Sarah Nolan, a 22‑year‑old science student from Blackrock, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm after she threw a glass at student nurse Hannah Foster at a Temple Bar nightclub on 23 September 2011. Nolan claimed she intended only to splash water over Foster, who was speaking to Nolan's late boyfriend, Ciaran Carr, but the glass struck Foster's mouth, damaging her teeth and causing nerve injury. Foster was treated at Dublin Dental University Hospital and requires costly ongoing care. Nolan, who was in her final year at Tallaght IT and had earned an An Gaisce President's Award, paid €5,000 in compensation and was sentenced to one year in prison, suspended for two years, with an additional €3,000 compensation order. The judge noted the reckless nature of the act and the pain inflicted on Foster.
Sashi Buti, a 19‑year‑old former Blackrock college rugby player, was sentenced in June for robbing a taxi driver on 23 August 2014. He and another man forced the driver to take them to St Michael's Estate, where Buti assaulted the driver, robbed his iPhone, SatNav and €220, and left his passport, mobile phone and a necklace in the taxi. After the assault he reported the passport as lost at a Garda station. The driver suffered tenderness and swelling, and the stolen items were never recovered. Buti pleaded guilty at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The judge described his reporting of the passport as a "clever ploy" and noted that he had no prior convictions. The case was adjourned to 13 June, with a report from Probation Services required.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 21 April 2015, Ulster Bank presented evidence that several individuals had withdrawn money fraudulently during a software failure that allowed ATM withdrawals even when accounts were empty. The court heard that Titilayo Kilanko, aged 38, had pleaded guilty to ten counts of theft for making 115 fraudulent withdrawals totalling €57,708 from Ulster Bank ATMs in Dublin between June 2012 and the time of her arrest. Kilanko claimed the money was used to pay for her father's kidney transplant in Nigeria, where she had flown with the cash and converted it to naira. She had repaid €4,600 and was continuing to pay €100 a week, with a plan to increase to €200. The judge adjourned sentencing to allow the defence to obtain medical records from Nigeria. The case highlighted the bank's decision to prosecute other offenders who failed to repay the withdrawn sums.
In the Central Criminal Court, Frank O'Hara's two‑page victim impact statement was read by prosecution barrister Seán Guerin SC. He described his daughter Elaine as intelligent, emotionally vulnerable, and a future teacher who had earned a BA in Montessori Education. He recounted her disappearance in August 2012, initially presumed a suicide, and the subsequent discovery of her remains in September 2013, which shifted the investigation to murder. O'Hara expressed anguish over media coverage that he felt was insulting and over the questioning of his evidence's credibility. He highlighted unanswered questions about the circumstances of Elaine's death, including whether she was restrained or left to die alone. He concluded that the family's experience is a "life sentence" with no parole, emphasizing the ongoing pain and lack of closure.
David Manning, 45, of Brighton Terrace, Monkstown, Dun Laoghaire, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to 16 theft charges for stealing €46,691 from the State by claiming his dead aunt Mary Hegarty's pension. The thefts occurred between February 2010 and August 2013, with 115 sample counts. Manning had been Hegarty's full‑time carer until her death in February 2010. He admitted to collecting the pension for three years, using the money for funeral costs, medical bills, nursing home expenses and a neighbour's roof repairs. Garda Orla Meehan confirmed the thefts with CCTV footage from Blackrock Post Office. Manning informed on himself and repaid the full amount. Judge Martin Nolan sentenced him to three years' imprisonment, suspended in full, citing his self‑incrimination and restitution as mitigating factors.
Graham Dwyer, 42, charged with the murder of 36‑year‑old childcare worker Elaine O'Hara, was interviewed by Gardaí after his arrest. He repeatedly denied any involvement, stating he was "not a killer; I'm not a saint" and expressed confusion over why he was being questioned. During the first interview at Blackrock Garda Station, he asked how he was connected to the case and questioned the relevance of forensic evidence. In a second interview, when shown a photograph of O'Hara, he reiterated his innocence and expressed fear of being portrayed in the media. Gardaí explained that the case would be tried by a judge and jury and urged him to consult his solicitor. The matter was scheduled for trial before Mr Justice Tony Hunt with a jury of five women and seven men.
The Central Criminal Court jury heard technical evidence on the 27th day of the trial of Graham Dwyer, who is charged with murdering Elaine O'Hara at Killakee, Rathfarnham on 22nd August 2012. Mr Dwyer, aged 42, has pleaded not guilty to the charge. Witnesses including telecommunications engineers provided detailed mobile phone records and data covering periods before and after the alleged offence. The court also heard from a woman who had engaged Mr Dwyer's architectural services in County Galway in 2009, and from witnesses who placed him at various locations during July 2012. A Ballyshannon hotel proprietor testified to his movements that month. The State's case is that the killing occurred hours after Ms O'Hara's discharge from a mental health facility. Her remains were discovered at Killakee in September 2013. The trial continues before Mr Justice Tony Hunt and a jury of five women and seven men.
