Court archive
2026-03-26 · Galway
Michael O'Reilly admitted setting fire to a van outside VP Motors after a dispute with the business owner, in an attack the sentencing judge described as premeditated spite. He received six years with the final three suspended, plus probation supervision and extensive no-contact and exclusion conditions. Michael O'Reilly pleaded guilty.
2025-10-17 · Galway
A graphic designer, Austin Lambe, who worked for 12‑and‑a‑half years at Irish Vintage Scene Ltd (Print More) in Oranmore, Co. Galway, claimed constructive dismissal after a toxic workplace under owner Tom Heavey. Lambe said Heavey's behaviour was hostile, micromanaging, and he was often denied basic courtesy. After an argument over a broken printing machine on 12 September 2024, Lambe announced he was leaving and sent a notice. He received a text from Heavey confirming his resignation. Lambe's doctor advised a break, and he did not submit a formal notice. The Workplace Relations Commission upheld his complaint under the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977, awarding €19,055.40 in compensation, citing prolonged oppressive conduct that directly affected his health. The company did not attend the hearing. The decision was made by adjudicator Úna Glazier‑Farmer.
2024-09-27 · Galway
Poliane Fernandes Lima, a fashion buyer, was dismissed by Elland Distributors Ltd (trading as Born Clothing) on 25 January 2024 after her work visa had expired two days earlier. She had a renewal appointment scheduled for 28 January and had informed the payroll administrator a month earlier that her visa renewal would be delayed. The company's manager, Marty Murphy, issued a termination letter without any investigation or discussion about her visa status. The Workplace Relations Commission found that the dismissal was unfair, citing the absence of any procedural safeguards and reliance on incorrect information. The adjudicator noted that Lima had applied for a visa renewal well before it expired, meeting the Department of Justice's grace period criteria. Consequently, the tribunal ordered Elland Distributors Ltd to pay Lima €25,000 in compensation for the unfair dismissal.
2024-02-08 · Dublin
In a February 2024 court hearing, Andrew Smith, 38, was sentenced to four years in prison for possession of an improvised firearm, to run consecutively with a two‑year sentence for assault causing harm. Smith, who has 94 prior convictions, was found guilty of using a sweeping brush to attack a shop worker who had tried to stop him from shoplifting. The victim, a Chinese man who had worked in the shop for eight or nine years, suffered two broken fingers and could not resume work, eventually returning to China. Smith's defence argued for a suspended portion of the sentence, but Judge Pauline Codd refused. The court noted Smith's racist language, the use of the brush, and his history of violent offences as aggravating factors, while his acceptance of responsibility and prior bail status were considered mitigating. The improvised firearm was seized during a search of Smith's home, where a shotgun and live cartridges were found.
2023-03-27 · Galway
Michael Small, a 56‑year‑old former solicitor from Galway, was sentenced to two years' imprisonment for deception and false accounting offences that occurred between 2008 and 2009. While practising in Limerick, Small gave undertakings to a mortgage lender that the loan proceeds would be used to purchase specific properties. The money was drawn into an account, but the properties were never bought. Small admitted the money was dispersed to clients, mortgage brokers and other parties, and that he had misled his accountant. He pleaded guilty and cooperated with investigators. The court noted that although Small did not receive a large personal benefit – €88,000 was attributed to him – he was the principal cause of the offences. The judge accepted his guilty pleas and cooperation, and ordered the sentence to be adjourned for custody. The case was investigated by the Law Society and Gardaí after Small self‑reported a "secret client account.".
2022-12-21 · Galway
Michael Small, 55, of Renville, Oranmore, Co Galway, admitted to deception at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. He pleaded guilty to dishonestly inducing a woman to issue loan funds at Permanent TSB on 2 September 2008, with the intention of making a gain for himself or another. The plea was entered on a non‑prejudice basis. Judge Martina Baxter set a sentence date for 27 March 2023, when all evidence will be heard, and remanded Small on continuing bail until that date.
2022-05-05 · Galway
James Sammon, former general manager of Galway Multiplex Ltd, was dismissed in July 2020 after an investigation found him asleep at his desk and smelling of alcohol on 18 November 2019. The cinema's HR manager reported that a customer and two supervisors alleged Sammon had fallen asleep, sent a junior colleague to buy alcohol and cigarettes, and had a strong alcohol odor. CCTV footage was cited as evidence of his intoxication. Sammon was suspended with pay on 19 November and did not attend the disciplinary hearing, citing a nervous breakdown. He later claimed excessive working hours (56–60 per week) and lack of statutory breaks. The Workplace Relations Commission ruled Sammon was 60 % responsible for his dismissal, awarding him €1,600 in unfair dismissal compensation and an additional €1,018 for breaches of the Organisation of Working Time Act, while rejecting other working‑time claims.
