In the Central Criminal Court, a 22‑year‑old Louth man, Paul Crosby, faced charges of attempting to murder Gerard Boyle twice on 10 November 2016. The first attempt involved 28 stab wounds before Boyle was locked in a car boot and the vehicle was pushed into a canal. The second attempt occurred later that night at Boyne Canal, Drogheda. Dr Asim Rafiq treated Boyle in Drogheda hospital, noting severe shortness of breath, a marked heart rate increase, reduced oxygen levels and multiple sharp‑edge wounds. He performed emergency chest decompression and inserted two chest drains, describing the situation as a surgical emergency that could have resulted in death. Crosby pleaded not guilty to all charges. The trial is proceeding before Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy with a jury of five women and six men.
In a 2018 trial, a 22‑year‑old Louth man, Paul Crosby, was charged with attempting to murder Gerard Boyle twice on 10 November 2016. The first attempt occurred at Knockcommon, Beauparc, Slane, where Boyle was found on the ground near a stop sign, soaked in blood and water, with numerous stab wounds. A paramedic testified that Boyle had 28 puncture wounds, a collapsed lung, and required chest drains. The second attempt took place later that night at Boyne Canal, Drogheda, where Boyle was again stabbed and subsequently locked in a car boot that was pushed into the canal. Crosby pleaded not guilty to attempting to murder, false imprisonment and causing serious harm. The case was heard by Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy with a jury of eleven. The trial continues.
In the Central Criminal Court, Gerard Boyle, aged 22, denied that Paul Crosby was the man who stabbed him 28 times and locked him in a car boot before it was pushed into a canal. Boyle testified that Crosby had previously smashed a window at his home and later called him to discuss a "chat." Boyle agreed to go with Crosby, but when they reached Knockcommon, Crosby stabbed him. Boyle escaped the car, swam to shore, and was later cross‑examined by defence counsel Michael Bowman, who argued that Crosby was not responsible. Boyle maintained that he had named Crosby because he feared the real perpetrator would escape. The trial, presided over by Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy, continues with a jury of eleven, after one juror was discharged due to illness. Paul Crosby pleaded not guilty.
A man from Castleblayney, County Monaghan has been sentenced to life imprisonment following his guilty plea to murder at the Central Criminal Court. Anthony Lambe (34) admitted killing a 43-year-old mother of three in her kitchen on Demesne Road, Dundalk on 6 April 2005. The victim's body was discovered by her mother that morning, bearing 34 stab wounds. The investigation lay dormant for years before a television appeal in 2012 prompted an anonymous call from a woman in Australia, who reported that Lambe had confessed to her. Lambe was arrested in January 2017 and subsequently told gardaí he had been paid to carry out the killing by an individual acting on behalf of another party. He was studying for a doctoral degree in history at the time of his arrest. Justice Patrick McCarthy imposed the mandatory life sentence following Lambe's guilty plea.
A 22‑year‑old Louth man, Paul Crosby, stands trial for attempting to murder Gerard Boyle twice. On 10 November 2016, Crosby stabbed Boyle 28 times in the back of the neck, head and torso, puncturing his lung and causing nerve damage to his right leg. After the stabbing, Crosby forced Boyle into the boot of a car and drove it into Boyne Canal. Boyle escaped the boot, swam to shore and was hospitalized for about two weeks. Crosby pleaded not guilty to attempting to murder, false imprisonment and causing serious harm. The trial is held in the Central Criminal Court, with prosecution led by Patrick Gageby SC and defence by Michael Bowman SC. The case is currently before a jury of twelve.
A 22‑year‑old Louth man, Paul Crosby of Rathmullen Park, Drogheda, is set to appear before the Central Criminal Court on Thursday. He faces charges of attempting to murder Gerard Boyle twice on 10 November 2016, once at Knockcommon, Beauparc, Slane, Co. Meath, and again at Boyne Canal, Drogheda. Crosby also stands accused of causing serious harm to Boyle and of false imprisonment on the same day. He pleaded not guilty to all three charges. The trial, overseen by Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy, will involve a jury of twelve and is expected to last over a week.
A 70-year-old man from Belfast has received a three-year suspended sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for his involvement in a nationwide credit card fraud scheme. Patrick Manning pleaded guilty to multiple counts of theft at various locations between October and December 2016. Gardaí established that fraudulent cards obtained through impersonation of Barclays Bank customers were used to purchase approximately €52,000 worth of goods, including laptops and foreign currency, across locations from Dublin to Donegal. Manning was identified through CCTV footage and apprehended in Drogheda in December 2016 whilst collecting an emergency card. He admitted acting as the "presentable face" of the operation for a daily wage of around €100, receiving between €1,500 and €2,000 in total. Manning declined to identify other participants. Judge Martin Nolan noted that gardaí did not believe Manning was the primary organiser. In imposing the suspended sentence, the judge considered Manning's age, poor health, and personal circumstances.
