Ruth Lawrence, a Dublin woman with an address in County Meath, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of two men whose bodies were discovered on Inchicup Island in Lough Sheelin in May 2014. The island straddles the borders of Meath, Westmeath and Cavan. At the opening of the trial at the Central Criminal Court, the State outlined its case that Lawrence and her boyfriend worked "as a unit" to kill Anthony Keegan and Eoin O'Connor between April 22 and May 26, 2014. The prosecution contends Lawrence shot one man, with a follow-up shot delivered by her boyfriend. Both men died from gunshot wounds. The State alleges the accused and her boyfriend discussed the murders and disposal of the bodies openly. Evidence will address a debt owed by one defendant to one of the deceased, and activities at the cottage near the lake following the alleged killings. The trial, before Mr Justice Tony Hunt and a jury, is expected to conclude on November 14.
Teacher Úna Dunphy, a Waterford City youth worker, secured €55,000 in compensation for unfair dismissal after a 17‑year dispute with the Waterford and Wexford Education and Training Board (WWETB). The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) found that Dunphy had not proven whistleblower penalisation, despite claiming her dismissal was linked to reporting concerns about external funding from 2008. Dunphy had been employed at the Waterford Youth Training and Education Centre (WYTEC) since 2002 and later transferred to the Subla YouthReach centre in 2013, a move she described as temporary and protested. She was dismissed in April 2019 for gross misconduct, following a period of work‑related stress and a protected disclosure to Minister John Halligan. The WRC awarded her €55,000 and an order for four months' pay that had been withheld, citing the employer's failure to provide a fair hearing or consider alternatives to dismissal. The decision was issued after extensive documentation and hearings spanning from 2023 to 2024.
In a Carlow Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Declan Carr, 29, pleaded guilty to threatening to kill his partner and to two assault charges. He sent messages on 5 March threatening to kill her, saying she would be "dead and buried" and no one would find her. The victim, who had been in an on‑and‑off relationship with Carr for 12 years, reported being assaulted, including an elbow strike to her face and a blow to the back of her head, though Carr denied the latter. Gardaí found €170 worth of cannabis in his car and he admitted the threats were not intended to be carried out. Carr apologized via video‑link, expressed remorse, and offered to attend domestic‑violence or addiction courses. Judge Sinéad McMullan remanded him on bail pending a sentencing date in November, noting the need for further consideration.
Karrin Breslin, a lingerie saleswoman who had worked for Chantelle Lingerie Ltd for nearly twenty years, won €15,800 for constructive dismissal after the Workplace Relations Commission found that the company repudiated her contract by failing to address her health‑related grievances. Breslin claimed that the department store's understaffing and rostering after the Covid‑19 lockdown caused her mental and physical health to deteriorate, leading to anxiety, low mood, high blood pressure and gastrointestinal problems. She had taken seven periods of certified medical leave between January 2022 and summer 2023 and ultimately resigned on 31 October 2023 after her last shift on 25 June 2023. The adjudicator, Patricia Owens, ruled that Chantelle's failure to resolve serious roster and staffing issues amounted to a repudiation of contract, awarding Breslin full losses for five months' unemployment. The case was heard under the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977. The disability discrimination complaint was struck out of time.
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.
Patrick O'Connor, a 75‑year‑old Peace Commissioner from Ashford, Co Wicklow, forged the signatures of his two co‑directors when filing an A1 form for JP&P Property Limited in October 2022. He claimed he had no time to travel to obtain the signatures and that the co‑directors had consented to the forgery. The forged signatures were discovered by the Corporate Enforcement Authority during an investigation into a separate breach of the Companies Act. O'Connor pleaded guilty to one count of providing false information under the Companies Act. The court imposed a headline sentence of 18 months, reduced to 12 months, which was suspended in full. He was also disqualified from acting as a company director for five years. O'Connor has a small number of prior road‑traffic convictions and had previously worked for the Office of Public Works and ESB. The company never commenced trading.
