Court archive
Court reports mentioning Ballycumber, Offaly
2026-01-30 · Offaly
A former Portlaoise prison guard, Sean O'Brien, has failed in his legal challenge to have his case heard by the Defence Forces tribunal. O'Brien claimed he was fired with 'lethal intent' after helping to stop a 1988 escape attempt by a paramilitary prisoner. However, the High Court ruled that O'Brien was not an official employee of the Defence Forces, which was a requirement for the tribunal. The court also found that O'Brien was out of time to bring his challenge. O'Brien argued that the Defence Forces had controlled the prison since 1973 and that he should be included in the tribunal's terms of reference. However, the court rejected this, stating that the tribunal was established to examine issues within the Defence Forces, not those employed by the Prison Service. O'Brien's case was dismissed, and he was not granted permission to make representations to the tribunal.
2026-01-14 · Offaly
Sean O'Brien, a former Portlaoise prison guard, has challenged a Defence Forces tribunal in the High Court after being denied the opportunity to make representations regarding his dismissal in 1989. O'Brien claims he was fired after being shot at with lethal intent while helping to apprehend a paramilitary prisoner during an escape attempt in 1988. He argues that the tribunal's terms of reference should include him as he worked under the Defence Forces' control at the time. O'Brien's legal team asserts that the tribunal's refusal to hear his case was a further trauma, given the impact of the incident on his mental health. The tribunal's legal representative countered that O'Brien was employed by the Department of Justice and not the Defence Forces, and thus fell outside the tribunal's scope. The judge has reserved her decision on the matter.
2024-12-16 · Offaly
Lisa O'Meara, who waived her anonymity, told the Central Criminal Court that she had been kept hostage in her own home by Barry Murphy, who repeatedly raped and sexually assaulted her between February 2018 and February 2020. Murphy, 39, was convicted of three rapes, one sexual assault, three assault causing harm, one false imprisonment and coercive control over an 18‑month period. He was also found guilty of a separate assault abroad. The court heard that the front door of the couple's house was riveted shut and that O'Meara had no means of communication until she escaped the night after the final rape. Murphy's bail was revoked when O'Meara lived with him. The judge imposed a headline sentence of 17 years for the rapes, four years for coercive control, and other sentences for the remaining offences, all running concurrently. The final global sentence was 15½ years, with the last year suspended on strict conditions.