Court archive
Court reports mentioning Enfield, Meath
2026-04-24 · Meath
An engineer at an explosives and blasting firm facing a probe into his 'excessive use' of a company fuel card told his bosses he left his work jeep running 'all weekend', a tribunal has noted. Thomas Giles failed in a case at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) challenging his sacking from Kemek Ltd for gross misconduct. The company said it had 'no alternative' but to sack Mr Giles. Mr Giles was a technical service engineer on the road for the Enfield, Co Meath firm, which specialises in the deployment of explosives in the quarrying and construction sectors. He had been issued with a leased Toyota Land Cruiser as a company car – along with a fuel card – but began to face questions on fuel usage starting in 2022. Mr Giles was confronted with the figures on his fuel usage during a series of investigation meetings in March 2024, showing that he was using more than twice as much fuel as his colleagues.
2025-05-01 · Galway
In a High Court case, Mr. James Buckley was warned by Judge Liam Kennedy that he was "perilously close" to being jailed for contempt if he failed to return the racehorse 'Big Time Louie' to Ms. Caroline Teltsch by 5 pm. The court had ordered the Buckleys to pay over €800,000 in damages after they were found to have unjustly enriched themselves with money loaned by Ms. Teltsch, who co‑owns the horse. The horse was to be placed in Ms. Teltsch's care, but Mr. Buckley removed it from the Emerald Equestrian Centre in Glenamaddy, claiming its feet were "rotting" and it could not walk. Judge Brian Cregan adjourned the matter to the following week, emphasizing that continued breach of the order could lead to imprisonment. The Buckleys' appeal of the original ruling was dismissed by the Court of Appeal. The case highlights the court's insistence on compliance with its orders regarding the horse's custody.
2024-07-25 · Carlow
In a High Court ruling on 25 July 2024, Mr Justice Liam Kennedy ordered James Buckley and his wife Paula to pay Caroline Teltsch €800,000 in damages for alleged unjust enrichment. Teltsch, owner of the Emerald Equestrian Centre in Enfield, Co Kildare, claimed she advanced loans to the Buckleys between 2010 and 2018 for purposes such as refurbishing the centre, buying a Jaguar XKR, a Mitsubishi Evo, paying tax and Revenue bills, medical expenses, legal costs, a house deposit, and flights to New York for the couple's wedding. She said she never received any repayment and that the Buckleys used the money for personal and business expenses. Teltsch also sought declarations that land near the centre was held in trust for her and that she was entitled to a stallion named Louis. The Buckleys denied the claims but failed to comply with a court order to disclose documents, leading to their defence being struck out.
2024-07-23 · Carlow
Caroline Teltsch, former owner of an equestrian centre linked to the John Gilligan family, has brought a High Court claim against James and Paula Buckley of Co. Carlow, seeking over €1 million in damages for alleged loan fraud. Teltsch says she advanced multiple loans between 2010 and 2018 to the Buckleys for purposes such as refurbishing the Emerald Equestrian Centre, paying tax bills, purchasing luxury cars, and covering various personal expenses. She claims the Buckleys never repaid any of the money and that they enriched themselves through deceit, confidence trickery and financial exploitation. Teltsch also seeks declarations that land near the centre is held in trust for her and that she is entitled to possession of a stallion named Louis. The Buckleys denied all allegations, were absent from the hearing, and their defence was struck out for failing to comply with a disclosure order. Mr Justice Liam Kennedy will deliver a judgment later this month.
2024-02-06 · Meath
An accountant, Gerard Young, trading as Mara Young & Company, has denied all allegations of wrongdoing after NCS Autoparts Limited, its director Paul Lanigan and his wife Brenda Lanigan filed an injunction against him. The plaintiffs claim that Young is attempting to intimidate and harass them over an alleged €19,000 debt. They say that in early January, Martin 'the Viper' Foley, a convicted criminal, called their home and left a business card in an attempt to collect the debt on Young's behalf. Young has obtained a circuit court judgment against the plaintiffs but the plaintiffs are seeking to have that order set aside. The court adjourned the matter, with an undertaking that Foley will not communicate with the plaintiffs or attend their property until the case returns later this month. The plaintiffs also request an injunction restraining Young from instructing Foley or his debt‑recovery business to contact them.
