During the trial of Patrick Quirke for the murder of DJ Bobby Ryan, Garda Tom Finnane testified that he had become "unhappy" with his earlier belief about where Ryan's body was found after watching a television news broadcast. Finnane, who had participated in the 2011 search at Fawnagowan farm, had originally thought the body was located in an open slurry pit behind a shed. The broadcast showed the body had been recovered from an underground waste‑water tank in a different area. Finnane confirmed that he had seen an aerial photograph of the farm that clarified the correct location, noting the presence of ten to fifteen round hay bales covered in black plastic. He stated he had not discussed his evidence with anyone else and that the photograph had helped him reassess his recollection. The trial, presided over by Justice Eileen Creedon, continues with a jury of twelve. Patrick Quirke pleaded not guilty. Tom Finnane pleaded not guilty.
In February 2019, the Central Criminal Court heard that farmer Patrick Quirke, aged 50, pleaded not guilty to the murder of DJ Bobby Ryan, known as Mr Moonlight, who disappeared in June 2011 and whose body was found in April 2013 in a disused wastewater tank on a farm at Fawnagowan. The trial recounted that days after Ryan's disappearance, Gardaí searched the farmland where he would later be found, but found no evidence of what happened to him. Sergeant Cathal Godfrey, who led the search, explained that the investigation covered a quarry, fields, tanks, ditches, hedges, farm buildings and sheds, and that nothing of evidential value was discovered. The search also included a slurry tank and a Toyota Corolla found in a shed, but no body or relevant material was located. The trial continued before Justice Eileen Creedon and a jury of twelve.
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.
During a murder trial, bus driver Jim Cully testified that he almost certainly saw the van of the missing DJ known as Mr Moonlight driving away from the site where it was later found on the morning of June 3, 2011, the day Bobby Ryan went missing. Cully, who had given a Garda statement on June 5, described seeing the van moving at a normal speed from the direction of Annacarty toward Dundrum Village around 8.40 a.m. He could not identify the driver but noted a salute exchange that he believed was from Ryan. The van bore the Mr Moonlight sticker on its windscreen. Patrick Quirke, aged 50, is on trial for Ryan's murder, alleged to have been committed to regain Ryan's girlfriend. The case is before Justice Eileen Creedon with a 12‑person jury. The trial continues. Patrick Quirke pleaded not guilty.
A 54‑year‑old Tipperary man was convicted of two counts of sexual assault and two counts of defilement of a child in 2014, after a jury found him guilty of abusing a 14‑year‑old schoolgirl in 2009 and 2010. He was sentenced to six years' imprisonment by Judge Thomas Teehan. The man appealed only on the ground that his lawyers should have been allowed to introduce text messages exchanged between the victim and a 13‑year‑old boy, which he claimed could undermine the girl's credibility. The Court of Appeal, led by Mr Justice George Birmingham, rejected the appeal, holding that the text messages did not meet the statutory threshold for admissibility and that the defence had no other evidence of penetration. The court noted that the victim had denied any sexual relationship with the boy and that the texts were not relevant to the conviction. The appeal was dismissed, leaving the six‑year sentence in place.
A man accused of murdering a disc jockey known as Mr Moonlight knew of the existence of a tank where the victim's remains were discovered, the Central Criminal Court has heard. Patrick Quirke, aged 50, of Breanshamore in County Tipperary, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Bobby Ryan, aged 52, between June 2011 and April 2013. Mr Ryan disappeared in June 2011 and his body was found in a run-off tank on a farm at Fawnagowan, Tipperary, in April 2013. Prosecution evidence suggests Mr Quirke killed Mr Ryan to resume a relationship with the deceased's girlfriend. Witness testimony established that Mr Quirke was familiar with the tank's location, built in the late 1970s on the farm. A neighbour recalled seeing an unusual silver van—matching the type driven by Mr Ryan—parked on a nearby laneway the morning he went missing. The trial before Justice Eileen Creedon and jury continues at the Central Criminal Court.
At the Central Criminal Court, the son of Bobby Ryan told how he encountered Mary Lowry at her farm on the morning his father vanished in June 2011. Robert Ryan Junior said Ms Lowry appeared visibly shaken and upset, and he sensed immediately that something was wrong. He noted her behaviour seemed designed to hurry him away from the property. Patrick Quirke, aged 50 from Breanshamore, County Tipperary, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Ryan between June 2011 and April 2013. Mr Ryan's body was discovered in a waste tank on a farm at Fawnagown that Ms Lowry owned and Mr Quirke leased. The deceased's daughter, Michelle Ryan, a DJ herself, described finding her father's Citroen van in Breansha Wood after he failed to appear for work. She noted the vehicle's condition suggested her father had not been the last person to drive it. The trial before Ms Justice Eileen Creedon continues before a jury.
