Court archive
2026-03-05 · Mayo
Mihail Tanasevici pleaded guilty to careless driving causing the death of Maureen Hopkins outside a Westport supermarket. Judge Eoin Garavan imposed a five-month prison sentence and did not disqualify him from driving.
2026-01-13 · Dublin
A taxi driver, William O'Keeffe, accidentally struck a woman during a melee, leaving her with a permanent scar on her chin and requiring plastic surgery. O'Keeffe pleaded guilty to one count of affray at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The incident occurred in January 2022 when an altercation broke out with a group of younger people. During the course of the second interaction, O'Keeffe was knocked unconscious for about eight minutes. He regained consciousness and swung his arms, accidentally striking the woman's partner. The woman was left with a significant injury to her face, requiring plastic surgery and leaving her with a vertical scar from her lower chin to her chin. Judge Orla Crowe noted that the woman was "an utterly blameless innocent person" and that the injury had a "profound impact" on her. O'Keeffe expressed sincere remorse and offered €5,000 to the woman within six months. Judge Crowe set a headline sentence of three years but suspended it in full on the condition that O'Keeffe pay the woman €5,000 within six months.
2025-12-02 · Dublin
Alex Onuh, 20, was jailed for seven years for a series of knifepoint robberies targeting teenage boys in south Dublin, including a vulnerable teenager with a brain injury. Onuh, who wore a distinctive Moncler jacket during the attacks, pleaded guilty to 15 counts of robbery and four of attempted robbery. Victims were often threatened with knives and forced to reset their phones. One incident involved a 17-year-old being chased and assaulted by Onuh and a gang. The court heard that stolen phones were sold online, and Onuh's defense highlighted his difficult childhood and lack of prior convictions. Judge Elma Sheahan noted the premeditated nature of the crimes and the impact on victims, imposing consecutive sentences with one year suspended on strict conditions.
2025-11-03 · Mayo
A man has admitted careless driving causing the death of a woman in her 70s at a supermarket car park in County Mayo last year. The incident occurred on June 6, 2024, at Supervalu in Westport, when a lorry struck the pedestrian in the vehicle forecourt. Mihail Tanasevici, aged 41 and residing in Dublin, pleaded guilty to a single count of careless driving causing death at Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court. The court heard he was operating the vehicle at approximately 2 kilometres per hour whilst engaged in employment duties at the time of the collision. Tanasevici, with no previous convictions, is expected to return to court in February to address two additional charges. Sentencing has been scheduled for March 6. A probation report has been ordered ahead of these proceedings.
2024-04-25 · Dublin
Martin Collins (42) and his brother Michael (33) were sentenced to three years in prison for a series of thefts carried out between March and August 2020. The brothers used modified people‑carrier cars, blackening windows and removing rear seats to conceal stolen tools from building sites. They were found guilty of possessing a vehicle with intent to commit theft at Barclay Court, Blackrock, on 23 March 2020, and of participating in organised crime. Martin admitted possession of plant equipment worth €5,080 stolen from Irish Rail on 19 August 2020, including a leaf‑blower, an Alpha mixer and an Atlas Trench Whacker. Judge Martin Nolan set a headline sentence of four and a half years, deducted 18 months, leaving an effective term of three years. The brothers had previously served 16‑month sentences for similar offences. The court noted their family background, mental health issues and efforts to disengage from crime.
2024-02-08 · Dublin
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Shane Byrne (35) and his brother Luke (28) pleaded guilty to assault causing harm and criminal damage after a St Stephen's Day incident at Boomers Bar, Woodford Walk, Clondalkin. The brothers, who had been refused further drinks, entered the pub, damaged the exterior and several parked cars, and then attempted to re‑enter after the pub was closed. A customer tried to stop Luke, who pushed him to the ground, causing a 90‑degree ankle twist and a bad fracture that required surgery. Both brothers then kicked and punched the victim, who was off work for three and a half months. Judge Martin Nolan sentenced Shane to 16 months in prison, describing him as the "initiator" of the "obstreperous behaviour", while Luke received a fully suspended 16‑month sentence and was ordered to pay €4,000 to the victim or a charity of the victim's choice.
2023-03-03 · Dublin
Paul Storey, a 36-year-old civil servant from Clondalkin, Dublin, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to possession of cocaine and diamorphine for sale or supply. The charges relate to an incident on April 24, 2021, at Baronrath, Straffan, Co Kildare. Gardai discovered 3.3kg of cocaine and 560g of diamorphine, valued at over €310,000, inside a Honda Accord located in a container at a property subject to a search warrant. Although Storey was not present during the search, he was arrested later and initially denied knowledge of the drugs. Prosecution evidence indicated he was holding the substances for a third party, a characterization agreed upon by the investigating garda, who noted Storey was low down the chain and lacked trappings of wealth. Defence counsel Anne Marie Lawlor SC argued that Storey's involvement stemmed from a desire to help a partner with a drugs debt, describing it as a serious misjudgement rather than primary criminal intent. She highlighted his early guilty plea, remorse, full-time employment, and support for his parents as mitigating factors. Judge Martin Nolan acknowledged Storey's reduced culpability due to acting on behalf of another, while noting his previous convictions for minor drug and road traffic offences. Taking into account his early plea and good work history, the Judge imposed a four-year prison sentence.