2024-02-01 · Meath
In a High Court case on 1 February 2024, the directors of NCS Autoparts Limited, Paul and Brenda Lanigan, alleged that chartered accountant Gerard Young, trading as Mara Young & Company, had hired convicted criminal Martin 'The Viper' Foley to collect an approximate €19,000 debt. The plaintiffs claim Foley's visits to their home, including leaving a business card, constituted intimidation. They seek an injunction preventing Young from instructing Foley or his debt‑recovery business to contact them. The court noted the alleged intimidation as "very intimidating" and granted the plaintiffs permission to serve short‑notice injunction proceedings on the defendant. The matter was set to return next week, with the judge expressing confidence that Foley would not call the plaintiffs' property until the next hearing. No orders were made at this stage. The case remains pending.
2023-11-23 · Meath
The High Court appointed Nicholas O'Dwyer and Colm Dolan of Grant Thornton as joint provisional liquidators for Killeen Engineering Fabrication Limited, an automatic gate systems company that employed 45 people and has since closed its doors. The court heard the firm had been trading successfully but became insolvent after its business "fell off a cliff" in recent months. Ross Gorman BL, instructed by Amoss Solicitors, noted that sales had increased earlier but fell significantly in the third quarter of 2023, severely impacting cash flow and leaving the company with less than €20,000 in cash. The company owes about €650,000 to existing customers from deposits for its products and was unable to raise additional finance. The liquidators were granted powers to take control of assets, continue trade for the benefit of liquidation, and investigate the deposits. The matter will return to court in the coming weeks.
2023-11-07 · Dublin
Alex Almajanu, 23, received a fully suspended sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to endangerment, two breaches of Covid regulations, dangerous driving, not holding a driver's license, and criminal damage on the basis of recklessness committed on April 25, 2020. The offences involved fleeing a checkpoint in County Clare and subsequently leading gardaí on a high-speed chase across the midlands, which included driving at 200 km/hr and causing over €13,000 in damage to a patrol car. Judge Orla Crowe described the conduct as "deplorable" and noted that public resources were expended during a national crisis. While acknowledging the defendant's mitigation, including his recovery from drug addiction and role as a father, the judge stated the offences warranted a headline sentence of three years. She imposed a sentence of two years and three months, suspending the entire term for three years on the condition that Almajanu engage with the Probation Service for 12 months. Additionally, he was disqualified from driving for five years. Defence counsel highlighted that the defendant was under the influence of drugs at the time but is now drug-free and caring for his infant daughter.
2023-07-26 · Meath
In a High Court hearing on 26 July 2023, Mr Justice Brian O'Moore confirmed that the temporary injunction issued last week against three owners of luxury holiday lodges near the Johnstown Estate hotel was largely complied with. The injunction, which restrains the use of sirens, airhorns, alarms or power generators that produce loud noise near the hotel, was obtained after the hotel stopped supplying electricity and water to the lodges. The court heard that the siren's noise had ceased and that signs criticizing the hotel's owner had been removed. Two of the defendants, David Godwin and Martin Kennedy, who appeared in court, offered written undertakings to comply with most terms, though no undertakings were offered regarding their generators. Mr Justice O'Moore said he would continue the injunction on the generators and urged a compromise, while the third defendant, Peter Wilson, was absent and the orders against him were maintained. The matter was adjourned to August.
2023-07-21 · Dublin
The owners of the Four‑Star Johnstown Estate hotel, Lefgem Limited and Wave Prime Limited, have obtained a temporary High Court injunction to stop three neighbours from using a siren or airhorn at night. The defendants – David Godwin, Peter Wilson and Martin Kennedy – each own a luxury holiday lodge near the hotel and have allegedly used a loud industrial‑style siren for up to six hours each night, starting at 10:45 pm. The hotel claims the noise has damaged its business reputation and disrupted two upcoming weddings. The injunction, granted ex‑parte by Mr Justice Brian O'Moore, prohibits the defendants or anyone aware of the order from using a siren, airhorn, alarm or power generator to produce loud noise near the hotel. The order is returnable next week. The case arose from a broader dispute over services and property use between the hotel and the lodges.
