Court archive
2026-02-26 · Galway
Adrian Behan was found not guilty by reason of insanity of 23 criminal damage charges and 10 theft counts involving telecommunications sites in Mayo and Galway. A jury at Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court returned the unanimous special verdict after hearing that he had been experiencing an acute psychotic episode caused by schizophrenia.
2026-02-25 · Mayo
Adrian Behan pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to 23 criminal damage charges and 10 theft counts concerning alleged incidents at telecommunications sites in Mayo and Galway. The trial heard that cables, wiring, antennae and electrical equipment were damaged or stolen. The case continued before Judge Eoin Garavan.
2025-11-07 · Galway
The Workplace Relations Commission upheld the dismissal of Michael Walsh, a Galway County Council employee, after an internal inquiry found he had made unauthorised diesel purchases using council funds. Walsh, employed since 2013, was accused of theft, fraud and falsification of records. He had used a council‑supplied low‑value payment card to buy fuel on three occasions in December 2022, claiming the purchases were for a Transit van hired for his work. The inquiry determined he had made over 12 unauthorised fuel purchases totalling €1,217, with additional inappropriate purchases amounting to €652.25, later reduced to €395.25 after further findings. Walsh admitted the use of council cards for personal use but denied any wrongdoing. The WRC found no unfair dismissal and rejected his claim for statutory notice pay, confirming the council's decision to terminate his employment in February 2024.
2025-07-23 · Galway
A Galway farmer, Paul Neilan, has been granted permission to challenge a compulsory purchase order (CPO) issued by An Coimisiún Pleanála (ACP) for the Connemara Greenway Project, which he claims would run across his land and 'split' his farm, making it 'unmanageable and landlocked'. At the High Court, lawyers for Oliver Joyce, from Clifden, Co Galway, successfully applied to Ms Justice Emily Farrell to challenge the decision of ACP to grant the CPO to Galway County Council relating to lands he owns in Doireliagh and Doireclunlaigh. The project aims to install a cycle and walkway from Galway city to Clifden over 76 kilometres, which would pass through 'the backbone' of Mr Joyce's property along the old Galway-to-Clifden railway line. Mr Oliver claims the project, as approved, differs from the original proposal, which was to be carried out on a permissive basis. He argues that the CPO decision was 'taken without cause or justification' and that environmental assessments related to the original scheme were not considered for the new elements in the CPO. Ms Justice Farrell granted leave for the judicial review to Michael O'Donnell BL, instructed by Harrington & Co solicitors – for Mr Oliver – and adjourned the matter to September.
2025-06-25 · Galway
A 21‑year‑old driver, Richard McSweeney, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm after a car he was driving on the R341 became airborne and crashed into a field, striking an ESB pole. The crash left the vehicle "barely recognisable" and caused severe injuries to the driver and two passengers, including an open fracture to the ulna and radius of Harry Toomey, who required multiple surgeries and long‑term rehabilitation. McSweeney's blood alcohol level was above the legal limit. He had no prior convictions and was a novice driver. The court imposed a headline sentence of five years, reduced to two and a half years, with the final 18 months suspended. A one‑year custodial sentence was deferred pending a suitability assessment for a 240‑hour community service order and a detailed injury report. The sentence will be finalised on 25 July.
2024-12-20 · Dublin
Cailean Crawford, 28, was convicted by a Central Criminal Court jury of murdering Thomas McCarthy, 55, at his mother's home in Ballyfermot on 27 July 2020. Crawford pleaded not guilty but was found guilty of the murder and of perjury during the trial. He had a prior conviction for conspiring to murder gangland figure Wayne Whelan, for which he served five years. The jury deliberated eight hours and twenty minutes before returning a unanimous verdict that Crawford fired several shots from a blue Ford Fiesta, killing McCarthy. Judge Tony Hunt sentenced Crawford to mandatory life imprisonment, backdating the sentence to 1 June after his previous term ended. The sentencing followed the prosecution's case that Crawford was the assassin who carried out the execution and that he had lied in court to avoid responsibility. The judge noted Crawford's prior criminal history and the seriousness of the murder.