In a 2017 Limerick Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Lithuanian national Aurimas Petraska, of Church Street, Rathkeale, was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment for a series of 2016 burglaries that stole €150,000 worth of women's clothing and Chanel beauty products across Tipperary, Cork and Limerick. Judge Tom O'Donnell described the gang as "professional" and the raids as "premeditated and planned down to the last detail and executed with military precision". The final 18 months of the sentence were suspended. Petraska had planned to appeal the severity of the sentence, but his barrister John Moher BL informed the Court of Appeal that he wished to withdraw the appeal. Judge George Birmingham, President of the Court of Appeal, noted that Petraska had received "extraordinarily well" in the Circuit Court and that proceeding with the appeal risked an increased sentence. The Court of Appeal allowed the withdrawal, following a landmark 2018 sentencing guideline for burglary offences. Aurimas Petraska pleaded guilty.
During the fourth day of her testimony at the Central Criminal Court, Mary Lowry, aged 52, explained that she felt accused of involvement in the disappearance of her boyfriend, Bobby Ryan, a DJ known as Mr Moonlight. Lowry said she had complained in June 2012 to the Gardaí about missing‑person posters placed around her home, which she found intimidating and upsetting to her children. She insisted she wanted to find Ryan "as much as anybody else" and had put up posters elsewhere. Lowry confirmed spending a night in a Killiney hotel with the accused after Ryan's disappearance, but could not recall staying at the Cliff Hotel in Waterford in September 2011, despite a bank receipt. She denied any intimacy with Patrick Quirke after Ryan's disappearance and said she had called him from Austria in 2012 to avoid his anger. The trial, with Patrick Quirke, 50, remains ongoing before Justice Eileen Creedon and a jury of twelve. Mary Lowry pleaded not guilty. Patrick Quirke pleaded not guilty.
In the third day of the murder trial, 52‑year‑old Mary Lowry denied asking a relative of the deceased whether Gardaí could detect a body in a car boot. She said she is a "kind, decent person" and wants to "solve this murder mystery". Lowry was questioned about a phone call she made to Ann Stapleton on 5 June 2011, after Bobby Ryan's disappearance, in which Stapleton asked if Gardaí could tell if a body had been in a car. Lowry said she never mentioned a body in the boot. She also denied telling "devious" lies or trying to portray Patrick Quirke in a bad light. During cross‑examination she reiterated that she told the truth to the best of her memory and that she was a young widow with three small children when she began an affair with Quirke. The judge adjourned the trial for the next day. Patrick Quirke pleaded not guilty.
In the Central Criminal Court, Patrick Quirke, aged 50, denies murdering Bobby Ryan, a DJ known as Mr Moonlight, who was found dead in a run‑off tank on Fawnagowan farm in April 2013. Witness Mary Lowry, 52, testified that Quirke wrote a letter to an agony aunt, published in the Sunday Independent in 2011, admitting he had fallen in love with a woman who later cheated on him. Lowry also claimed Quirke stole underwear from her clothes line and that CCTV footage from December 2012 showed him on her property. She said she confronted him, he admitted writing the letter, and that he had no one else to turn to. Lowry's testimony also covered her relationship with Quirke, her feelings of being manipulated, and her statements to Gardaí in 2011. The trial continues with cross‑examination scheduled for the next day.
Mary Lowry, aged 50, is testifying in the trial of Patrick Quirke, who is accused of murdering 52‑year‑old Bobby Ryan between June 2011 and April 2013. Lowry describes her relationship with Quirke as a "seedy affair" that began after her husband's death in 2007. She says Quirke, a farmer married to her late husband's sister, helped her with farm work and finances, and they became intimate in early 2008. Lowry claims Quirke was controlling, demanding money, and physically aggressive when she refused. She says she ended the affair in summer 2010 to focus on her children. In 2010 she began a relationship with Ryan, who was later reported missing. Lowry states she has no knowledge of Ryan's disappearance and that Quirke has no involvement. She will continue to give evidence before Justice Eileen Creedon and a jury tomorrow. Patrick Quirke pleaded not guilty. Mary Lowry pleaded not guilty.
Patrick Quirke, 50, of Breanshamore, Co. Tipperary, is on trial for the murder of 52‑year‑old Bobby Ryan, who was found dead in a disused waste tank on a farm at Fawnagowan between June 2011 and April 2013. Quirke has pleaded not guilty. The Central Criminal Court will hear evidence tomorrow, after a day of no evidence, following a jury visit to the farm last Friday. The trial is expected to last up to eight weeks.