2023-05-09 · Meath
In a 2023 equality hearing, the Workplace Relations Commission upheld a claim by Alison Walsh, a disabled mother of two, that Emerald Park discriminated against her under the Equal Status Act. Walsh, who suffers from spina bifida and neurosarcoidosis, was denied a queue‑skip pass for rides because the park required a doctor's letter proving an "inability to queue." She presented her disabled driver's badge, adapted car licence and Public Services Card but could not provide medical correspondence. The park's barrister argued that documentation was needed to prevent abuse of the system, while the managing director cited a 15‑20 minute queue for assistance passes and a policy allowing managers discretion after reopening. The WRC found the park's approach unreasonable and ordered Emerald Park to pay Walsh €3,000 in compensation. No appeal mechanism existed for those lacking the requested documentation. The decision highlighted the park's failure to accommodate a disabled visitor in line with the Act.
2023-03-03 · Carlow
A 51‑year‑old pizza delivery driver, Earl McKevitt, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of 19‑year‑old Conor O'Brien, who was shot once in the chest on the evening of 26 August 2021 while McKevitt was delivering a pizza to O'Brien's studio in Enfield. McKevitt admitted to shooting the teenager after failing to read the delivery instructions and claimed that shooting people was part of his job. He was also found guilty of possessing a firearm and a knife on 31 August 2021 at the Talbot Hotel in Carlow, where he had retrieved the gun. Concurrent sentences of seven‑and‑a‑half years and two years were imposed for the firearm and knife offences. McKevitt's life sentence was back‑dated to 31 August 2021, the date he entered custody.
2023-02-23 · Meath
Earl McKevitt, a 51-year-old man from Avondale Park in Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, pleaded guilty to the single charge of murdering Conor O'Brien, 19, at An Seanchrann on Trim Road in Enfield, Co Meath. The alleged incident occurred on a date between August 26 and August 27, 2021, both dates inclusive. Mr John Fitzgerald SC, representing the Director of Public Prosecutions, informed Mr Justice Paul McDermott at the Central Criminal Court that McKevitt could be arraigned on count one of the indictment, noting that further counts may be required in due course. Upon arraignment on Thursday morning, McKevitt admitted to the charge. The judge remanded McKevitt in custody until March 3, when he will be sentenced. This procedural stage constitutes a remand for sentencing rather than a final conclusion of the case.
2023-02-09 · Meath
Alison Walsh, a disabled mother of two from Enfield, Co Meath, claimed that Tayto Park discriminated against her when it refused to issue a queue assistance pass because she could not produce a doctor's letter. She had shown her disabled driver's badge, adapted car licence and Public Services Card, but could not find medical correspondence on her phone that day. The park's policy required a letter stating an exact diagnosis for those with an "inability to queue." Walsh, who suffers from muscle seizures, spasms and incontinence due to spina bifida and neurosarcoidosis, said she was forced to wait on the side while her family enjoyed the park. The case was heard by the Workplace Relations Commission under the Equal Status Act 2000, with the park's managing director acknowledging the policy's shortcomings and promising that future visitors with a blue badge could receive a pass at the discretion of a manager.
2022-02-09 · Meath
Keegan Quarries Ltd (KQL) has applied to the High Court for an injunction against Mr Thomas Donegan of Newcastle, Enfield, Co Meath, alleging that he has blockaded access to a disused quarry site owned by the firm. KQL claims it acquired the land and a right of way from Donegan many years ago, allowing its staff to reach the quarry via his property. The quarry ceased extraction in 2019 but KQL intends to carry out restoration works and requires regular inspections for health and safety. KQL says that Donegan, without warning, blocked the entrance with heavy machinery and agricultural produce, preventing KQL personnel from accessing the site. The court granted KQL permission to serve short notice of the injunction proceedings on Donegan, and the matter will return next week.
