A judge at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court has ordered the return of cash stolen from a Leitrim takeaway after it was recovered from an employee at Dublin Airport. Vlad Emanuel Blanaru was stopped by customs officers on August 30, 2015, as he and his girlfriend prepared to board a flight to Amsterdam. Officers discovered over €6,900 in cash that gardaí in Carrick-on-Shannon later established had been taken from the safe at Marius Takeaway in Drumshanbo the previous day. Blanaru, of Carrick Road, Drumshanbo, claimed he had earned the money through his work at the establishment, though he later told the customs officer he intended to purchase an engagement ring. The takeaway owner subsequently reported the theft, stating €7,600 had been stolen, including €3,000 belonging to an employee. Judge Melanie Greally concluded the seized cash represented proceeds of theft and ordered its return to the rightful owners rather than forfeiture to the State.
In a High Court hearing set for December 15, Fine Gael TD John Perry challenges the party's handling of the October 16 selection convention for the Sligo‑Leitrim constituency. Perry, who was not chosen to stand, seeks orders against Fine Gael trustees, alleging the convention's outcome was unlawful and fundamentally flawed. He claims serious irregularities, including members recorded as present and voting when they were absent, members whose votes were not recorded, and two previously unknown members added to the voting list. Perry also cites cases where members were recorded as voting despite not attending, and others who claimed to have voted but were not recorded. He argues the party failed to act because he did not lodge a complaint on the night to the returning officer. Fine Gael opposes the application, and both sides have agreed to a pre‑trial exchange of expert evidence summaries to expedite the hearing.
A 22-year-old man from Clonmel, County Tipperary, has been granted bail by the Special Criminal Court ahead of trial scheduled for October. Dylan Cahill faces charges of membership of an unlawful organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army, alleged to have occurred on 13 May 2015. He is also charged with possession of a .380 calibre semi-automatic pistol and four rounds of matching ammunition at Sradrine, Glefame, County Leitrim on the same date, in circumstances giving rise to reasonable inference the items were not lawfully held. Additionally, Mr Cahill is charged with possession of two improvised explosive devices at the same location. Detective Garda Mark Benson told the court that Mr Cahill was arrested at Manorhamilton, County Leitrim, on 15 May and made no reply to the charges. An independent surety of €20,000 was frozen in a bank account. Trial is set for 16 October 2015.
Three men appeared before the Special Criminal Court at trial, facing alleged IRA-related charges arising from an ongoing investigation into dissident republican activities. Séamus McGrane, 60, of Co Louth, was charged with directing the activities of an unlawful organisation styling itself the IRA and membership of that organisation between December 2009 and May 2015. He made no reply to the charges and was remanded in custody until May 20. Donal O Coisdealbha, 23, of Dublin 15, was charged with IRA membership and possession of a time and power unit, a component of an improvised explosive device, found in a storage locker at NUI Maynooth. He also made no reply and was remanded in custody until May 20, with his solicitor indicating a bail application would be made. Dylan Cahill, 22, of Co Tipperary, was charged with IRA membership, possession of a .380 calibre Colt semi-automatic pistol, four rounds of ammunition, and two pipe bombs in Co Leitrim. He made no reply to the charges. A proposed bail application for the following Tuesday was opposed by the DPP due to Garda operational constraints. The court remanded Mr Cahill in custody until June 9, granting him liberty to apply for bail before that date. All three accused were identified in the dock by detective sergeants, and no pleas or findings were recorded at this procedural stage.
The High Court in Dublin has ordered the extradition of two convicted murderers to the United Kingdom, though a stay has been placed on their surrender pending appeal. Mr Justice John Edwards directed that Anthony Craig, aged 66, and Michael Anthony Balmer, aged 62, be surrendered to UK authorities. Craig was convicted of murder in Blackburn in 1973, while Balmer received a life sentence in 1984 for a fatal attack in Devon. Craig, who escaped from British custody after serving 28 years and subsequently lived in Cork and Leitrim, was arrested in Dublin in February 2013. Balmer, released on licence in 2012, was arrested in Cork after his licence was revoked. The judge granted Craig bail under strict conditions during the stay. Mr Justice Edwards determined that constitutional questions raised by the defence warranted referral to the Supreme Court as matters of exceptional public importance.