2022-01-14 · Galway
Alexander Cribbin, 21, of Woodford Downs, Clondalkin, was discharged from an indictment at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after abiding by the conditions of a deferred sentence. Cribbin pleaded guilty to possession of the proceeds of criminal conduct within the state on November 1, 2019. The court heard that a doctor narrowly avoided losing €18,000 in pension funds in an email misdirection scam. The doctor mistakenly believed he was replying to his pension broker but was actually communicating with a third party who provided Cribbin's bank details. Cribbin had lent his bank account to a friend for "trading" but became suspicious when the large lodgement arrived. He did not use the funds, allowing the bank to successfully recall the money and return it to the victim. Judge Martin Nolan previously noted that Cribbin's actions meant the money "could never have been taken from the account" and granted him leniency. The judge imposed a deferred sentence, requiring Cribbin to be of good behaviour for six months, with a proposed disposal of six months' imprisonment if he failed to abide by that condition. At the final hearing, the court confirmed Cribbin had met these conditions, and Judge Nolan discharged him from the indictment.
2021-07-29 · Dublin
Trevor Byrne, aged 41, was sentenced by the Special Criminal Court to consecutive jail terms totalling 17½ years for a series of firearms offences and an armed robbery of Boylesports bookmakers in Swords on 19 March 2010. The robbery involved two men and included possession of a loaded 9 mm Luger‑calibre Radom 35 firearm, false imprisonment, a threat to kill, and hijacking a woman's car at gunpoint. Byrne had 44 prior convictions and was already serving a nine‑year sentence for a firearms offence that began in November 2019. The judge imposed eight‑and‑a‑half years for the robbery and false imprisonment, six‑and‑a‑half years for the threat to kill, and seven‑and‑a‑half years each for the firearm possession and car hijacking, with all five sentences running concurrently but consecutively to the earlier firearms conviction. The sentences were reduced by a total of 12 months for mitigation and rehabilitation considerations. The unnamed accused pleaded not guilty and was acquitted.
2021-05-06 · Galway
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Alexander Cribbin, aged 21, was found guilty of possession of the proceeds of criminal conduct after an €18,000 sum was fraudulently transferred into his account via a compromised email chain. Cribbin had given his bank details to a friend but, upon noticing the illicit transfer, refused to use the money and remained in Paris. Because he did not access the funds, the bank successfully recalled the amount and returned it to the doctor who had originally sent it. Cribbin pleaded guilty on 1 November 2019 and had no prior convictions. Judge Nolan, citing Cribbin's refusal to withdraw the money, granted leniency, imposing a €100 fine and a deferred sentence, with a condition of good behaviour until 9 December, after which a six‑month imprisonment could be imposed if the condition was breached.
2021-03-19 · Dublin
Michael Cawley, 16 at the time of the offence, was sentenced to three‑and‑a‑half years for an attempted burglary on Brewery Road, Stillorgan, in February 2014. The Court of Appeal, after the Director of Public Prosecutions argued that the sentence was too lenient, increased it to four‑and‑a‑half years. Cawley had tried to jimmy the door with a screwdriver while the homeowner held it shut, and after failing to enter the house he later broke into a home on Wilson Road, Mount Merrion, stealing €5,000 worth of property and a BMW. He had previously fled to the UK, where he committed another burglary in 2016, and had 29 prior convictions. The Court of Appeal noted the aggravating factors, including the planning, the late‑night timing and the confrontation with a homeowner, and imposed the increased sentence with no portion suspended.
2020-12-21 · Dublin
Trevor Byrne, aged 40, was sentenced by the Special Criminal Court to nine years' imprisonment for possessing a loaded 9mm Luger‑caliber Radom 35 handgun in a cabin at his Woodford Grove house on 15 November 2019. He also pleaded guilty to possession of ammunition and €3,050 in cash, which he claimed were proceeds of crime. Byrne had 40 prior convictions, including a 2005 robbery where he pointed a gun at Gardaí and held a taxi driver's head to a gun. He had previously been convicted of possession of a loaded double‑barrel shotgun, unlawful vehicle seizure and robbery, receiving sentences ranging from two to eight years, and was released in November 2009. The court noted that this was his second offence involving a firearm, with a maximum sentence of 14 years. The judge applied a 10 per cent reduction for the guilty plea, back‑dating the sentence to November 2019.
