Court archive
Court reports mentioning Clonard, Meath
2026-03-27 · Wexford
Christopher Judge was sentenced to life in prison for murdering 27-year-old Steven Ring, whose body was tied up and dumped in Carrigfoyle Quarry, Wexford. The Central Criminal Court heard that Judge had taken Ring's phone and offered it for sale while the search was under way. Judge pleaded guilty, while co-accused Jane Corcoran was jailed for six years after admitting she helped move the body. Linda Ring told the court her family would never forgive the murderer.
2026-03-20 · Dublin
Ejike Francis Ogubefi and Steven Silvester were sentenced after convictions for directing a criminal organisation and laundering or attempting to launder money through multiple accounts. The court described a sophisticated international operation and imposed nine years on Ogubefi and seven and a half years on Silvester.
2026-03-03 · Wexford
Christopher Judge, 42, of Pairc na Dara, Clonard, Co Wexford, pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to the murder of 27-year-old Stephen Ring on October 15, 2024. Mr Justice Paul McDermott adjourned the matter to March 27 for sentencing, where the mandatory life imprisonment will be imposed. The court also vacated a previously set trial date of April 13. In a related finalisation, Jane Corcorcan, 34, also of Pairc na Dara, was sentenced to six years' imprisonment after pleading guilty to impeding Judge's apprehension or prosecution. She admitted helping move Ring's remains from her home and assisting Judge by telling falsehoods to gardai. Mr Justice Kerida Naidoo noted that Corcoran lied about the circumstances of Ring's death, falsely accused another man of assault, and wasted police resources. CCTV showed Corcoran moving Ring's remains, wrapped in a blanket, to her car boot before driving to Carrigfoyle Quarry, where the body was dumped in the water. Ring's body, which had been in the quarry for 13 days, was discovered by children fishing. His mother, Linda Ring, stated that while the body lay in the quarry, Corcoran posted on Facebook hoping he would return home safely.
2026-02-09 · Wexford
A woman who helped dump a man's body in a quarry and later expressed concern for his wellbeing on social media has been jailed for six years. Jane Corcoran (34) lied to gardai about the circumstances surrounding the death of Stephen Ring in 2024. She falsely accused another man of assaulting Mr Ring and wasted garda time. His body was found in Carrigfoyle Quarry 13 days later, decomposed and partially eaten by fish. Mr Justice Kerida Naidoo said Corcoran lacks insight into her offending and has engaged in victim blaming. Corcoran was caught on CCTV helping move Mr Ring's remains to her car and then to the quarry. A probation officer noted she appears emotionally detached from the offence and is at high risk of reoffending. The judge set a headline sentence of nine years, which was reduced to six years and nine months after considering mitigation. Corcoran's guilty plea was noted, but her lack of remorse and victim blaming reduced its value. The judge suspended the final nine months of the sentence for two years on conditions.
2025-12-16 · Meath
A woman who posted on Facebook expressing hope for the safe return of a missing man, while she had in fact helped dump his body in a quarry, was described as 'pure evil' by the victim's mother during a sentencing hearing. Linda Ring detailed the devastation her family faced after her son Stephen Ring was killed and his body was discarded in Carrigfoyle Quarry. Jane Corcoran, who had pleaded guilty to impeding the apprehension of another individual and assisting in moving the remains, was sentenced to be heard again in February. The court heard that Corcoran had posted on social media while knowing the victim was dead and had lied to gardai. The victim's mother expressed deep anger and sorrow, stating that Corcoran's actions were unforgivable and that she would be haunted by what she did. Corcoran had a previous conviction for theft and faces a maximum sentence of ten years. The victim's family described Stephen as a loving and generous individual, and his death has left them in deep grief.
2025-10-17 · Wexford
A 34‑year‑old woman, Jane Corcoran of Pairc na Dara, Clonard, Wexford, pleaded guilty in the Central Criminal Court to two charges. The first charge was that on 15 October 2024 she helped move the body of Stephen Ring, who had been found dead in a Wexford quarry, thereby impeding the apprehension or prosecution of the person who had committed the murder. The second charge was that on 25 October 2024 she gave false statements to Gardaí, again with intent to impede the apprehension or prosecution of the murderer. Corcoran's counsel requested a sentencing date in the final week of the court term and sought probation, governor's and education reports, as well as a urinalysis. Mr Justice Paul McDermott ordered the reports and set the sentencing for 16 December. The body of Stephen Ring was discovered in a quarry outside Wexford town almost two weeks after he was first reported missing.