Michael Shine, an 85‑year‑old retired consultant surgeon from Dublin, was jailed last month for indecently assaulting two 15‑year‑old boys in the 1970s. He was convicted on eight counts of indecent assault at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital and his private clinic in Drogheda between 1964 and 1991, but was acquitted on the remaining counts. The jury found him guilty of the two 1970s assaults, and the judge imposed consecutive 10‑month sentences, totalling 20 months, a term within the offence's two‑year maximum. Shine has lodged an appeal against both conviction and sentence. On 2 December, the three‑judge court granted him bail pending the appeal, subject to conditions such as residing at his home, attending court dates, signing in weekly at a Garda station, not applying for a passport, and expediting his appeal. The appeal focuses on alleged procedural errors and the harshness of the custodial term given Shine's age and health. Michael Shine pleaded not guilty.
A 34‑year‑old Dubliner, Jason O'Driscoll, was denied bail by the Central Criminal Court after being charged with the double murder of 31‑year‑old Anthony Burnett and 25‑year‑old Joseph Redmond on 7 March 2012. The victims were found shot dead in a burnt‑out car in Ravensdale Forest Park that night, after having stolen the vehicle in Dublin earlier that morning. O'Driscoll's lawyer, Diana Stuart BL, applied for bail, offering his mother's life savings of €9,000 and the possibility of him living in her family home, and citing his brother's willingness to contribute €5,000 as evidence of his reliability. The State, represented by Detective Inspector Patrick Marry, opposed the application, arguing that O'Driscoll could breach conditions. Judge Patrick McCarthy, noting the trial was scheduled for 25 June, refused bail and remanded O'Driscoll in custody until the trial date.
In a case heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, 36‑year‑old Ashley Lucas pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering for setting up a bank account at AIB Drogheda on 24 March 2015. The account was used to defraud foreign student Marlene Lienau, who transferred €1,040 for a room that did not exist. Lucas claimed he was instructed by a Nigerian man in the UK and denied knowing Lienau. Judge Karen O'Connor noted Lucas had paid €1,400 as redress, had no prior convictions, and had complied with bail conditions. She adjourned the case to February to assess suitability for community service, indicating a possible order of 240 hours in lieu of a three‑year prison term. Lienau suffered an economic loss of €1,346 and expressed distress at being scammed and the impact on her view of Ireland.
A man from Castleblaney, County Monaghan, has been sentenced to 18 years imprisonment following his conviction for sexually abusing six children and raping two of them over a period of nearly three decades. Peter Sharkey, aged 47, pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to three counts of indecent assault dating from 1987 to 1990, six counts of sexual assault between 1997 and 2015, one count of rape with an object in 1998 or 1999, and one count of rape in 2014. The victims, aged between nine and sixteen at the time of the offences, reported the abuse to gardaí following a complaint made in April 2015. Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy described Sharkey as "a paedophile of the dangerous kind" and imposed consecutive sentences to ensure appropriate punishment for the harm inflicted on each victim. The court heard victim impact statements describing lasting psychological damage. Sharkey was ordered to register as a sex offender and placed under probation supervision for five years following his release.
Sarah Doyle, a 24‑year‑old single mother from Killaley, Togher, Drogheda, was sentenced to four years' imprisonment for her role in the robbery of Clogherhead Post Office on 3 May 2016. The robbery involved three armed men who used a sledgehammer, a firearm and a taser to break into the post office and stole about €7,000. Doyle, who had no direct participation in the robbery or in threatening staff, helped the raiders by waiting in her car and driving them to safety. She received €1,000 from the proceeds. At sentencing, the judge suspended the final two years, but on appeal the Court of Appeal increased the suspended portion to two‑and‑a‑half years, keeping the overall term at four years. Doyle was required to enter a good‑behaviour bond for the suspended period. The appeal decision was based on the judge's failure to fully consider the detrimental effect of custody on the mother‑child relationship. Sarah Doyle pleaded guilty.
James Clarke, aged 62, formerly of Devlis Cottage in Ballyhaunis, County Mayo, has had his sentence for child pornography offences increased by eighteen months at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Clarke was originally sentenced in 2013 to ten years imprisonment, with the final two years suspended, after admitting possession and distribution of child pornography. Further analysis of images and videos recovered during the same investigation, delayed due to a backlog at the Garda Cyber Crime Bureau, led to additional charges. Clarke pleaded guilty to possessing 785 images on devices at his Mayo address in 2012 and 1009 images plus three videos found at a former Drogheda address in 2010. Judge Martin Nolan imposed a consecutive three-and-a-half-year sentence with two years suspended, citing the need to punish additional wrongdoing while acknowledging Clarke's cooperation, prison conduct, and the systemic delay. Two years probation supervision was ordered.
