Court archive
Court reports mentioning Dingle, Kerry
2022-06-22 · Kerry
The Court of Appeal has dismissed the appeal of Conor Quaid, upholding his conviction for rape. Quaid, 27, of Monaree, Dingle, Co Kerry, had pleaded not guilty to raping a family friend at a place in the county on June 10, 2018. A jury at the Central Criminal Court in Cork found him guilty by a 10-to-1 majority verdict in September 2020, and he was sentenced to six-and-a-half years' imprisonment by Ms Justice Mary Rose Gearty. Quaid appealed on the grounds that the trial judge erred in defining recklessness regarding consent and placed undue pressure on the jury to reach a verdict. In a judgment delivered by Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy, the Court of Appeal rejected all grounds. The court found that the jury was not advised that drunkenness equates with recklessness and that the judge merely informed them that a new trial would be required if they failed to reach a verdict. The appeal hearing was presided over by Mr Justice George Birmingham, sitting with Mr Justice John Edwards and Ms Justice Kennedy. Counsel for Quaid, Michael Bowman SC, argued alcohol was a feature of the case, while Vincent Heneghan SC for the Director of Public Prosecutions maintained the judge's charge was practical. The court concluded the jury was not under confusion regarding the issues, thereby sustaining the original conviction and sentence.
2022-03-11 · Kerry
Conor Quaid, 27, of Monaree, Dingle, was convicted of raping a family friend in Kerry in 2018. A jury found him guilty by a 10‑to‑1 majority after a seven‑day trial in Cork in September 2020. He was sentenced to six‑and‑a‑half years' imprisonment by Ms Justice Mary Rose Gearty. Quaid appeals, arguing that the judge erred by failing to define recklessness for the jury and by implying that drunkenness equates with recklessness. The judge had told the jury that Quaid had been drinking before visiting the victim, who had not been drinking and had gone to bed early. The Court of Appeal heard arguments from Quaid's counsel, who said alcohol was a feature but not a total loss of control, and from the Director of Public Prosecutions, who said the judge's direction was practical and clear. The judgment is reserved. Conor Quaid pleaded not guilty.
2022-03-10 · Kerry
David Keegan, 43, known locally as the "Del Boy of Cabra," was found in possession of over 229,000 untaxed cigarettes and €135,000 worth of counterfeit luxury goods during a joint Gardaí and Revenue raid on his rented lock‑ups. He also had 19 stolen televisions. Keegan pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to evasion of excise duty on cigarettes, offering for sale goods resembling trademarked items without authorisation, and handling stolen property, all at The Rise, Glasnevin, on 2 August 2017. He had seven prior convictions, including drink driving. In December 2019 Judge Martin Nolan sentenced him to 18 months' imprisonment for the cigarette offence. At the 2022 hearing, Nolan, after hearing evidence on the counterfeit goods and stolen TVs, suspended the 18‑month sentence in its entirety on strict conditions, deciding not to impose further custodial time.
2021-11-30 · Kerry
The High Court, by Mr Justice Charles Meenan, granted a temporary stay on an ethics investigation into Kerry County Councillor Breandan Fitzgerald of Dingle, who represents the Castleisland‑Corca Dhuibhne area. The investigation, initiated by a complaint earlier in the year, concerns Fitzgerald's vote on a draft local area plan for Corca Dhuibhne. Fitzgerald denies wrongdoing, claiming no interest in the lands and that he had previously abstained on related votes due to family connections. The investigation was originally conducted by the council's Cathaoirleach Jimmy Moloney and Chief Executive Moira Murrell, but the court found the Cathaoirleach's involvement conflicted with the rules. Fitzgerald's counsel, Elizabeth Murphy, intends to seek judicial review to halt the investigation, arguing the CEO's continued participation breaches fair procedure. The stay will remain until the matter returns in two weeks, with the option for the respondent to apply to lift it on 48‑hour notice.
2021-11-04 · Dublin
Conor Emerson, 20, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of cannabis for sale or supply after a search of his Cabra garden shed revealed almost €20,000 worth of cannabis and €888 of cocaine. He had 15 prior convictions, including drug possession and assault, and was 18 at the time of the offence. Judge Melanie Greally noted his severe dependence on cannabis and cocaine, his early guilty plea, and his efforts to change his life, such as distancing from a negative peer group and addressing his addiction. Although a presumptive mandatory minimum of ten years existed, the judge considered the circumstances exceptional and imposed a suspended sentence of two and a half years, with 12 months of intense probation supervision. The sentence aimed to allow Emerson to continue rehabilitation and seek employment. The court did not impose any custodial term.
2021-03-25 · Kerry
Conor Quaid, 26, received an eight‑year prison sentence with 18 months suspended for raping a young woman while she slept in her own bedroom. The Central Criminal Court heard that Quaid, a trusted family friend from Monaree, Dingle, had entered the victim's home after a night out drinking in a nearby town. He raped her while she was asleep, and she later reported the assault to Gardaí. Quaid denied sexual intercourse but claimed consent to "a certain level of sexual activity." The prosecution, led by Tom Rice SC, argued that Quaid had no express permission to enter the home and had abused the trust placed in him. The court noted that Quaid had not shown remorse and imposed the sentence, suspending 18 months on the condition of good behaviour for three years and permanent distance from the victim. The victim's impact statement described lasting psychological harm, including panic attacks, guilt, shame, and difficulty returning to studies. The unnamed man pleaded not guilty and was found guilty.