Dan Cirpaci, a 26‑year‑old Romanian, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for stealing almost €13,000 from two women who were deceived at separate ATM machines. In each incident the women were told they had dropped a €10 note, after which their cards were swapped for others without their knowledge. Cirpaci used the stolen cards to make unauthorized purchases at shops, post offices and off‑licenses, totaling €12,795. He pleaded guilty to four counts, including €200 from Anne O'Reilly on 17 November 2012, €898 from Ms O'Reilly at Blackrock Post Office the same day, and €899 each from Valerie Casey at Leonard's Corner and Rathmines Post Offices on 19 November 2012. He faced 30 counts in total; the judge suspended the last year of a three‑year sentence. Both women were reimbursed by their banks. The case was heard in 2015.
The trial of Graham Dwyer at the Central Criminal Court heard testimony from two men who met Elaine O'Hara on the alternative‑sexuality website alt.com. Robert Cullen Jones, who met O'Hara in March 2011, described their meetings in Dundrum Shopping Centre and at her apartment in Stepaside, noting her interest in bondage and the presence of handcuffs and vibrators. He also recalled receiving texts from her and later deleting her number. Seán Guerin SC presented items recovered from Vartry Reservoir, including a butt plug, and questioned the witness about her sexual fantasies. Mark Guerin, another alt.com user, recounted meetings with O'Hara in Blackrock and Stepaside, describing her restraints and references to self‑harm. The jury heard that O'Hara was last seen on 22 August 2012, her remains found at Killakee on 13 September 2013, with no cause of death determined. The case remains before Mr Justice Tony Hunt and a jury.
The trial of 42‑year‑old architect Graham Dwyer, charged with the murder of 36‑year‑old childcare worker Elaine O'Hara, has heard evidence that items recovered from a Wicklow lake in October 2013 matched O'Hara's personal belongings. Glasses found in the lake were shown to have the same prescription and frames as those prescribed to O'Hara, and a set of keys recovered from the water matched keys to her car and home. The items, which included bondage cuffs, a leather mask, a ball gag, a blindfold, a knife, a rope, a chain, a Nokia mobile phone, a white vibrator, a black anal plug, a red battery‑operated device, a red kidney‑shaped object, a ski mask, a gold bracelet, a Tesco Mobile SIM card, a metal band, a pair of sunglasses, a pair of glasses, a pair of shorts and a Real Madrid dressing gown, were presented to the jury.
Michael McKevitt, a 65‑year‑old former dissident republican leader serving a 20‑year sentence for directing terrorism, lost a High Court case seeking early release on the basis of his participation in structured prison activities. He argued that courses in computing, speech, drama, art, French, yoga and an Open University creative writing course entitled him to a one‑third remission and immediate release. The Minister for Justice was allowed to refuse remission, citing the risk of re‑offending and Garda submissions that McKevitt would re‑engage in senior dissident activity upon release. Judge Peter Kelly upheld the Minister's decision, noting that engagement in authorised activities does not automatically reduce the likelihood of re‑offending and that the Minister had ample material to refuse remission. McKevitt's scheduled release remains July 2016, based on the normal one‑quarter remission.
In November 2014 a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that Dan Cirpaci, a 26‑year‑old Romanian man, had stolen nearly €13,000 from two women by swapping their bank cards at ATMs. The victims, Anne O'Reilly (aged 79) and Valerie Casey, were tricked into believing they had dropped a €10 note and were handed a different card. Cirpaci used the stolen cards to make unauthorized purchases at shops, post offices and off‑licenses, totaling €12,795. He pleaded guilty to four counts of theft, with 26 other counts to be considered. The court remanded him on continuing bail for sentencing on 18 November. Both women were reimbursed by their banks for the amounts taken from their accounts. Cirpaci had 43 prior convictions and had been in Ireland for ten years. The case was heard by Judge Desmond Hogan.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court case, 32‑year‑old Fergus Gallagher pleaded guilty to assault causing harm after slashing the ear of Italian rugby fan Andrea Muggetti with a teacup on 25 February 2012 at Sinnott's Pub. Muggetti required 45 stitches and suffered lasting disfigurement and pain, with a medical report indicating reduced eye closure and ongoing ear pain. Muggetti's financial loss was assessed at €20,491. Gallagher, who had four prior convictions, was ordered to pay €15,000 in instalments to Muggetti and to surrender the €10,000 he had previously paid as a token of remorse. He received a three‑year suspended sentence and was remanded in custody pending further proceedings. The court noted Gallagher's admission of intoxication, depression, and his subsequent participation in Alcoholics Anonymous.
