Court archive
Court reports mentioning Bearna, Galway
2023-06-15 · Dublin
Gerry Connors, aged 26, had his original four‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence for false imprisonment and robbery reduced by one year on appeal. In April 2020 he and a companion unlawfully entered a home on Ballyogan Road, repeatedly punched the victim, threatened him with scissors, forced him to strip, and robbed him of his car keys. The incident lasted 20‑30 minutes. In November 2018 he also robbed Aaron Campbell on Kilcross Estate, taking headphones, €150 and cigarettes after threatening him. Connors pleaded guilty to both offences and showed remorse. The Court of Appeal, citing his drug‑free status and rehabilitation efforts, quashed the original sentence and re‑sentenced him to six years' imprisonment, with two‑and‑a‑half years suspended, allowing him to continue his rehabilitation work. The appeal focused on balancing punishment with rehabilitation, not on any new facts beyond those presented in the trial.
2022-05-06 · Dublin
In a 2020 home invasion, 25‑year‑old Gerry Connors and his 25‑year‑old brother Myles attacked Edward Babos, punching him, threatening with scissors, cutting his hair, and forcing him to strip. They searched Babos, took his car keys, and drove him in his own car, kicking and damaging it. Connors threatened Babos that police would kill him, yet Babos escaped to his home and called Gardaí. Connors later admitted the crime, travelled to the UK for three days, and returned to give a full confession. He pleaded guilty to a 2018 robbery and was sentenced to two years for robbery and four years for false imprisonment, with 18 months suspended, under probation supervision. Myles Connors received a five‑year sentence for assault, false imprisonment, and robbery. The court highlighted Connors' remorse and efforts at rehabilitation. The case underscores the severity of violent offences and the court's dual aim of punishment and deterrence.
2021-03-15 · Dublin
In a 2021 Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Myles Connors, aged 24, was sentenced for a 2020 false imprisonment and assault of Edward Babos, and a 2018 robbery. Connors and another man entered Babos's friend's home, partially stripped him, and used scissors to cut his hair while threatening him. They forced Babos into a car, drove at dangerous speeds, and attempted to extract money from an ATM. The assault lasted about an hour and involved threats to jam scissors in Babos's eyes. Connors also pleaded guilty to robbing a phone and €150 cash from a victim in 2018, where he pointed a knife at the victim's stomach. Judge Pauline Codd imposed a four‑year sentence for the false imprisonment and assault, a three‑year sentence for the robbery, to run consecutively, with the final two years suspended on conditions. The sentence was back‑dated to May 2020 when Connors first entered custody.
2015-02-23 · Dublin
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.
2014-12-09 · Dublin
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.