Court archive
Court reports mentioning Templemore, Tipperary
2026-06-30 · Dublin
A garda has gone on trial accused of child cruelty and the rape of his wife. The jury at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin heard that the 48-year-old man was allegedly a violent and domineering father and husband who subjected two of his daughters to unreasonable chastisement for most of their childhood. Prosecuting counsel, Dominic McGinn SC, told the jury that the man is alleged to have neglected his eldest daughter for most of her childhood and is charged with child cruelty against her on an unknown date between 2007 and 2013, and again between 2013 and 2020. He is also alleged to have assaulted this complainant causing her harm sometime in late 2021 or early 2022, after she had turned 18. The man is also charged with child cruelty of another daughter on an unknown date between 2015 and 2024. He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of raping his wife on two occasions in June 2009 and November 2021, as well as three counts of child cruelty and one count of assault causing harm.
2026-04-16 · Tipperary
Four trainee gardaí have been granted permission to challenge their dismissals following an incident at the Garda College in Templemore, where they were accused of handcuffing a fellow student. The trainees, Rory Callaghan, David Hanley, Alan Kenny, and Darragh O'Connell, claim the incident was consensual and part of a light-hearted exercise. They argue that they were not given proper notice of the disciplinary meeting and were not afforded the right to cross-examine their accuser or challenge the decision to suspend their training. The trainees claim that the Garda Commissioner acted unlawfully by failing to apply fair procedures and that the decision to terminate their contracts was based on inadequate consideration of their training history and positive attributes. The High Court granted leave for judicial review, and the matter has been adjourned to May for further proceedings. The trainees deny allegations of inappropriate force and resistance from the handcuffed student, emphasizing that the exercise was consensual and part of a training scenario.
2025-12-03 · Dublin
A garda, Eoghan McGowan, who assaulted a 17-year-old boy by pouring puddle water over his tracksuit bottoms in a deliberate act of degradation, had his two-month jail sentence overturned on appeal. The incident occurred in 2023 when McGowan, in plain clothes, approached the teenager, searched him, and then poured water over his clothing, calling him names. The victim, who was in the care of the State, reported feeling humiliated and left on the street dirty. McGowan apologized and paid €5,000 in compensation. The appeal court found that the sentence was too harsh and replaced it with 60 hours of community service and an additional €5,000 payment. The judge acknowledged the severity of the act but noted McGowan's guilty plea, remorse, and lack of prior offenses. The case highlights the need for accountability within An Garda Siochana and the impact of such actions on vulnerable individuals. Eoghan McGowan had the case dismissed.
2023-07-28 · Louth
In August 2020 a pregnant Garda, Siobhán McCoy, was marked down in a detective‑post interview, receiving 70 % versus 81 % in a 2019 competition. The Workplace Relations Commission found the interview process flawed, favouring "performance" over competency answers and allowing potential manipulation of marks. The panel, lacking an independent member, consisted of a superintendent and an inspector. McCoy's representatives argued the difference in assessment was due to her pregnancy, not intent to discriminate. The adjudicating officer noted the panel's subjective judgments and the absence of an independent member as concerns. The commission upheld McCoy's gender‑based discrimination claim and ordered the force to pay €10,000 in compensation. The decision highlighted the flawed process and the risk of unconscious bias in the interview.
2023-05-08 · Tipperary
The Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal by John Barrett, the suspended Garda Siochana HR director, who sought an injunction to prevent the Minister for Justice from terminating his employment. The three-judge panel, comprising Ms Justice Una Nic Raifertaigh, Mr Justice Seamus Noonan, and Mr Justice Donald Binchy, upheld the High Court's refusal to grant the injunction, citing a significant delay by Mr Barrett in seeking the remedy. Although Mr Barrett commenced proceedings in June 2020, he did not apply for the injunction until December 2020. The court noted that Commissioner Drew Harris no longer holds trust or confidence in Mr Barrett. Mr Barrett claims he was wrongfully suspended in 2018 following protected disclosures to the Dail Public Accounts Committee and the Disclosures Tribunal regarding financial irregularities at the Garda College in Templemore and the treatment of whistleblower Maurice McCabe. He denies any wrongdoing and alleges the disciplinary process is flawed. While the Court of Appeal disagreed with certain High Court findings regarding whether specific communications constituted protective disclosures under the 2014 Act, it determined this was insufficient to overturn the decision. The main action against the Minister and the Commissioner remains pending, with efforts underway to bring the case to trial.
2022-05-12 · Tipperary
In a High Court decision, 59‑year‑old James Molloy, a glass factory worker from Nenagh, was awarded a six‑figure sum for injuries sustained on 16 March 2018 when sheets of glass fell from a trolley. The court found Tipperary Glass Limited negligent for failing to secure the glass, which weighed 100 kg and was estimated to number 10–20 sheets. Molloy suffered compression injuries to his lower limbs and back, lacerations, and permanent scarring, and was confined to bed for four to six weeks. The judge awarded €75,000 in general damages, €38,000 for loss of earnings to date, and a future earnings loss equivalent to four years of wages, with the exact amount to be finalised later. An additional €7,000 for special damages was also granted. The case will return to court to resolve remaining matters later this month.