A man from Drumshanbo, County Leitrim, has had his sentence reduced by two years following an appeal against his conviction for dangerous driving causing death. James McDonagh, aged 54, pleaded guilty to causing the death of Jonathan Gray on St Patrick's Day 2010 on the Hilly Road in Drumshanbo. McDonagh was originally sentenced to seven years imprisonment, with the final eighteen months suspended, at Carrick-on-Shannon Circuit Criminal Court in May 2012. The Court of Appeal has now reduced this to five years with one year suspended. The President of the Court of Appeal found that the trial judge erred in principle by beginning sentencing at the maximum point of the scale. The court noted McDonagh's guilty plea, his engagement in rehabilitation during incarceration, and positive references. However, the judges emphasised the serious nature of the offence, noting McDonagh was heavily intoxicated and had left the scene. His ten-year driving disqualification remains in effect.
The High Court has adjourned extradition proceedings against two convicted murderers until November 18th. Anthony Craig, aged 66, was convicted of murder in Blackburn in 1973 and escaped from an English prison before coming to Ireland, where he subsequently lived in Cork and Leitrim. Michael Anthony Balmer, aged 62, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1984 for a killing in Devon. In July, Mr Justice John Edwards indicated he would surrender both men to UK authorities. However, their legal representatives sought to appeal to the Supreme Court, arguing the cases raise questions of exceptional public importance concerning constitutional protections against preventative detention. Mr Justice Edwards has now agreed to refer both matters to the Supreme Court on a single reformulated question relating to whether surrender would breach constitutional safeguards under Article 40.4. The cases remain adjourned pending preparation of the approved judgment, following which notice of appeal may be served.
High Court judge Mr Justice John Edwards granted leave to appeal to the Supreme Court for two convicted murderers facing extradition to the UK. The applicants are Anthony Craig, 66, and Michael Anthony Balmer, 62. Craig was convicted in 1973 of murdering a man in Blackburn, England, and escaped from an English prison before being arrested in Ireland in 2013. Balmer, with a last address in Cornwall, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1984 for killing a woman in Devon, England, in 1983. He was conditionally released in 2011, but his license was revoked in 2012, leading to his arrest in Cork. In July, Mr Justice Edwards indicated he was disposed to surrender both men to UK authorities. Counsel for both applicants argued that surrendering them to serve the balance of their life sentences, after serving the punitive tariff, would constitute preventative detention, violating Article 40.4 of the Irish Constitution. The Minister for Justice argued the issues were not of exceptional public importance. However, Mr Justice Edwards determined that the legal question was of exceptional public importance and in the public interest for the Supreme Court to decide. He reformulated the question to address whether such surrender contravenes the Constitution and is prohibited under the European Arrest Warrant Act 2003. The matter was adjourned until October 28, pending the availability of the approved judgment in the Balmer case, after which counsel may serve notice of appeal. No final order was made at this stage.
A man convicted of murder in England in 1973 appeared before the High Court in connection with extradition proceedings. Anthony Craig, aged 66, had escaped from an English prison and subsequently lived in counties Cork and Leitrim before his arrest in February 2013 on foot of a UK extradition warrant. In July, Mr Justice John Edwards determined that Craig should be surrendered to the United Kingdom authorities. Craig now seeks leave to appeal that decision to the Supreme Court. Ms Cathleen Noctor BL, representing the Minister for Justice and Equality, informed the court that written submissions from Craig's legal representatives had been received and would be reviewed. Mr Justice Edwards remanded Craig on continuing bail pending a further hearing scheduled for October 7th.
A 66-year-old man convicted of murder in England in 1977 will be extradited to the United Kingdom following a High Court decision, it was ruled on 2 August 2014. Anthony Craig, who escaped from an English prison and subsequently lived in counties Cork and Leitrim before relocating to south Dublin, was arrested in February 2013 on an extradition warrant. Mr Justice John Edwards determined that Craig's surrender was not prohibited, rejecting arguments raised by his legal team regarding preventative detention and the nature of mandatory life sentences. The judge distinguished Craig's case from previous jurisprudence on Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences, finding that UK mandatory life sentences are equivalent to their Irish counterparts. Craig will remain on bail until 8 September to allow his solicitors to review the judgment and consider pursuing an appeal to the Supreme Court. The bail conditions were tightened to require daily signing at Clondalkin Garda Station. Craig, who had served 28 years before his escape, has complied with bail requirements throughout proceedings.