Former Rehab CEO Angela Kerins launched High Court proceedings against the Dáil Public Accounts Committee (PAC) after she claimed her job loss and health decline were caused by unfair questioning during a PAC hearing on February 27, 2014. Kerins alleges the PAC acted unlawfully, biased, and outside its remit, and that members engaged in a "witch hunt." She seeks orders restraining the PAC from further examining her employment with Rehab, from publishing reports linking her remuneration to Rehab, and from compelling her to attend future hearings. Kerins also requests damages for personal injury and reputational harm, and declarations that the PAC lacks jurisdiction over Rehab's expenditures. The case was granted ex‑parte permission by Justice John Hedigan, with a return date of November 4. Kerins' statement emphasizes her distress and the need for legal protection of her rights as a private citizen.
A solicitor and senior executive with a well known Dublin law firm has been awarded €120,000 in damages for injuries sustained after being struck by a car while cycling to work. Mr Justice Michael Hanna stated that Julian Yarr, Managing Partner of A&L Goodbody, suffered 'very serious injuries' following a road traffic accident on the Rock Road, Blackrock Co Dublin on July 26th 2011. The court was informed that Mr Yarr sustained broken ribs, as well as injuries to his neck, shoulders and hands. Mr Yarr, of Marlborough Road Glenageary Co Dublin, sued the driver of the vehicle, Mr Brian Biggins of Culleen, Headford, Co Galway. It was alleged that as Mr Yarr approached the entrance to the Blackrock Clinic, the defendant turned from the opposite side of the road and struck Mr Yarr, who was thrown into the air, over the defendant's car and into the path of oncoming traffic. It was claimed the defendant drove in a negligent manner resulting in injuries to Mr Yarr. Liability in the action had been admitted. The matter was before the Court for assessment of damages only. In his judgment, Mr Justice Michael Hanna noted that it was fortunate Mr Yarr had been wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, as the injuries could have been more severe. Following the accident, Mr Yarr was taken to St Vincents Hospital, where he was kept for eight days. After considering all the evidence, Mr Justice Hanna said Mr Yarr was entitled to a total of €120,000 in damages.
Michael McKevitt, a former Real IRA leader, lost his latest attempt to have his appeal over a 2003 conviction for directing terrorism heard by the Supreme Court. He argued that a 2012 Supreme Court ruling had found a Garda search warrant used in a separate case invalid because it was issued by a Garda superintendent involved in the case, and claimed a warrant used to search his home was similarly invalid. The State rejected his claims, arguing the 2012 decision could not be applied retrospectively and that McKevitt had not challenged the use of evidence gathered under the warrant during his trial. The Court of Criminal Appeal, comprising Justices John MacMenamin, Brian McGovern and John Edwards, found McKevitt's application "entirely misconceived" and refused to refer it to the Supreme Court. McKevitt, 63, from Blackrock, Co. Louth, denied the charges on which he was jailed and had previously lost appeals in 2005 and 2008.
In a Swords District Court hearing on 21 January 2014, Cillian Mahoney, aged 22, was charged with assaulting two men outside The Wright Venue nightclub on 25 November 2012. The court adjourned the case to 24 March, noting that Garda interviews had been completed and the case was ready for hearing. Judge Dermot Dempsey remanded Mahoney on continuing bail pending the March hearing. In a separate matter, Fortunato Nardoni, 28, was subject to a bench warrant for failing to appear in court over a no‑insurance driving charge dated 10 December 2012. Judge Dempsey issued the warrant after Nardoni did not attend. A third defendant, David Fortune, 32, was charged with possession of a knife on 26 December 2013. A bench warrant was issued after he failed to appear, and the court adjourned his case to 17 February, remanding him on his own bond. All proceedings were conducted under the jurisdiction of Swords District Court.
Graham Dwyer, a 41‑year‑old architect from Cork living in Foxrock, has been charged with the murder of 37‑year‑old childcare worker Elaine O'Hara, whose decomposed body was found in the Dublin mountains. The court heard that Gardaí have taken over 300 statements and collected more than 800 exhibits. Dwyer was remanded in custody for another four weeks after the judge confirmed he was entitled to free legal aid. He appeared via videolink before Judge Grainne Malone at Cloverhill District Court, where the judge accepted his statement of means and granted legal aid. Dwyer confirmed he wanted solicitor Jonathan Dunphy to represent him. The case remains at an advanced stage, with a file expected to go to the DPP in the next two weeks. The inquest into O'Hara's death has been adjourned pending criminal proceedings.