Court archive
Court reports mentioning Oughterard, Galway
2026-05-21 · Galway
Jim McCarthy, 27, formerly of Oughterard, Co Galway, pleaded guilty at Galway Circuit Criminal Court to one count of hijacking a vehicle on Foster Street, Galway, on April 10, 2024, and to burglary, assault, and possession of an article at St Lawarnce Park, Loughrea, on January 23, 2024. Prosecution evidence alleged that McCarthy hijacked a car from a woman using a knife and later assaulted a resident in Loughrea, striking him with a knife and stealing cash. The court heard that McCarthy has 11 previous District Court convictions. Defence counsel noted that McCarthy has addressed addiction issues, completed a 12-week course at Cluine Mhuire, is employed, and has engaged with the Probation Service. Both injured parties declined to provide victim impact statements or participate in a restorative justice programme. Judge Brian O'Callaghan adjourned the case for an updated probation report in January 2027. The matter was adjourned and not concluded.
2023-02-13 · Galway
Michael Welby, 24, was originally sentenced to three years' imprisonment with 18 months suspended for dangerous driving that caused the death of 16‑year‑old Róisín Hession in March 2020. The Court of Appeal increased his jail term by a year, quashing the original sentence and imposing a six‑year headline sentence, with two years discounted for his guilty plea and remorse. The 18‑month suspended portion remains, leaving Welby to serve two‑and‑a‑half years in custody and a four‑year driving ban. The appeal was based on the State's argument that the original sentence was unduly lenient, citing Welby's speed, alcohol level, defective vehicle and the tragic loss of a teenager. The court noted the severe impact on Hession's family and the aggravating circumstances of the crash.
2022-04-08 · Galway
In 2011, 16‑year‑old Marian Lingurar Jnr left his employer, publican John Kenny, to die on a toilet floor after a violent robbery. Lingurar Jnr was not involved in the restraint or assault of Kenny, who sustained severe injuries and was found dead the next evening. He was convicted of manslaughter by a jury at Galway Circuit Criminal Court in January 2019 and sentenced to nine years imprisonment. In April 2022, the Court of Appeal quashed the original sentence and reduced the jail term by one year, citing the appellant's age and the fact that he was not a party to the violence. The appeal was based on the argument that the trial judge had not given sufficient weight to the appellant's age at the time of the offence. The Court of Appeal confirmed the conviction but adjusted the sentence to eight years, noting that the crime had a very grave impact on the Kenny family.
2022-04-07 · Galway
In 2019, Marian Lingurar Jnr, then 16, was sentenced to nine years for the manslaughter of publican John Kenny, 56, during a robbery in Oughterard, Co Galway. The attack, on 25 September 2011, left Kenny severely beaten, tied, and left to die in a ladies' toilet. Lingurar Jnr, who had worked as a doorman for a week, was part of a gang that robbed the pub after closing. In April 2022, he appealed the sentence, arguing the judge failed to consider his youth and the lack of evidence that he personally restrained or assaulted Kenny. The Court of Appeal noted the crime was a "common design" and that Lingurar Jnr bore responsibility, but the appeal was based on the judge's handling of his age. The appeal was still pending at the time of the hearing. The case highlighted the complexities of sentencing juveniles for violent robbery and manslaughter.
2021-07-01 · Galway
The Court of Appeal refused to allow Marian Lingurar Jnr, 26, to appeal his conviction for the manslaughter of John Kenny, 56, who was killed in a burglary at Kenny's pub in Oughterard on 25 September 2011. The court considered the impact of new proceedings on the victim's family, ten years after the killing, and found the appeal had little chance of success. It will, however, allow Lingurar to appeal his nine‑year prison sentence. Lingurar, a Romanian national who had broken bail, fled Ireland, and returned under a false name, was found guilty by a jury in 2019. The judge noted that Lingurar was a juvenile at the time of the offence and that the family's impact would be less if the sentence were appealed rather than the conviction. The appeal of the sentence will be heard after the defence argues that the sentence was overly severe given Lingurar's youth.
2021-04-27 · Galway
Marian Lingurar Junior, 26, a Romanian national, is serving a nine‑year sentence for his role in the 2011 murder of John Kenny, a Galway publican, during a burglary. He has applied to the Court of Appeal for leave to appeal, arguing that his appeal was mistakenly filed under his father's name and that his privacy rights were breached when Gardaí obtained phone records used at trial. The Court noted that Lingurar had breached bail, fled Ireland, and returned under a false name, delaying his trial until 2019. The Director of Public Prosecutions opposed the extension, citing insufficient evidence that the appeal would succeed and the need to protect the victim's family. The appeal's outcome remains pending. The case also involved a second burglary conviction for the same night.