2020-12-02 · Dublin
Trevor Byrne, aged 40, pleaded guilty in the Special Criminal Court to possessing a loaded 9mm Luger‑caliber Radom 35 firearm found in a back‑garden cabin at 35 Woodford Grove, Clondalkin, on 15 November 2019. He also faces three additional charges: possession of ammunition, possession of €3,050 in cash deemed proceeds of crime, and reckless handling of the cash. The Emergency Response Unit raided the house at 11.30 pm, discovered Byrne seated on a couch with another man, and after a confrontation Byrne was taken to Clondalkin Garda Station where he refused to engage with the jailer and exercised his right to silence. A search of the cabin revealed the gun, five bullets in the magazine, one in the chamber, and additional ammunition. DNA evidence linked Byrne to the gun, gloves, hold‑all and balaclava found in the cabin. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for 9 December, with the court expected to pass a sentence before Christmas.
2020-11-25 · Dublin
In a Special Criminal Court hearing, Trevor Byrne, aged 40, was charged with possessing a semi‑automatic weapon, ammunition and cash. On 15 November 2019, armed Gardaí from the Emergency Response Unit raided an unlocked back‑garden granny flat at Woodford Grove, Clondalkin. Byrne was found seated on a couch with another male. A detective reported that Byrne pointed a weapon at the officer, shouted "armed gardaí, armed police," and did not respond to repeated warnings. He was eventually handcuffed after the officer removed him from the couch and placed him face‑down. Byrne's weapon, a 9mm Luger‑calibre Radom 35, was found under the couch with five bullets in the magazine and one in the chamber. Gardaí also recovered €3,050 from his pocket. Byrne pleaded not guilty to possession of the firearm, six rounds of 9mm ammunition, two additional rounds, and the cash, all contrary to the Firearms Act.
2020-11-19 · Dublin
In a Special Criminal Court hearing, armed gardaí discovered a loaded 9mm Luger‑calibre Radom handgun beneath a couch in a back‑garden cabin at Trevor Byrne's Woodford Grove property. Byrne, aged 40, was found with over €3,000 in his pocket and was charged with possession of the firearm, six rounds of 9mm ammunition, two additional rounds, and the cash. The court heard that two Emergency Response Unit teams entered the house on a warrant, locating Byrne in the cabin. Forensic analysis revealed a mixed DNA profile on the gun, with a majority profile believed to match Byrne, and DNA on other items found in the cabin. CCTV footage and a fingerprint on a shoe‑box were also seized. Byrne pleaded not guilty to all four charges, and the case was adjourned to 24 November.
2020-04-29 · Sligo
A construction worker from Sligo has been sentenced to three years' imprisonment for his involvement in a tax fraud scheme at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Martin Stokes, aged 35, pleaded guilty in April 2016 to charges under the Theft and Fraud Offences Act, including forgery and deception, relating to offences committed in 2006, 2008 and 2011. He was one of five people who registered as contractors while falsely undertaking to remit tax payments on behalf of sub-contractors. Revenue issued approximately €107,000 in tax refunds and credits to bank accounts controlled by another individual, which were subsequently withdrawn via ATMs. Stokes failed to appear for sentencing in June 2016 and was arrested abroad before being returned to Ireland. Judge Martin Nolan described the scheme as relatively sophisticated and noted it exploited weaknesses in the contractor tax system. Stokes, who has previous convictions for dangerous driving, deception and counterfeiting, was credited with character references and community contributions, resulting in a reduction from an indicative sentence of five years.
2020-04-23 · Dublin
Martin Stokes of Woodford Heights, Clondalkin, was arrested during the Covid‑19 lockdown after failing to appear for a sentence hearing in 2016 for tax fraud offences under the Theft and Fraud Offences Act. He had pleaded guilty in April 2016 to charges relating to tax registration on dates in 2006, 2008 and 2011. The court had adjourned the case for a week when his lawyers claimed he was an employed father of three, but he did not appear a week later, leading the judge to issue a bench warrant. The warrant was executed last Monday, and Judge Melanie Greally refused bail, remanding Stokes into custody for sentencing. His defence lawyer, Keith Spencer BL, argued that Stokes could not attend court because he was in a 14‑day quarantine imposed by the Prison Service, and that a video‑link meeting had been booked but not attended.
2020-02-25 · Dublin
In February 2014, 16‑year‑old Michael Cawley, with two other men, attempted to force entry into a home on Brewery Road, Stillorgan, Dublin. While the couple inside held their bodies against the door, Cawley used a screwdriver to try to jimmy the lock, but the men failed and left after the door was destroyed. Later that evening, Cawley forced open a window in an empty house on Wilson Road, Mount Merrion, and stole €5,000 worth of property, including a PlayStation console, 600 cigarettes, and a family BMW. The car was later found near his home in Ballycullen. Cawley fled to the UK, where he was charged with burglary in 2016, and returned to Ireland, where he pleaded guilty to attempted burglary and burglary at the Stillorgan house.
