During the trial of Badri Khvedelidze, a 33‑year‑old Georgian national accused of murdering his compatriot George Tkeshelashvili in a Tralee direct provision hostel in October 2005, a witness named Adeyenka Sow Unmi, a 45‑year‑old Nigerian also living in the hostel, failed to identify Khvedelidze when shown his photograph. Unmi, who had been at the hostel on the day of the alleged incident, had reported hearing loud voices and seeing a fight in a corridor. He later told Gardaí that he saw a man with a knife walking toward him and that he could identify the man with the knife. When Gardaí presented him with eight photographs of people thought to be involved, he identified three men but did not identify Khvedelidze as having been at the scene. Badri Khvedelidze pleaded not guilty.
During a murder trial in the Central Criminal Court, witness Givi Verdzeuli, 66, recounted that an argument over a game of backgammon at Westward Court hostel in Tralee led to the stabbing death of George Tkeshelashvili, 57. Verdzeuli described finding an overturned table with a backgammon board and dice on the floor after Tkeshelashvili had died. He said the conflict had started from that point. Badri Khvedelidze, 33, has pleaded not guilty to the murder. The defence is cross‑examining Verdzeuli.
During the murder trial of Badri Khvedelidze, witness Givi Verdzeuli (66) testified that on 15 October 2005 at Westward Court, Tralee, a dispute erupted when George Tkeshelashvili (57) insulted Khvedelidze's mother. Verdzeuli described seeing Tkeshelashvili thrust an open hand at Khvedelidze's mother, prompting Khvedelidze to ask why he was cursed. Khvedelidze then struck Tkeshelashvili in the chest, after which Verdzeuli observed blood gush and a knife appear in Khvedelidze's hand. Verdzeuli ran to fetch a towel, and when he returned Tkeshelashvili was on the ground, unable to stand. An ambulance was called but the parties opted for a taxi to the hospital, where Tkeshelashvili was still in distress. The trial proceeds before Justice Isobel Kennedy and a jury of twelve. Givi Verdzeuli pleaded not guilty.
The murder trial of 33‑year‑old Badri Khvedelidze, a Georgian national, was halted after the jury was dismissed on the first day without hearing evidence. The case, involving the killing of fellow Georgian George Tkeshelashvili in Kerry on 15 October 2005, is set to resume at the Central Criminal Court on Wednesday. Khvedelidze has pleaded not guilty, and Justice Isobel Kennedy explained that such delays are not uncommon and thanked the jury for their punctuality.
A jury was sworn in on 19 October 2015 for the trial of 33‑year‑old Georgian Badri Khvedelidze, charged with murdering fellow Georgian George Tkeshelashvili in Kerry on 15 October 2005. Khvedelidze pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin. The case will be heard by Justice Isobel Kennedy, with a jury of six men and six women, and is expected to last between seven and ten days.
Patrick O'Brien, 32, of Abbeyfeale, was sentenced to four years' imprisonment after he defrauded 81‑year‑old Sinclair Downey of €14,200 in 2013. O'Brien had a history of 29 convictions, 12 for theft, many involving elderly victims. He and an accomplice visited Downey three times, claiming to repair a roof. They first quoted €80, then raised the price to €1,700, and later demanded €4,800 for a flat roof that had not been agreed upon. Downey, fearing tax penalties, paid the amounts and signed no contract. O'Brien was caught on CCTV cashing the money at a bank. Garda investigations revealed the work cost far less than claimed. O'Brien pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court; Judge Martin Nolan described the men as "preying" on Downey and imposed the sentence. The case is pending a similar offence in Tralee Circuit Criminal Court later this year.
Chico Makamda, an Angolan refugee aged 32, was sentenced by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to three years in jail, with the final year suspended, for false imprisonment of Melita Cahill on 7 August 2013. The incident occurred around 2 a.m. on Blessington Street when Makamda grabbed Cahill's right wrist, shouted "you drank too much bitch," and attempted to drag her into a laneway. Cahill fought back, punched and kicked him, and escaped after a male passerby intervened. Makamda was arrested shortly thereafter at a nearby bus stop. Cahill's victim impact statement noted that the event left her with lasting anxiety and panic attacks, preventing her from walking alone at night. The judge acknowledged Makamda's limited English and hardship as a foreign national in custody. The sentence was delayed due to a prior conviction in Tralee District Court for indecent exposure, for which Makamda was fined €50. Chico Makamda pleaded guilty.
