The Court of Appeal has upheld a finding that the sentence imposed on Muiris Flynn, a 31-year-old appellant, was unduly lenient for dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm, drink driving, and driving without insurance at Doon near Boyle on September 24, 2017. Flynn pleaded guilty to all charges. While the three-judge panel nominated a headline sentence of six years, they decided not to increase the custodial element because Flynn had already been released from prison and secured new employment. Instead, the court imposed a €20,000 fine, describing it as a substantial part of his punishment. The unserved balance of the three-year custodial sentence was suspended. The court re-imposed the original driving disqualifications, acknowledging their adverse impact on his social and working life but deeming them an appropriate response to the devastating harm caused to the victims. Flynn was given until December 31, 2020, to pay the fine in a single instalment, with permission to pay through the Roscommon Town court office. The matter was not adjourned; the re-sentencing and fine payment deadline were finalized.
The Court of Appeal has added a €20,000 fine to the sentence of Muiris Flynn, a 31-year-old appellant, following a successful DPP appeal against the undue leniency of his original sentence. Flynn pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm, drink driving, and driving without insurance at Doon near Boyle on September 24th, 2017. The original sentence, imposed by Judge Francis Comerford, was four years in prison for dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm, with the final two and a half years suspended, alongside concurrent disqualifications for the other charges. The three-judge appellate court, presided over by Justice John Edwards, found the original sentence unduly lenient and nominated a headline sentence of six years. However, considering Flynn's release from prison, his finding of new employment, and the interests of justice in promoting reform, the court decided not to increase the custodial element. Instead, they suspended the unserved balance of the newly imposed three-year term and imposed the substantial €20,000 fine. The court re-imposed the same driving disqualifications as the circuit court, acknowledging the adverse impact on Flynn's social and working life but deeming it an appropriate response to the devastating harm caused to the victims.
A 31-year-old man from Geevagh, County Sligo has had his sentence referred for review by the Court of Appeal after being convicted of dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm, drink driving and driving without insurance. The offences arose from a collision on a country road near Boyle, County Roscommon, on 24 September 2017, when his vehicle struck two cyclists. One victim sustained spinal fractures and hip dislocation, requiring prolonged recovery and leaving her unable to return to her former employment as a teacher. The other cyclist suffered significant pelvic fractures and required intensive care treatment. At sentencing in Roscommon Circuit Court, the defendant received four years imprisonment with the final two and a half years suspended, along with an eight-year driving disqualification. The Director of Public Prosecutions appealed the sentence as unduly lenient. The Court of Appeal found the original sentence was indeed unduly lenient and determined that re-sentencing was necessary. The court indicated it would consider all available options, including the possibility of imposing a substantial fine. Judgement is expected by month's end.
A High Court judge has ordered an inquiry into the detention of a 33-year-old Chilean student held in the Dochas Centre at Mountjoy Prison. Ms Estefany Carolina Alquinta Gonzalez arrived in Dublin on 2 July to begin an English language course at a Dublin school. She was refused entry at the airport on grounds that she posed a threat to the State's fundamental policy interests, and was subsequently placed in solitary confinement. Ms Gonzalez, represented by Rosario Boyle SC and Aoife McMahon BL, denies posing any security or public policy risk. Evidence presented to Mr Justice Charles Meenan indicated she had pre-arrival contact with the Department of Foreign Affairs regarding entry requirements. Ms Gonzalez claims she held all required documentation, including her passport, proof of funds, and accommodation details in County Roscommon. The judge directed the inquiry under Article 40 of the Constitution on Monday and adjourned the matter to Tuesday.