In a 2019 trial, Patrick Quirke, aged 50, pleaded not guilty to the murder of 52‑year‑old Bobby Ryan, a DJ known as Mr Moonlight, who was found dead in a slurry pit on a farm in Fawnagowan, Tipperary, in April 2013. The jury, composed of six men and six women, was instructed by Justice Eileen Creedon to visit the farm to observe the relevant buildings and surrounding land, but not to conduct investigations or take photographs. They were shown photographs of a run‑off tank, a slurry tank, and various farm buildings, as well as a broken hair clip, springs, and cable ties recovered from the pit. Det. Sergeant Larry Stapleton reported that bone fragments and hair were also recovered. The prosecution alleged that Quirke had a prior relationship with Ryan's girlfriend and murdered Ryan to rekindle that affair, relying on circumstantial evidence to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt. The case was heard at the Central Criminal Court.
Patrick Quirke, aged 50, pleaded not guilty to the murder of 52‑year‑old Bobby Ryan, a local DJ known as Mr Moonlight, between June 2011 and April 2013. Quirke, who had been in a secret affair with Mary Lowry since 2008, claimed that his relationship with Lowry ended in 2010 when she began dating Ryan. Quirke allegedly killed Ryan to regain his former relationship with Lowry. On 13 April 2013, Quirke discovered Ryan's naked body in a slurry tank, where it had been buried in a concrete sarcophagus. The post‑mortem revealed blunt‑force trauma and fractures to the skull, ribs and one leg. The prosecution, led by Michael Bowman SC, argued that Quirke had motive, opportunity and access to the tank, and that the discovery of the body was carefully staged. The trial is proceeding before Justice Eileen Creedon and a jury of twelve.
The Court of Appeal held that the privilege preventing a spouse from testifying against their partner applies only to married couples, not to civil partnerships or other relationships. The case arose from a Circuit Court decision that two women, who were in ongoing relationships but not married to the accused men, could not be compelled to give evidence under section 16 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006. The men, charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice in 2012, were acquitted by the trial judge, who cited the "changing landscape" and the recognition of non‑marital relationships in law. The Director of Public Prosecutions appealed the acquittals, but the appeal was moved "without prejudice" on a point of law. The Court of Appeal confirmed that the term "spouse" in the Criminal Evidence Act 1992 refers only to a married spouse, and that extending the privilege to other relationships is a legislative, not judicial, matter.
A jury of twelve will travel to Tipperary on 25 January to view the farm where Patrick Quirke, aged 50, is accused of murdering 52‑year‑old Bobby Ryan between 3 June 2011 and 13 April 2013. Justice Eileen Creedon explained that the prosecution and defence believe the visit will aid the trial. The jury will depart from the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin by coach, and will return to the Central Criminal Court on Friday for the trial's opening. No further legal actions are mentioned in the article. Patrick Quirke pleaded not guilty.
Patrick Quirke, 50, of Breanshamore, Co. Tipperary, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of 52‑year‑old Bobby Ryan, whose death occurred at an unknown location between 3 June 2011 and 13 April 2013. The case is before the Central Criminal Court, where a jury of six men and six women will hear the proceedings. Mr Justice Michael White has indicated the trial may last up to eight weeks.
A 19‑year‑old man, Eoin Morrissey, appeared before the Special Criminal Court on 21 January 2018 charged in connection with the murder of Aidan "The Beast" O'Driscoll, a senior Real IRA figure who was shot dead in Cork on 7 December 2016. Morrissey is charged with impeding the apprehension or prosecution of Daniel Hegarty by providing a firelighter to burn a red Opel Astra used by the alleged killers and by following Hegarty to a site where a red Opel Astra was burnt to facilitate transport after the burning. The offences are alleged to have occurred between 8 and 19 December 2016. The Director of Public Prosecutions applied for a Section 49 order and the court directed that Morrissey be tried before the Special Criminal Court. The case was set for mention on 21 January. Earlier, Colin Casey (32) and Daniel Hegarty (24) pleaded guilty to related charges and were remanded on continuing bail until 11 March.
In a High Court decision dated 18 December 2018, Ms Justice Carmel Stewart awarded more than €1 million in damages and interest to a group of twenty Portuguese workers who had been employed by three Portuguese companies—Rosas Construtores SA, Constructocoes Gabriel AS Couto SA and Empresa Deconstrucoes Amandio Carvalho SA—under the RAC Eire Partnership. The workers had been building a section of the N7 motorway between Limerick and Nenagh in 2007‑2008 and claimed they were treated appallingly, underpaid, and housed in a cramped, fire‑hazardous prefab building with no drinkable water, unreliable showers and foul wastewater. They alleged unreasonable wage deductions for accommodation and laundry, and that the employers kept fraudulent records of hours worked. The judge found the employers breached numerous employment regulations, including the Organisation of Working Time Act, and ruled the workers were entitled to damages of €818,000, with the final award expected to exceed €1 million after interest.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, former Waterford County Council worker Bartholomew Prendergast was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment for rape and indecent assault of three women, including sisters Stephanie Hickey (aged 12‑15 at the time of the offences) and Deirdre Fahy (aged 13‑14). He pleaded guilty to two counts of rape and thirteen counts of indecent assault against Hickey between 1983 and 1987, one count of indecent assault against Fahy between 1979 and 1981, and two counts of indecent assault against a third woman (now 39) between 1988 and 1991. The judge suspended the final 18 months of the sentence on strict conditions, requiring Prendergast to undergo a sex‑offender treatment programme and be supervised by the Probation Service for 18 months. The hearing highlighted the prolonged abuse that continued despite family intervention and a priest's counselling, and the profound impact on the victims' lives.
