Court archive
Court reports mentioning Bansha, Tipperary
2025-12-18 · Tipperary
A jury at the Central Criminal Court unanimously convicted five men from Tipperary of colluding to inflate tender prices for school bus services in the south west of Ireland. The defendants—Raymond Heney, Andrew Walsh, Noel Browne, Larry Hickey and Anthony Flynn—were alleged to have coordinated bids for routes supplied by Bus Éireann, which handled 10% of school routes while contractors managed the remaining 90%. The prosecution argued that the men's concerted practice, led by Heney, aimed to prevent, restrict or distort competition, thereby affecting taxpayers and the Department of Education's €163 million budget for 2015. Each defendant pleaded not guilty. The court remanded all five on continuing bail pending a sentencing hearing on 23 March 2026. The case was brought by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and the Director of Public Prosecutions. The trial focused on the alleged coordination and exchange of information among the operators, rather than any formal agreement.
2025-12-11 · Tipperary
The trial of five bus operators accused of colluding to inflate school transport tender prices is ongoing at the Central Criminal Court. Raymond Heney, Andrew Walsh, Noel Browne, Larry Hickey, and Anthony Flynn have all pleaded not guilty to alleged offences under the Competition Act 2002. The single charge against each accused alleges that between November 1, 2014, and December 31, 2016, they engaged in a concerted practice to prevent, restrict, or distort competition in the provision of school transport services. The prosecution alleges the men coordinated their bids to drive prices higher, affecting public funds. In his closing speech, defence counsel Dermot B Cahill SC argued that Heney acted as a consultant to assist other operators with administrative processes, stating that without him, there would be fewer drivers available to transport children to school. He contended that the accused were not a faceless corporation but local individuals supporting their trade. Conversely, prosecution counsel Dominic McGinn SC argued that the evidence showed a concerted practice to distort the market and load the dice against taxpayers. The jury is instructed to consider the evidence against each accused separately while viewing the overall context. The trial continues before Mr Justice David Keane.
2025-12-10 · Tipperary
Five school bus operators from Tipperary are on trial in the Central Criminal Court for allegedly colluding to distort competition in the provision of school transport services. The prosecution alleges that between 2014 and 2016, the accused engaged in a concerted practice to manipulate tender prices and allocate routes among themselves. Prosecution counsel Dominic McGinn SC stated that the accused discussed bidding strategies and pricing, which led to higher prices for taxpayers. The trial has heard that one of the accused arranged meetings to coordinate efforts, and that there was a degree of coordination among the parties. The prosecution argues that this was not a formal agreement but a form of collusion that distorted the market. The case is not about the importance of school transport for children but about the manipulation of public funds. The trial continues with the jury considering the evidence presented.
2025-11-06 · Tipperary
The trial of five school bus operators accused of anti-competition practices is ongoing at the Central Criminal Court. Andrew Walsh, Raymond Heney, Noel Browne, Larry Hickey, and Anthony Flynn, all from County Tipperary, have pleaded not guilty to a single charge under the Competition Act 2002. The prosecution alleges that between November 1, 2014, and December 31, 2016, the defendants engaged in a concerted practice to prevent, restrict, or distort competition in school transport services across Limerick, Tipperary, Clare, South Galway, and Waterford. Prosecution counsel Dominic McGinn told the jury that the accused allegedly coordinated their bidding behavior, including holding meetings to discuss route allocation and pricing, and submitting non-genuine bids to elevate tender prices. He stated that this alleged collusion removed true competitiveness from the process, which affects the public. The case is being brought by the Competition Authority, with evidence including documents, text messages, and expert testimony expected. The jury must determine if a concerted practice occurred and if each defendant was involved. The trial is presided over by Mr Justice David Keane and is expected to last up to six weeks. The matter continues before the court.
2025-11-04 · Tipperary
Five bus and taxi operators from Limerick, Tipperary, Clare, South Galway and Waterford have gone on trial at the Central Criminal Court. They pleaded not guilty to a single charge under the Competition Act 2002, alleging that between 1 November 2014 and 31 December 2016 they engaged in a concerted practice that prevented, restricted or distorted competition in school transport services. The prosecution is by the Competition Authority. Mr Justice David Keane empanelled a jury of seven men and five women; the trial is expected to last up to six weeks.
