A 32‑year‑old Dublin man, Alan Harte, is on trial for the murder of his friend Peter Gunn, aged 28, who was stabbed in the chest on 4 January 2009 in Cabra Park. A witness, Kastriot Boza, 41, testified that he and the two men had been drinking in a city pub early that morning. Boza described a confrontation in which Harte allegedly used a butcher's knife to stab Gunn, who collapsed. Boza also recounted that after the killing, the accused and another man removed Gunn's belongings, disposed of the body in a water‑filled ditch, and attempted to conceal the scene. Boza was later prosecuted for impeding the investigation and received a six‑year sentence with two years suspended. The trial is proceeding before Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy with a jury of six men and six women. Alan Harte pleaded not guilty.
A wanted human trafficker, Mihai Stancu (46), has been released by the High Court following his conviction by Romanian authorities while absent, which affected the warrant for his extradition. The surrender of Stancu, who resides at Summerhill, Dublin 1, has been sought by Romanian authorities since last year. A European Arrest Warrant was issued for his surrender for prosecution on the alleged offences of constituting an organised crime, human trafficking, and the illegal deprivation of liberty. Counsel for the Minister for Justice, Elva Duffy BL, informed the court that Stancu was accused of being involved in the trafficking of a person for the purposes of prostitution. She stated that it had been confirmed that Stancu was convicted in Romania of the offences contained in the prosecution warrant, and his proposed surrender was now a 'sentencing matter'. The court noted that the state had a difficulty with the warrant as it was currently formed and could no longer stand over detaining him. Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy stated that 'he should not be before the court at all on this warrant' which could no longer be relied upon. The question arose as to whether he should remain in custody. Stancu was remanded in custody in March of this year after gardaí objected to granting him bail on grounds that he posed a flight risk. The judge remanded Stancu on a bail bond of €100 and ordered that he sign on at Store Street garda station on Friday. Stancu has multiple previous convictions in Romania. He is due before the court again next Tuesday, April 8 2014, while lawyers for the state seek clarification from Romanian authorities on his proposed surrender.
Ruairi O Ceallaigh, aged 42, pleaded guilty to stealing nearly €3m from his family‑run law firm, Sean O Ceallaigh & Company, in Dublin. He was arrested by the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation and charged with seven offences under the Theft and Fraud Act. The charges cover a four‑year period of misappropriation, including €1,551,366 between September 2008 and November 2008, and additional sums of €134,831, €151,078, €250,000, €509,646, €75,000 and €144,644 from client accounts. The Director of Public Prosecutions directed a trial on indictment, so the case will be heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. O Ceallaigh appeared at Dublin District Court, accepted the signed plea, and was remanded on continuing bail with his father acting as surety. He will face sentencing at the Circuit Court on 7 February. The court noted that a book of evidence was not required for the signed plea. The case remains at the indictment stage.
Ruairi O Ceallaigh, a 42‑year‑old former solicitor, was arrested by the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation and charged with seven offences under the Theft and Fraud Act. He is accused of misappropriating about €2.8 million from client accounts at his family‑run firm, Sean O Ceallaigh & Company, over a four‑year period. The alleged thefts include €1,551,366 from a named estate between September 2008 and November 2008, and six other sums ranging from €134,831 to €509,646 from client accounts between 2006 and 2010. O Ceallaigh was brought to Bridewell Garda station, then appeared before Judge Patricia Ryan at Dublin District Court, where he was remanded on bail of €200 with his father, Sean O Ceallaigh, acting as surety for €5,000. He is to face trial on indictment at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, with no plea indicated yet. The case will proceed before a judge and jury.
A 28‑year‑old serial burglar, Florin Marticie, was found guilty of trespassing and sentenced to six months in prison. He claimed he did not know why he was arrested and said he was only going to a bus stop after finishing a morning's work for a friend. Marticie denied involvement in an attempted break‑in at a house in Ardla, Skerries, on 8 August. Detective Garda Vincent Healy reported that two men were seen near the house after the alarm went off, and that a pot plant had been thrown at a back window. Marticie was arrested after the Garda saw him walking past the bus stop. The court heard he had three previous convictions for burglary and theft and was currently serving a sentence.