2024-12-03 · Dublin
Cailean Crawford, 28, was convicted of the murder of Thomas McCarthy, 55, at Croftwood Park, Ballyfermot, on July 27, 2020. The jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict after deliberating for eight hours and 20 minutes, rejecting Crawford's not guilty plea and his defense that he merely loaned a van to associate Charles McClean. Prosecutors alleged Crawford was the gunman who fatally shot McCarthy, who had returned from the UK to visit his mother. Mr Justice Tony Hunt described Crawford as a "cold-blooded" and "dangerous individual," noting the crime was not a victim of circumstance. The judge highlighted Crawford's prior conviction for conspiracy to murder Wayne Whelan in 2019, for which he was sentenced to seven years with two suspended. McClean, who pleaded guilty to lesser offences in that case, was sentenced to eight years. Following the verdict, Crawford shouted at the court and stormed out. Mr Justice Hunt remanded Crawford in custody until December 20, when he will be handed the mandatory sentence of life imprisonment for murder. The matter was adjourned for sentencing.
2024-03-01 · Galway
Three sisters from Galway accused their older brother, Martin Davis, of repeated sexual abuse during the 1970s. Carmel Connelly, aged 10 at the time, was raped by Davis, who was then 15‑16, and later subjected her to digital penetration while masturbating. Michelle Davis, aged seven when first abused, was forced into anal penetration and later had her underwear removed and her anus penetrated by Davis, who was 23. Audrey Stanley, nine at the time, was abused with tickling games that escalated to genital touching. Davis denied all charges during a 2018 interview. A Central Criminal Court jury found him guilty of one count of rape and eight counts of indecent assault. Judge Melanie Greally sentenced him to eight years' imprisonment, back‑dated to his custody, and placed him on the sex offender register. The sisters read victim impact statements, urging others to come forward for support.
2022-06-22 · Dublin
In June 2022, Shane Westwood, aged 26, was sentenced to two years in prison for assaulting his former partner. The victim was punched repeatedly, bitten, threatened with a knife, and an attempt was made to smother her. Westwood had previously pleaded guilty to assault causing harm in March 2018. Gardaí found him hiding under his mother's bed after the incident. He denied the assault, claiming it was only shouting, while his defence lawyer cited drug addiction and jealousy. The court noted his 19 prior convictions, including drug dealing and burglary. Judge Elma Sheahan imposed a three‑year sentence with the final 12 months suspended on the condition of keeping the peace for three years, and ordered him to attend probation, anger‑management, and drug‑treatment programmes.
2021-11-03 · Dublin
In a Dublin case, Derek Malone, aged 59, pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography images and videos at his Ballyfermot home on 27 January 2016. Garda Martin O'Gara reported that authorities discovered the activity on a Twitter account in September 2015, identifying 19 images that could be child pornography. A search warrant led to the seizure of a black mobile phone, from which eight images and three videos of naked prepubescent girls engaging in sexual acts with other children were found. Malone admitted to viewing pornography for some time and acknowledged that some material was illegal, expressing regret. The prosecution noted his alcohol use and his wife's health issues as contextual factors. Judge Melanie Greally, considering his remorse and the offence's timing, imposed a nine‑month prison sentence suspended in full, conditional on Malone's participation in the Probation Service to address his alcohol abuse. The sentence reflects the seriousness of the offence while allowing for rehabilitation.
2021-09-02 · Dublin
Four men have been sentenced to a combined 33 years imprisonment at the Central Criminal Court following their convictions in connection with a gangland murder conspiracy. Wayne Ryan, aged 41 and with an address in Longford, pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of Wayne Whelan at Griffeen Glen Park, Lucan, on September 4th, 2019, and received 15 years. Three others—Cailean Crawford, Darren Henderson, and Charles McClean—pleaded guilty to conspiracy to murder Whelan between May and November 2019. McClean received eight years, whilst Henderson and Crawford each received seven years with the final two years suspended. Mr Justice Michael White noted the "callous indifference" demonstrated in the broad daylight attack outside the victim's home. Whelan survived the initial shooting but was killed in a second attack in November 2019. The judge backdated sentences according to custody commencement dates and imposed good behaviour bonds on Henderson and Crawford regarding their suspended portions.