Sean Healy, a 28‑year‑old from Beechpark, Cahir, withdrew an appeal against a €20,000 compensation order after the Court of Appeal warned that custody could be reconsidered if he proceeded. Healy had pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to former hackney driver John Bailey in March 2017. Bailey, who had run a hackney in the Burncourt area, ended his business after the assault. Healy received a wholly suspended three‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence and was ordered to pay €20,000, with a two‑year payment period. His barrister sought to limit the appeal to the compensation order, citing the amount's burden. The Court of Appeal's President, Mr Justice George Birmingham, reminded the counsel that all aspects of the sentence, including the suspended term, could be considered, potentially bringing custody back into play. Following this, Healy chose to withdraw the appeal.
Eddie Barnaville, a former kickboxing champion, has lost his appeal against the severity of his sentence for two robberies committed within 24 hours of each other in Thurles in January 2016. Barnaville pleaded guilty to the offences, which involved violently assaulting victims on Liberty Square and Kickham Street. At Nenagh Circuit Criminal Court on April 28, 2017, Judge Thomas Teehan imposed consecutive five-year sentences, totalling 10 years, with the final four years suspended. The Court of Appeal, presided over by Mr Justice John Edwards alongside President Mr Justice George Birmingham and Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy, dismissed the appeal. The court held that the sentencing judge correctly assessed the gravity of the offences, noting the victims were in vulnerable, semi-conscious states when subjected to extreme violence. Mr Justice Edwards described the sentencing approach as "impeccable" and the four-year discount for mitigation as adequate and generous. The court rejected the argument that the gravity was over-assessed, emphasizing that Barnaville's culpability was significant due to his prior convictions and the gratuitous nature of the attacks. The appeal was dismissed, upholding the original sentence.
Kathleen Stokes, 43, of St Anthony's Park, Knocknaheeny, Cork, was sentenced to three years' imprisonment for possessing a stolen safe near Faggot Hill, Clogheen, in April 2017. She was arrested with two children, one of whom was her son, an aggravating factor. At sentencing, her husband was also serving a prison term. Stokes had 32 prior convictions, including burglary and theft. Her appeal was dismissed by the Court of Appeal, which upheld the three‑year sentence. The court noted that the trial judge's remarks on a Healthy Minds report were "quite disparaging" and that the judge's handling of submissions was "not engaging as he should have done." The Court of Appeal found the sentence proportionate to the seriousness of the offence and Stokes' poor record. The decision was made by a three‑judge panel, including Mr Justice Brian McGovern. Kathleen Stokes pleaded not guilty.
The Court of Appeal has upheld the prison sentence of Dylan Cahill, a 24-year-old from Lower Irishtown, Clonmel, Co Tipperary, who pleaded guilty to serious firearms and explosives offences. Cahill admitted to possessing a .380 calibre Colt semi-automatic pistol and four rounds of ammunition, as well as two improvised explosive devices, or pipe-bombs, at Sradrine, Glefarne, Co Leitrim, on May 13, 2015. These admissions were made at the non-jury Special Criminal Court, where Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy, presiding with Judges Sinead Ni Chulachain and James Faughnan, sentenced him to six years in prison, with the final year suspended. The appeal, heard by President Mr Justice George Birmingham alongside Ms Justice Máire Whelan and Ms Justice Marie Baker, was dismissed. Mr Justice Birmingham stated there was no basis to suggest the mandatory minimum sentence for firearm possession constituted an error in principle. He characterized the carrying of a semi-automatic pistol, ammunition, and a pipe bomb in furtherance of the activities of the IRA as a very serious offence. Consequently, the Court of Appeal confirmed the original disposal, maintaining the effective custody period and suspended portion as originally imposed by the Special Criminal Court.
