In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, 42‑year‑old postman David Byrne denied dangerous driving that caused the death of 70‑year‑old Patricia Dunne on 16 October 2015. He also pleaded not guilty to dishonestly inducing the National Driving Licence Service to issue a licence on 30 September 2014 and to making a false statement on insurance. Byrne claimed he had not driven at the time of the fatal collision, had not been speeding, had not drunk, and had obeyed traffic signals. An optometrist, Aengus Morrin, testified that Byrne had Usher Syndrome, diagnosed in 1997, and that his peripheral vision was "very, very poor – almost non‑existent". Dr Paul Kenna, a clinical ophthalmologist, confirmed the diagnosis and noted that Byrne had been advised against driving in daylight or at night. The trial continues with closing arguments pending.
Thomas McCann, 43, of Morristown Estate, Newbridge, Co Kildare, was sentenced by Judge Patricia Ryan in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to a total of six years' imprisonment, with two years suspended. He has spent 22 years in custody and has 150 prior convictions, mainly for burglary and theft. McCann pleaded guilty to smashing a glass panel on a house on Strand Road, Sandymount, and was found guilty of burglary at a house on Maretimo Place, Blackrock, on 30 September 2011. He was acquitted of a second burglary attempt at comedian Mario Rosenstock's home. Judge Ryan sentenced him to four years for the Maretimo burglary, with one year suspended, and to two years for the 2016 criminal damage, with one year suspended, to be served after the first sentence. McCann, who has been drug‑free for 27 years, expressed remorse, thanked the court, and pledged to dedicate the rest of his life to his wife and child.
In a High Court ruling on 10 November 2017, Mr Justice Michael Twomey granted an injunction requiring Drumderry Aggregate Ltd to hand over certification for the Hollowcore flooring it supplied and fitted at the extension to St Conleth's College in Newbridge, Co Kildare. The extension, designed for 250 students but now serving 477, was to be completed by year‑end 2017 with new facilities ready in January 2018. K&J Townmore Construction Ltd, the main contractor, argued that the lack of certification threatened the project's completion and could cause financial loss exceeding €430,000 if remedial work were needed. Drumderry, represented by Eanna Mulloy SC, opposed the application, claiming it was not responsible for health and safety matters beyond its own work. The judge noted all other certifications had been provided, held Drumderry liable only for its own certification, and ordered the certificates to be delivered within seven days. The injunction was granted to protect the project's timely completion.
In a High Court hearing, K&J Townmore Construction Ltd, the main contractor for an extension to St Conleth's College in Newbridge, Co Kildare, argued that a dispute with subcontractor Drumderry Aggregate Ltd could delay the opening of the new school facilities. The extension, designed to accommodate 250 students but now serving 477, was expected to be finished by year‑end and ready for use in January 2018. K&J claims Drumderry failed to provide required certification for flooring supplied and installed by the subcontractor, a certification essential under building regulations. Without the certificates, K&J fears costly remedial work, potentially exceeding €430,000. K&J has sought an order compelling Drumderry to supply the certificates and preventing their withholding. Mr Justice Paul Gilligan granted ex‑parte notice and set the case for a return next week. The dispute centres solely on the certification issue, unrelated to other legal actions between the parties. The outcome of the order remains pending.
Martin Stokes, aged 37, pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary, false imprisonment and assault with intent to commit an indictable offence after violently breaking into the home of his estranged partner Geraldine Cummins and her son. He entered the house at 2.40am, grabbed Cummins by the neck, pressed a sharp object into her throat and threatened to kill her and her unborn child unless she returned to him. Cummins, who was five months pregnant, was dragged into the kitchen and held with a knife. The mother, aunt and two children escaped and called for help; two men wrestled Stokes to the ground. Cummins' victim impact statement described lasting trauma, especially for her young son. Stokes was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment, with the final 15 months suspended after the Court of Appeal considered his progress toward rehabilitation while in custody. The suspended period requires a good‑behaviour bond for three years post‑release.
A Kildare man was acquitted of an attempted burglary at the home of celebrity impressionist Mario Rosenstock. The case involved a separate conviction of Thomas McCann, 42, who was found guilty by a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court jury of burglary at Marentimo House apartments in Blackrock, Dublin, on 30 September 2011. McCann, of Morristown Estate, Newbridge, had pleaded not guilty to both charges. Mrs. Rosenstock testified that she encountered McCann after returning home, describing him as tall, slender, wearing white socks, a baseball hat, sunglasses, and a tracksuit bottom tucked into his socks. He claimed to be a painter and decorator working at a neighbour's house and said he had come to check on her. Mrs. Rosenstock called the gardai immediately after he left on a mountain bike.
