Court archive
Court reports mentioning Prosperous, Kildare
2024-11-27 · Kildare
Peter Gleeson, a bus driver for Go‑Ahead Ireland Bus Ltd, was dismissed in December 2022 after CCTV footage showed him using a mobile phone while driving. The incident, which occurred on 24 November 2022 near Prosperous, Co. Kildare, involved a van colliding with the bus's side mirror. Gleeson claimed he was uncertain whether he used his phone or radio to report the crash and later drove for another half hour before a tyre blew out. Go‑Ahead's disciplinary officer, Keith McDonnell, deemed the use of a mobile device while driving gross misconduct and dismissed Gleeson immediately. Gleeson's union, SIPTU, argued the sanction was too harsh and that the investigation was flawed, citing a lack of a collective agreement on CCTV use. The Workplace Relations Commission rejected Gleeson's unfair dismissal claim, finding the dismissal proportionate given the risk of distraction and injury. The tribunal noted Gleeson's willingness to return to driving after more than a year.
2024-10-30 · Kildare
A 16‑year‑old girl was gang‑raped by Patrick Kelly (22) and Joseph Byrne (44) in a Kildare town between March and June 2020. The attacks occurred in a car, Byrne's home, and two fields, with the men alternating vaginal, oral and anal rape. The victim, now 21, gave a victim impact statement via video link, describing the men as "the monsters in her dreams" and detailing the physical and emotional pain she endured. Justice Paul McDermott sentenced Kelly to 13½ years, with the final two years suspended, and Byrne to 15 years, both under strict post‑release supervision and prohibited from contacting the victim. The court noted the repeated, non‑consensual nature of the assaults and the victim's vulnerability. The sentencing reflected the severity of the gang‑rape and the men's disregard for her protests. The case was heard at the Central Criminal Court. Joseph Byrne pleaded guilty and was convicted.
2024-05-01 · Kildare
Caitlin Kavanagh, a part‑time takeaway worker at Goodwill Catering Ltd (the Peony Garden) in Prosperous, Co. Kildare, was dismissed by text after she requested a €1‑per‑hour raise for additional tasks the new owner demanded. The owner, who claimed Kavanagh had left "happy" and received a €300 "golden handshake", was found by the Workplace Relations Commission to have breached her fundamental rights. The tribunal heard that the owner sent multiple texts on 27 June 2023 stating she was no longer an employee and that Kavanagh would need to sign a new contract to keep her job. No dismissal procedures were followed. The commission awarded Kavanagh €896 in compensation, covering eight weeks' wages. The case confirms the dismissal was unfair under the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977.
2020-03-27 · Kildare
Ms Indira Attride, a former administrative employee of Canopus BioPharma Ltd, a partnership in Straffan, Co Kildare, claims she was unfairly dismissed and was awarded €28,513 by a rights commissioner. The partnership ceased trading and one partner went bankrupt, leaving no assets. The Department of Social Protection refused to pay her from the Social Insurance Fund, stating that only one partner's bankruptcy sufficed for a claim. Ms Attride, represented by John Kennedy SC, argues that the State's refusal breaches EU Directives on workers' entitlements and that Irish law fails to cover employees of partnerships. She seeks orders for the Minister to pay her the awards from the fund, to align Irish law with EU law, and declarations that the State is in breach of EU Directives. Mr Justice Sanfey granted permission ex‑parte and adjourned the case to a later date.
2019-07-02 · Kildare
In July 2014, Bogdan Hainal (28), a Romanian national, participated in a violent robbery at the home of Paul and Patrick Kenny, both in their sixties, in Prosperous, Co Kildare. The raiders arrived in a black BMW, entered Patrick's bedsit, tied him with neckties, threatened him, and demanded money. They beat him, stabbed his hand and arm, and tied him to a sink with a rubber inner tube while covering his eyes with a woolly hat. The ordeal lasted one hour and six minutes. Hainal pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary on 8 July 2014. Judge Patricia Ryan set a headline sentence of 11 years, suspending the final two years on the condition that Hainal stay away from the victims for 30 years and engage with Probation Services. The victims described fear for their lives, and Paul Kenny was hospitalised for six weeks, while Patrick Kenny has suffered high blood pressure and will require lifelong medication.
2019-02-25 · Dublin
A jury of six men and six women was sworn in by Mr Justice Michael White for the trial of Laura Kenna, 37, who is accused of attempting to murder Fionnuala Burke on Lower Drumcondra Road in Dublin on 3 January 2017. Kenna pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to both the attempted murder charge and an assault charge with intent to cause serious harm. The jury was told the trial would last about six days, and it will begin tomorrow before Ms Justice Tara Burns.
2015-12-10 · Kildare
Adrian Doyle, 35, of Lakelands, Naas, pleaded guilty in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to cultivating cannabis and possessing cannabis herb at a rented property in Church View Lawns, Prosperous, Co Kildare, in May 2014. Garda Eoghan O'Neill stopped Doyle's car at a checkpoint on St Johns Road, Dublin, where a cannabis smell was detected. Cannabis herb worth €4,428 was seized from the vehicle, and a subsequent search of the Prosperous address uncovered 24 early‑stage cannabis plants valued at €19,200, almost 2½ kg of dried herb worth €48,886, books on cultivation, bank slips, Doyle's phone, and €26,000 in cash in a laundry basket. Judge Martin Nolan noted the cash may include redundancy payment residue and profit from cannabis sales, and imposed a three‑year jail sentence. Doyle had no prior convictions, was described as remorseful, and had worked in financial services before losing his job during the downturn.