The State withdrew the attempted murder charge against 26‑year‑old Dwayne Keane after the alleged victim, a 42‑year‑old man, died of natural causes. Keane had been charged in November 2016 at Dublin District Court for an incident on Raheen Drive, Cherry Orchard. Sean Gillane SC requested a nolle prosequi, and Justice Patrick McCarthy discharged Keane, who was released on bail.
In December 2017, Dwayne Keane, 26, of Monasterevin, was released from custody after the alleged victim of his attempted murder charge died. Keane had been charged in November 2016 at Dublin District Court for attempting to kill a 42‑year‑old man on Raheen Drive, Cherry Orchard. He was remanded until bail was granted by Justice Patrick McCarthy, requiring him to sign twice a week at Rathcoole Garda Station and post a €200 bond.
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.
Retired consultant surgeon Michael Shine, aged 85, is seeking bail pending an appeal after being jailed for indecent assault convictions. Shine was convicted in 2017 of indecently assaulting two 15‑year‑old patients in the mid‑1970s at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital and his private clinic in Drogheda, between 1964 and 1991. He faced eight charges but was acquitted on all but the two convictions. Judge Cormac Quinn described the breach of trust by a senior doctor as one of the most aggravating factors and imposed consecutive 10‑month sentences for each victim. Shine's lawyers applied for a week to manage his affairs and medication, but the judge rejected this. In the Court of Appeal, his barrister Hugh Hartnett SC requested an early bail application, citing Shine's perilous health. Judge George Birmingham set 21 December for the bail application, and Shine was not present for the procedural hearing. Michael Shine pleaded not guilty.
A jury could not reach a verdict in the trial of 34‑year‑old Jason O'Driscoll, charged with murdering 31‑year‑old Anthony Burnett and 25‑year‑old Joseph Redmond in Co. Louth on 7 March 2012. The case centred on a car that the two men had stolen and were attempting to sell to O'Driscoll for €700. O'Driscoll pleaded not guilty. The prosecution relied on circumstantial evidence, including CCTV footage of the men and a stolen Mercedes S Class W221 that was later found abandoned. The defence argued that the evidence did not prove O'Driscoll's involvement or motive. After 11½ hours of deliberation over four days, the jury was unable to reach a unanimous or majority verdict and was discharged from service. O'Driscoll was remanded in custody pending further court dates.
Seamus McGrane, 63, of Dromiskin, County Louth, was sentenced to eleven and a half years in prison for directing the activities of a terrorist organisation and six and a half years for IRA membership. The Special Criminal Court convicted him in October of directing the IRA between April 19 and May 13, 2015, and membership from January 18, 2010, to May 13, 2015. McGrane, who denied both charges, was found to have plotted an explosion during Prince Charles's State visit, targeting the Cross of Sacrifice in Glasnevin. The sentences run concurrently. His ally, Donal O'Coisdealbha, pleaded guilty to IRA membership on May 13, 2015, and was jailed for five and a half years. The court noted McGrane's previous convictions, including a 2001 sentence for firearms training, as aggravating factors. Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy dismissed a letter from Eamon O'Cuiv TD as unconvincing. The judge highlighted that significant explosive materials, including Semtex and detonators, were found at locations linked to McGrane and O'Coisdealbha. This marks the second conviction for directing terrorism in the State, following Michael McKevitt's 2003 sentence.
In 2015 a 62‑year‑old shop owner was found guilty of sexually assaulting a 13‑year‑old girl who had been sent to his shop by her mother. The jury convicted him on a single count and Judge Michael O'Shea imposed a wholly suspended three‑year sentence. The conviction was appealed on the basis that the trial judge's ruling on the use of CCTV footage had made the trial unfair. The footage was shown to the jury after the complainant's direct evidence and cross‑examination, and the kitchen area where the alleged offence was said to have taken place was not captured on camera. The appeal court, led by Mr Justice Michael Peart, agreed that the defendant had been denied the opportunity to cross‑examine the complainant with reference to the footage, and set aside the conviction, ordering a retrial to be considered at a later date. The case remains at the appeal stage. The unnamed 13-year-old pleaded not guilty.