In December 2015, Damien Klasinski, a 29‑year‑old Polish driver, struck and killed Kildare councillor Willie Crowley, 56, while walking home from a pub. Klasinski fled the scene, later confessing to Gardaí and pleading guilty to dangerous driving causing death. He was arrested after passengers reported him. The court found him had no licence or insurance, had previously been convicted for driving offences, and had driven at speeds up to 80 km/h on a wet, poorly lit street. Judge Melanie Greally sentenced him to five and a half years, suspended the last 18 months, and imposed a ten‑year driving disqualification. The sentence reflected the seriousness of his failure to remain at the scene and the lack of insurance, while acknowledging his guilty plea and remorse. The ruling was delivered at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
In December 2015, 29‑year‑old Damien Klasinski, a Polish native, was driving on Eyre Street, Newbridge, when he struck and killed 56‑year‑old Kildare councillor Willie Crowley. Klasinski was speeding, did not brake or sound his horn, and fled the scene. He was later arrested after hiding in a friend's house. Crowley died from head injuries at Naas Hospital a few days later. Klasinski pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death and faces a custodial sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The court heard that Klasinski had 13 prior traffic convictions, had been disqualified from driving in 2016, and had a history of drunk driving. Witnesses described the impact as sending Crowley airborne, and the road was wet with poor lighting. The judge noted Klasinski's speed was far above the 50 km/h limit, possibly up to 80 km/h, and adjourned sentencing to 12 May.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court sentenced two men for their involvement in a drugs operation involving heroin with an estimated street value of €560,000. Michael White (42) and Gareth Prior (35) pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine and heroin for sale or supply on December 9, 2015. Judge Patricia Ryan imposed a six-year sentence on White, with the final three years suspended. She noted White had no previous convictions and expressed deep regret. Prior received a 12-year sentence, with the final three years suspended. The judge acknowledged Prior's lack of recent garda attention and his efforts in self-education, despite his 17 previous convictions, including three for drug dealing. During the raid on White's house in Clondalkin, gardaí found cocaine worth €68,000 and paraphernalia. A search of a house linked to Prior in Newbridge revealed €175,000 worth of cocaine, €3,360 worth of ketamine, and €9,740 worth of herbal cannabis, for which Prior accepted responsibility. Judge Ryan cited the quantity and type of drugs as an aggravating factor but recognized both men's early guilty pleas and acceptance of responsibility.
Larry Connors, 23, of Rathcurragh, Newbridge, Co Kildare, pleaded guilty to endangerment and dangerous driving during a "mad cap chase" on 1 May 2014. He was sentenced by the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to six years' imprisonment, with the final two years suspended, and a 20‑year driving ban. The Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal, ruling the sentence was within the judge's discretion. The case involved Connors travelling westbound on the N81, weaving through traffic and overtaking vehicles, while Gardaí pursued him. He was observed deliberately ramming his car, which was insured and registered to him. At the time of the offence he was disqualified from driving. Connors had 51 prior convictions, 44 of which were for road traffic offences, and was described as a "committed persistent offender." The appeal was dismissed by Mr Justice John Hedigan, who noted that deterrence must play a part in sentencing and that wild driving is unacceptable.
Damien Klasinski, 29, of The Oaks, Newbridge, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to dangerous driving that caused the death of Kildare councillor Willie Crowley, 56, on 15 December 2015. Crowley died a few days later at Naas Hospital. Klasinski was remanded in continuing custody until 3 May, when a summary of the evidence will be heard. Judge Martin Nolan ordered a victim impact report to be prepared by Crowley's widow.
Michelle Butterworth, 56, was sentenced to one year in prison for her role in a credit‑card fraud gang that operated over three weekends in September and October 2016. The gang travelled to Ireland from the UK, using fake credit cards to purchase high‑value goods worth €8,875, including Sony Playstations, Gucci watches, Samsung and Apple smartphones, and a Claddagh ring. Butterworth admitted her involvement and identified her accomplices after one of them nearly ran her over while fleeing from Gardaí. She had 31 prior convictions for similar fraud and theft offences in the UK, plus a conviction for running a brothel. Her defence counsel argued that she committed the offences to repay a loan taken to bury her husband, who died in 2013. Judge Karen O'Connor noted her early plea and imposed a one‑year sentence back‑dated to October 2016. The case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Michelle Butterworth pleaded guilty.
Michelle Butterworth, 56, of Stanley Street, Rochdale, faces jail after pleading guilty to 13 credit card fraud offences committed over three weekends in September and October 2016. The offences occurred in Galway, Kildare and Dublin, where she and a gang used high‑quality fake credit cards to purchase €8,875 worth of goods, including Sony Playstations, Gucci watches, Samsung and Apple smartphones and a Claddagh ring. The gang targeted Field's Jewellers, Argos and Gamestop, exploiting a loyalty scheme and manual card entry to bypass security checks. Garda James Codd reported that the gang was apprehended after staff became suspicious and a surveillance operation led to arrests at a petrol station. Butterworth admitted her role, identified accomplices and claimed the fraud was to repay a loan taken to bury her husband, who died in 2013. Judge Karen O'Connor remanded her in continuing custody on 10 March, when a sentence will be imposed.
