Court archive
Court reports mentioning Ferns, Wexford
2025-07-22 · Kildare
Gerry Cash, 33, was convicted of trespassing on a vulnerable 88‑year‑old pensioner's home in County Kildare. The original sentence was nine months' custody with the final six months suspended. Cash appealed only the severity of the sentence, not the conviction. The appeal court, hearing evidence from Garda Padraig Murphy and a victim impact statement, found the original sentence too lenient. Judge Dara Hayes increased the effective custodial term from three to six months, suspending only the final three months for a twelve‑month period on the condition that Cash does not contact the victim or his family again. The appeal did not alter the conviction or the suspended portion; it merely doubled the effective custody from three to six months. The case remains at the appeal stage, with no further outcome reported.
2023-02-22 · Wexford
Brian Ferns, aged 38, was sentenced to 21 months in prison for setting fire to his mother's house in Clondalkin, Dublin, causing damage of €91,240. In April 2020, Ferns repeatedly called his mother, demanding she travel to Dublin to give him money for drugs or he would burn the family home. On 3 April, he intentionally set a mattress on fire in his bedroom; the fire brigade found the blaze started upstairs. Ferns hindered the firefighters and later claimed the fire was accidental. He pleaded guilty to one count of arson, an offence with a maximum life sentence. He has seven prior convictions, including criminal damage and drug possession. The judge, Martin Nolan, noted Ferns' deliberate intent and imposed a three‑year sentence, suspending the final 15 months under conditions. The court highlighted Ferns' mental health issues and his participation in a rehabilitation programme. The sentence reflects the seriousness of arson and the potential danger it poses.
2019-07-12 · Wexford
Patrick Dempsey, 52, of Cluain Caislean, Ferns, Co Wexford, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of heroin for sale or supply on 9 January 2017. He was found with a small package of heroin, valued at €1,988, concealed in his anus after Garda Sergeant Cillian Duffy searched him at a garda station. Dempsey admitted he had obtained the heroin for his partner and to supply friends, and that he travelled weekly to Dublin to purchase the drugs. He has 25 previous convictions, including theft and aggravated burglary. Judge Patricia Ryan imposed a three‑year imprisonment sentence, fully suspended on the condition that Dempsey keep the peace, behave well for three years and comply with the Wexford Substance Misuse Team. The court noted his cooperation, guilty plea, admissions and efforts to rehabilitate, including training to become a chef and participation in the Cornmarket Project choir.
2018-11-01 · Wexford
In a High Court case in Co. Wexford, a dispute between John B. Dockrell Ltd and farmer Mr. John Kinsella over 150 acres at Lodgewood was resolved. The company had obtained an injunction after alleging that Kinsella had trespassed, blocked access with concrete blocks and vehicles, and illegally ploughed the land. Kinsella, who represented himself, contested the allegations and was later imprisoned for contempt of court. After a brief stay at Mountjoy Prison, he complied with the injunction. The parties reached a settlement, and the court granted orders preventing Kinsella and those acting with him from trespassing or obstructing the property, while allowing costs orders to be adjourned with permission to re‑enter if the orders were breached. The judge approved the settlement and the orders were granted.
2018-07-25 · Wexford
A man from County Wexford, John Kinsella, was released from custody at the Four Courts after agreeing to comply with High Court orders that prohibit him from trespassing on or approaching within 100 metres of lands in County Wexford. The orders, issued against him by the plaintiff John B. Dockrell Ltd, also restrain him from interfering with the plaintiff's quiet enjoyment of the property, blocking entrances, or impeding access. Kinsella, who was not represented at the hearing, was granted a two‑week adjournment of attachment and committal proceedings by Justice Caroline Costello after he gave a sworn undertaking to comply with the orders until the matter returns before the Court. The adjournment was set for 10 August, and Kinsella was released on the condition that he adhere to the orders until that date. The case remains pending before the Court.
