In January 2014, Timothy O'Driscoll, aged 36, was denied an appeal against his life sentence for the murder of 25‑year‑old Lee McCarthy. O'Driscoll stabbed McCarthy to death after a drink and an invitation to his family home. The Central Criminal Court jury in Cork found him guilty in October 2011, and Mr Justice Paul Carney imposed a life sentence. O'Driscoll's lawyers argued he was provoked by McCarthy's claim that his father had been in a loyalist organisation, but the Court of Criminal Appeal, presided over by Mr Justice Adrian Hardiman, found no grounds to overturn the conviction.
A 22-year-old man from Castlebar is to stand trial at the Central Criminal Court following the death of his mother in March 2011. The defendant pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter in connection with the death of a 46-year-old woman at an address in Islandeady. The Director of Public Prosecutions rejected the manslaughter plea. A jury of twelve was sworn in to hear the case, with trial proceedings due to commence on Thursday. The trial will determine whether the charge of murder is sustained.
During his trial at the Central Criminal Court, Daniel McDonnell, a 19‑year‑old charged with the murder of 16‑year‑old Melanie McCarthy McNamara, admitted to writing graffiti on his cell wall while detained at Tallaght Garda Station. The graffiti included phrases such as "2 in the head. The bitch is dead" and references to Melanie's boyfriend, Christopher Moran, using derogatory terms. Garda Francis Glennon, who was the jailer, photographed the graffiti and testified that it was signed by McDonnell. The prosecution presented the photographs to the jury. The trial also covered the forensic evidence of Melanie's death, with Dr Khalid Jabbar describing a fatal shotgun wound to her left temple and the presence of numerous pellets. The case proceeded to legal argument before Mr Justice Paul Carney, with the jury scheduled to return on Tuesday. The unnamed 19-year-old pleaded not guilty.
In a murder trial, the jury heard that 16‑year‑old Melanie McCarthy McNamara was severely wounded when she arrived at Tallaght Hospital after being shot in the head. The court was shown a shotgun found by Gardaí near Brookview Way, where the shooting occurred. Daniel McDonnell, 19, was on trial for the murder and had pleaded not guilty. A hospital statement described the extent of her injuries, including a large wound to the temple, brain matter, and a protruding eyeball, and noted that resuscitation was stopped at 1 am after her condition deteriorated. A boy who witnessed the shooting described a black jeep and gunfire, and Sergeant John Schlay presented the shotgun, noting it had been altered for concealment. The trial proceeded before Mr Justice Paul Carney with a jury of twelve.
In a 2014 trial at the Central Criminal Court, Daniel McDonnell, aged 19, was charged with the murder of 16‑year‑old Melanie McCarthy McNamara. The prosecution presented evidence that McDonnell had written boastful graffiti on his cell wall, including the lines 'Two in the head. Your bitch is dead', and had sent two letters to a prison officer that contained references to the shooting. The letters, addressed to Lee McDonnell and Stephanie Tuite, described the intent to shoot and the use of a loaded 12‑gauge shotgun. McDonnell's defence pleaded not guilty. The jury was told that the victim was shot in the head while seated in the back seat of a car on Brookview Way, Tallaght, and that she was pronounced dead at Tallaght Hospital. The case was heard by Mr Justice Paul Carney with a jury of twelve.
Siobhan Whitaker, 25, of Meadow Vale, London, pleaded guilty to impeding the apprehension of a person she believed to be guilty of Maurice Martin's murder in Finglas on 12 June 2009. She admitted that she cleaned up the scene after the murder, which was carried out by Daniel Gaynor, a known violent offender who stabbed Martin to death. Whitaker had no involvement in the murder itself and had previously been described as having good character. The court noted her early guilty plea and her 21 prior convictions, mainly for traffic offences, and imposed an 18‑month prison term. Whitaker's statement to the court was that she did not ask for the events to happen and that she felt guilty for her actions. The sentence was handed down by Mr Justice Paul Carney at the Central Criminal Court.
A jury was sworn in for the trial of Andrew Gibney, 21, who is accused of murdering Gerard Burnett, 28, at Castlecurragh Vale, Mulhuddart, on 21 August 2012. Gibney appeared before Mr Justice Paul Carney at the Central Criminal Court and pleaded not guilty to the single count of murder. The trial is set to begin on Tuesday before a jury of six men and six women and is expected to last two weeks.
A 19‑year‑old Dublin teenager, Daniel McDonnell, pleaded not guilty to the murder of 16‑year‑old Melanie McCarthy McNamara, who was killed in Tallaght on 8 February 2012. He was charged at the Central Criminal Court and arraigned before a jury of six men and six women. The trial is set to begin the following morning and is expected to last a week.