In a 2015 Central Criminal Court hearing, David Henry, 28, was convicted of assault causing harm after he beat his ex‑girlfriend, Evangeline O'Neill, in a school car park in Tralee on 17 June 2012. O'Neill, aged 22 at the time, described being straddled, punched and slapped, suffering black eyes and jaw soreness. Henry pleaded not guilty; a jury found him guilty by a 10‑to‑1 majority. Judge Patrick McCarthy imposed a three‑year sentence, suspended the last 18 months on condition of peace, and back‑dated it to 28 January when Henry entered custody. The deputy principal of St. Oliver's Community College, Una Kirk, testified as a character witness, noting Henry's professional conduct as a substitute PE teacher. O'Neill's victim impact statement highlighted lasting trauma, and Garda Aidan Carey recounted the abusive texts and events leading to the assault. Henry admitted using excessive force and expressed contrition, which the judge acknowledged in his sentencing remarks.
The Court of Appeal ruled that the conviction of a 61‑year‑old former Kerry County Council worker for sexually assaulting four girls was "safe" and dismissed his appeal. The man, who was jailed for eight years in 2012 after being found guilty of 29 counts of sexual assault between 2003 and 2008, had failed to sustain any grounds of appeal. The appeal was dismissed by Mr Justice John Edwards, who noted that the defendant had worked for a family business on weekends and was a partner of the victims' aunt. The court found that the defendant had repeatedly abused the girls, who ranged in age from 10 to 14, in various settings including the home and after school. The defendant was returned to prison to serve the remainder of his sentence. The unnamed 61-year-old pleaded not guilty.
Tom O'Connor, 47, former director of O'Connor Plant Hire & Ground Works, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to handling a stolen Volvo A25D dumper truck in Brittas, Co. Dublin, between December 2009 and April 2010. He admitted possession of the vehicle, which had its chassis, VIN and engine numbers altered, but denied involvement in its theft or cloning. O'Connor had five prior convictions, including a 2011 offence for possessing a stolen John Deere tractor. He resigned as director in 2013 and was declared bankrupt in 2012. Judge Desmond Hogan imposed a four‑year sentence, suspended in full for five years, and ordered O'Connor to complete 240 hours of community service and to keep the peace for five years. The judge noted O'Connor's moderate risk of re‑offending but accepted that he had not participated in stealing the truck. The case was prosecuted by Gerardine Small BL and defended by Tony McGillicuddy BL.
The Central Bank secured High Court orders for the transfer of assets and liabilities from Killorglin Credit Union (KCU) to Tralee Credit Union. Ms Justice Iseult O'Malley approved the transfer after counsel explained that it would not affect KCU members or employees and that it was in the public interest. Tralee Credit Union had won the bid to acquire KCU's assets and liabilities. KCU had failed to restore its Regulatory Reserve Ratio to the required 10% and could not secure the funding needed to meet regulatory obligations. The Central Bank had been aware of difficulties at KCU since 2010, citing poor lending and credit control practices. The previous board had resigned, but the current board was not a concern for the Central Bank. The transfer will result in a credit union operating in Killorglin, but not under the KCU name.
Tom O'Connor, 47, former director of O'Connor Plant Hire & Ground Works in Listowel, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to handling a stolen Volvo A25D dumper truck that had been stolen from a quarry in Scotland. He admitted buying the truck in Holland for €62,500 and selling it to a buyer, but denied involvement in the vehicle's cloning or theft. O'Connor had five prior convictions, including possession of a stolen John Deere tractor in 2009, and had resigned as director in 2013 to protect the company's reputation. He was declared bankrupt in 2012 and is now unemployed and on social welfare. Judge Desmond Hogan remanded him on continuing bail pending sentencing, ordered a probation report, and noted his health issues. The court heard that the truck's chassis number had been altered and that O'Connor had no part in the alteration. The insurance company paid £75,000 for the vehicle. The case remains pending sentencing.
The High Court confirmed that Mr. Joseph Walsh of Chartered Accountants Hughes Blake has been appointed as examiner for Copper Bar & Grill Ltd., a South Dublin bar and restaurant employing 29 people. The 10,000‑sq‑ft premises, located on Blackthorn Road Beacon South Quarter in Sandyford, began trading last year and has been declared insolvent. An independent accountant's report indicates the company could survive if it secures fresh investment and obtains court approval for a scheme of arrangement devised by the examiner with creditors. TV chef Lee Bradshaw objected to the appointment, alleging the process aims to avoid legal fees awarded to him in a High Court bid for injunctions against the termination of his employment or an alleged partnership agreement. Bradshaw's lawyers sought €126,000 in costs, but the company's counsel argued there was no evidence that the examinership was intended to frustrate the costs order. Mr.