Zoltan Almasi, a 44‑year‑old Hungarian national, was sentenced to life imprisonment on 16 March 2016 for the murder of 20‑year‑old Joseph Dunne, who was struck with a baseball bat at their shared Harbour View address in Naas on 16 May 2014. Almasi pleaded not guilty, but a jury of twelve found him guilty after four days of deliberation. He had been in custody since the offence and had three prior traffic convictions. The court heard CCTV footage of Almasi raising a bat and fleeing the scene, and forensic evidence of a single fatal blow to Dunne's head. Almasi's wife and step‑son had previously lived in Naas but had moved to Canada; his three children live in Hungary. The sentence was back‑dated to his arrest date. The Dunne family delivered victim impact statements describing Joseph as a kind, gentle, family‑loving young man who loved horses and was a devoted son, brother and friend.
A murder trial at the Central Criminal Court heard that a young Kildare man was struck twice with a baseball bat by a man identified as Zoltan Almasi (44) of Harbour View, Naas, Co Kildare. Almasi is charged with murdering Joseph Dunne at the same address on May 16, 2014. On Monday, Almasi pleaded not guilty to the charge. The prosecution called Alana Piercy, who testified that she witnessed the incident. She described seeing a man with a baseball bat strike Joseph Dunne on the back and then on the side of his head. The witness also described the man as small, skinny, baldy-haired, and wearing glasses. Richard Conway testified that he encountered two youths who attempted to provoke him and heard the sound of someone kicking or thumping a car more than twice. Anita Ryan, a nurse, stated she saw a man holding a baseball bat and heard him say, 'I've seen what you have done to my car.' She administered first aid to Joseph Dunne before making a 999 call. Derek Ryan, a member of the Naas Fire Service, testified that he observed a large lump on the deceased's head. Detective Garda Niall Lennon provided evidence regarding finger and palm marks found at the scene and on the deceased, as well as a baseball bat recovered from a house in the Harbour View area. The trial continues.
Seamus Morgan, 49, of Athy, Co Kildare, was sentenced to life imprisonment at the Central Criminal Court for the murder of Laurence Keane, 56. A jury of three men and nine women returned a unanimous guilty verdict after deliberating for three hours and six minutes. Mr Justice Robert Eagar imposed the life sentence, backdating it to April 23, 2014, the date Morgan entered custody. Morgan had previously pleaded not guilty to the charge. The court heard that Keane was beaten in a lane-way in Athy on July 18, 2013, suffering severe blunt force trauma to the head, and died the following day. Evidence included witness testimony of a scuffle and forensic analysis of blood stains on the accused's runners, which matched Keane's DNA profile. Morgan has eight previous convictions, including a 2005 manslaughter conviction for the stabbing death of James Hand outside a Dublin pub, for which he received an eight-year sentence. The victim's family read a statement describing Keane as a disabled man and expressing the lasting impact of his death. The judge exempted the jury from service for four years.
In a 2016 murder trial, forensic evidence showed that blood stains on a pair of runners owned by Seamus Morgan (49) matched the DNA profile of the deceased, Laurence Keane (56). The DNA match was derived from stains on the toe and tongue areas of the runners, with a probability of less than one in a thousand million that the profile came from anyone other than Keane. Morgan was charged with Keane's murder on 19 July 2013, pleaded not guilty, and was re‑arrested on 23 April 2014 after new evidence emerged. The prosecution presented witness statements from Keane's niece and others who observed Morgan and Keane together in the days before the murder. The trial was ongoing, with the judge scheduled to address the jury the following day.
In a murder trial at the Central Criminal Court, Seamus Morgan (49) pleaded not guilty to the killing of Laurence Keane (56) on 19 July 2013. The prosecution argued that Keane was badly battered in the head with an iron bar in a lane‑way near St John's Lane, Athy, between 11.30 and 11.45 pm on 18 July 2013, and died the next morning at Naas General Hospital. A post‑mortem found blunt‑force trauma and four skull fractures. Witnesses, including young men on bicycles, testified they saw Morgan assault Keane. DNA evidence linked blood on a pair of Adidas runners found at Morgan's home to Keane's post‑mortem sample. CCTV and other evidence showed Morgan and Keane together that night, and a motive of long‑standing ill‑will was presented. Morgan was arrested on 25 July 2013, rearrested in April 2014, and the trial continues.