The jury in the trial of 34‑year‑old Jason O'Driscoll, charged with murdering 31‑year‑old Anthony Burnett and 25‑year‑old Joseph Redmond, will resume deliberations on the fourth day. O'Driscoll, who lives on Richmond Avenue, Fairview, pleaded not guilty. The case alleges the men were killed in a stolen Volkswagen Golf in Ravensdale Forest Park on 7 March 2012, with gunshot wounds to the head. Defence counsel suggested another person may have been responsible or that one victim betrayed the other. The jury, consisting of seven men and five women, must reach a unanimous verdict.
The jury in the trial of 34‑year‑old Jason O'Driscoll, charged with the murders of 31‑year‑old Anthony Burnett and 25‑year‑old Joseph Redmond, will resume deliberations tomorrow morning. The case, heard in the Central Criminal Court, concerns a car‑fire at Ravensdale Forest Park on 7 March 2012, where the two men were found with gunshot wounds to their heads. O'Driscoll denies the charges. The State alleges he participated in the killings, while the defence suggests another person may have been responsible or that one victim betrayed the other. The jury, consisting of seven men and five women, was instructed by Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy to reach a unanimous verdict.
The jury will resume deliberations tomorrow morning in the trial of a 34‑year‑old Dubliner, Jason O'Driscoll, who has pleaded not guilty to the murders of 31‑year‑old Anthony Burnett and 25‑year‑old Joseph Redmond. The case concerns a car that was stolen and later sold to O'Driscoll, with the men found dead in a burning vehicle in Ravensdale Forest Park on 7 March 2012. The defence has suggested another person may have been responsible, and the jury is required to reach a unanimous verdict.
A jury will start deliberating on the trial of 34‑year‑old Jason O'Driscoll, who is charged with murdering 31‑year‑old Anthony Burnett and 25‑year‑old Joseph Redmond in County Louth on 7 March 2012. The case alleges that the two men were on their way to sell O'Driscoll a stolen Volkswagen Golf when they were shot in a burning car in Ravensdale Forest Park. Firefighters found the bodies with gunshot wounds to the heads. O'Driscoll pleaded not guilty. The defence suggested that another person might have been responsible or that one of the deceased betrayed the other, leading to a different shooter. Judge Patrick McCarthy explained the trial's proceedings, the legal definitions, and the jury's requirement for a unanimous verdict. He also noted that evidence of a substance found in an abandoned Mercedes in Northern Ireland was deemed unreliable and excluded from consideration. The jury will retire tomorrow morning to consider the verdict.
A retired surgeon, Michael Shine, aged 85, was convicted by a jury at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court of indecent assault on two 15‑year‑old patients in the mid‑1970s. The court found that Shine had abused the trust of patients and the hospital by groping the boys during medical examinations. He was sentenced to 20 months' imprisonment, with consecutive 10‑month terms for each victim. Shine pleaded not guilty to eight charges of indecent assault at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital and his private clinic in Drogheda, covering incidents from 1964 to 1991, but was acquitted on the remaining charges. The judge noted Shine's advanced age, severe angina, and risk of dementia, yet rejected a request for a suspended sentence. The case highlighted the breach of trust by a senior medical professional and the lasting impact on the teenage victims.
In a Central Criminal Court trial, a 34‑year‑old Dubliner named Jason O'Driscoll is charged with the murders of 31‑year‑old Anthony Burnett and 25‑year‑old Joseph Redmond, who were found dead in a burning car in Ravensdale Forest Park on 7 March 2012. The prosecution alleges O'Driscoll participated in the killings, while the defence suggests another person may have been responsible or that one victim betrayed the other. Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy charged the jury on Thursday and will resume the charge on Monday when deliberations are expected to begin. Jason O'Driscoll pleaded not guilty.
In December 2017, a jury at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court convicted 85‑year‑old retired surgeon Michael Shine of indecently assaulting two 15‑year‑old patients in the mid‑1970s. Shine had pleaded not guilty to eight charges of indecent assault at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital and his private clinic in Drogheda, covering incidents from 1964 to 1991. The court heard victim impact statements and medical records. One victim described being tied to a bed, restrained, and having his testicles massaged by Shine, leading to lasting anxiety, insomnia and depression. The second victim recounted being massaged at a follow‑up examination for undescended testes, feeling forced to ejaculate to end the assault. Shine denied wrongdoing during the trial but was found guilty of the two assaults; he was acquitted of four other charges. Lawyers argued that imprisonment would be fatal due to Shine's severe angina, heart stents and risk of dementia, and requested a suspended sentence.