2021-07-26 · Dublin
Wayne Ryan, aged 41, with an address in Longford but originally from Limerick, has pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of Wayne Whelan at Griffeen Glen Park, Lucan on 4 September 2019. Three Dublin men—Cailean Crawford, Darren Henderson and Charles McClean—pleaded guilty to conspiracy to murder Whelan at that location between May and November 2019. McClean and Whelan had previously been business partners in a car sales enterprise that ceased trading in 2016. Evidence presented to the Central Criminal Court detailed how Whelan was shot eleven times as he sat in his vehicle, struck by four bullets. A badly damaged handgun was recovered from a burnt-out van minutes after the attack. Firearms residue found on Ryan's clothing offered extremely strong support that he had discharged the shots. The four men were remanded in custody pending sentencing on 2 September 2021.
2021-05-27 · Dublin
At the Central Criminal Court, four men admitted to offences related to the attempted murder of gangland figure Wayne Whelan at Griffeen Glen Park, Lucan, on September 4, 2019. Cailean Crawford (25), of Ballyfermot, pleaded guilty to conspiring to murder Whelan. His barrister, John Fitzgerald SC, applied for reporting restrictions citing a separate trial scheduled for June 2022. However, Mr Justice White rejected the application, ruling that Crawford could be named, stating he had great faith in the jury system. Wayne Ryan, of Longford, also pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of Whelan. Darren Henderson (30), of Ballyfermot, and a fourth man, who remains unnamed, pleaded guilty to conspiring with Crawford to murder Whelan. All four defendants were originally charged with attempted murder and were due to stand trial together on June 21, a date vacated following their guilty pleas. Whelan, who survived the initial shooting, was later killed in a separate incident in November 2019. Mr Justice White remanded the four men in custody until July 12 for a sentence hearing.
2021-02-15 · Galway
Mr Justice Seamus Woulfe sat on a Court of Appeal panel with Mr Justice George Birmingham and Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy on 15 February 2021, the first time he had appeared as a judge since a November 2020 letter from Chief Justice Frank Clarke barred him from sitting until February 2021 due to his attendance at a golf event that breached Covid‑19 guidelines. The panel heard no cases that day; the judges were present via remote video links. Woulfe had previously complained that a meeting on 2 October 2020 with Birmingham and two other senior judges had been "upsetting and traumatic," claiming they had pre‑judged him before he could explain himself. He said the stress from that meeting caused a serious medical condition, preventing him from attending a subsequent meeting with Clarke.
2021-01-25 · Dublin
Four men are to stand trial at the Central Criminal Court in June 2021 on charges of attempting to murder Wayne Whelan in a shooting at Griffeen Glen Park, Lucan, Co Dublin on September 4, 2019. Darren Henderson, Cailean Crawford, and Charles McClean, all with Dublin addresses, face the charge alongside Wayne Ryan of Longford. The four are also accused of arson relating to a Ford Focus set alight at the Old Bog Road in Kilcock, Co Kildare on the same date. At a hearing before Mr Justice Michael White, the Director of Public Prosecutions applied to consolidate the trials, which was granted. The trial, expected to last six weeks, is scheduled to commence on June 21, 2021. Whelan survived the initial shooting but was killed in a separate incident two months later.
2021-01-19 · Dublin
Noel Purcell, a 45‑year‑old truck driver from Tullyvoheen, Clifden, was sentenced to two years in prison after transporting €1.287 million in criminal cash. He admitted to gardaí that he had agreed to move the money to Holland after meeting a man on a boat, who offered him €4 000 to do so. Purcell, who was struggling with mortgage and credit‑card debt, claimed he was vulnerable and easily led. Gardaí had pulled him over on Naas Road, where they found two large bags of cash wrapped in duct tape. He pleaded guilty to possessing proceeds of crime. Judge Melanie Greally imposed a seven‑year term, suspending five years on the condition of good behaviour, and noted the need for general deterrence. Purcell had no prior convictions and was described as extremely remorseful.
