Court archive
2026-03-25 · Galway
PJ Lyons received a global eight-year sentence after pleading guilty to an arson attack on a house in Castlepark, Ballybane, where Mary Sweeney and her four children were asleep. The family escaped through an upstairs window, were treated for smoke inhalation and lost their possessions; Judge Brian O'Callaghan described the risk to their lives as shocking.
2025-12-10 · Galway
A tribunal has ruled that a Portuguese man suffered racial discrimination when polling staff refused to give him a ballot for the local elections in Co Galway. The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) upheld a complaint of discrimination under the Equal Status Act 2000 against the returning officer for Co Galway. The tribunal ordered extra training for polling station staff after both Mr da Silva and his wife were told they did not have the right to vote in the local elections, despite living in Ireland for decades. Mr da Silva, a Portuguese national resident in Ireland for 30 years, was told by a poll official that he was only entitled to vote in the European elections. He was surprised and felt embarrassed, as if he had done something wrong. His wife, Maria de Almeida Silva, was also told she was not entitled to vote in the local elections but was later allowed to vote after challenging the poll clerk.
2025-11-10 · Galway
Ellysom Ojba, 25, of Fana Glas, Ballybane, Galway, was found guilty of possession of drugs for sale or supply and money laundering after a Garda investigation in Eyre Square and his home. He was discovered with two socks hidden in his underwear, each containing sixteen deal bags of suspected cocaine and ketamine, a weighing scale, and €1,030 in cash. A search of his bedroom revealed additional drugs and €525. Ojba, a first‑time offender with no prior convictions, pleaded guilty and expressed remorse. Judge Brian O'Callaghan described his conduct as "blatant greed" and, considering mitigating factors such as his signed plea, positive probation report, and lack of prior criminal history, sentenced him to two years' imprisonment suspended in full for three years. He was ordered to pay €1,500 each to Jigsaw and Cluine Mhuire within a month, with €500 to each within four weeks.
2025-11-06 · Galway
A Galway man has been sentenced to four years in prison, with the final year suspended, following a violent assault at a petrol station in Ballinrobe, Co Mayo in January 2023. Tommy Sweeney, aged 23, of Castlepark, Ballybane, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm and producing a weapon at Corrib Oil service station on Neale Road. At Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Eoin Garavan heard that the victim, who was sitting in his car, suffered serious head injuries including skull fractures and blood loss after being attacked by two men armed with a machete and slash hook. The assailants had waited approximately 45 minutes at the garage before striking. CCTV footage showed Sweeney holding the machete during the coordinated attack. The judge described the incident as part of an ongoing feud involving families from the travelling community across Galway and Mayo. Upon release, Sweeney must complete a year of probation supervision and remain substance-free.
2025-07-21 · Galway
A man with over 70 previous road traffic convictions has been sentenced to five years' imprisonment for dangerous driving causing the death of a pregnant woman at Galway Circuit Criminal Court. Frank Barrett, aged 44, of Ballybane, Galway, was driving a car in which Irene Lynch was a passenger when it crashed into a wall and became submerged in water near Menlo in the early hours of March 2024. Ms Lynch, who was 17 weeks pregnant, died in hospital a week later from a hypoxic brain injury, as did her unborn daughter. Barrett was disqualified from driving at the time of the incident and had consumed significant quantities of alcohol and cocaine. He pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death, drink driving and driving without insurance. Judge Brian O'Callaghan imposed a headline sentence of eight years, reduced to six years with the final 12 months suspended for three years, citing Barrett's early guilty plea and remorse as mitigating factors. Barrett was disqualified from driving for ten years and fined €1,500.
2018-10-08 · Dublin
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court case, Raymond Leonard, 35, was acquitted of assaulting Nicholas Devlin on 30 August 2015 at Anna Villa, Ranelagh. Leonard pleaded not guilty and the jury delivered a unanimous not guilty verdict after just under 90 minutes. Leonard, a former manager at An Bhialann restaurant, claimed he had never been in a fight and could not recall the night. Devlin testified that he was ejected from McSorley's pub, then attacked by Leonard, who punched him twice and knee‑dropped him in the groin, causing Devlin severe pain and a ruptured testicle that required surgery. Devlin identified Leonard on CCTV, though he later said he had been uncertain. The trial concluded with Leonard's acquittal.
2018-10-05 · Dublin
Raymond Leonard, a 35‑year‑old former restaurant manager, was accused of assaulting Nicholas Devlin in Ranelagh on 30 August 2015. Six months after the incident, Leonard voluntarily met with gardaí and said he could not recall the night in question. When asked whether he had engaged in a fight or used the phrase "you guys are fucked," he denied it, stating he had never been in a fight. Leonard also denied punching or pushing a male against a wall and claimed he normally walked straight home after the pub. He identified himself in McSorley's CCTV footage but insisted he was not involved in any assault. The case was brought to the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, where Leonard pleaded not guilty. The trial was in its closing stages before Judge Karen O'Connor and a jury of five women and seven men.