In a double‑murder trial, defence counsel Seán Guerin SC argued that one of the deceased car thieves might have betrayed the other, leading to their deaths in a stolen car they had agreed to sell to the accused, Jason O'Driscoll. Guerin highlighted that the two men had only known each other for about a week before the incident and that they had not yet travelled north to meet O'Driscoll. He questioned whether a third party, such as witness Richie Cullinan, could have been involved or tipped off a killer. Guerin also raised the issue of an unknown phone number appearing in the victims' records that night, suggesting it could have been used to arrange the murders. He urged the jury to consider these alternative explanations before finding O'Driscoll guilty, noting that the prosecution had not investigated these possibilities. The judge has begun charging the jury for deliberation. Jason O'Driscoll pleaded not guilty.
In a 2017 double‑murder trial, the prosecution presented CCTV footage and mobile‑phone records to the jury, arguing that the accused, 34‑year‑old Jason O'Driscoll, was escorting the stolen Volkswagen Golf to its destruction. The evidence included a call from the deceased men to a phone linked to O'Driscoll, a brief period of traffic footage showing two cars near the scene, and a later sighting of O'Driscoll in a blue shirt leaving a chip shop. The prosecution claimed these strands, taken together, proved O'Driscoll's presence, participation and guilt. The defence was scheduled to present its closing argument before the judge. The case remained at the trial stage, with no verdict announced. The article does not state any outcome or further proceedings. Jason O'Driscoll pleaded not guilty.
The jury is hearing closing speeches in the trial of a 34‑year‑old Dubliner charged with the double murder of 31‑year‑old Anthony Burnett and 25‑year‑old Joseph Redmond in Louth on 7 March 2012. The accused, Jason O'Driscoll, has pleaded not guilty. The State alleges the victims were on their way to sell a stolen car to O'Driscoll and that he participated in their killings. Prosecutor Alexander Owens SC presented witness statements, mobile‑phone records and other evidence to the jury before Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy.
The 34‑year‑old accused in the Louth double murder trial, Jason O'Driscoll, admitted in court that he is the man shown in CCTV footage presented by the State. The admission was made by his barrister, Seán Guerin, under Section 22 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984, allowing the prosecution to rely on the footage without further proof. The footage includes a man entering a Newry hotel at 7.45 pm on the night of the killings, a man in a blue jacket inside Murphy's in Meigh after 11 pm, and a man in a Eurospar shop on several days in March. Guerin confirmed that O'Driscoll was the man in each of these recordings. The trial continues with the jury awaiting further proceedings after the judge addressed a legal issue. The accused remains not guilty on the charges of murdering Anthony Burnett and Joseph Redmond.
The Central Criminal Court trial of Jason O'Driscoll, a 34-year-old Dublin man, continued with evidence regarding mobile phone data analysis. O'Driscoll, of Richmond Avenue, Fairview, has pleaded not guilty to the alleged murder of 31-year-old Anthony Burnett and 25-year-old Joseph Redmond in Co Louth on March 7, 2012. The jury heard testimony from An Garda Síochána analyst Eddie McGoey, who presented charts summarising contact between eight phone numbers of interest on the day of the alleged killings. McGoey referenced CCTV footage of a Newry hotel payphone and credit purchases at Mulkerns Eurospar. Under cross-examination by Seán Guerin SC, the defence highlighted a table showing that calls between a phone attributed to Burnett and a witness were followed by contact with an unknown number, with which Burnett had no prior contact in the available six-week record. McGoey agreed that Gardaí had not provided records for this unknown number, meaning potentially significant information was excluded from his original analysis. He conceded that, in theory, the unknown number could have used the same cell sites as the phones attributed to the deceased. The trial is before Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy, who indicated the case is moving towards a close. The matter was adjourned and continues on Tuesday.
In the Louth double murder trial, the jury heard forensic evidence that partly evaporated petrol vapour was found on a sample taken during the post‑mortem of one victim. The 34‑year‑old Dublin man, Jason O'Driscoll, pleaded not guilty to the murders of 31‑year‑old Anthony Burnett and 25‑year‑old Joseph Redmond, who were shot in a burning car in Ravensdale Forest Park on 7 March 2012. Firefighters arrived before 11 o'clock, and the bodies were discovered inside the vehicle. Dr John O'Shaughnessy testified that he examined fire debris and post‑mortem samples for accelerants. He reported finding partly evaporated petrol vapour on a sample from 'Body A' and also petrol and paraffin oil vapour from a sample taken under the car. The petrol vapour was confirmed to have come from petrol.
In the Central Criminal Court, a jury heard technical mobile‑phone evidence in the double murder trial of a 34‑year‑old Dublin man charged with killing 31‑year‑old Anthony Burnett and 25‑year‑old Joseph Redmond in Louth on 7 March 2012. The defendant, Jason O'Driscoll, pleaded not guilty. Witnesses described a fire at Ravensdale Forest Park, the discovery of the bodies with gunshot wounds to the heads, and the use of Meteor top‑ups purchased in Newry. The trial continued tomorrow before Justice Patrick McCarthy and a jury of eight men and four women.