Siobhan Whitaker, 25, of Meadow Vale, London, pleaded guilty to impeding the apprehension of Daniel Gaynor, who murdered Maurice Martin in Finglas on 12 June 2009. Whitaker admitted that she helped clean up the scene after Martin was stabbed to death by Gaynor, who was a known recidivist criminal. The court heard that Martin had been attacked by two men outside Whitaker's house and that Whitaker had left him at her request. Whitaker has 21 prior convictions, mainly for traffic offences, and the court noted her previous criminal history. She expressed remorse in a letter to the court, stating she did not ask for the events to occur. The judge remanded her on continuing bail for sentencing on 13 January. The article does not provide a sentencing outcome.
A man serving a life sentence for raping four of his daughters has launched an appeal against his sentence at the Court of Criminal Appeal. The 52-year-old was convicted in December 2011 at the Central Criminal Court in Castlebar, County Mayo, after pleading guilty to sample counts of rape and child cruelty spanning an 18-year period from 1991 to 2009. His counsel argued that the trial judge erred in principle by allowing victim support considerations to become the primary factor in imposing the life sentence, contending that the guilty plea should have carried greater mitigating weight. The State's counsel maintained there was no error in law, noting the offences were at the top end of the scale and that a threat made by the appellant against one victim justified the sentence. The Court of Criminal Appeal reserved judgement, with a decision expected on 15 January 2014.
A 47‑year‑old Gerald Vollrath of Tramore Heights pleaded guilty to attempting to murder his 83‑year‑old mother, Veronica Vollrath, in a Waterford nursing home on 9 January 2012. The original murder charge was dropped and replaced with the attempted murder charge. He was re‑arraigned on a substituted indictment. The judge ordered a victim impact report and relaxed his bail conditions, allowing him to sign in at a Garda station once a week and no longer surrender his passport when in Austria. He remains on continuing bail pending sentencing on 17 February. The unnamed 47-year-old pleaded not guilty.
In December 2013 a Limerick man, Kieran Lynch, aged 47, was ordered to await the outcome of his appeal after being sentenced to life imprisonment in March 2007 for the murder of his partner Catherine McEnery. Lynch had pleaded not guilty at a Galway sitting of the Central Criminal Court in July 2005. The appeal, heard by the Court of Criminal Appeal, focused on two main points: first, the alleged misdirection by Judge Paul Carney regarding provocation, and second, a motion to introduce fresh evidence about Lynch's recent near‑drowning experience and high‑dose medication that might have made him more susceptible to provocation. Lynch's counsel argued that this evidence could have rendered him more vulnerable to a loss of control. The State's counsel contended that the question was ambiguous and that no exceptional circumstances justified the new evidence. Judge Donal O'Donnell said the court would reserve its judgment. The case remains at the appeal stage.
Patrick McCann, aged 20, received a 20‑year sentence, with the final three years suspended, for the attempted murder of his friend Luke Wilson, aged 19, at Liffey Gaels GAA club in Inchicore on 13 January 2013. McCann pleaded guilty to attempted murder and to possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life. The court heard that Wilson was shot in the arm, neck and face, but the gun jammed twice and McCann fled. Wilson suffered serious injuries, including loss of an eye, cerebral stroke, and permanent arm palsy. McCann had prior convictions for drug possession, sale, theft and burglary, and was on bail at the time of the shooting. The judge noted McCann's long‑term drug and alcohol dependence and a dysfunctional family background as mitigating factors. The sentencing was described by the judge as reminiscent of a "Love/Hate" script.
Patrick McCann, aged 20, pleaded guilty to attempted murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life after shooting his lifelong friend Luke Wilson, aged 19, at Liffey Gaels GAA club in Inchicore on 13 January 2013. McCann fired a shot that struck Wilson's neck, causing him to fall, and a second shot that hit Wilson's right arm. Wilson later reported being shot again but the gun jammed. Wilson suffered severe injuries, including the loss of his right eye, facial wounds, a cerebral stroke, and permanent arm palsy. McCann, who had prior convictions for drug possession, drug sale, theft, and aggravated burglary, was arrested the same day. He denied involvement and claimed he was coerced by drug debt. The court will sentence him next week, with the prosecution describing the offence as high‑level.