A man has been sentenced to eight years in prison at the Central Criminal Court for the attempted murder of his ex-girlfriend in County Roscommon. Gerard Mooney, aged thirty-nine and formerly of Castlerea, pleaded guilty to attempting to shoot the woman in the head on 12th February 2017 at Cartron. He also admitted possessing a sawn-off shotgun, making threats to kill, criminal damage, harassment, and burglary. Justice Michael White imposed a twelve-year sentence on the attempted murder charge, suspending the final four years. The judge noted that Mooney came "within a hair's breadth" of a murder conviction and that his victim survived only due to mechanical failure when the weapon jammed repeatedly. The court heard the accused had made over 250 calls to the victim between 7th and 12th February and had breached court bail conditions prohibiting contact. Justice White identified the case as exemplifying how intimate relationships can become dangerous, citing psychological difficulties and substance abuse as contributing factors. All sentences will run concurrently and were backdated to February 2017.
A Dublin man has been remanded in custody pending sentencing at the Central Criminal Court following his guilty plea to attempting to murder his ex-girlfriend in County Roscommon. Gerard Mooney, aged 39, admitted to the attempted murder of a woman on 12th February 2017 at Cartron, near Carrick-on-Shannon. He also pleaded guilty to charges including burglary, assault causing harm, possession of a shotgun, threats to kill, harassment, and criminal damage. Evidence heard at the court revealed that Mooney attended the victim's home in Cartron where he fired a shot through a glass door and confronted her with a sawn-off shotgun in the kitchen. He repeatedly pulled the trigger but the weapon repeatedly jammed. The victim provided a statement describing the ordeal and its ongoing psychological impact. Mooney, with previous addresses in Castlerea, was arrested later that evening. Justice Michael White remanded him in custody until 18th January for sentence.
The parents of Natalie McGuinness, a 23-year-old Sligo woman who was strangled to death by her boyfriend in 2015, told the Central Criminal Court they will never recover from her loss. Oisin Conroy (34), who was previously found not guilty of murdering Natalie McGuinness by reason of insanity, was committed to the Central Mental Hospital following the trial. During the trial, it was heard that Conroy believed he was in the Matrix and strangled Natalie McGuinness to save her. He also caused serious lacerations to his own head with a knife and told a doctor he had tried to 'skin himself alive'. Conroy was charged with murdering Natalie McGuinness at The Mews, Mail Coach Road in Sligo on October 28, 2015, and pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms McGuinness by reason of insanity. On July 7, after deliberating for 24 minutes, a jury returned a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity. The court heard victim impact statements from Natalie's mother, Catherine McGuinness, and her sister, Jodie McGuinness, who described the profound emotional impact of Natalie's death on their family. Prosecution counsel Ms Tara Burns SC read the victim impact statement on behalf of the McGuinness family. The court also heard evidence from Dr Damien Mohan, a consultant forensic psychiatrist, who stated that Conroy suffers from chronic paranoid schizophrenia and requires ongoing treatment. Mr Justice Tony Hunt committed Conroy to the Central Mental Hospital for inpatient care, noting that he needed close supervision for the foreseeable future.
A 34-year-old man from Boyle, County Roscommon, has been found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity at the Central Criminal Court. The accused was charged with the death of a 23-year-old woman in Sligo on 28 October 2015. During the two-day trial, evidence was presented that he had strangled the deceased, whom he believed he needed to kill to save her from what he perceived as an alternate reality. Two consultant forensic psychiatrists testified that the accused was suffering from schizophrenia at the time and would have been unable to refrain from his actions. The jury delivered a unanimous verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity after 24 minutes of deliberation. Mr Justice Tony Hunt committed the accused to the Central Mental Hospital pending a further court appearance on 17 July, when victim impact statements are scheduled to be read and a psychiatric assessment will be considered.