Stephen Lyons, 23, of Newbridge, appealed a four‑year sentence for assaulting a Filipino national on 31 October 2010. The original judge, Michael O'Shea, had rejected evidence that Lyons acted in excessive self‑defence. The Court of Appeal, led by Justice George Birmingham, found the sentence unduly severe and imposed a new term of two‑and‑a‑half years' imprisonment, with the final 15 months suspended. Lyons had claimed that the victim, after a confrontation, thrust a knife at him and that he fled, only to be pursued and punched, resulting in a scrotal stab. Witnesses testified to kicks to the victim's head. Lyons had no prior convictions, a positive probation report, and had been denied a career in the army because of the conviction. The appeal was granted on the basis that the sentencing judge had not been properly notified of the self‑defence evidence. Stephen Lyons pleaded not guilty.
Three burglars—James Cash (28), Thomas Wall (23), and William Wall (32)—were convicted at Cork Circuit Criminal Court on four burglary counts committed in Cork City on 1–2 December 2012. They had been acquitted of three other burglary counts and of possessing burglary implements. Cash received a seven‑year sentence with one year suspended; the Walls each received seven years with two years suspended. On appeal, all three had their sentences reduced. Cash was sentenced to four years with 21 months suspended, giving an effective custodial term of 3 years 9 months. The Walls each received four years with two years suspended, giving an effective custodial term of 2 years 10 months. The appeal court noted Cash's extensive prior record and the Walls' lack of significant convictions, and adjusted the starting points accordingly. The new sentences were imposed by Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin on 4 February 2014.
In a fast‑track Commercial Court hearing, the Bank of Ireland Mortgage Bank sought a €2.8 million judgment against Kieran Carew and his wife Pauline Harty of Newbridge, County Kildare, for alleged failure to repay two loans drawn in late 2006. The first loan, €2.6 million, was used to purchase nine residential and buy‑to‑let properties and was to be repaid over 300 months, with the first seven years interest‑only. The second loan, €535,000, was intended to settle debts to another lender and was to be repaid over 168 months. The bank claims it engaged in discussions with the couple in late 2013 and early 2014, offered to amend the first loan's terms, but the couple did not accept.
In a High Court decision, Thomas Tougher, the former owner of Tougher Oil Distributors Ltd (TODL), was found not entitled to maintain a lis pendens over several petrol stations in the restructured company. Tougher had registered the claim in November to prevent what he alleged was asset stripping by the new owner, John O'Regan, and to secure assets for a separate breach‑of‑contract action. The court vacated the lis pendens, deeming it unsustainable, but left the breach‑of‑contract claim standing, recognising it as a potentially viable claim. Tougher's claim centred on alleged misappropriation of €200,000 during the company's examinership, a matter that had surfaced after O'Regan's acquisition. O'Regan argued the lis pendens hindered refinancing and a potential sale of a forecourt operation to a national retailer. The judge noted that while the lis pendens was removed, the breach‑of‑contract claim remained, as it was considered stateable and sustainable.
In a Special Criminal Court hearing in Dublin, James Brennan (45) and Joseph Kirwan (39) pleaded guilty to possession of explosive substances linked to a Continuity IRA pipe bomb factory. Brennan admitted manufacturing pipe bomb casings at his Newbridge home, while Kirwan was found welding components in a shed. Gardaí discovered six completed casings, a welder, grinder, welding masks, steel lengths, and other materials. Brennan, with 20 years in security, claimed he had distanced himself from republican activity and was placed in a non‑aligned cell at Portlaoise Prison. Kirwan, holding a mechanical engineering degree, expressed regret and pledged not to engage in future criminal acts. The court sentenced Brennan to seven years' imprisonment, suspending four years, and Kirwan to six years, suspending four years, with both sentences back‑dated to the arrest on 28 February 2013. The sentences reflect the court's view that the suspensions were appropriate given the defendants' undertakings.
In a Special Criminal Court hearing, Joseph Kirwan, aged 39, pleaded guilty to possessing pipe‑bomb materials and other explosives. He admitted owning six complete casings for a plate‑type pipe‑bomb, a Parva welder, a grinder with blades, welding masks, steel lengths and other related items. The items were found at the home of co‑accused James Brennan, 44, on 28 February 2013. Kirwan's case was scheduled for sentencing on 17 December, the same date as Brennan's related matter.
In a Special Criminal Court hearing, Joseph Kirwan, aged 39 from Closelands, Ballybrittas, pleaded guilty to possessing pipe‑bomb materials and other explosives. He admitted to holding six complete casings for a plate‑type pipe‑bomb, a Parva welder, a grinder with blades, welding masks, steel lengths and related items at the home of co‑accused James Brennan on 28 February 2013. Brennan, 44, had earlier pleaded guilty to the same offence. The court set a sentencing date of 17 December, with the presiding judge noting the case would be listed then.