In the Central Criminal Court, a 34‑year‑old Dublin man, Jason O'Driscoll, is on trial for the 2012 murders of 31‑year‑old Anthony Burnett and 25‑year‑old Joseph Redmond. The prosecution presented a statement from Crystal Jackson, Redmond's former partner, alleging that she and Redmond had tried to sell a Volkswagen Golf to O'Driscoll. Jackson said they had been at home, texting about the sale, and that O'Driscoll offered €700 for the car, which Redmond and Burnett agreed to. She claimed O'Driscoll declined to come to their house and that they eventually drove the car to him. Jackson was called to testify but refused to take the oath, leading the judge to order her imprisonment for contempt. The trial continues with the jury hearing the evidence and other witnesses. Jason O'Driscoll pleaded not guilty.
In a double‑murder trial, a witness named Richie Cullinan initially refused to testify, claiming the deceased had told him they were planning to sell a car to the accused, Jason O'Driscoll, on the night the victims were found shot in a Louth forest. Cullinan later admitted that the two deceased, Anthony Burnett and Joseph Redmond, had come to his home that evening to collect a car that Burnett had left in his carpark and were heading north to sell it. He said they left around 9 pm and that he had tried to call them at 11 pm but could not reach them. Cullinan also confirmed he had been arrested on suspicion of the murders and spent seven days in custody. The judge ordered him to take the oath, but he refused, leading to a contempt of court ruling. The trial, presided over by Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy, continues with a jury of eight men and four women. Jason O'Driscoll pleaded not guilty.
The Central Criminal Court trial of Jason O'Driscoll, a 34-year-old Dubliner who has pleaded not guilty to the alleged murder of Anthony Burnett and Joseph Redmond in Co Louth on March 7th, 2012, continued before Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy. Prosecuting counsel Alexander Owens SC called witness Richie Cullinan to give evidence for the State. However, when asked to stand to take the oath, Mr Cullinan refused, stating, "It was all lies I told on him." Despite the judge warning that refusal constituted contempt of court and ordering him to take the oath, Mr Cullinan maintained his refusal. The judge subsequently excused the jury while the State moved on to other technical evidence. This incident marked the second instance in the trial where a witness refused to testify; previously, Crystal Jackson had also refused to swear, stating she did not stand by her statement. The trial, which involves charges of murdering two men found with gunshot wounds in a burning car in Ravensdale Forest Park, continues before a jury of eight men and four women.
In a Dublin murder trial, a 34‑year‑old Dubliner, Jason O'Driscoll, pleaded not guilty to the 2012 killings of 31‑year‑old Anthony Burnett and 25‑year‑old Joseph Redmond in Louth. The case was heard in the Central Criminal Court before Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy and a jury of eight men and four women. The prosecution presented evidence that firefighters responded to a burning car in Ravensdale Forest Park on the night of 7 March 2012, where the bodies of Burnett and Redmond were found with gunshot wounds to the head. Anita Doran, Redmond's sister, testified that she and her brother had been at home with Burnett that evening, that Burnett had called to look for her brother, and that she had sent him into his bedroom. She recalled hearing Burnett mention a possible trap and that the bedroom door was closed after a short time.
Seamus McGrane, 63, of Dromiskin, County Louth, was remanded in custody until December 7 for sentencing at the Special Criminal Court. He was convicted last month of directing the activities of an unlawful organisation, styling itself the IRA, between April 19 and May 13, 2015, and of IRA membership between January 18, 2010, and May 13, 2015. McGrane denied both charges. The court found he discussed an operation involving explosives in the run-up to Prince Charles's State visit. Detective Chief Superintendent Tom Maguire outlined evidence from audio recordings at The Coachman's Inn in Swords, where McGrane allegedly directed Donal O'Coisdealbha regarding explosives and a specific operation. McGrane is the second person convicted of directing terrorism in the State, following Michael McKevitt, who was jailed for 20 years in 2003. Defense counsel Michael O' Higgins SC argued the case is distinct from McKevitt's, noting McGrane's group was a splinter organisation with no fatalities. He highlighted that co-accused O'Coisdealbha received a five-and-a-half-year sentence for membership. Ms Justice Kennedy, sitting with Judges Sinead Ni Chulachain and Cormac Dunne, adjourned the matter, remanding McGrane in custody until December 7 when he will be sentenced.