2021-07-08 · Wicklow
The trial of Gerard Cervi and Peter Taylor for the murder of Bobby Messett (50) at Bray Boxing Club on June 5, 2018, continued at the Central Criminal Court. Both defendants have pleaded not guilty to the murder charge; Cervi also denies the attempted murder of Taylor and Ian Britton. Garda Glenn McLoughlin, the first responder to the scene, testified that he seized a grey sports top and trainers from Taylor to preserve forensic evidence, placing them in plastic bags before transferring them to evidence bags. McLoughlin stated he never saw or took any cash belonging to Taylor, contradicting Taylor's earlier testimony that his tracksuit bottoms, containing between €200 and €400, were removed and never returned. Taylor's partner, Karen Brown, previously identified a garda holding a blue bag with Taylor's clothing. McLoughlin confirmed Taylor was not wearing tracksuit bottoms in the ambulance or hospital, suggesting they may have been cut off by paramedics. He noted that the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) dismissed Taylor's complaint regarding the missing items. The trial is ongoing before Mr Justice Michael White and a jury of three men and nine women.
2020-10-14 · Louth
Aaron Brady has been sentenced to life imprisonment at the Central Criminal Court for the capital murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe in January 2013. Brady, aged twenty-nine and from New Road in Crossmaglen, County Armagh, was convicted in August following a trial lasting more than six months. Under the Criminal Justice Act 1990, he must serve a minimum of forty years before becoming eligible for parole. Justice Michael White imposed an additional concurrent sentence of fourteen years for robbery in connection with the credit union raid in County Louth, during which seven thousand euros was stolen in fifty-eight seconds. The court heard victim impact statements from Detective Donohoe's family and colleagues. Brady has maintained his innocence despite conviction, with supporters gathering outside the Courts of Criminal Justice to protest the outcome.
2020-10-14 · Tipperary
At the Central Criminal Court, victim impact statements were read concerning the murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohue, who died during an armed robbery at Lordship Credit Union on 25 January 2013. His wife Caroline described the lasting trauma of witnessing the incident and the absence of their father from their children's milestones. His parents Hugh and Peggy Donohue spoke of their son's character, his devotion to family and the Gardaí, and the irreversible division their lives experienced following his death. Detective Garda Joseph Ryan, Donohue's colleague who was present during the shooting, detailed his diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder and his subsequent early retirement from An Garda Síochána in 2018. Adrian's siblings expressed the immeasurable void left by his death and lamented the family occasions and relationships he would never experience. The statements were presented as part of proceedings at the Central Criminal Court relating to the case.
2020-04-22 · Dublin
In a High Court hearing on 22 April 2020, Ms Emma Roche's application for a temporary injunction to keep her on the Garda roster was dismissed. Roche, a probationary Garda, argued that the decision to terminate her service was unfair because she had failed a beep test during 2017‑2019. She sought an injunction to allow her to continue working pending a full hearing. The court, presided over by Mr Justice Michael Twomey, noted that Roche had been informed of the termination on 10 April, before her lawyers filed the injunction request. The judge held that the Commissioner's decision had already taken effect, so no injunction could be granted. Roche had previously passed all other requirements, was sworn in 2017, and had an exemplary record, but the court did not rule on the merits of her appeal at this stage.
2020-02-27 · Tipperary
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, a 29‑year‑old accused of sexually assaulting four girls aged five to eight at a Leinster creche pleaded not guilty to 23 counts. The trial has heard evidence from one complainant, now 11, who was interviewed by Garda Louise Curtin in January 2017. The child described the accused touching her privates in various creche locations and said it hurt. Curtin, a specialist interviewer, admitted she did not follow all "Good Practice" guidelines, including not establishing the importance of truth, discussing fantasy versus reality, or assessing suggestibility and alliance among children. She also omitted a question about honesty. The jury viewed a video of the interview, and the case continues before Judge Elma Sheahan and a jury of twelve.
2015-02-20 · Meath
In February 2015 the Court of Appeal dismissed James Mansfield Junior's appeal against a €6.32 million summary judgment issued by the Commercial Court. The judgment arose from loans AIB advanced between 2003 and 2009 for the purchase of land in Duleek, Co Meath, and the development of apartment blocks, an underground car park and commercial units. Mansfield, together with three other parties, formed the "Duleek Partnership" to acquire the land. The Commercial Court found none of the four parties had an arguable defence and granted summary judgment. Mansfield appealed, arguing he was dyslexic and had signed the loan agreement by mistake (non‑est‑factum). The Court of Appeal, sitting with Justices Mary Finlay Geoghegan, Michael Peart and Alan Mahon, rejected the appeal, holding that Mansfield knew he was signing a legal document that created obligations and that no evidence showed he had asked questions about the liability he was undertaking.
2014-05-20 · Tipperary
In 2011, Noel Holland, aged 40, was sentenced to eight years in prison by Mr Justice Paul Carney at the Central Criminal Court for sexually assaulting an 18‑year‑old girl at his home. Holland had invited the victim to his house under the pretense of arranging a taxi, then assaulted and attempted to choke her. The victim later sent text messages to her family while Holland was in the bathroom, and she is now deceased. Mr Justice Carney declared Holland a sex offender, suspended the final three years of the sentence, and imposed five years of post‑release supervision, ordering him to keep away from the victim. Holland appealed the sentence's severity to the Court of Criminal Appeal, which upheld the sentence as entirely appropriate. Noel Holland pleaded guilty.