Stephen Brophy, aged 27, pleaded guilty to violent disorder and assault causing harm in Ashbury View, Roscrea, during a feud between the McCarthy/O'Donoghues and the Hutchinson/Marshalls. He had thrown a pitchfork that bounced and struck a woman, Sharon McCarthy, on the lips, causing a scar and requiring surgery. The original sentence of seven years, with two years suspended, was quashed on appeal. He was re‑sentenced to four years for violent disorder (two years suspended) and three years for the assault (12 months suspended), with both terms running concurrently. Brophy must remain in good behaviour for two years after release and may not approach a McCarthy family member unless invited or in a friendly manner. The appeal was granted by Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy, with the Court of Appeal hearing the case.
In October 2018, a Polish man named Andrezej Pacek, aged 44 and currently serving a ten‑year prison sentence for a drug offence, was denied legal aid to defend a Criminal Assets Bureau claim that a commercial property in Hollyford, Co. Tipperary, where about €1 million of cannabis was found, was purchased with proceeds of crime. Pacek, who lives in Deerpark, New Ross, Co. Wexford, had earlier been convicted in 2017 for possession of a controlled drug worth €13 000 or more, with six years of his sentence suspended. The CAB argued that the Hollyford house was bought with illicit funds, citing unexplained four‑figure deposits into Pacek's bank accounts before the purchase. Pacek claimed the property was bought with savings from selling his Polish transport business in 2006. Ms Justice Carmel Stewart dismissed his legal aid application, noting translation difficulties and a lack of supporting documentation, and adjourned the case to November.
Two men, Colin Casey, 32, and Daniel Hegarty, 24, appeared before the Special Criminal Court on 8 October 2018 charged in connection with the murder of Aidan "The Beast" O'Driscoll, 37, who was shot on 7 December 2016 in Blackpool, Cork. Both men were charged under the Offences Against the State Act. Casey faced four charges: impeding the apprehension or prosecution of the alleged killers by collecting them from Redemption Road after they arrived in a silver Nissan Almera, driving them from that location in a white Vauxhall Astra, burning out the Nissan and the Vauxhall, and driving them away in a red Opel Astra.
In a court hearing on 5 October 2018, Danny Whelan, a 30‑year‑old from Thurles, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Samantha Walsh, a 31‑year‑old mother of four. Walsh had recently returned home from an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting and had no alcohol in her system when Whelan, who was high on drugs, beat her to death in an apartment in Waterford City. Whelan pleaded guilty to the murder, which occurred on or about 28 April 2017. Forensic evidence showed blunt‑force trauma to Walsh's head and face, with bloodstains indicating a swinging weapon. Whelan had a history of 73 convictions, including burglary and possession of a knife, and had previously served an eight‑year sentence with part suspended. The court imposed the mandatory life sentence, and Whelan was taken to prison to begin his custodial term.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, 65‑year‑old Bartholomew Prendergast pleaded guilty to two counts of rape and 13 counts of indecent assault against his sister‑in‑law, Stephanie Hickey, aged 12‑15 at the time, and to one count of indecent assault against Deirdre Fahy, aged 13‑14, and two counts of indecent assault against a third woman, aged 9‑12. The offences occurred between 1979 and 1991 in County Waterford and County Tipperary. Prendergast, a former Waterford County Council worker and local musician, had recently retired and had no prior convictions. The court adjourned the case to 26 November for sentencing, after the judge remanded him in custody and revoked his bail. The hearing included victim impact statements from the three women, who described the abuse and its lasting effects. No further legal actions were announced at this stage.
Francis Rafferty, 68, of Drumcondra, was convicted at the Central Criminal Court of two counts of raping a girl aged nine to twelve and of sexually assaulting her older sister, while acquitted of two other rape charges. He had pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting the younger girl. The court imposed concurrent sentences totalling ten years imprisonment. Ms Justice Margaret Heneghan noted a Probation Service report that Rafferty had no understanding of the hurt, trauma or long‑term effect of his actions, and that he could not equate his own childhood abuse with that of his victims. The Court of Appeal upheld the sentence, finding it within the range available to the judge, and dismissed Rafferty's appeal. The decision was delivered by Mr Justice George Birmingham, joined by Mr Justice John Edwards and Mr Justice John Hedigan.
The Central Bank was granted access to the transcripts and exhibits from the trial of former Anglo Irish Bank CEO David Drumm. The application was made before Judge Karen O'Connor at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after written submissions and relevant case law were submitted last Tuesday. The application was not contested by the Director of Public Prosecutions or Drumm. Drumm, aged 51, was jailed for six years last month for his role in a multi‑billion‑euro bank fraud scheme in 2008. The jury returned unanimous guilty verdicts on conspiracy to defraud and false accounting after just over ten and a half hours of deliberations. The State alleged that Drumm conspired with former Irish Life & Permanent CEO Denis Casey, Anglo's former financial director Willie McAteer and former Head of Treasury John Bowe, among others, to carry out €7.2 bn in fraudulent circular transactions to inflate Anglo's customer deposits figure.