In a double murder trial, the jury heard technical evidence on a reconstruction of CCTV footage to identify vehicles involved in the 2012 killings of Anthony Burnett (31) and Joseph Redmond (25) in Louth. The defendant, Jason O'Driscoll (34) of Fairview, pleaded not guilty. Firefighters responded to a burning car in Ravensdale Forest Park before 11 pm, where the bodies were found with gunshot wounds to the head. The prosecution presented CCTV of vehicles before and after 11 pm, and forensic image analysts Matthew Cass and Andrew Wooller testified about a reconstruction exercise. Cass described testing about a dozen vehicles, using side‑by‑side comparisons due to operational constraints. Wooller noted the reconstruction's limited value after CCTV changes, but identified a large light‑toned car as a Mercedes S‑Class and a dark‑toned hatchback as possibly a Volkswagen Golf. The State's case links the victims to a stolen black Volkswagen Golf, which was later found abandoned in Meigh.
Former international rugby referee David McHugh resolved High Court proceedings he had brought against the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) over the decision to dismiss him from his role as Referee Performance Manager. McHugh, employed by the IRFU since 1997, claimed the dismissal was unlawful and breached his contractual rights. He had secured a temporary injunction preventing the IRFU from publishing any material about the termination and from terminating his employment pending the full hearing. The case was brought before Mr Justice Tony O'Connor, who heard that the parties were in talks and that the matter had been resolved, allowing the proceedings to be struck out. No details of the agreement were disclosed. McHugh, who has officiated at major international matches, said he had believed the October 5 meeting was to discuss grievances about referee resourcing, not a termination. He claimed the decision left him feeling disgraced and humiliated.
The double murder trial of Dubliner Jason O'Driscoll, 34, continues at the Central Criminal Court before Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy. O'Driscoll has pleaded not guilty to the alleged murder of 31-year-old Anthony Burnett and 25-year-old Joseph Redmond in Co Louth on March 7th, 2012. The prosecution alleges the victims, who were car thieves, were shot dead in a layby at Ravensdale Forest Park and their vehicle set on fire. The State's case asserts that O'Driscoll and another man fled the scene in a stolen black Volkswagen Golf, which was later found abandoned in Meigh, Armagh. A vehicle identification expert, Andrew Wooller, testified that he was contacted by Gardaí to analyze CCTV footage from both locations. Wooller, who manages a UK-based imagery analysis firm, identified a light-toned vehicle in Ravensdale as consistent with a Mercedes S Class and a following dark hatchback as potentially a Volkswagen Golf. He further stated that a vehicle entering a carpark in Meigh was immediately apparent as a Mercedes S Class. The jury has reviewed the relevant CCTV footage. The trial is ongoing, with no final verdict or sentence recorded at this procedural stage.
In a 2017 trial, retired consultant surgeon Michael Shine, aged 85, was found guilty by a jury of indecent assault on two teenage male patients during the 1970s. The convictions concerned incidents between 1974 and 1976 at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital and Shine's private clinic in Drogheda. Shine admitted attending to the patients but denied any inappropriate conduct. Testimony from one victim described being restrained on a bed, having a blanket and rubber bungee straps applied, and the doctor's hand slipping under the blanket to massage his testicles. A second victim recounted that during follow‑up examinations for undescended testes, Shine massaged the base of his penis. The jury acquitted Shine of several other charges, including four counts of groping other teenage boys and one count of assault between 1988 and 1991. Judge Cormac Quinn remanded Shine on continuing bail until December 1 for sentencing.
David McHugh, a former international rugby referee and former Referee Performance Manager for the IRFU since 1997, has filed High Court proceedings against the Irish Rugby Football Union. He alleges that his dismissal on 5 October was unlawful and breached his contractual rights. McHugh claims the IRFU, following an independent review of the referee department, decided he was not fit to lead it and terminated his contract. He says he was informed of the decision during a meeting where he was told he had been fired, and that he had no opportunity to defend himself. McHugh argues the dismissal was a deliberate attempt to deprive the department of adequate resources, causing him stress and affecting his health. The High Court granted him a temporary injunction preventing the IRFU from publishing any further statements about his termination, with the matter to be returned next week.
Jonathan Hynes, a 31‑year‑old Wicklow man, stole between €1,000 and €7,000 from his employer, Zurich Life Assurance plc, between January and December 2015. He used the stolen money to pay for prescription medication and hospital bills for his drug‑addicted ex‑girlfriend. Hynes has refunded €30,000 to the insurer and still owes €40,000, which he must repay within three years. He pleaded guilty to the thefts. The Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, hearing the case, found that Hynes's motive was a desperate act driven by emotion rather than greed. Judge Martin Nolan suspended a three‑year sentence, noting that a less noble motive would have led to a different outcome, and ordered the repayment of the remaining debt. No prior convictions were recorded for Hynes.