2025-02-11 · Dublin
David Nally, 43, of Balbriggan, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to six charges for scamming two men out of over €900,000 through a fictitious cattle and machinery scheme between 2014 and 2016. He promised to buy livestock from a bank after farm repossessions and sell them at a profit. The victims invested more than €700,000 and €218,000 respectively. Nally returned some money, but the first victim remains owed about €390,000 and the second has lost €175,000. Gardaí found he never purchased cattle from a bank; the maximum he bought was 230 animals, not the claimed 3,000. Judge Martin Nolan imposed a six‑year custodial sentence, suspended the final 18 months, and ordered Nally to hand over €300,000 to be distributed to the victims within three months. The case is now before the High Court.
2024-06-24 · Dublin
Chantal Johnston, 37, of Crumlin, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm and dangerous driving after she attacked a Domino's Pizza delivery driver on 9 July 2022. The victim, a health and safety officer who also worked part‑time for Domino's, described the assault as "like a vicious animal" and said Johnston called him a "bloody foreigner" and a "little Paki". Johnston bit the man's leg, drove her car toward him, and threatened to kill him. The court heard she had taken large amounts of anti‑depressants and was under the influence. Judge Orla Crowe sentenced her to 18 months, suspended for three years, and imposed a mandatory driving disqualification. Johnston also agreed to pay €1,000 to the victim as a token of remorse. No prior convictions were recorded. The case was heard in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
2023-11-30 · Dublin
Chantal Johnston, 37, of Clonard Road in Crumlin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault causing harm and dangerous driving. The charges relate to an incident at Domino's Pizza on the Crumlin Road in the early hours of July 9, 2022. Prosecutors alleged that Johnston racially abused a part-time delivery driver, calling him a "bloody foreigner" and a "little Paki," before pushing, punching, kicking, and biting him. She was further accused of driving her car toward the victim in a threatening manner and threatening to kill him. The victim, who described the attack as being like a "vicious animal," stated in a victim impact statement that the racially motivated incident caused him lasting physical pain, anxiety, and depression. Defense counsel Seoirse Ó Dúnlaing BL submitted that Johnston, a mother of two, had taken an excessive amount of anti-depressants and was under the influence. He offered a fulsome apology and noted she had no previous convictions. Judge Orla Crowe expressed disappointment with the apology, stating she was "utterly underwhelmed" given the personalized and racial nature of the attack. The judge agreed to defer the sentence and ordered a probation report, suggesting probation services might propose a form of restorative justice. The matter was adjourned for finalisation to March 11 next year.
2023-06-14 · Dublin
Eamon Savage (36) of Emmet Road, Inchicore, was sentenced to three years in prison at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for witness intimidation of Lyndsey Byrne at Merchants Quay, Dublin 8 on November 18, 2021. Savage pleaded guilty to the charge and admitted to threatening Ms Byrne, who was at the centre of a violent false imprisonment ordeal, to withdraw her statement or she would be murdered. The court heard that Savage was part of a group who conveyed a message to Ms Byrne from one of Paul Clarke's associates, who was described in court as the 'main man' in the assault. Judge Orla Crowe noted that Savage had made specific and detailed threats against Ms Byrne, which caused her to fear for her life. She also highlighted that Savage had a large number of previous convictions and was deemed to be at very high risk of re-offending by the Probation Service. The sentence was backdated to January 1, 2022, and a defence application to suspend a portion of the prison sentence was declined. Paul Clarke (29) of Clonard Road, Dublin 12 was sentenced to four years and three months in prison for his role in the attack. Co-accused Craig Kelly (38) of Dowland Rd, Walkinstown, was sentenced to five months in prison for his role in one of the attacks. A third man, Josh Conlon (19) of Meath Place, Thomas Street, received a suspended sentence.