2023-11-03 · Ireland
The Central Criminal Court has fixed a trial date for the first group of five defendants accused of anti-competition offences in the provision of school bus services. Mr Justice Paul McDermott, acting on an application by the Director of Public Prosecutions, set January 27, 2025, as the start date for this trial, which is estimated to last five weeks. The case will be managed by Mr Justice David Keane. The remaining eight defendants, including three companies, will also be managed by Mr Justice Keane, but no trial date has yet been assigned for this second group. The 13 accused, comprising individuals and entities such as Larry Hickey, Noel Browne, Frances Collison, Andrew Walsh, Margaret Callanan, Edward Callanan, Raymond Heney, Anthony Flynn, Elaine Glasheen, and Malachy Collison, are alleged to have entered into or authorized agreements between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2016. These alleged agreements purported to prevent, restrict, or distort competition in trade regarding school bus services in the State. The charges are brought under sections 4(1), 6(1), 8(1), and 8(6) of the Competition Act 2002. The prosecution, acting at the behest of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, previously sought to split the trial into two batches due to practical difficulties, a request the court acceded to. The matter remains at the pre-trial stage, with the first group's trial scheduled for 2025.
2023-07-07 · Ireland
The Central Criminal Court has heard that the trial of ten individuals and three companies accused of anti-competition offences regarding school bus services may be split into two separate proceedings. Counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions, Ms Tessa White BL, informed Mr Justice Paul McDermott that trying all 13 accused together posed practical difficulties. She applied to divide the cases into two batches, with the first indictment covering five accused and the second covering the remainder. The DPP alleged that the defendants, including Larry Hickey, Noel Browne, Frances Collison, Andrew Walsh, Margaret Callanan, Edward Callanan, Raymond Heney, Anthony Flynn, Elaine Glasheen, and Malachy Collison, entered into or authorized agreements that prevented, restricted, or distorted competition in the provision of school bus services between January 2014 and December 2016. These alleged offences are contrary to the Competition Act 2002. Defence counsel noted they had only recently received the proposal, with one stating he had no instructions on their attitude. Mr Justice McDermott adjourned the matter to the next list on July 26 to fix dates for the first trial, estimated to last four to five weeks, noting the second trial could be scheduled later. The cases were taken forward by the DPP at the behest of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission following a 2016 investigation.
2023-04-25 · Dublin
The Central Criminal Court will hear a case involving ten individuals and three companies accused of anti‑competition offences in the provision of school bus services in the State. The prosecution alleges that between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2016 the accused entered into or authorised agreements that prevented, restricted or distorted competition in the trade of school bus services. The charges are under sections 4, 6, 8 and 8(6) of the Competition Act 2002 and were brought by the Director of Public Prosecutions on behalf of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission following a 2016 investigation. Ms Tessa White BL presented the case to Mr Justice Paul McDermott, who adjourned the matter to 9 June to review progress and consider pre‑trial applications. The trial is expected to last 12 weeks and will be heard as a single trial with all parties together.
2022-07-27 · Limerick
In a High Court case, swimming instructor Ricardo Rojas agreed to comply with an injunction issued by Mr Justice Conor Dignam that bars him from teaching swimming within a five‑mile radius of Swim Max Limited's premises until 22 October. The injunction, granted in June, enforces a restrictive covenant that Swim Max claims was part of Rojas's employment contract. Rojas, who left the company in late April, is also prohibited from using the firm's trade secrets or competing with Swim Max for six months after his departure. He accepted his former employment but contested the company's allegations, describing his former working conditions as stressful and toxic and expressing concerns about potential homelessness. Rojas denied any cost orders and said he would dispute them. Swim Max's owner, Ms Diana Daly, alleged that Rojas had been giving lessons at another pool shortly after leaving, potentially harming the company's reputation. The court will review costs on 22 October when the covenant expires.