2022-01-24 · Galway
In a High Court hearing on 24 January 2022, Galway Sightseeing Tour Company Ltd, trading as Galway Tour Company, argued that Galway City Council had effectively created a monopoly by refusing to allow the company to operate a roadside bus stop outside the city's coach station. The company, which has run sightseeing and private hire buses for years, claims it was forced in 2009 to relocate its collection and drop‑off points to the newly built Galway Coach Station, a facility on public land but operated by private entities. After leaving the station in 2020 over alleged unfair and astronomical licence fees, the company sought a licence from the National Transport Authority (NTA) to operate a stop on Merchants Road. The NTA said council approval was required, and the council objected on traffic congestion grounds, ultimately refusing the licence. The company contends the council's refusal and the NTA's acceptance of that refusal amount to unlawful, arbitrary, and unconstitutional actions.
2021-02-10 · Galway
Michael Small, a 54‑year‑old former solicitor from Renville, Oranmore, Co. Galway, faces a trial set for 9 January 2023 in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. He is charged with multiple counts of theft, deception, failure to keep accounting records and the use of false accounting documents, alleged to have occurred over a two‑year period while he was practising in Limerick. Earlier, in 2008 and 2009, he appeared before the Dublin District Court on similar charges. The case involves allegations of €1.2 million in fraud, and free legal aid was granted for the circuit court proceedings.
2020-02-10 · Dublin
In 2014, Garda Nicholas Keogh made a protected disclosure alleging that a senior member of the Athlone drugs unit, Garda A, had an improper relationship with a heroin dealer, Ms B, and that Garda A had tipped her off on drug searches. Keogh also claimed that in 2009 Gardaí had planted half a kilo of heroin worth €75,000 on two suspects and that a file had been prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). He further alleged evidence destruction, theft of an investigation file, non‑compliance with a court order, exclusion of a known heroin dealer from an investigation, incorrect evidence storage and improper motives for a drug operation. The DPP, after reviewing the investigation, concluded that the evidence against Garda A was circumstantial and did not reach the threshold for criminal prosecution. The Disclosures Tribunal is hearing evidence on whether Keogh was targeted or harassed after his disclosure. The tribunal is chaired by Judge Sean Ryan.
2019-11-12 · Dublin
Seven men were sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for violent disorder on a LUAS tram at Chancery Street, Dublin 7, on February 6, 2016. Sean Kindillon, Jamal Garamanli, Ian Baker, Patrick Dunne, Michael Farrell, Jamie Whelan, and Andrew Byrne each pleaded guilty to the offence. Judge Martin Nolan sentenced all seven to two years' imprisonment, but suspended the sentences in their entirety on strict conditions. The court ordered six of the men to pay €2,500 each within 18 months, while Byrne was ordered to pay €1,500, with funds directed to charity. The incident involved an altercation with members of a far-right anti-Islam organisation travelling to a demonstration. Prosecution evidence included CCTV footage showing Dunne striking a man with an umbrella and Byrne aiming a kick. The judge noted the defendants were working, had good prospects, and expressed remorse, deeming imprisonment unjustified. Kindillon and Garamanli stated they intervened to defend themselves or friends against perceived attacks. None of the far-right group members were charged. A separate co-accused, who pleaded guilty in the District Court, was sentenced to 140 hours of community service in lieu of 14 months' imprisonment for striking a man with an iron bar.
2018-02-23 · Dublin
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Judge Martin Nolan sentenced Alison Walker (32) and Gillian Walker (39) to two‑and‑a‑half years each, with the sentences suspended under conditions. The sisters had fraudulently claimed over €50,000 in social welfare benefits after their father's death, with Alison claiming €22,078 in carer's allowance and respite care grants and Gillian claiming €32,398 in carer's allowance and state pension. Both pleaded guilty to four counts of stealing from the Department of Social Protection at Drimnagh Post Office between 2013 and 2016. The judge noted the sisters' knowledge of wrongdoing, their financial motives, and mitigating factors such as Alison's pregnancy and Gillian's single parenthood of four children. The court accepted their remorse and the mitigating circumstances presented by their defence lawyers. The sentences were suspended pending compliance with the court's conditions.