2023-06-07 · Dublin
A court heard that Lyndsey Byrne was threatened with murder if she did not withdraw her statement following a two-day false imprisonment ordeal in which she was beaten and had boiling water thrown over her. Eamon Savage (36) of Emmet Road, Inchicore, pleaded guilty to witness intimidation of Lyndsey Byrne at Merchants Quay, Dublin 8 on November 18, 2021. He was part of a group that threatened Ms Byrne in public, telling her that she was to drop the charges and say she had lied about the attack. Savage also told her that if she did not comply, she would be murdered. Paul Clarke (29) of Clonard Road, Dublin 12 was sentenced to four years and three months in prison for his role in the attack. Co-accused Craig Kelly (38) of Dowland Rd, Walkinstown, was sentenced to five months in prison for his role in one of the attacks; while a third man, Josh Conlon (19) of Meath Place, Thomas Street, received a suspended sentence. The matter was adjourned for sentence next week to June 14.
2023-02-08 · Dublin
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, 19‑year‑old Josh Conlon received a fully suspended three‑year sentence for his involvement in a two‑hour assault on Ms Lyndsey Byrne in November 2021. Conlon pleaded guilty to assault causing harm but was deemed not the "prime mover" of the attack, which was led by Paul Clarke. Judge Martin Nolan noted Conlon's lesser role, early guilty plea, youth and lack of prior convictions, and ordered him to maintain good behaviour under Probation Services supervision for one year. Clarke, aged 29, was sentenced to four years and three months for the assault, while Craig Kelly, 38, received a five‑month sentence for simple assault. The court highlighted the brutality of the attack, including the use of a broom handle and boiling water, and the severe injuries sustained by Byrne. The sentences were back‑dated to the November 2021 incident.
2023-02-07 · Dublin
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Paul Clarke (29) was sentenced to four years and three months' imprisonment for assault causing harm to Lyndsey Byrne, who was tied up, struck with a stick and repeatedly scalded with boiling water during two attacks in November 2021. Clarke, described as the "main man", was accompanied by Josh Conlon (19) on the first day and Craig Kelly (38) on the second. Conlon pleaded guilty to assault causing harm, while Kelly pleaded guilty to simple assault. Clarke's sentence was back‑dated to the date of his arrest. The court noted Clarke's 79 prior convictions and the severity of the assault, while Kelly received a five‑month sentence and Conlon's sentence was to be decided the following day. The proceedings focused on the assault and the guilty pleas, without reference to any subsequent developments.
2021-11-05 · Dublin
A blood‑stained glove found near the skeletonised remains of Philip Finnegan in Rahin Woods matched DNA from Stephen Penrose, a forensic scientist who is on trial for Finnegan's murder. The glove, heavily charred and bearing blood on five internal sites, was recovered by Gardaí on 8 September 2016 and later analysed by Dr Alan McGee of Forensic Science Ireland. McGee compared the glove's DNA with a buccal swab taken from Penrose on 16 November 2016 and reported a match, estimating the probability of a different source as less than one in a billion. Penrose, 38, pleaded not guilty to the murder of the 24‑year‑old, who was found buried in a shallow grave after being missing for just over three weeks.
2021-03-24 · Dublin
In a Special Criminal Court hearing, Graham Whelan, a 38‑year‑old father of four, was charged with ten non‑scheduled offences, including drug trafficking and money‑laundering. Gardaí alleged that he had received €1,275 in cash from "up his Swiss roll" and €2,140 for a hotel stay, both allegedly proceeds of criminal conduct. They also seized an Audemers Piguet watch valued at €28,000, a tick list with drug code names, several mobile phones, and cocaine and cannabis. Whelan was arrested on a warrant in Walkinstown and later released without charge. The court granted bail with conditions: an independent surety of €20,000, surrender of his passport, curfew, daily reporting, and a requirement to remain at his family home. The judge noted his flight risk but cited the recent death of his partner and his responsibility for four children as mitigating factors. The case is scheduled for trial by September.
2021-01-26 · Waterford
In a 2019 Westlife concert assault, Jackie Walsh, 26, attacked a fellow attendee by grabbing her hair and splitting her ear lobe. The victim, who suffered visible blood and hair on her shorts, received medical treatment and later reported a severe headache. Walsh pleaded guilty to assault causing harm at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The judge noted her intoxication, lack of memory, and that the act was out of character. Walsh had no prior convictions and was dealing with mental health issues. She was sentenced to two and a half years' imprisonment, suspended in full on the condition of 12 months' probation supervision. She was ordered to transfer €3,000 to the victim within a week. The victim accepted the payment. The case concluded with the court acknowledging Walsh's remorse and the victim's willingness to accept the restitution.