2020-11-03 · Dublin
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, 44‑year‑old truck driver Noel Purcell was remanded in custody pending sentencing after being found with €1,287,700 in cash in his cab. Purcell admitted he had agreed to transport the money to Holland after meeting a man on a boat, who offered him €4,000 to do so. He claimed he was struggling with mortgage and credit card debt and was "vulnerable" and "easily‑led". Gardaí had pulled him over on Naas Road following a surveillance operation and discovered two large bags of cash wrapped in duct tape. Purcell pleaded guilty to one count of possessing cash that was the proceeds of a crime. He has no prior convictions and was described by his defence as anxious and financially stressed. Judge Melanie Greally noted the high amount and the need for a custodial sentence, remanding him to await a Probation Services report before sentencing on 19 January 2025.
2018-02-23 · Galway
The Court of Appeal has dismissed the appeal by Ciaran Folan, a garda, against his conviction for using a false driving licence. Folan, of Fethard-on-Sea, had pleaded not guilty to four counts alleging he knowingly used a false instrument and a document containing a false statement on February 13, 2009. He was found guilty by a jury at Wexford Circuit Criminal Court and fined €3,000 by Judge Barry Hickson on December 13, 2013. The appeal court, led by Mr Justice George Birmingham, stated it was not persuaded that the trial was unsatisfactory or the verdict unsafe. The conviction stemmed from an investigation into Folan's driving skills, which revealed he had never sat a driving test despite claiming to hold a valid licence. His brother, Brendan Folan, a Galway County Council employee, was charged with forging the licence and corruption offences. Although Brendan Folan was acquitted of these charges in Galway, the Court of Appeal ruled this did not prevent Ciaran Folan's trial in Wexford. The court rejected arguments that the trial judge erred in permitting the prosecution to proceed or in adding counts 3 and 4 to the indictment. The appeal was dismissed, leaving the original conviction and fine intact.
2016-07-15 · Dublin
Joseph O'Neill, 41, of Ballyfermot, was sentenced to seven years in prison for possessing €1.4 million worth of heroin concealed in two fire extinguishers. He pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply on 19 August last year. O'Neill had been in Cloverhill Prison for nine months when he became chairman of the jail's Red Cross organisation and worked on a programme to reduce prison violence. He had given media interviews and spoke at an international conference in Dublin Castle, where he was one of four Irish prisoners invited and was not restrained. The judge noted his transformation and imposed a seven‑year sentence, suspending the final three years on strict conditions, backdating it to the date he entered custody. O'Neill apologized, said he was a chronic cocaine addict, and expressed remorse for the potential harm caused by the drugs. The operation was described as sophisticated, with the heroin hidden in hollowed fire extinguishers.
2016-07-05 · Dublin
Joseph O'Neill, 41, pleaded guilty to possessing €1.4 million worth of heroin with intent to supply. He was caught with 10 kg of heroin concealed in two fire extinguishers. While in Cloverhill Prison, O'Neill became chairman of the jail's Red Cross organisation and worked on a programme to reduce prison violence. He gave a speech at an international conference in Dublin Castle and was left standing on Dame Street for an hour before guards escorted him back to prison. O'Neill apologised to gardaí, admitted he was a chronic cocaine addict and had been motivated by debt after losing his truck‑driver job. He asked the court to consider suspending part of any sentence imposed. He will be sentenced on 15 July.
2016-03-02 · Dublin
James O'Connell, 23, of Clifden Drive, Ballyfermot, Dublin, pleaded guilty at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to unlawful carriage in a stolen car, damaging a second car and causing about €21,553 of damage to gates at Rosebank Apartments, Nangor Road, Clondalkin, on 14 December 2013. The incident was captured on CCTV, showing the stolen car, hot‑wired and driven by co‑accused James Dunphy, with O'Connell as a passenger, ramming through two sets of gates onto the main road. O'Connell had no prior convictions at the time of the offence but had since accrued 13 convictions related to that incident, including dangerous driving and driving without a licence or insurance. Judge Melanie Greally imposed a two‑year sentence, suspended for three years, and ordered 12 months of probation supervision. The court noted O'Connell's personal difficulties and his willingness to change, as highlighted in a positive probation report submitted by his defence lawyer.