2017-10-13 · Dublin
In a case heard by the Court of Appeal, Slovakian national Jakub Jesenak, aged 31, was found guilty of assault causing harm and threatening to kill his pregnant partner in front of their 20‑month‑old daughter. The original sentence of three years imprisonment, with the final year suspended, was imposed by Judge Pauline Codd on 5 May 2017. The Court of Appeal upheld the sentence, ruling that it was not too severe. The offence occurred on 12 June 2016 at the couple's former home in Dublin. Jesenak had been drinking and, after his partner returned from a baby market, he grabbed her arm, punched her face, pulled her hair, threatened to kill her, and attempted to strangle her. Gardaí were called, Jesenak was arrested, and he has had no contact with the victim since being granted High Court bail. The victim suffered bruising, cuts to her face and legs, but the baby was delivered healthy.
2017-04-28 · Dublin
Gerard Walsh, 38, pleaded guilty to burglary at a valet service he had previously worked for in Liffey Valley, Dublin, on 20 March 2015. He admitted stealing six sets of car keys and three vehicles—a Volkswagen Touran, a Volkswagen Passat and an Audi A6 Avant—to pay a drug debt. Two of the cars were recovered; the third was found a year later, resulting in an estimated loss of €3,500 to the owner. The court also noted that Walsh had previously been convicted of public order and theft offences, dealt with 15 years earlier. Judge Melanie Greally, acknowledging Walsh's difficult personal circumstances and his efforts to rehabilitate, imposed a suspended three‑year sentence and required him to pay €3,500 in compensation to his former employer. The sentence was suspended, with no immediate custodial term imposed. The case was heard in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
2016-10-26 · Dublin
Gerard Walsh, 38, pleaded guilty to burglary at the Liffey Valley valet service where he had worked. He admitted that a drug dealer had urged him to break into the premises to recover car keys and vehicles to pay a drug debt. Walsh and an accomplice forced entry, breaking three locks to reach the office where six sets of keys and three cars – a Volkswagen Touran, a Volkswagen Passat and an Audi A6 Avant – were taken. Two cars were recovered; the third was found a year later, costing the owner an estimated €3,500. The court heard that Walsh had previous convictions for public order and theft, dealt with 15 years earlier. Judge Melanie Greally accepted that Walsh was under personal hardship, allowing an adjournment to April 28 for him to raise compensation.
2016-02-08 · Dublin
Two men were sentenced to four years imprisonment at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court following their guilty pleas to car-jacking. Francis Stokes, aged 29, of Ballyconnell, County Cavan, and Martin Stokes, aged 24, of Celbridge, County Kildare, hijacked a vehicle at Blessington Road, Tallaght, on 10 November 2013. Judge Melanie Greally suspended the final two years of Francis Stokes's sentence and the last three years of Martin Stokes's sentence, having regard to their differing criminal histories. The victim described the incident as life-altering, stating it had severely restricted her confidence and ability to engage in activities she previously enjoyed. The court heard evidence that the complainant had become fearful of driving and was unable to maintain her former independence. The accused had claimed to gardaí that they commandeered the vehicle following an attack by another party, though the victim impact statements presented a substantially different account of events.
2016-01-20 · Dublin
Anne Fennell, a 57‑year‑old Dublin woman, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to two counts of harassing Fr Desmond Byrne by telephone on 8 October 2006 and between 5 October 2005 and 10 January 2006. She also admitted to sending obscene phone messages threatening to bomb President Michael D Higgins and several ministers. The court heard that she had called the president a "ladyboy" and threatened that he and "Sabrina Higgins" would be buried in plastic bags if they entered England. She made repeated bomb threats in April and October 2014, prompting a search of the area around Dáil Éireann on 18 November 2014. Fennell had her sentence for the obscene messages adjourned to allow her to continue psychological therapy. Judge Patricia Ryan adjourned the harassment hearing to July, remanded her on continuing bail and ordered a victim impact statement.
2015-06-17 · Dublin
Eoin Daly, aged 29, was sentenced to five and a half years in prison for a series of burglaries committed between July and September 2013 across Dublin suburbs and Leixlip. He pleaded guilty to five counts of burglary, one of trespass and attempted theft. The judge noted that Daly had been granted bail repeatedly after each arrest, questioning why he was not remanded earlier. Daly's lawyer described him as a "one‑man crime wave" linked to chronic heroin addiction. The judge suspended the final 18 months of the sentence on the condition that Daly cooperate with the Probation Service upon release. Daly had 30 prior convictions, including burglary, robbery, firearm possession and threats of killing. The sentence reflects the judge's concern that, if he does not change, he will spend his thirties in court and prison.