Stephen "Rossi" Walsh, a 65‑year‑old former resident of Belgrave Road, Rathgar, is preparing to apply for bail while he appeals three separate convictions. He is currently serving a 10‑year sentence for raping a nine‑year‑old girl in 1990, imposed by Mr Justice Paul Carney in February 2010. In November 2010 Judge Patrick McCartan added a consecutive three‑year term for indecent assault of a seven‑year‑old girl in 1988. In December 2011 Walsh received another consecutive 12‑year sentence for sexual assault and defilement of a child on occasions in 2008 and 2009. All three convictions are under appeal. Walsh's earlier 15‑year arson sentence from 1993 was imposed by the Special Criminal Court. He is represented by Derek Burke Solicitors on two appeals but wishes to represent himself on the appeal against the 2009 rape conviction.
The jury was discharged in the trial of three men charged with the death of Gerard McMahon in Limerick. Sean Flanagan (28) and Paul Colbert (46) pleaded not guilty to murder, while Ian Flanagan (24) pleaded not guilty to two counts of assisting an offender. Judge Paul Carney announced that no judge was available to hear the case this week, causing the jury to be discharged. A new jury will be empanelled for the trial on Monday.
John Coughlan, 33, of Moyross, was found guilty of murdering Daniel Treacy, 35, at a Limerick petrol station on 22 February 2010. Coughlan pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter; the prosecution rejected the plea and a jury heard a two‑week trial. Treacy, who regularly visited the station for tea, was shot three times in the head and once in the groin. Coughlan claimed he was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time, a defence that was not accepted. The jury, after 3½ hours of deliberation, returned a unanimous verdict of guilty. Mr Justice Paul Carney imposed a mandatory life sentence, back‑dated to 1 March 2010, and thanked the jury before excusing them. The case was heard in the Limerick County Court.
A 37‑year‑old Cork mother of three, Catherine O'Connor, was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of her 42‑year‑old neighbour, John Forrester, on 12 November 2011. O'Connor pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court. Forrester's body was found on 15 November 2011 in the River Bandon, wrapped in carpet and tied with a belt from O'Connor's cardigan. The autopsy revealed blunt force trauma, asphyxia, a broken hyoid bone, bruising to the throat, a fractured skull, broken ribs, a broken hip and lacerations to the head and mouth. Evidence included O'Connor's fingerprints on a broken Man Utd cup and Forrester's blood on a mobile phone in her flat. O'Connor had been in custody since 28 January 2012 and had 55 prior convictions, including a previous murder. Mr Justice Paul Carney imposed a mandatory life sentence, and O'Connor was led away in a grey hooded jacket, black trousers and boots.
The jury is set to begin deliberations in the Limerick murder trial of John Coughlan, a 33‑year‑old electrician from Pineview Gardens, Moyross. Coughlan pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter for the fatal shooting of Daniel Treacy, 35, at Topaz garage, Caherdavin, Ennis Road, on 22 February 2010. The court rejected the plea, and a jury of seven women and five men was sworn in for a two‑week trial. Prosecutor Ms Úna Ni Raifeartaigh SC described the case as complex, noting a planned shooting and a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia, while highlighting the earlier killing of Coughlan's brother, Darren, by Treacy's brother. She urged the jury to consider CCTV footage and the accused's alleged hearing voices. Defence counsel Mr Brian McCartney QC argued for diminished responsibility, citing psychiatric evidence of schizophrenia, and urged a manslaughter verdict.
Paul McDonagh, 43, was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment for assaulting and threatening to kill a 97‑year‑old woman and for burglary. The sentence was increased from an earlier nine‑year term with three years suspended after the Director of Public Prosecutions appealed. McDonagh had previously gained entry to the victim's home by offering to tidy her gardens, then held his hand over her mouth, cutting her lip, repeatedly threatened to kill her, and fled with her purse. He had 26 prior burglary convictions and had served 12 years in the United Kingdom for a similar offence. The Court of Criminal Appeal deemed the offence of "utmost gravity" and imposed the 12‑year term, suspending the last two years on the condition of good behaviour and cooperation with a management plan while in prison.
A 20‑year‑old man from Lisanalta, Dooradoyle, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for an unprovoked attack that left a 16‑year‑old schoolboy with permanent brain damage. The assault, captured on CCTV, involved 65 kicks, 26 punches and several stamps to the boy's head, chest and body, and continued after the victim had stopped moving. The victim was left on the forecourt in a pool of blood and later required eight days on life support before transfer to the National Rehabilitation Hospital. The man, who was a teenager in HSE care at the time, was originally charged with attempted murder but pleaded guilty to intentionally causing serious harm. He has appealed the sentence, arguing that mitigating factors such as his youth, guilty plea and expressions of remorse were insufficiently considered. The Court of Criminal Appeal has reserved judgment on the appeal, to be delivered in due course.