2022-06-17 · Limerick
In a High Court hearing on 17 June 2022, Mr Justice Conor Dignam granted a temporary injunction against former Swim Max Limited instructor Ricardo Rojas. The injunction, issued by Limerick‑based Swim Max, bars Rojas from giving swimming lessons within a five‑mile radius of the firm's premises for an initial period of three weeks. It also prohibits him from using the company's trade secrets or confidential training methods and from competing with Swim Max in that area. Rojas, who left the company in April 2022, had been teaching lessons at a local leisure centre, breaching a restrictive covenant in his employment contract that forbids such activity for six months after departure. The injunction was granted after the firm's founder, Ms Diana Daly, presented evidence that Rojas was still instructing clients and that the company feared reputational damage.
2021-11-16 · Tipperary
Patrick Quirke, aged 52, lost his appeal against a 2019 conviction for the murder of DJ Bobby "Mr Moonlight" Ryan, aged 52, whose decomposed body was found in a disused slurry tank on a farm leased by Quirke. The Court of Appeal rejected more than 50 grounds of appeal presented by Quirke's lawyers. Judge George Birmingham, delivering the judgment, said he was not persuaded by any of the arguments and expressed unease about the trial's extensive legal argument. He noted the trial was the longest in Irish history, lasting 71 days, and described the number of voir dire as extraordinary. Quirke was not present at the hearing but watched via video link. The court upheld the jury's guilty verdict and the life sentence imposed in 2019. The appeal court also dismissed the defence's claim that the trial judge should have declared the trial unfair. The judgment reaffirmed that the evidence, though circumstantial, was sufficient for conviction.
2019-12-17 · Tipperary
During a 13‑week trial, the prosecution presented circumstantial evidence linking Patrick Quirke to the murder of Bobby Ryan, arguing that Quirke's jealousy and financial dependence on Mary Lowry motivated the killing. Quirke had leased Lowry's land, had a sexual relationship with her, and was seen at her home on the day Ryan disappeared. He claimed he discovered Ryan's body in a waste‑water tank on 30 April 2013, describing the tank as partially full and the body as a "carpet or inflatable doll." Forensic entomology suggested the body had been present for at least 11 days. The defence argued the evidence was unreliable, citing inconsistencies in Lowry's testimony, lack of independent evidence of Quirke's motive, and questioning the integrity of the tank's condition. The jury ultimately convicted Quirke by a majority verdict for Ryan's murder.
2019-04-01 · Tipperary
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, Detective Garda Fiona Maguire presented evidence that fingerprints recovered from a black diary and a driving licence taken from Bobby Ryan's van did not match those of the accused, Patrick Quirke. The prints were collected in 2013, after Ryan's body was found in an underground tank in April 2013. Maguire identified five marks on the diary and two palm marks on the licence, four of which belonged to Ryan's daughter Michelle; the remaining marks could not be identified. None matched Quirke's prints, and a national database search yielded no match. Detective Ernie Fraser also reported that fingerprints taken in 2012 from an aftershave bottle and the driver's door in the van likewise did not match Quirke. Quirke, 50, has pleaded not guilty to Ryan's murder.
2019-02-06 · Tipperary
Farmer Patrick Quirke, 50, of Breanshamore, Co Tipperary, is on trial at the Central Criminal Court, having pleaded not guilty to the murder of DJ Bobby Ryan, known as Mr Moonlight. The prosecution alleges Quirke killed Ryan between June 3, 2011, and April 2013, to reunite with Ryan's girlfriend, Mary Lowry, with whom Quirke had previously had an affair. Ryan's body was found in a run-off tank on a farm leased by the accused in April 2013. During the trial, witness Siobhán Kinnane testified she was "80 per cent sure" a man she saw walking near her home on the morning of Ryan's disappearance matched a photo of the deceased. Another witness, bus driver Jim Cully, stated he was "almost certain" he saw Ryan's van driving away from the area where it was later found. Other witnesses reported seeing a van similar to Ryan's at Kilshane Woods car park. The trial continues before Ms Justice Eileen Creedon and a jury.