2020-02-20 · Waterford
In a 2020 Court of Appeal decision, Mr Justice George Birmingham urged that judges should not shy away from starting at the maximum five‑year sentence for section 3 assault cases, especially when the offence is "high‑end". He cited three Waterford cases where the original sentences were deemed unduly lenient. Martina McGrath (27) received an extra two years for stabbing a pregnant woman; Dale Brazil (25) was given an additional year for attacking a man with a metal bar; and Mark Dolan (32) avoided a return to jail after a six‑month term for smashing a rugby player's face, having "completely turned his life around". Birmingham noted aggravating factors such as use of a weapon, multiple assailants, pre‑planning and significant injuries, and argued that the headline sentences in all three cases should have been five years before any reduction for mitigating circumstances.
2019-05-03 · Dublin
Scott Grant, 31, of Balbriggan, north Dublin, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to two counts of attempted robbery. The offences occurred on December 11, 2016, at a Costcutters shop on Hampton Street, and on April 17, 2018, on Clonard Street. In the first incident, Grant allegedly threatened staff while holding a piece of timber; in the second, he used a tree branch. He was identified in the first case by pink gloves and in the second by cashing scratch cards. The court also heard that while on bail for these charges, Grant allegedly robbed a woman of her handbag on September 26, 2018. Judge Patricia Ryan imposed a six-year prison term, suspending the final two years on conditions that Grant keep the peace and engage with the Probation Service for two years post-release. Defence counsel Pieter Le Vert BL noted Grant's efforts to address his addiction and his history as a labourer, stating he had previously served a two-year sentence for attempted robbery and became clean of heroin during that custody before relapsing. The matter was finalised with this sentence.
2019-02-19 · Dublin
In December 2016, 31‑year‑old Scott Grant armed with a wooden branch threatened staff at a Costcutters shop on Hampton Street, Balbriggan, demanding money. He fled when the shop manager confronted him with a wooden sweeping brush. Later that month he damaged a parking meter to obtain coins for his drug habit. A witness described him wearing black clothes and pink gloves; a Garda arrested a man matching that description, and Grant was found with a hammer in his pants. He was released on bail and, in September 2017, he again robbed a local shop armed with a tree branch, taking €100 worth of scratch cards. He was identified when he tried to cash the cards at a newsagent and was arrested. Grant pleaded guilty to attempted robbery in December 2016 and robbery in September 2017, and admitted a further attempted robbery on 17 April 2018.
2017-07-29 · Dublin
In a Dublin Circuit Court hearing, Judge Martin Nolan expressed surprise that possession of empty firearm cartridges was a criminal offence. He sentenced 26‑year‑old Paul Honer to a three‑month suspended sentence for unlawful possession of blank ammunition. Honer admitted keeping the cartridges in a red box under a fish tank in his bedroom; he claimed they were given to him by his father before the father's death ten years earlier. Garda Thomas Wafer discovered the shells during a search of Honer's house on 26 March 2016. Honer, who had previously pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of firearm ammunition, was arrested for the offence while already serving a four‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence for a firearms offence. Judge Nolan noted that many people in rural areas possess spent shells and that he would not sentence someone to imprisonment unless the state proved sinister intent.
2016-10-14 · Wexford
The High Court has ordered that the claim for €2.3 million brought by Seamus Maguire and Company Solicitors against businessman Alan Hynes and his wife Noreen Hynes, trading as A&N Properties, will proceed to a full hearing. The solicitors seek summary judgment for the amount in relation to a cheque allegedly dishonoured. The cheque, drawn in November 2007, was made payable to the solicitors' client account and was held at the defendants' request. The defendants, who had borrowed €3 million from AIB to acquire and refinance a site in Moongate, claim the funds were diverted to another property and that the cheque was never paid. They deny the cheque was dishonoured and argue there is no evidence of dishonour. Mr Justice Paul McDermott ruled that the defendants raised an arguable defence that warrants a full hearing, but he was not satisfied that they had established a basis to dismiss the claim.