A 34-year-old man stands charged with the murder of his girlfriend at the Central Criminal Court. The accused, with an address in Boyle, County Roscommon, is charged with strangling a 23-year-old woman at a residence in Sligo on 28 October 2015. He has pleaded not guilty to murder by reason of insanity. The defence has admitted that the accused caused the woman's death by strangulation, with the sole issue being his mental state at the time. Detective Sergeant evidence outlined that the accused made a 999 call to emergency services, stating he had killed his girlfriend using a rear naked choke hold. Forensic psychiatrist Dr Fiona Toal testified that the accused suffered from schizophrenia and had stopped taking anti-psychotic medication months before the incident. She stated he believed he was in the Matrix and that voices instructed him to kill. Dr Toal concluded the accused was unable to refrain from the killing and did not know his actions were wrong. The trial continues before Mr Justice Tony Hunt.
Oisin Conroy, 34, is standing trial at the Central Criminal Court before Mr Justice Tony Hunt, having pleaded not guilty to the charge of murdering Natalie McGuinness (23) by reason of insanity. The prosecution alleges that Conroy strangled Ms McGuinness at The Mews, Mail Coach Road, Sligo, on October 28, 2015. During the opening of the case, Ms Tara Burns SC stated that the defence does not contest the prosecution evidence regarding the events of that day. The jury will hear evidence that Conroy admitted to strangling his girlfriend during a 999 call and to Gardaí at the scene. Ms McGuinness was found unresponsive and naked; she was pronounced dead at the hospital. Chief State Pathologist Professor Marie Cassidy attributed the death to compression of the neck and strangulation, noting no stab wounds or significant bleeding injuries. Conroy sustained a significant head injury, which he indicated he caused himself with a knife. Defence counsel Mr Brendan Grehan SC accepted that Conroy caused the death by strangulation and that the arrest and detention were lawful. The sole issue in the trial is the accused's mental state, with expert evidence from two consultant psychiatrists expected to support the insanity defence. The trial continues.
Oisin Conroy, a 34-year-old man from Boyle, Co Roscommon, pleaded not guilty to the murder of Natalie McGuinness (23) at The Mews, Mail Coach Road, Sligo, on October 28, 2015. The accused was arraigned before the Central Criminal Court, where he entered a not guilty plea to the charge of murdering Ms McGuinness by reason of insanity. A jury of six men and six women was sworn in to hear the trial, which is scheduled to begin the following day and is expected to last up to two days. Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy addressed the jury, noting that the case centers on the legal concept of insanity and that the factual circumstances would not be significantly in dispute. The report confirms the procedural stage as a trial, with the plea recorded as not guilty to the alleged offense of murder by reason of insanity. No findings, sentences, or final dispositions were recorded at this stage, as the matter proceeded to trial rather than being adjourned or concluded.
The High Court has awarded approximately €700,000 in damages to Mary Molloy, the former owner of Bartragh Island in Killala Bay, County Mayo. Ms Justice Miriam O'Regan ruled on Friday that Ms Molloy was entitled to the damages arising from a 1996 option agreement with Sean Simon of Deerpark, Loughrea, County Roscommon, which was never completed. The island was subsequently sold to a company controlled by golfer Nick Faldo in 1997 for €1.5 million. Ms Molloy had sought to exercise her right to repurchase the property but was unable to do so after the mortgagee, Irish Nationwide Building Society, agreed to its sale. The High Court had previously found in 2003 that Ms Molloy's attempts to exercise her option had been frustrated. The assessment of damages proceeded following the withdrawal of a Supreme Court appeal and re-entry of the case in 2014. A smaller adjoining island is also to be transferred to Ms Molloy.
A long-running dispute over Bartragh Island in Killala Bay, County Mayo, returned before the High Court on Tuesday. The case concerns a 1996 agreement between former island owner Mary Molloy and Sean Simon regarding a purchase option. Ms Justice Miriam O'Regan dismissed Mr Simon's preliminary application to strike out proceedings on grounds of inordinate and inexcusable delay. The judge acknowledged a delay of over ten years had occurred but determined it was in the interests of justice to proceed with assessing damages. The case will now advance to a damages assessment hearing. In 2003, the High Court previously ruled that Ms Molloy's attempts to exercise her option to repurchase the island had been frustrated when a mortgagee lender agreed to sell the property to an international golf company.