2019-07-22 · Tipperary
Wesley Purse, a 41‑year‑old Welshman, was found cultivating 112 cannabis plants in County Tipperary while he was supposed to be serving a 12‑year sentence in the UK. He pleaded guilty to possession and cultivation of €42,000 worth of cannabis at Rossadrehid on 3 May 2017. The Clonmel Circuit Criminal Court sentenced him to five years' imprisonment on 29 June 2018, a sentence upheld by the Court of Appeal on 22 July 2019. In the appeal hearing, Justice Máire Whelan noted that Purse had initially given a false name to Gardaí and claimed coercion by a gang in Cork, but the claim was undermined by the fact that the name was an alias he used elsewhere. She highlighted that Purse had 92 prior convictions, including 13 drug offences, and that he committed the offence while he was supposed to be in prison in the UK.
2019-06-21 · Tipperary
Wales-born Wesley Purse, 40, was convicted in Clonmel Circuit Criminal Court for possessing and cultivating €42,000 worth of cannabis in Rossadrehid, County Tipperary. He received a five‑year prison sentence on 29 June 2018, a term he now seeks to appeal in the Court of Appeal. Purse, who had 92 prior convictions, was also "at large" from a 12‑year sentence imposed in Stafford Crown Court, England, when he was arrested in Tipperary. His barrister, Philip Sheahan SC, argued that the headline sentences of eight years for possession and six years for cultivation were excessive, noting that the plants were at various stages of production and that the €42,000 valuation was not comparable to higher‑valued cases. The Court of Appeal heard the arguments and reserved judgment. The case remains at the appeal stage, with no further outcome announced. Wesley Purse pleaded guilty.
2019-06-20 · Dublin
In a case heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, 31‑year‑old Carl Cullen pleaded guilty to robbery at Tolka Valley Road, Finglas, on 27 February 2017. Cullen and a co‑accused entered a taxi at about 6 a.m., behaved oddly and appeared intoxicated. The driver, fearing a crash, stopped the vehicle and left it 40 metres away. Cullen and the accomplice then rummaged through the car, taking a phone, an MP3 player and a bag of coins. Garda Barry Hehir reported that the victim later located the phone via a "find phone" feature, leading police to the suspects on St Helena's Road. Cullen, who has 40 prior convictions, was sentenced to three‑and‑a‑half years' imprisonment by Judge Martin Nolan on 22 November 2017. He had intended to appeal the sentence, but withdrew the appeal after the Court of Appeal warned that it could increase his jail time. The appeal was formally withdrawn with the court's permission.
2019-03-29 · Kerry
A 42-year-old man has been sentenced to 14 months imprisonment for dangerous driving causing death at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. James Dingle, of Drumcliffe Road, Cabra, Dublin pleaded guilty to causing the death of Maureen Creaner, aged 92, on Navan Road, Cabra on 4 September 2016. The collision occurred as Mrs Creaner crossed the road to purchase a newspaper. Garda collision experts established Dingle was travelling at 64 kilometres per hour in a 50 kilometre per hour zone. A breath test revealed he was marginally over the legal drink-driving limit, having consumed alcohol the previous evening. Analysis of his phone activity indicated significant sleep deprivation in the hours before the incident. Judge Martin Nolan noted Dingle had made conscious decisions regarding his condition and speed, for which he bore responsibility. Mitigating factors included his remaining at the scene and full co-operation with gardaí. Dingle was also disqualified from driving for four years.
2017-11-22 · Dublin
Carl Cullen, aged 30, pleaded guilty to robbery at Tolka Valley Road on 27 February 2017. He and a co‑accused entered a taxi at about 6 am, behaved drunkenly and violently, and forced the driver to stop. Cullen seized the driver's mobile phone, chased him, and attempted to punch him. CCTV showed the robbers rummaging through the taxi and taking a phone, MP3 player and coins. Garda Barry Hehir informed the court that the victim used a "find phone" app to locate Cullen and his co‑accused on St Helena's Road, Finglas. The court noted Cullen's 40 prior convictions, his guilty plea, remorse and athletic background, but also his propensity for violence. Judge Martin Nolan sentenced him to three and a half years' imprisonment. The sentence was imposed in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The case involved a violent robbery of a taxi driver.
2015-12-21 · Kerry
A 75‑year‑old Kerry man, Jimmy Flannery, was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment for raping his sister‑in‑law in the early 1970s. Flannery began molesting the child at age eleven and later raped her in a car near Conor Pass in Dingle and in his bedroom at Ballydavid on the Dingle peninsula. He denied ten counts of indecent assault at various locations in Dingle between April 1969 and April 1974 and pleaded not guilty to three counts of rape between January 1971 and April 1975. After a five‑day trial at the Central Criminal Court, a jury convicted him of all charges. The victim, who waived anonymity, described the lasting psychological harm and expressed gratitude that the truth had been heard. Justice Margaret Heneghan, noting Flannery's age and lack of prior convictions, imposed a ten‑year sentence, citing the rape offences as meriting a 13‑year term but reducing it for mitigating factors.
2015-06-24 · Galway
In a 2015 High Court decision, Mr Justice Paul Gilligan dismissed a bid by property developers John and Ann Hickey to overturn an arbitrator's award of €101,000 to Ms Mary Delargy. The award arose from defects in a property at Garrai Glass, Ballydavid South, Athenry, which Ms Delargy purchased for €550,000 in 2008. After taking possession in 2009, she discovered insulation, ventilation and dampness problems and brought a claim for damages. The dispute was referred to arbitration in 2011, where the Hickeys' defence was struck out for failing to comply with a discovery order. In October 2014 the arbitrator awarded €101,000 to Ms Delargy. The Hickeys argued the contract's defect clause was deleted and the arbitrator lacked jurisdiction over major defects, but the court found no reason to set aside the award, noting the Hickeys had effectively walked away from the arbitration process and forfeited their right to challenge the final decision.