Court archive
Court reports mentioning Ballynacargy, Westmeath
2023-01-30 · Westmeath
Shaun Groome's appeal against his 15-year sentence for assault causing serious harm has been dismissed. In December 2021, Groome pleaded guilty to the 2015 attack on Ciarán Murphy at Coolcor, Co Offaly, where Murphy was stabbed 16 times and set alight, suffering burns to 96% of his body and losing his ears. The trial judge, Judge Martin Nolan, described the violence as exceptional and noted Groome's murderous intent, reducing a 20-year headline sentence to 15 years without a suspended portion. Groome's counsel argued the plea discount was insufficient, citing mitigating factors including remorse and addiction. However, the Court of Appeal, presided over by Mr Justice George Birmingham, rejected this, noting the plea was entered only after Groome was extradited from the UK. Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy stated the sentence was within the margin for exceptional cases and the discount was appropriate. Groome's co-accused, David Keena, who was 17 at the time, was jailed for five years in October 2020 for his role in the attack, which involved providing petrol. The court upheld the original sentencing, finding the trial judge correctly weighed the mitigating circumstances against the severity of the injuries.
2020-12-21 · Offaly
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Judge Martin Nolan sentenced Shaun Groome, 32, to 15 years' imprisonment for a brutal assault on Ciarán Murphy, 32, which involved 16 stab wounds and an arson attack that left Murphy with 96 % burns. Groome pleaded guilty to assault causing serious harm and criminal damage by arson. The judge described the offence as "exceptional" and noted Groome's "murderous intent" despite his guilty plea, reducing the headline 20‑year sentence to 15 years with no suspended portion. Groome claimed his actions were driven by misinformation that Murphy was a Garda informant and that he was influenced by drugs. The court considered his remorse, prior convictions, and potential for rehabilitation, but imposed the full custodial term. Murphy suffered severe injuries, lost his ears, and continues to endure pain. The case also involved co‑accused David Keena, 21, who received a five‑year sentence for his role.
2020-11-20 · Westmeath
Shaun Groome, aged 32, pleaded guilty via video link to a 2015 attack on drug dealer Ciarán Murphy. He admitted to causing serious harm and to criminal damage by arson at Murphy's home in Coolcor, Offaly, between 6 and 7 September 2015. Groome's co‑accused, David Keena, 21, had been jailed for five years for assault causing serious harm and arson. Murphy, 29, was stabbed 16 times and set on fire after a false rumor that he was a Garda informant. He suffered 96 % burns from the neck down and multiple stab wounds, including to the heart cavity. The court heard Groome was arrested at Baldonnel Aerodrome; a warrant had been issued. Judge Martin Nolan remanded Groome in custody and scheduled a sentencing hearing for 21 December, when full facts will be considered.
2020-10-28 · Westmeath
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, David Keena, aged 21, was sentenced to six and a half years' imprisonment, with the final 18 months suspended, for his role in a 2015 arson attack on Ciarán Murphy, a low‑level drug dealer in Offaly. Keena, who was 17 at the time, pleaded guilty to assault causing serious harm and criminal damage by arson. He was found to have stabbed Murphy 16 times and poured petrol over him, resulting in 96 % burns and multiple stab wounds, including to the heart. Murphy survived but suffered life‑threatening injuries and permanent physical and mental trauma. Keena's sentence runs consecutively with a previously imposed six‑year term for a drug‑dealing offence. The court noted Keena's youth, lack of prior convictions and drug use as mitigating factors. The case involved a false rumour that Murphy was a Garda informant, spread by his former girlfriend, which the court found to be untrue.
2020-06-30 · Westmeath
In September 2015 a low‑level drug dealer, Ciarán Murphy (29), was stabbed 16 times and set on fire at his home in Coolcor, Offaly, after his ex‑girlfriend spread a false rumour that he was a Garda informant. Murphy suffered 96 % burns from the neck down, multiple stab wounds including to the heart cavity, and lost both ears. He was treated at Tullamore Regional Hospital and later St James's Hospital, Dublin, undergoing several emergency surgeries and skin grafts. David Keena (21) was remanded in custody after admitting he was present when Shaun Groome (31) stabbed Murphy and poured petrol over him. Keena pleaded guilty to assault causing serious harm and criminal damage by arson. Groome had been charged with assault causing serious harm in November 2015, but no prosecution has yet taken place. The case was adjourned to 28 July 2020 for sentencing.