At the Central Criminal Court, a defence psychiatrist has testified that a man charged with murdering an elderly patient at Cavan General Hospital was unable to refrain from killing due to the withdrawal of anti-psychotic medication. Ian Harman, aged fifty, from Carrigallen in County Cavan, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Michael Treanor at the psychiatric unit on 27 June 2011. Consultant psychiatrist Dr Bob Johnson told the court that Mr Harman's olanzapine medication was discontinued upon admission, causing akathisia, a distressing condition characterised by severe restlessness. Dr Johnson stated that Mr Harman's responsibility for the killing was not merely diminished but destroyed. A clinical pharmacologist also gave evidence for the defence, asserting that Mr Harman should not have been prescribed the medication in the first place. The prosecution challenged these assertions during cross-examination. The trial before Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan continues.
A 66-year-old man is facing potential extradition to the United Kingdom following his escape from an English prison where he was serving a life sentence for murder. The man had completed twenty-eight years of his sentence before absconding and subsequently relocating to Ireland. He has been resident in the State for eight years, latterly in County Leitrim, having previously lived in County Cork. At a hearing in the High Court, counsel for the Minister for Justice and Equality informed the court that the respondent had expressed remorse for his offence and claimed to have been rehabilitated during his time in Ireland. Counsel for the respondent submitted that his current circumstances rather than historical matters ought to be the focus of the proceedings. Mr Justice John Edwards adjourned the matter, with judgment expected on 27 June 2014.
Vincent Banks, aged 44 and resident in Dublin 7, has pleaded not guilty to withholding information relating to the murder of Northern Ireland prison officer David Black. The Special Criminal Court heard evidence that on 8 October 2012, gardaí observed two men travel from Carrigallen in Leitrim to Dublin as part of an ongoing operation into subversive and dissident activity. Detective Sergeant Ciaran Quigley testified he monitored the journey, whilst Detective Sergeant Bronagh Bergin observed Banks meeting the two men at a public house in Phibsborough. Photographs were taken of Banks in their company. David Black, aged 52 and employed at Maghaberry Prison in County Antrim, was fatally shot on the M1 motorway near Lurgan on 1 November 2012. The prosecution case centres on the alleged purchase of a Toyota Camry, subsequently recovered burnt-out near the scene, with ballistic evidence linking it to the shooting. Banks faces the charge of failing to disclose information he knew might assist in prosecuting the murder between October and December 2012. The trial continues before Mr Justice Paul Butler.
The Special Criminal Court trial of Vincent Banks, 44, of Dublin 7, continued before Mr Justice Paul Butler. Banks, who has pleaded not guilty to a charge of withholding information in relation to the murder of Northern Ireland prison officer David Black, faces a separate charge of membership of an unlawful organisation styling itself the IRA. He remains remanded on the membership count, which will proceed immediately upon the judgement on the withholding information count. Evidence was heard from Leitrim County Councillor John McCartin, who stated he contacted gardai in 2012 after complaints about a car parked in a darkened area of Carrigallen. Cllr McCartin testified that he photographed the vehicle on his iPhone and later provided a DVD of backups to Detective Garda Bridget Buckley. Buckley confirmed she analysed the files and identified an image of a Toyota Camry taken on October 14, 2012. The prosecution alleges that the navy-coloured Toyota Camry, registered 94 D 50997, was used to shoot Black on the M1 motorway near Lurgan on November 1, 2012, and that Banks purchased the vehicle. The charge against Banks alleges he failed to disclose information that might assist in securing the apprehension or conviction of another person for the murder. The trial continues.
A Dublin man has pleaded not guilty to withholding information relating to the murder of Northern Ireland prison officer David Black at the Special Criminal Court. Vincent Banks (44), of Smithfield Gate Apartments in Dublin 7, faces a charge of failing to disclose material information between October and December 2012. The prosecution opened its case before the non-jury court on Friday, with counsel outlining evidence that the Toyota Camry used in Mr Black's fatal shooting on the M1 motorway near Lurgan on 1 November 2012 was purchased by the accused. The vehicle was subsequently recovered burnt-out near Inglewood. The prosecution intends to present forensic evidence linking Mr Banks to the vehicle's registration and CCTV footage from a Tallaght retailer. The court heard the car was stored in Carrigallen, County Leitrim, prior to the murder. Mr Banks faces an additional charge of IRA membership on 18 December 2012. The trial continues before Justice Paul Butler on Tuesday.