Conal Sheridan, aged 32, pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to multiple counts of sexual assault, oral rape and defilement of a girl aged nine to sixteen between 2004 and 2011. The abuse began with inappropriate touching and escalated to digital penetration, oral rape, and grooming, including sending pornography. Sheridan's four prior convictions were for minor road traffic and drug offences. The victim, who remained anonymous, testified that the abuse destroyed her life, leading to overdose attempts, self‑harm, drug and alcohol problems, severe mental health issues and complex PTSD. Sheridan's plea of mitigation highlighted his early fatherhood and employment history. Judge Paul McDermott imposed a concurrent seven‑year prison term, suspended the final 18 months for two years on strict conditions, and ordered Sheridan to have no contact with the victim. The sentence reflects the prolonged, repeated nature of the offences and the significant harm caused.
The former Ireland hockey international Catriona Carey, aged 47, faces a money‑laundering trial in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court scheduled for 27 January 2027. She is charged with three offences under Section 7 of the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010, one each in 2019, 2020 and 2021, for allegedly converting, transferring, handling, acquiring, possessing or using proceeds of crime. The alleged proceeds were held in a bank account in the name of Careysfort Asset Estates Ltd at Wise Europe SA. Carey's barrister, Kevin Roche BL, requested a trial date and indicated the trial would last four to six weeks. Judge Orla Crowe set the trial date and bailed Carey to that date. Two co‑accused, John Steadmond (48) and Paddy Maher (57), were also before the court, each charged with 17 related offences, including unlawful solicitor activity and false representation to induce deposits.
Patrick O'Connor, a 75‑year‑old Peace Commissioner, pleaded guilty to providing false information under the Companies Act for forging the signatures of two co‑directors when forming JP&P Property Limited, a shepherd hut glamping business. He claimed he had no time to obtain the signatures in person and forged them with their consent. The forged signatures were discovered by Corporate Enforcement Authority officers investigating a separate breach of the Companies Act. One of the forged signatories had been disqualified from acting as a company director. O'Connor's company never commenced trading. He has a small number of prior road traffic convictions. The case was initially before the District Court, but the judge declined jurisdiction and adjourned the matter for finalisation on 9 July. The court noted O'Connor's roles as a Peace Commissioner, architectural engineer, and local GAA and charity worker. The proceedings remain at the pleading stage.
A cattle farmer, Martin Murray, 59, was convicted of importing €730,000 worth of cannabis and was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment, with the final two years suspended. He appealed his conviction at the Court of Appeal, arguing that his solicitor had not understood the significance of hearsay evidence presented to the jury. Defence counsel Michael Bowman SC contended that confidential information, including details of Garda confirmation that drugs would be found in the truck and Murray's identity as the target, was improperly introduced without warning to the jury. He claimed the trial judge should have clarified that this was hearsay. State counsel Kevin White BL defended the prosecution's use of the evidence, stating that the solicitor had consented to its presentation. The court adjourned the matter to allow the Director of Public Prosecutions to address the factual issues, with a further hearing scheduled for July 14. Martin Murray pleaded not guilty.
Amy McAuley, 35, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to using a false instrument by submitting a false death notification form to Wexford County Council on January 19, 2023. She also admitted attempting to pervert the course of justice on January 23, 2023, and forging a medical report on November 23, 2022. The court heard that McAuley faked her death to avoid attending trial for prior theft and fraud offences. Judge Orla Crowe described the matter as complex and directed Probation Services to prepare a risk assessment report. The case was adjourned to October for finalisation. Defence counsel Rebecca Smith BL noted McAuley is now living in Dublin and successfully applied to change the Garda station where she must sign on twice weekly. Judge Crowe granted this application and remanded McAuley on continuing bail. The court also noted that the Director of Public Prosecutions had previously appealed a 2015 sentence of two years, suspended for ten years, for theft of nearly €111,000, citing undue leniency. The Court of Appeal declined to alter that sentence but extended the repayment period to seven-and-a-half years, with the balance still outstanding.
Richard Satchwell, who pleaded not guilty to the alleged murder of his 45-year-old wife, Tina Satchwell, between March 19 and 20, 2017, is currently on trial at the Central Criminal Court. The matter is at the trial stage, with evidence presented regarding the defendant's statements and forensic findings. GP Patrick Burke testified that Satchwell claimed his wife assaulted him on multiple occasions, a history never mentioned in their 18 years of medical consultations. Burke noted the couple typically attended appointments together, making Satchwell's solo visit on March 30, 2017, unusual. In a fourth interview with gardai, Satchwell stated he would not view photographs of his wife's body, saying he wanted to remember her "the way she was, not the way I made her." Detectives challenged his account, stating his "second story" had "come apart" and did not match the evidence. Witness Sarah Dobson described Satchwell selling Tina's belongings, including a handbag, while claiming she was ill in England. Forensic expert Dr. Brian Gorey testified that 15 glass fragments found on Tina's scalp and torso likely originated from a single source and transferred to the remains shortly before burial. The trial continues with further evidence to be presented.