In July 2018, Heritage Bloodstock Ltd of Cahir, Co. Tipperary, withdrew a High Court action that had sought to allow its horse, Heritage Vittorio, to compete in the five‑year‑old competition at the Dublin Horse Show and to exclude Indigo VDL, owned by Mr. Ivor Broderick of Loughrea, Co. Galway. The company had argued that Indigo VDL was ineligible because it was not Irish‑bred and was not on the Department of Agriculture's approved breeding list for 2018, and that its participation would breach the RDS's rules. Heritage Bloodstock had obtained a short‑notice injunction and sought declarations that Indigo VDL did not meet the qualifying criteria. The case was adjourned for a costs hearing, and the action was formally withdrawn before the judge's decision on costs. The withdrawal left the status of the two horses at the Dublin Horse Show unresolved.
David Drumm, former chief executive of Anglo Irish Bank, has received a fully suspended sentence of fifteen months at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for his involvement in an unlawful loan scheme. The 51-year-old from Skerries, County Dublin pleaded guilty to ten counts of authorising unlawful financial assistance to the Maple Ten group of developers and businessmen between July 2008. The loans were designed to unwind a substantial undisclosed shareholding in Anglo Irish Bank accumulated by Cavan businessman Sean Quinn through financial instruments. Judge Karen O'Connor imposed the suspended sentence to run concurrently with a six-year custodial sentence imposed following Drumm's conviction on conspiracy and false accounting charges. The judge noted Drumm's role as chief executive meant he held responsibility for ensuring legal compliance and transparency. Drumm was also disqualified from acting as a company director for five years as an automatic consequence of the conviction under the Companies Act.
David Drumm, former CEO of Anglo Irish Bank, pleaded guilty to ten counts of authorising unlawful financial assistance for the purchase of bank shares by the Maple Ten group between 10 and 17 July 2008. The loans were part of a scheme to unwind a 28 % stake that businessman Sean Quinn had built in the bank using contracts for difference (CFDs). Drumm's defence argued that he was trying to resolve a problem entirely created by Quinn, who had used CFDs to speculate on Anglo shares and whose position threatened the bank's stability. Drumm, aged 51, was transferred from Mountjoy Prison, where he is serving a six‑year term for a separate €7.2 bn fraudulent loan scheme, to the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for sentencing. The court heard that Drumm had attempted to persuade Quinn to reduce his CFD position and, after other options failed, proposed that ten high‑net‑worth individuals purchase a portion of the Quinn shareholding. David Drumm was convicted.
Walter Morrissey has lost his appeal against the severity of his sentence for aggravated sexual assault and intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to his former partner. The Court of Appeal, presided over by Mr Justice John Edwards with Mr Justice John Hedigan and Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy, dismissed the appeal without hesitation. Morrissey, 74, was found guilty by a jury of assaulting a woman in Kilkenny between December 1 and 8, 2011. Medical evidence indicated he used his fist to cause severe injuries, which a gynaecologist described as comparable to machete rape in sub-Saharan Africa, stating self-infliction was impossible. In 2013, Mr Justice George Birmingham sentenced Morrissey to 13 years imprisonment, describing him as cunning, devious, and manipulative. Counsel Seán Gillane SC argued the sentence was excessive compared to typical rape cases. However, the appellate court found the sentence lenient, noting the case fit within a 15-year-to-life category before a generous four-year reduction for age. The court stated the depravity reached new depths. Morrissey's criminal history includes a 1977 conviction for the double manslaughter of Francis McEnery and his son Marcus, and a 1999 conviction for seven counts of indecent assault. He previously lost an appeal against his conviction for the current sexual assault charges in May.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Independent TD Michael Lowry and his company Garuda Ltd were convicted of two charges each of filing incorrect corporation tax returns and of failing to keep proper accounts. Judge Martin Nolan, after the jury's verdict, ruled that a custodial sentence would be inappropriate and imposed a total fine of €25,000 – €15,000 on Lowry personally and €10,000 on Garuda – and disqualified Lowry from acting as a director for three years. The judge noted Lowry's lack of prior convictions, his role as a good employer and public representative, and his earlier payment of a €1.4 million tax bill in 2007. The case involved alleged concealment of a €372,000 commission paid in 2002, which was later re‑mortgaged by Lowry to settle the tax bill. The unnamed man pleaded not guilty.