2021-10-28 · Offaly
During the Central Criminal Court trial of Stephen Penrose, a 38‑year‑old from Coolock, evidence was presented that his phone made a data connection at a cell site near Rahin, where the body of 24‑year‑old Philip Finnegan was found. The phone also connected to several other sites in Edenderry and surrounding areas on the afternoon of 10 August 2016, including Liffey Valley fitness centre, Edenderry water tower, Monasteroris, Russellswood, Moyvalley and Enfield. The last outgoing call from Penrose's phone was at 6:09 pm, connecting to a cell site in Enfield. The prosecution also noted that Finnegan's phone was last used in Edenderry at 3:44 pm, and that his mother's call at 4:40 pm was unanswered. Additional testimony included a text sent from Penrose's phone at 4:07 pm and a call at 4:53 pm to a site covering Rahin Woods. Stephen Penrose pleaded not guilty.
2021-10-13 · Kildare
The trial of Stephen Penrose, 38, for the murder of 24‑year‑old Philip Finnegan, began on 13 October 2021. The prosecution, led by Brendan Grehan SC, presented evidence that Finnegan's decapitated body was found buried in a shallow grave in Rahin Woods, Kildare, after attempts to cut and burn it. A bloodied glove recovered from the woods matched Penrose's DNA. Penrose had been seen in a blue Alfa Romeo on CCTV near a fast‑food restaurant in Kilcock on the day of the murder and had claimed to have been attacked by men, a story the court said was inconsistent with the evidence. The prosecution argued that Penrose had killed Finnegan in the woods, disposed of the body, and then lied to Gardaí to conceal the location. The trial is scheduled to continue for five to six weeks. Stephen Penrose pleaded not guilty.
2021-07-30 · Kildare
Caroline Teltsch, a UK businesswoman, has taken the High Court to claim she was defrauded by former business partner James Buckley and his wife Paula. She alleges that between 2010 and 2018 the Buckleys engaged in confidence trickery, emotional manipulation and financial exploitation, causing her to advance over €2 million in loans that were never repaid. Teltsch says the money was used for a range of ventures, including the purchase of Jessbrook Stables (now Emerald Stables) for just under €450 000, refurbishment of stables in Co. Carlow, and personal expenses such as cars, medical bills and flights to New York. She seeks a judgment of just over €1 million, damages for breach of contract, and a declaration that the partnership with the Buckleys has been dissolved. Teltsch also applied for a Mareva injunction to prevent the Buckleys from reducing their assets below €1 million, but the court dismissed the application, noting that the defendants had not yet moved overseas.
2018-10-16 · Meath
The High Court wound up Jax Miller Unlimited, the company run by writer Ann O'Donnell (pen name Jax Miller), after it failed to pay a €83,000 tax demand from the Revenue Commissioners. The demand, issued in March, covered unpaid PAYE, USC, LPT, Corporation Tax and interest. The court, presided over by Ms Justice Caroline Costello, found the firm insolvent and unable to meet its debts. Mr Myles Kirby was appointed liquidator. The company's directors, Ann O'Donnell and her husband John O'Donnell, both from New Inn, Enfield, Co. Meath, had no assets or income in the last two years. Ann O'Donnell had received advance payments for a two‑book deal in 2014; the first book, published in 2015, sold moderately worldwide, while the second was rejected by the publisher and she was dropped by her agent in 2017. She is now in the US seeking publication, and her husband works at a petrol station.
2017-03-06 · Dublin
Stephen Rooney (37), Alan Richardson (28) and Vincent Brunton (34) were jailed for their roles in an NCT scam that involved passing cars that had previously failed roadworthiness tests. The men were arrested after a Garda investigation prompted by an RTÉ Prime Time documentary in 2011. Judge Gerard Griffin sentenced Rooney and Richardson to three years with two‑and‑a‑half years suspended, and suspended the entire three‑year term for Brunton. Rooney pleaded guilty to forgery of an NCT certificate and corruption for accepting €100 as inducement; Richardson pleaded guilty to the same forgery and corruption for accepting a cash gift; Brunton pleaded guilty to forging an NCT certificate. The court noted the cars passed were unroadworthy and unsafe, and that the men's actions undermined public trust in the NCT system. The case was adjourned after the evidence was heard.