2018-10-04 · Galway
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, 35‑year‑old Raymond Leonard of Sliabh Ban, Ballybane, Galway pleaded not guilty to assaulting Nicholas Devlin at Anna Villa, Ranelagh, on 30 August 2015. Devlin testified that his lasting impression of the attacker was 6ft tall and wearing a dark shirt, but the court noted that CCTV footage showed the accused in a white shirt. Defence counsel Keith Spencer BL highlighted that Leonard is 5ft 8 and slim. Devlin also described being ejected from McSorley's pub by a bouncer, after which he was punched and kicked in the groin by a group that included Leonard. Leonard's alleged assault involved a claim that he had been "shorter" than described, a point he accepted during cross‑examination. The case remains at the trial stage.
2018-10-03 · Dublin
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Raymond Leonard, 35, pleaded not guilty to assaulting Nicholas Devlin on 30 August 2015 at Anna Villa, Ranelagh. Devlin, who had been ejected from McSorley's pub, approached a group outside the pub and was punched twice in the face and kneed in the groin by Leonard. Devlin suffered severe pain, collapsed, and was taken to hospital where doctors found a ruptured testicle, leading to surgery to remove part of it. Devlin testified that he was not overly intoxicated and identified Leonard on CCTV presented in court. Leonard's defence lawyer noted some equivocation in Devlin's language. The prosecution alleged Leonard acted in a vindictive and malicious manner, having removed his shirt before the assault. The case is before Judge Karen O'Connor and a jury of five women and seven men.
2017-11-27 · Galway
Daniel Barrett, 23, pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary at a neighbour's house on 13 August 2015, armed with an imitation shotgun. He was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment by Judge Rory McCabe on 23 November 2016. Barrett had planned to appeal the severity of his sentence. During the Court of Appeal hearing, Judge George Birmingham reminded him that the court could increase sentences. Barrett's counsel, Garnet Orange SC, informed the court that Barrett had decided to withdraw the appeal. The appeal was withdrawn and Barrett was taken to continue serving his sentence.
2015-04-23 · Galway
Ms Nataliya Matviyenko, a 39‑year‑old naturalised Irish citizen, sued the State after a security check at Castlerea Prison on 6 May 2009. She claimed a prison officer told her to remove her jeans because of metal studs, and she believed she had to take off her trousers. She complied, dropped her jeans, and her underwear fell, leaving her briefly exposed. The officer, Ciaran Croghan, said she was never asked to remove her trousers; he had asked her to remove her shoes. The judge accepted Ms Matviyenko's genuine belief that she was told to remove her jeans but found the State had not breached its duty of care, as it was not reasonably foreseeable that she would react as she did. The court dismissed her damages claim and made no order for costs. The case was heard by Mr Justice Paul Gilligan.
2015-04-22 · Roscommon
A woman has brought a damages action against the State following an incident at Castlerea Prison in County Roscommon in May 2009. The applicant claims she was instructed by a prison officer to remove her jeans during a security screening before visiting her husband, and in doing so accidentally exposed herself. She alleges she suffered humiliation and psychological distress as a result and seeks damages for negligence and breach of duty, along with declarations that her constitutional rights were breached. The State denies the claims, contending the woman was never asked to remove her trousers and was treated appropriately by prison staff. In proceedings before the High Court, the prison officer involved gave evidence that he had only requested she remove outer garments as standard procedure and did not instruct her to take off her jeans. The case continues.
2014-12-02 · Galway
The Court of Appeal has reduced the sentences of Michael O'Loughlin and Edward O'Loughlin, the first two men jailed under 2009 anti-gang legislation. The Galway brothers were originally charged with directing a criminal organisation but pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of membership after a decision not to prosecute was entered on the more serious offence. Judge Martin Nolan at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court sentenced them to nine years imprisonment on June 11, 2012, for participating in the activities of a criminal organisation. In this appeal, Mr Justice George Birmingham found an error in principle, noting that Judge Nolan lacked sentencing guidelines as the first to apply the act. The Court of Appeal determined the original sentence was too severe given the organisation operated at mid-level criminality. Consequently, the nine-year terms were substituted with new sentences of six-and-a-half years imprisonment. The case arose from Operation Foolscap, a Garda Síochána investigation targeting a Galway-based gang. Audio surveillance revealed the brothers' involvement in three drug offences and four burglaries, though the latter were pre-empted by police. The court noted the brothers had extensive prior convictions, with most dealt with in the District Court.