Michael Lowry, a former TD, and his company Garuda Ltd were found guilty of two charges: delivering an incorrect corporation tax return and failing to keep proper accounts. The jury, after eight and a half hours of deliberation, convicted him on these charges but could not decide on four remaining ones. Judge Martin Nolan announced a later sentencing and remand on continuing bail. The case centred on a £248,624 (€372,000) commission paid by Norpe OY in August 2002, allegedly routed through the Glebe Trust in the Isle of Man and omitted from Garuda's accounts. The prosecution argued the payment should have been recorded in 2002, while Lowry's defence claimed it was a commission owed to the company. The jury was instructed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Lowry knew the money was not included in the accounts and tax computations. The trial concluded with convictions on the two charges, while the other four remained unresolved. The unnamed man pleaded not guilty.
The appeal of Michael Lowry TD, concerning four charges of filing incorrect tax returns between August 2002 and August 2007 in relation to a sum of Stg £248,624 received by his company, Garuda Ltd, and one charge of failing to keep a proper set of accounts between August 28, 2002 and August 3, 2007, is ongoing. The charges allege that Lowry arranged for a payment of Stg £248,624 to be made to a third party through the Glebe Trust, resulting in the payment not appearing in the company accounts for that year. It is further alleged that the accounts were falsified in 2007 to reflect that the payment was received in 2006. Lowry and Garuda Ltd pleaded not guilty to these charges. The appeal is currently at the stage of deliberation, with the jury having retired for the evening after failing to reach a verdict on the second day of deliberations. The matter is to be adjourned until tomorrow morning for the jury to resume their deliberations.
In the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Michael Lowry, a 64‑year‑old TD from Tipperary, pleaded not guilty to four charges of filing incorrect tax returns and one charge of failing to keep proper accounts for the period 2002‑2007, relating to a £248,624 commission received by his company Garuda Ltd from Norpe OY. He also pleaded not guilty on behalf of Garuda Ltd to three similar tax charges and one accounts charge. The prosecution alleged that Lowry arranged for the payment to be made to a third party in the Isle of Man, omitted it from the company's 2002 accounts, and later falsified the accounts in 2007 to record the payment as received in 2006. The judge instructed the jury to determine whether Lowry had knowledge of the omission and falsification, and to deliver separate verdicts for Lowry and for Garuda Ltd. The jury was instructed to return on Monday to continue deliberations.
A 65‑year‑old man from County Waterford pleaded guilty in the Central Criminal Court to a series of sexual offences against three children. He admitted two counts of rape and 13 counts of indecent assault against one girl aged 12 to 15 between 1983 and 1987, one count of indecent assault against a second girl aged 13 to 14 between 1979 and 1981, and two counts of indecent assault against a third girl aged 9 to 12 between 1988 and 1991. The defendant was not named for legal reasons. Michael Delaney SC informed Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy that the guilty pleas were acceptable to the Director of Public Prosecutions on the condition that full facts would be presented at the sentencing hearing. Mary Rose Gearty SC, the defence counsel, requested that the defendant remain on bail to manage family and administrative matters, acknowledging that he would soon enter custody for a substantial period.
In the trial of Independent TD Michael Lowry, the State alleges that his company, Garuda Ltd, received €372,000 in commission from Norpe OY in August 2002, which was routed to a third party in the Isle of Man and omitted from the 2002 accounts. The prosecution claims the accounts were falsified in 2007 to record the payment as received in 2006. Remy Farrell SC urged the jury to view the series of alleged mis‑reporting as a "tragic series of unfortunate events" and suggested that Lowry deliberately concealed the transaction to avoid corporation tax and to protect the company from insolvency. Patrick Treacy SC defended Lowry, noting that a charge of an incorrect income tax return was dropped and that the case centred on alleged misfiling of an invoice rather than fraud. The trial, presided over by Judge Martin Nolan, continues with a jury of eleven.
Former Anglo Irish Bank CEO David Drumm was sentenced to six years in prison at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for conspiracy to defraud and false accounting. Judge Karen O'Connor described the conduct as "grossly reprehensible" and part of a "premeditated and planned" scheme. Drumm, who pleaded not guilty, was convicted by a jury of conspiring with former officials Denis Casey, William McAteer, John Bowe, and others to dishonestly inflate Anglo's 2008 deposits by €7.2 billion. He was also found guilty of false accounting for misleading the market on December 3, 2008. The judge noted that while the bank was in difficult circumstances, this did not excuse the fraud. Drumm received credit for five months previously served in a US federal penitentiary. He had been on bail throughout the trial, and his bail was continued following the conviction. The judge acknowledged the personal impact on Drumm and his family but emphasized the abuse of trust and significant planning involved in the alleged fraud.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Judge Martin Nolan directed that Independent TD Michael Lowry be found not guilty on a charge of delivering an incorrect income tax return for 2002. The charge, alleging that Lowry knowingly submitted a return omitting €372,000 received by his company Garuda Ltd, was withdrawn. The judge agreed with the defence that the State had not opposed a direction of not guilty. Eight other charges relating to Garuda Ltd's corporation tax filings for 2002 and 2006 remain pending before the jury. Lowry, aged 64, had pleaded not guilty to four charges of filing incorrect tax returns between August 2002 and August 2007, and to a charge of failing to keep proper accounts for the same period. The case continues with the remaining counts awaiting jury deliberation.