2017-02-27 · Dublin
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Stephen Rooney, 37, was sentenced to one year in jail for forging an NCT certificate and accepting a €100 inducement. He collapsed in the dock, prompting an ambulance call. Judge Gerard Griffin had originally imposed a three‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence, suspending the final two‑and‑a‑half years due to Rooney's cooperation and remorse. The court also set sentencing dates for co‑accused Alan Richardson, 28, and Vincent Brunton, 34, who had each pleaded guilty to forgery and corruption for passing two un‑roadworthy Toyota Carinas. Both men were to receive suspended sentences after full cooperation. A fourth man, Darren Meehan, 40, had already received a two‑and‑a‑half‑year suspended sentence for producing a false NCT certificate. All three men were remanded on continuing bail pending the March 6 sentencing. The case stemmed from a 2011 RTÉ Prime Time documentary and a Garda investigation.
2017-02-22 · Dublin
Three men – Stephen Rooney (37), Alan Richardson (28) and Vincent Brunton (34) – were arrested after a Garda investigation into a 2011 RTÉ Prime Time documentary that exposed a scheme to pass unroadworthy vehicles at a Dublin NCT centre. Richardson, then an NCT inspector, was approached by Rooney to pass two Toyota Carinas that had previously failed the test. The men were to receive €100, but no money was exchanged. Richardson then asked Brunton to issue a false NCT certificate for one vehicle, while a fourth man, Darren Meehan (40), was approached to pass the second vehicle and received a two‑and‑a‑half‑year suspended sentence for producing a false certificate. Rooney pleaded guilty to forgery and corruption for accepting €100 as inducement; Richardson pleaded guilty to the same forgery and corruption for accepting cash from Rooney; Brunton pleaded guilty to forgery for creating a false certificate. All three men fully cooperated with the Garda investigation and expressed remorse.
2017-01-16 · Meath
In 2011, an inspector at a Dublin NCT centre, Darren Meehan, was caught passing a vehicle that independent mechanics had deemed un-roadworthy. Meehan, 40, pleaded guilty to producing a false National Car Test certificate. He admitted checking three faults during a re-test and passing the car when it should have failed, citing peer pressure. Judge Melanie Greally suspended a two‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence on strict conditions, noting the faults did not pose a safety risk and that Meehan was remorseful. The case highlighted the high responsibility of NCT testers and the broader implications for the community. Meehan was dismissed from his NCT job and later secured new employment. The documentary that exposed the fraud involved a 1996 Toyota Carina that failed its initial test, was paid to pass a re‑test, and was ultimately crushed. The investigation involved Garda officers and legal counsel, with co‑accused awaiting further court action.
2015-03-19 · Dublin
Judge Mary Ellen Ring said that the Director of Public Prosecutions failed to inform the court that Mark Moran, 37, had committed a new crime while his previous suspended sentence was still active. Moran, who had been convicted in 2010 of possession of cannabis worth over €250,000 and sentenced to seven years with four years suspended, was released in October 2011. In December 2012 he pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine and cannabis for sale or supply in Clontarf, with an estimated drug value of €5,000. The DPP did not mention the active suspended sentence at the time of the new offence. Ring noted that under Section 99 of the 2006 Criminal Justice Act any new sentence must run consecutively to the suspended sentence, but she would not address the prosecutorial failure. Moran is currently in drug rehabilitation, remains free on bail, and will appear again in July for sentencing.
2015-03-05 · Kildare
Stephen Kiely, 45, of Thomastown, Enfield, Kildare, pleaded guilty to criminal damage at his shared home in Oldbridge Park, Lucan, on 9 June 2013. The offence followed an argument at a birthday party when he discovered his girlfriend was texting a man she had met a week earlier. After retrieving her phone, he saw what he described as 'very graphic confirmation' of an affair. He smashed the phone, broke two televisions, a microwave, a bathtub, shower doors, a chest of drawers, mirrors, bannisters, the legs of two dining chairs, slashed two couches and cut cables from a barbecue, hair straightener and hoover. Lorcan Staines BL argued that Kiely was enraged, humiliated, in despair and angry, citing a recent Prozac prescription. Judge Martin Nolan ordered a €5,000 payment to the injured party and imposed a two‑year suspended sentence. The judge noted that the relationship's abrupt end had caused Kiely's world to fall apart.