2017-05-22 · Clare
Terence Murphy, aged 35, was sentenced to three and a half years in prison for his role in a shooting at a house in Ballyfermot, Dublin. The final eighteen months of the sentence were suspended. Murphy was present when his co‑accused, Daniel Ennis, fired two shots at the house, and he was clearly visible on CCTV footage captured by Gardai. Murphy was arrested shortly after the incident. He pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm in suspicious circumstances on 8 May 2015 and has 26 prior convictions. Ennis received a four‑year sentence for his part in the shooting. Murphy's guilty plea, his time in custody, and the fact that he was not the gun‑bearer were cited as mitigating factors by Judge Melanie Greally, who ordered him to meet with a probation supervisor for the 18 months following his release.
2017-03-09 · Dublin
In a 2017 court hearing, Gardaí captured live CCTV footage of a shooting at a house on Oranmore Road, Ballyfermot. The footage showed Terence Murphy, aged 35, standing near the house while his co‑accused, Daniel Ennis, 22, fired two shots. Murphy was arrested minutes later and pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm in suspicious circumstances. He has 20 prior convictions. Ennis received a four‑year sentence for his role. The judge adjourned sentencing to May 22 to allow a probation report. Inspector David Harrington explained that an earlier altercation involving two men and two women had occurred before the shots were fired, and that the women had contacted Gardaí. Murphy was not present during the initial threats. He had been released on bail 13 months earlier and was on a methadone maintenance program.
2016-07-15 · Dublin
Paul Smith, 49, of Ballyfermot, Dublin, and Stephen Smith, 41, of Dundalk, Co. Louth, were acquitted at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court of assaulting Jenny Lynch causing her harm on March 7, 2015. Both men had pleaded not guilty to the charge. The jury, comprising four women and eight men, returned its verdict after 25 minutes of deliberation on the third day of the trial. Judge Martin Nolan discharged both defendants from the indictment. During the proceedings, the accused testified that their brother, Andrew Smith, was solely responsible for the attack. Andrew Smith, who had previously pleaded guilty to assaulting Ms. Lynch and was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, gave evidence that he struck the victim twice in the head while his brothers did not. He stated that Stephen Smith was on crutches at the time due to a recent shooting. Ms. Lynch, who alleged all three brothers assaulted her, described injuries including a busted nose and stitches to her lip. Defence counsel suggested to the jury that Ms. Lynch's accusations were motivated by a belief that the Smiths were responsible for the death of her son, Eddie Lynch, although neither Paul nor Stephen Smith has ever been charged with that killing. Paul Smith testified that he attempted to restrain Andrew Smith, while Stephen Smith stated he would never harm the mother of his best friend. The court concluded the matter with the acquittal of the two defendants.
2016-07-14 · Dublin
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 14 July 2016, an elderly woman, Jenny Lynch, denied that she had wrongly accused her neighbours, Paul Smith (49) and Stephen Smith (41), of assaulting her. Lynch, who is in her eighties, claimed that both men had attacked her and that she had believed they were responsible for the death of her son, Eddie, who died of a ruptured spleen after being struck by a car. She rejected the defence's suggestion that she had misinterpreted Andrew Smith's assault as an opportunity to target Paul and Stephen. Lynch also denied that she had sent a mass card to the Smiths or that she had asked Paul to intervene for her son. The Smiths pleaded not guilty to the assault charge. The hearing focused on Lynch's allegations and the defendants' denials, with no verdict reached in the article.
2016-07-13 · Ireland
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 13 July 2016, two men, Paul Smith (49) of Oranmore Road, Ballyfermot, and Stephen Smith (41) of Gate Lodge, Dundalk, Co. Louth, pleaded not guilty to assaulting an elderly woman, Jenny Lynch, on 7 March 2015 in Ballyfermot. Lynch testified that she was attacked while walking home from mass, describing severe injuries: blood from her nose and mouth, a busted nose, two black eyes, a lump on the side of her head, a sore shoulder, and the need for stitches to her lip. She claimed the attackers pushed, thumped, and dug her, and identified the Smiths as the assailants. Lynch also mentioned that Andrew Smith, the accused's brother, had previously pleaded guilty to assault in another court. The trial focused on Lynch's account of the assault and the defendants' denial of guilt. No verdict or sentencing was reported in the article.