In the trial of independent TD Michael Lowry, the jury heard that Lowry denied at a prior hearing that he had deliberately hidden a 2002 commission payment of £248,624 (€372,000) from his auditors. The State alleges that Lowry arranged for the payment to be made to a third party in the Isle of Man, so it did not appear in Garuda Ltd's 2002 accounts and was not declared as income. The accounts were later falsified in 2007 to show the payment as received in 2006. Lowry testified that the sum was a director's loan repayment, not a salary, and that he corrected the accounts in 2006 after discovering the omission. The appeals commission found insufficient evidence to treat the €372,000 as an emolument, reducing the tax assessment to nil for both Lowry and Garuda. The case continues before Judge Martin Nolan without a jury. Td Michael Lowry pleaded not guilty.
The trial of Independent TD Michael Lowry heard that Revenue officers, led by inspector Shelia Hanley, raided his home on 23 July 2013 under a search warrant. Hanley described encountering a woman in the house who was startled but not crying, and that she and colleagues entered through an open back door after ringing the bell and calling Lowry's mobile. She confirmed that Lowry's clothes were searched, though she could not confirm underpants, and that a small sheaf of documents was recovered but deemed not evidential. The court also heard Lowry's earlier testimony about a £248,624 commission from Norpe OY in 2002, alleged to have been diverted to a third party and later mis‑recorded in company accounts. Lowry, aged 64, pleaded not guilty to four charges of filing incorrect tax returns and one charge of failing to keep proper accounts, and his company faced similar charges. The case continues before Judge Martin Nolan and a jury.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, a jury heard that Revenue was at a loss of €5,541 when a company owned by Independent TD Michael Lowry received a payment in 2002 but only accounted for it in 2006. The State's case was that Garuda Ltd, Lowry's company, received Stg £248,624 (€372,000) in commission from Norpe OY, a Finnish refrigeration company, in August 2002. It was alleged that Lowry arranged for the payment to be made to a third party in the Isle of Man, so it did not appear in the company accounts for that year, nor was it declared as income. The accounts were then allegedly falsified in 2007 to reflect that the payment was received in 2006. Lowry (64) pleaded not guilty to four charges of filing incorrect tax returns between August 2002 and August 2007 and one charge of failing to keep proper accounts for the same period.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court case, Independent TD Michael Lowry (64) pleaded not guilty to four charges of filing incorrect tax returns and one charge of failing to keep proper accounts for the period 2002‑2007, and to similar charges on behalf of his company Garuda Ltd. The case centres on a £248,624 (€372,000) commission received by Garuda from Finnish refrigeration firm Norpe OY in August 2002, which Lowry allegedly arranged to be paid to a third party in the Isle of Man and thus omitted from the company's 2002 accounts. In 2007 the accounts were allegedly falsified to record the payment as received in 2006. A tax inspector, Henry Oliver, computed that Garuda owed corporation tax, PAYE and PRSI on the amount, totaling over €500,000 in tax, fines and penalties, and that Lowry owed income tax on the same sum.
In a trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Michael Lowry TD pleaded not guilty to charges of filing incorrect tax returns and failing to keep proper accounts between 2002 and 2007. The case centres on a €372,000 commission from a Finnish refrigeration company, which Lowry claimed should have been recorded in 2002 rather than 2006. Neale O'Hanlon, a chartered accountant who audited Garuda Ltd, testified that Lowry instructed him in 2013 to adjust the 2006 accounts to reflect the commission as a director's loan. O'Hanlon admitted the adjustment was made but argued the company would have paid less corporation tax if the payment had been recorded in 2002. Revenue later reassessed Garuda, issuing a €30,000 bill, which was paid. The trial continues before Judge Martin Nolan and a jury.
In the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, accountant Kevin Burke testified that he audited Garuda Ltd's books in 2007 and was unaware of a January 2007 letter from Michael Lowry requesting the inclusion of €372,000 in the company's accounts. Burke, who worked for BBT accounts from 2001 to 2007, said he had no knowledge of the letter, had not seen any backup for the transaction, and had not raised it as a query. He explained that the letter, signed by Lowry on a Streamline Enterprises letterhead, claimed an invoice to Norpe OY for €372,000 and that the amount should be reflected in the accounts as a director's loan. Burke noted that the journal entry showing a prepayment and sales of €372,000 was not his handwriting and that the total balance on the lead schedule was not fully written by him.