A jury at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court acquitted retired surgeon Michael Shine, aged 85, of four counts of indecent assault on three teenage patients in 1964, 1970 and 1976. Shine had pleaded not guilty to seven charges relating to alleged assaults on five patients between 1964 and 1991 at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital and his private clinic in Drogheda. The jury found him not guilty of the four counts involving the teenagers, citing a lack of corroborating evidence and missing medical records that could confirm the alleged encounters. Judge Cormac Quinn warned jurors that reasonable doubt arising from the delay in the complaints required them to give the benefit of the doubt to the accused. Shine denied ever seeing the patients and denied any inappropriate conduct during examinations. The remaining three counts, involving alleged assaults on two teenage patients between 1974 and 1976, were not addressed in the verdict.
In a double murder trial, the jury watched CCTV footage of the night two Dublin men were shot dead in County Louth. The footage, shown to the Central Criminal Court, covered movements of people and vehicles before and after 11 pm, including a burning car in Ravensdale Forest Park and a licensed chip shop in County Armagh. Jason O'Driscoll, 34, charged with murdering 31‑year‑old Anthony Burnett and 25‑year‑old Joseph Redmond, pleaded not guilty. The trial moved into legal argument before Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy and will resume with the jury on Monday.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court case, retired surgeon Michael Shine, aged 85, faced eight charges of indecent assault against five teenage male patients at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital and his private clinic in Drogheda between 1964 and 1991. Shine pleaded not guilty. Judge Cormac Quinn warned the jury that convicting on the uncorroborated evidence of any complainant would be dangerous, emphasizing that the prosecution must prove beyond reasonable doubt that Shine attended to the complainants, that the alleged acts occurred, were not legitimate medical examinations, and were intended as indecent. He noted the absence of credible independent corroboration for any complainant and urged jurors to exercise special care when assessing each claim. The judge also highlighted the challenges posed by the 42‑year delay, including missing records and the difficulty of defense, and advised that any reasonable doubt should favor the accused. The jury was sent home for the night, with deliberations to resume the next morning.
In the trial of Jason O'Driscoll, a 34‑year‑old Dublin man charged with the murders of Anthony Burnett, 31, and Joseph Redmond, 25, on 7 March 2012, a CSI named Belinda Kennedy gave evidence to the Central Criminal Court. Kennedy, a crime scene investigator with the PSNI in Belfast, examined a silver Mercedes that had been abandoned on the northern side of the border the morning after the killings. She photographed the vehicle, noted damage, tested for firearms residue and DNA, lifted fibre tape, and collected soil samples. Kennedy reported that she had swept the entire car for fingerprints but found none, and that a smell of cleaning fluid suggested the car had been cleaned. She also noted that the car had been driven through Dublin City after being stolen that early morning. The trial is proceeding before Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy and a jury of eight men and four women. Jason O'Driscoll pleaded not guilty.
Real IRA leader Seamus McGrane was bugged by the Gardai as he plotted in a well-known Dublin pub with another man to carry out an operation involving explosives during the run-up to the State visit of Prince Charles two years ago. The Garda National Surveillance Unit planted a sophisticated listening device in the snug of the Coachman's Inn on the Airport Road, which recorded conversations between McGrane – a founder of the Real IRA – and engineering graduate Donal O'Coisdealbha. McGrane (63), from Dromisikin in Co Louth, is only the second person to be convicted of directing a terrorist organisation in the State. His former colleague and fellow founder of the Real IRA Michael McKevitt was jailed for 20 years in 2003 for directing terrorism between August 1999 and October 2000. He was released from prison in 2016. During McGrane's trial at the Special Criminal Court, during which there was no cross-examination of prosecution witnesses, the court heard recordings of the conversations between McGrane and O'Coisdealbha in April, 2015. McGrane told O'Coisdealbha: 'Go with whatever plan you wish. I think he's coming on the 19th (a reference to Prince Charles). I don't like an embarrassment.' McGrane then mentioned 'military significance.' 'Symbolic,' O'Coisdealbha replied. 'Symbolic is right,' replied McGrane. The two men were heard in the recording of April 19th discussing a location 'around 400 metres from the target.' Detective Sergeant Padraig Boyce said that the location being discussed was approximately 400 metres from the Cross of Sacrifice, a monument in Glasnevin Cemetery commemorating British and Irish soldiers who fought in World War 1. The two men were also recorded discussing a bomb found on a train line in Northern Ireland in February 2015 and an attack on MI5 Headquarters in London in April, 2010. The court also heard that gardai found bomb making components in a field adjacent to McGrane's house. McGrane was jailed for four years by the Special Criminal Court in 2001 after he pleaded guilty to training others in the use of firearms.