the appellate level with no further changes to the conviction or sentence.
Dr David Vickery, a consultant in emergency medicine based in Clonskeagh Dublin 14, has resolved his High Court action against Beacon Hospital Sandyford Limited, which he alleged had unlawfully terminated his contract of employment. The matter was heard before Mr Justice Paul Gilligan at the High Court on Thursday. Counsel for Dr Vickery, Ercus Stewart SC, stated that the matter had been resolved between the parties and the proceedings could be struck out. Marguerite Bolger SC, representing the hospital, read a statement acknowledging Dr Vickery's reputation and stating that the contractual matter had been satisfactorily resolved. Dr Vickery had previously secured temporary injunctions preventing the hospital from terminating his contract or making any announcements regarding his employment. The hospital denied the termination was unlawful. The settlement follows a similar agreement involving Dr Oisin Powell, another emergency consultant, who also secured temporary injunctions against the hospital last week. Both doctors had their hours reduced from 35 to 20 hours per week and claimed the reduction breached their contracts. The hospital had denied any wrongdoing in both cases.
In a High Court case, Dr Oisin Powell, an emergency medicine consultant who had worked at Beacon Hospital since 2010, secured temporary injunctions preventing the appointment of a replacement and restraining the hospital from announcing his termination or questioning his fitness. He alleged the contract was unlawfully terminated after a dispute over reduced hours. The hospital denied wrongdoing. On Wednesday, Mr Justice David Keane heard that the parties had reached a settlement and the case could be struck out. Marguerite Bolger SC, representing Beacon Hospital, read a statement affirming full confidence in Dr Powell's professional abilities and that the matter was purely contractual, with no question of his clinical competence. No further settlement details were disclosed. The case had previously concerned the impact of the alleged termination on Dr Powell's reputation. The injunctions were obtained after the hospital reduced his hours from 35 to 20 per week, which he contested as a breach of contract.
A consultant doctor, Dr Oisin Powell, has filed a High Court challenge against Beacon Hospital, alleging unlawful termination of his employment. On 13 December 2014, Mr Justice Paul Gilligan granted temporary injunctions preventing the hospital from appointing anyone to Powell's position, from announcing his termination, or stating he is unfit to perform duties. The injunctions were issued ex‑parte and are returnable next week. Powell, who has worked at Beacon since 2010 under fixed‑term contracts, claims his hours were reduced from 35 to 20 per week in November 2014, a change he rejected as a breach of contract. He was informed of termination earlier that week, which he contends was unjustified and linked to his intention to pursue legal action over the hour reduction. The court's orders aim to protect his reputation and employment status pending further proceedings.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, the court considered the case of Edward Connors, a 30‑year‑old homeless deaf mute who was found guilty of manslaughter after an eight‑day trial. Connors had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of threatening people with a syringe. He claimed that the CCTV footage showing a punch was actually an attempt to stop the victim, Eoghan Dudley, from falling under a bus, which resulted in Dudley's death. The judge, Patrick McCartan, adjourned the case to allow Connors to be assessed for rehabilitation services in the UK, where facilities for deaf offenders exist. Dr Brendan Thomas Monteiro, a consultant psychiatrist, diagnosed Connors with a "primitive personality" stemming from lifelong hearing loss and lack of language, and warned that without treatment he would revert to his old ways. The judge ordered further assessment and inquiries into funding and legal issues for Connors' treatment abroad. Edward Connors pleaded not guilty.
The High Court confirmed that Mr. Joseph Walsh of Chartered Accountants Hughes Blake has been appointed as examiner for Copper Bar & Grill Ltd., a South Dublin bar and restaurant employing 29 people. The 10,000‑sq‑ft premises, located on Blackthorn Road Beacon South Quarter in Sandyford, began trading last year and has been declared insolvent. An independent accountant's report indicates the company could survive if it secures fresh investment and obtains court approval for a scheme of arrangement devised by the examiner with creditors. TV chef Lee Bradshaw objected to the appointment, alleging the process aims to avoid legal fees awarded to him in a High Court bid for injunctions against the termination of his employment or an alleged partnership agreement. Bradshaw's lawyers sought €126,000 in costs, but the company's counsel argued there was no evidence that the examinership was intended to frustrate the costs order. Mr.