2016-03-09 · Ireland
Word Perfect Translation Services (WPTS) brought a legal action against the Garda Commissioner after the commission awarded a €5 million, four‑year contract for face‑to‑face language interpretation services to three rival firms: Forbidden City (Translation.ie), Language Training and Translating Ltd (Context), and Natalia Cotov (Accord Translations). WPTS had supplied interpreters to Gardaí since 2007 under a Department of Justice and Law Reform framework agreement and claimed that the award to the rivals breached EU public procurement regulations, alleging a lack of adequate reasons for the selection, unequal treatment of bidders, and discrimination against WPTS. The case was scheduled for the Commercial Court but was struck out on the consent of the parties before a hearing. Mr Justice Brian McGovern, who had previously denied WPTS an injunction, described the resolution as "good news." The article does not disclose any settlement terms or further procedural steps.
2016-03-07 · Dublin
Jason Rowe, a 40‑year‑old father of four, was sentenced to eight years in prison for possessing over €3 million worth of drugs, three sub‑machine guns and two pistols. Gardaí seized the contraband during raids on his home and a leased unit in the Bluebell Industrial Estate on 9 and 10 February 2015. The drugs included 18 kg of heroin (valued at €2.69 million) and 3 kg of cocaine (worth €210 567). Rowe also admitted possession of a Heckler & Koch MP5, a Steyr AUG, a GSG5 sub‑machine gun, a 9 mm handgun, a .45 handgun and 23 bullets. He had eight prior convictions for traffic offences. Judge Melanie Greally suspended the last three years of the sentence on strict conditions, noting that the firearms were "serious weapons that have the capacity to mutilate and kill.". Jason Rowe pleaded guilty.
2016-02-01 · Dublin
Jason Rowe, aged 40, will be sentenced on 3 March after pleading guilty in District Court to possession of heroin and cocaine worth over €13,000 for sale and supply, and to possession of a Heckler and Koch MP5, a Steyr AUG, a GSG5 sub‑machine gun, a 9mm handgun, a .45 handgun and 23 bullets. The drugs were estimated at €360,000 street value. He faces a maximum life sentence, a mandatory minimum of ten years for the drugs and a mandatory minimum of five years for the firearms, and remains on bail until sentencing.
2015-12-10 · Clare
Daniel Ennis, aged 20, was sentenced to six years in prison after a series of violent incidents in Ballyfermot, Dublin. In January 2014 he threatened to kill or seriously harm Garda Ryan and Garda Doyle when they searched his back garden for a stolen postbag and bike. He also threatened to kill or seriously harm Linda Carrie and Lena Tims, to damage property, and was found in possession of a firearm on 8 May 2015. Ennis threw a small dog, a paving slab and a bike at four Gardaí, threatened to ram a patrol car, and shouted from an upstairs window that he was armed with a knife. Over a year later, while on bail, he fired shots at a house on Oranmore Road, where a woman was sleeping after being released from hospital, after threatening to blow the occupants' heads off and to burn the house down. Daniel Ennis pleaded guilty.
2015-12-09 · Clare
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Daniel Ennis, aged 20, pleaded guilty to threatening to kill or cause serious harm to Garda Linda Ryan and Garda Michelle Doyle during a search of his back garden for a stolen postbag. He also pleaded guilty to threatening to kill or cause serious harm to Ms. Carrie and Ms. Tims, threatening to damage property, and possession of a firearm on Oranmore Road. Ennis had previously fired shots at a house on Oranmore Road, where a woman was sleeping, and had threatened the occupants. He had also thrown a small dog and a paving slab at four gardaí who were searching his garden, and had tried to throw a bike and threatened them with a shovel. The judge remanded Ennis in continuing custody until sentencing. No injuries were reported. The case involved no further convictions or outcomes beyond the guilty pleas.
2015-10-20 · Dublin
Andrew Smith, 31, was jailed for two and a half years after punching a 72‑year‑old woman on her way home from mass. Smith was one of three men who attacked the woman on Oranmore Road, Ballyfermot, on 7 March 2015. The victim suffered two black eyes and cuts to her face and later described herself as hysterical and bleeding when she arrived at a Garda station. The court heard a history of animosity between the families. Judge Martin Nolan, taking into account Smith's good work history and anger‑management training, imposed the sentence. Smith pleaded guilty to assault causing harm and expressed remorse, offering an unqualified apology to the victim. The case was heard in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.