2018-04-19 · Wexford
In a High Court hearing, John B. Dockrell Ltd, a vegetable grower, alleged that Mr John Kinsella had trespassed on approximately 150 acres of land purchased in June 2017 in Ferns, Co. Wexford. Dockrell claimed Kinsella entered the property without permission, ploughed the fields, chained gates, placed large concrete blocks, and used vehicles to block the entrance. A vehicle used to block the entrance was impounded by the Gardai, later retrieved after a fine, and repositioned in front of the entrance, causing financial loss to the company. Dockrell secured an ex‑parte temporary injunction preventing Kinsella from coming within 100 metres of the land at Lodgewood and restraining him from interfering with the plaintiff's quiet enjoyment. The injunction remains pending while the case returns to court later in the month. Ms Justice Carmel Stewart upheld the injunction and deemed service on Kinsella effective. The matter is set to return before the courts later this month.
2017-05-31 · Wexford
Anthony Davitt, a 46‑year‑old asphalt contractor from Ferns, withdrew a High Court damages claim against Aviva after denying the insurer's allegations that he had fabricated a rear‑end collision near a family member's house under construction. The alleged incident, said to have occurred at 10.30 pm on 23 June 2010 on Monageer Road, involved Davitt's car being rear‑ended by the front of another vehicle driven by Patrick and Michael Berry of Lee Heights. Davitt had sued the Berrys, claiming a back injury from the collision, but the case was struck out when he announced its withdrawal. Aviva, represented by Liam Reidy SC, was awarded costs. The court also vacated earlier judgments against the Berrys, and Aviva's expert evidence suggested the incident could not have occurred as claimed. Davitt denied any conspiracy or fabrication of the accident.
2017-05-30 · Wexford
Anthony Davitt, a 46‑year‑old asphalt contractor from St Aidans, Ferns, Enniscorthy, Wexford, denied in the High Court that he fabricated a road‑traffic accident that he claims occurred on 23 June 2010 at Monageer Road, Ferns, near a family member's house under construction. He said the accident involved his car being rear‑ended by the front of a car driven by Michael Berry, with Patrick Berry as the owner. Davitt alleges he suffered a back injury and that the Berrys were negligent. Aviva Insurance Plc, the insurers of the Berrys, denied the claim, calling it fraudulent and asserting that Davitt and the Berrys conspired to pursue the proceedings. The court heard that Aviva would present expert evidence suggesting the collision could not have occurred as Davitt described. The case is ongoing and is expected to last three days.
2015-01-27 · Wexford
During the trial of William O'Leary and Noel Hayes for forging a will, a retired nurse, Marian Argue, testified that she had advised a caller that the elderly farmer Matthew Hayes might not have been medically capable of making a will. Argue, who worked on St Aidan's Ward at Wexford General Hospital in 1998, described Hayes as thin, emaciated, incontinent, and bruised on his right hip. She noted that he was receiving IV fluids and was nursed on alternative sides, and that he responded very little, making it difficult to understand him. Argue could not confirm whether Noel Hayes visited each day or was present at Matthew's death. The trial, held in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, continues with Judge Patricia Ryan presiding and a jury of eight men and four women. The unnamed accused pleaded not guilty. Noel Hayes pleaded not guilty.
2014-10-16 · Wexford
In a High Court hearing on 16 October 2014, Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns announced that the court would intensify judicial management to maximise efficient use of court time, following a Supreme Court decision urging tighter case management. The comments were made in a case where Mr Kevin Breen, a signalman at Iarnrod Eireann, was awarded €25,000 in damages for alleged bullying by a colleague, Mr Louis Naessens, between 2004 and 2010 at Gorey Rail Station. Breen claimed repeated criticism, confusing instructions and threats from Naessens, and that an internal investigation in December 2009 found Naessens' conduct amounted to bullying. Breen said the company failed to act, despite offering a Corrective Coaching Programme, and that the bullying continued until his transfer to Arklow Station in February 2011. Iarnrod Eireann denied the claims, stating it had undertaken counselling, mediation and investigation.