2015-05-18 · Louth
Paula Reid, a 51‑year‑old mother of two from Drogheda, pleaded guilty in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to 12 counts of theft between June 2010 and September 2012, having taken €4,790.97 from her former employer, Hugh Burrows & Sons Ltd. She had worked for the company for 30 years and was recently in charge of accounts and payroll. Reid had paid herself a double weekly wage on 12 occasions, a practice described by the Garda as "double‑dip payments." She was suspended from her job in January 2013 and subsequently dismissed. The court, hearing that she had paid back the money by bank draft, sentenced her to 200 hours of community service for six counts and imposed a two‑year suspended sentence in full for the remaining six counts. The judge noted her distressing personal circumstances, including a divorce and her son's serious injury, as mitigating factors.
2015-03-24 · Louth
Paula Reid, a 51‑year‑old mother from Drogheda, pleaded guilty in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to 12 counts of theft totalling €4,790.97, having stolen nearly €5,000 from her former employer, Hugh Burrows & Sons Ltd, over a period from June 2010 to September 2012. Reid, who had worked for the company for 30 years and was recently in charge of accounts and payroll, paid herself a double weekly wage on 12 occasions, a practice described by Garda Vincent Healy as "double‑dip payments" or "bonus payments of an extra week's wages." She was suspended from her job in January 2013 and subsequently dismissed. Reid initially denied the thefts, attributing the discrepancies to a bank error, but later admitted the wrongdoing and repaid the money via a bank draft. The court noted that the thefts were not well hidden, as the double payments were clearly visible on bank statements.
2015-01-27 · Wexford
During the trial of William O'Leary and Noel Hayes for forging a will, a retired nurse, Marian Argue, testified that she had advised a caller that the elderly farmer Matthew Hayes might not have been medically capable of making a will. Argue, who worked on St Aidan's Ward at Wexford General Hospital in 1998, described Hayes as thin, emaciated, incontinent, and bruised on his right hip. She noted that he was receiving IV fluids and was nursed on alternative sides, and that he responded very little, making it difficult to understand him. Argue could not confirm whether Noel Hayes visited each day or was present at Matthew's death. The trial, held in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, continues with Judge Patricia Ryan presiding and a jury of eight men and four women. The unnamed accused pleaded not guilty. Noel Hayes pleaded not guilty.
2014-01-28 · Dublin
Swords District Court sentenced Kevin McCabe to four months in prison and disqualified him from driving for six years after he pleaded guilty to driving without insurance and a licence. Judge Dermot Dempsey noted McCabe's 11 previous convictions, including two prior disqualifications, and imposed a €200 fine. In a separate matter, Josephine Farrell pleaded guilty to contravening a safety order by allegedly threatening a man. The court applied the Probation Act, citing evidence that Farrell, who has bipolar disorder, had missed medication for three days. Darragh Quinn pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of cannabis herb. The charge was struck out after the court ordered €400 in his possession to be paid to Swords Foroige Youth Group. Additionally, Paul Kehoe was disqualified for four years and fined €400 for failing a breath sample, with a further €100 fine for lacking an NCT. His disqualification was postponed until June 1st. Finally, Danny Bowers, alleged to have driven without insurance and while drink driving, had his case adjourned until February 17th because the prosecuting garda was unavailable to give evidence.
2014-01-23 · Louth
A 50‑year‑old woman from County Louth, Paula Reid, is accused of stealing €19,604 from Hugh Burrows & Sons Ltd over a four‑year period between November 2008 and December 2012. She faces 65 theft offences and has been sent forward for trial by judge and jury in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Reid appeared at Balbriggan District Court, where a State solicitor confirmed the evidence was ready and served. Judge Dermot Dempsey assigned senior and junior counsel, gave her an alibi caution, and remanded her on continuing bail to appear on 14 February.
2013-11-28 · Dublin
Paula Reid, 50, of Drogheda, is accused of stealing €19,604 from Hugh Burrows & Sons Ltd, a knitwear manufacturer in Balbriggan, over a four‑year period from November 2008 to December 2012. She faces 64 theft offences. The case was presented at Balbriggan District Court where Sergeant Tony Tighe gave evidence of her arrest, charge and caution. Judge Dermot Dempsey directed a trial on indictment and remanded Reid on continuing bail to re‑appear on 26 January next year. The court also heard the case of Gunars Baumanis, 45, who was convicted of dangerous driving, hit and run, failing to remain at the scene and displaying a false tax disc. Baumanis was given a three‑month suspended sentence, a four‑year driving disqualification for dangerous driving, a six‑month disqualification for failing to stop, a €300 fine for the offence and a €100 fine for failing to report the incident. Gunars Baumanis pleaded guilty.