2019-07-17 · Westmeath
In a 2019 decision, Ms Justice Marie Baker upheld a High Court ruling that a Garda officer was not required to offer a choice of language for breathalyser statements. The case involved Westmeath man Gerard Maher, who was arrested in 2015 for driving with excess alcohol. Maher's lawyers argued that he had a right to be informed that the breathalyser could print statements in Irish or English, and that the absence of such a choice made the statement inadmissible. The High Court found no obligation for the Garda to provide a language choice and that Maher, an English speaker, suffered no detriment. Justice Baker described the arguments as technical and noted that the conviction for driving while intoxicated carries significant consequences. The Court of Appeal agreed with her decision.
2017-10-13 · Westmeath
In a Central Criminal Court hearing on 13 October 2017, Danny Keena, a 55‑year‑old farmer from Empor, Ballynacargy, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his partner, Brigid Maguire, who was 43 and the mother of their two teenage children. Keena had pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter, claiming provocation after Maguire accused him of being a bad father to their 12‑year‑old son. A jury convicted him of murder on 14 November 2015, the day of the killing. During the sentencing, Jade Maguire, Maguire's daughter, delivered a victim impact statement describing the loss, anger, and grief endured by the family. Judge Patrick McCarthy imposed a mandatory life sentence, back‑dated to 17 November 2015, when Keena entered custody. Keena remained emotionless as he was escorted to prison. Jade Maguire thanked the Gardaí and urged domestic‑abuse victims to seek help promptly.
2017-10-09 · Westmeath
Danny Keena, a 55‑year‑old farmer from Empor, Ballynacargy, was found guilty of murder by a jury at the Central Criminal Court after he strangled his former partner, 43‑year‑old Brigid Maguire, on 14 November 2015. Maguire and their two children had left Keena in September 2015. Keena pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter, claiming provocation after Maguire accused him of being a bad father. The court heard that Keena had previously strangled Maguire to the point of dizziness, but the jury did not hear the witness statement that described a prior strangulation that stopped her breathing. The jury returned a verdict of guilty of murder, 11 to 1, after 4 hours and 55 minutes of deliberation. Keena will receive a mandatory life sentence, with remand pending sentencing.
2017-10-09 · Westmeath
The jury has resumed deliberations in the Central Criminal Court trial of Danny Keena, a 55‑year‑old farmer from Empor, Ballynacargy, who is charged with murdering his former partner, 43‑year‑old Brigid Maguire, by strangulation on 14 November 2015. Keena pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. He had previously strangled Maguire to the point of dizziness, and she and their two children left him only two months before her death. The defence seeks a manslaughter verdict on the grounds of provocation, citing that Maguire accused him of being a bad father. The prosecution argues that provocation is inappropriate, noting his prior strangulation and threats to kill her. Judge Patrick McCarthy reminded the jury that the only options were guilty of murder or not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter, and that the accused's remorse was irrelevant.
2017-10-06 · Westmeath
The jury will resume deliberations on Monday in the Central Criminal Court trial of Danny Keena, a 55‑year‑old farmer from Empor, Ballynacargy, Co. Westmeath, who is charged with murdering his 43‑year‑old mother‑in‑law, Brigid Maguire, by strangulation on 14 November 2015. Keena pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter at her home on Main Street, Ballynacargy. He had previously strangled her to the point of dizziness, and she and her two children had left him only two months before her death. The defence seeks a manslaughter verdict on the basis of provocation, citing an alleged remark by Ms Maguire that he was a bad father to their son. The prosecution argues that the case is not suitable for a provocation defence, noting testimony that Keena had previously strangled her and threatened to kill her.
2017-10-05 · Westmeath
Danny Keena, 55, pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter in the death of 43‑year‑old Brigid Maguire, who was strangled on November 14, 2015, at her home on Main Street, Ballynacargy. During his closing speech in the Central Criminal Court, Keena, through his barrister, requested a verdict of manslaughter on the grounds of provocation, citing Maguire's remark that he was a bad father. Prosecutor Remy Farrell argued that the case did not meet the provocation defence, noting Keena's prior threats to kill his partner and his description of the strangulation method. Defence counsel Colm Smyth highlighted the couple's separation, Keena's financial support for the family, and Maguire's hostile communication, arguing that these circumstances triggered Keena's reaction. The court heard both sides' closing arguments before the jury considered the verdict.
2017-10-05 · Westmeath
During the Central Criminal Court trial of Danny Keena, the teenage son of the accused, who is not named because of his age, gave emotional testimony about his father's behaviour towards his mother, Brigid Maguire. He described how Keena had threatened to kill her, saying "I'd kill you," and had repeatedly harassed her, including an incident where he spilled milk on her hair. The son recalled being woken one night in sixth class when Keena held a hammer and threatened his mother, and that he and his sister tried to protect her but were prevented from leaving. He said that after the family moved out in September 2015, Keena continued to threaten her. The son's testimony was interrupted by a break when he became upset. The trial is proceeding before Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy and a jury of seven men and five women.
2017-10-04 · Westmeath
Danny Keena, a 55‑year‑old farmer from Empor, Ballynacargy, Westmeath, is on trial for the murder of 43‑year‑old Brigid Maguire, the mother of his two children. He pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. During the trial, Keena demonstrated to Gardaí how he strangled Maguire after a dispute at her new home. He described following her to her bedroom, arguing, and then choking her for a few minutes until she fell and her tongue turned blue. He claimed he did not intend to kill her, stating he panicked when she was dying. Keena also admitted having attempted suicide twice and that he had threatened to kill himself. The court heard a post‑mortem report indicating extensive neck injury and asphyxiation as the cause of death. The trial is proceeding before Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy and a jury.
2017-10-04 · Westmeath
In the Central Criminal Court, the niece of Danny Keena, charged with murdering Brigid Maguire, testified that he had threatened to run his car into her if they met on the road. She recalled a phone call six or seven weeks before Maguire's death, during which Keena said he was "sick of it all" and would kill himself after driving into her. The niece, who had a good relationship with Keena, said she did not believe he would hang himself. She also confirmed that she had not told the Gardaí about the call. The court heard that Maguire's post‑mortem revealed extensive neck injury and asphyxiation. The trial, presided over by Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy, continues with a jury of seven men and five women.
2017-10-03 · Westmeath
In the Central Criminal Court, Jade Maguire testified that her father, Danny Keena, had threatened to kill her mother, Brigid Maguire, with a hammer and later a poker before Brigid's strangulation on 14 November 2015. Jade and her brother had left the Keena household weeks earlier, but Keena returned with a baseball bat and attempted to stop them from leaving. Jade described hearing her father shout that he would kill her mother and seeing marks on Brigid's neck. She found Brigid lying dead on the floor after entering the house. Keena, 54, pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. The trial, presided over by Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy, is expected to last five days, with a jury of seven men and five women hearing the evidence.
2017-10-03 · Westmeath
Danny Keena, 54, of Empor, Ballynacargy, Westmeath, is on trial at the Central Criminal Court for the murder of his partner, 41‑year‑old Brigid Maguire, who was strangled in her home on 14 November 2015. He pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter, a plea rejected by the Director of Public Prosecutions. A jury of seven men and five women is hearing the case. Prosecutor Remy Farrell SC described the couple's long‑term partnership, their two teenage children, and the breakdown of their relationship by 2015. He noted that Maguire's daughter, Jade, found her mother lying on the floor and that the mother had been dead for some time, having been strangled. Farrell highlighted that Keena was absent at the time of the killing, had fled, slept rough, and later admitted the killing at a neighbour's house.
2017-03-15 · Westmeath
Danny Keena, 54, of Empor, Ballynacargy, Westmeath, faces trial for the murder of Brigid Maguire, who was found dead on Main Street, Ballynacargy, on 14 November 2015. Keena had pleaded guilty to manslaughter, but the Director of Public Prosecutions rejected the plea, stating it was not acceptable. Consequently, a jury trial has been scheduled for 2 October, and the case is expected to last one week.
2016-04-25 · Westmeath
A 53‑year‑old man, Danny Keena of Empor, Ballynacargy, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, has been charged with murdering Brigid Maguire on 14 November 2015 at Main Street, Ballynacargy. Justice Patrick McCarthy of the Central Criminal Court set his trial for 23 January 2017.
2013-12-03 · Westmeath
An unemployed hairdresser, Aine Penrose, aged 29, was found guilty of drink driving at Swords District Court on 4 June. She drove her car with her three children—aged seven, nine and one—while under the influence of alcohol. Penrose claimed she was terrified of her ex‑partner, who is the father of one of her children, and had no phone credit to call a taxi. She said she had gone to the beach with her children and the ex‑partner, had a few drinks, and when returning to his house, her son was bullied by his brother, leading to an argument. Garda Jonathan Kirk observed her swerving and failing to signal at a roundabout; her breath test showed 58 mg/100 ml. The judge found her guilty, disqualified her from driving for two years effective February, and fined her €250.