Amy McAuley, 35, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to one count of using a false instrument by submitting a false death notification form to Wexford County Council on January 19, 2023. She also admitted attempting to pervert the course of justice on January 23, 2023, and forging a medical report on November 23, 2022. Additionally, McAuley entered guilty pleas to five counts of theft and one count of possession of the proceeds of crime on separate dates between November 2015 and May 2023. The court heard that the Director of Public Prosecutions appealed her 2015 sentence of two years, suspended for 10 years, for stealing nearly €111,000 from a former employer, citing undue leniency. The Court of Appeal declined to alter the sentence but extended the repayment period to seven-and-a-half years. Judge Orla Crowe adjourned the case for finalisation next week.
A 54-year-old Brazilian man has been sentenced to nine years imprisonment at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court following his conviction on multiple charges related to operating a brothel network across rural Ireland. Ilamar Rodrigues Ribeiro pleaded guilty to 19 sample counts, including brothel-keeping, using false instruments, and possession of proceeds of crime totalling €788,982 across multiple bank accounts. He also admitted possessing child sexual abuse material on his mobile phone when arrested at Dublin Airport in November 2023. The investigation, led by the Garda Human Trafficking and Co-ordination Unit, identified ten rental properties used as brothels in locations including Longford town, Ballyconnell, Ballymahon, Carrick-on-Shannon, and Ballaghadereen. Judge Patricia Ryan noted the offences involved elaborate planning and premeditation. She imposed a global sentence of ten and a half years, suspending the final eighteen months on strict conditions, with the term backdated to his arrest date.
Former Ireland hockey international Catriona Carey, 46, of Co Carlow, was granted an arraignment date before Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on money laundering charges. She is charged with three offences contrary to Section 7 of the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010, alleged to have occurred in 2019, 2020, and 2021. It is alleged that she converted, transferred, or handled proceeds of criminal conduct involving funds in a Wise Europe SA account under Careysfort Asset Estates Ltd. Judge Sarah Berkeley listed the case for 30 June, when Ms Carey will be formally asked to plead. Her co-accused, John Steadmond, 48, of Co Wexford, and Paddy Maher, 57, of Co Wicklow, also appeared before the court. Each man faces 17 related charges, including allegations that they unlawfully acted as solicitors without qualification. The majority of these charges allege they induced individuals to pay deposits by falsely representing that Careysfort Asset Estates Ltd could secure finance for distressed mortgage holders, with the intent to gain for themselves or cause loss to others. Mr Steadmond and Mr Maher were also assigned the same arraignment date of 30 June. The matter remains at the pre-trial stage, with no pleas entered or findings made.
Michael Molloy, a 25‑year‑old architecture student from Gorey, was sentenced to five years' imprisonment for raping a 20‑year‑old woman in a laneway on the night of 1 November 2021. The victim, who had previously known Molloy from school, was forced into sexual activity after he walked her home from a pub. She resisted, but Molloy forced her against a wall, digitally penetrated her, and orally raped her. The court found him guilty on counts of rape, oral rape and sexual assault. Molloy maintained his innocence, claiming the acts were consensual. He was sentenced by Mr Justice Paul Burns to a headline term of seven years, reduced to six years with the final year suspended, and will remain under probation supervision for three years. The victim described lasting psychological effects and a loss of confidence following the assault.
Lee Nolan, 28, of Beechbrook Lawn, The Donaghies, Dublin 13, was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison, with the final nine months suspended on strict conditions, after pleading guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to drug offences. He admitted to acting as a drug dealer, storing over €80,000 worth of cannabis in his home, and driving a car while intoxicated with drugs and without insurance in the Lucan area on 25 April 2023. Nolan claimed he had been misdiagnosed with Non‑Hodgkin lymphoma and used cannabis as a cheaper treatment, which led to debt and subsequent drug dealing. He was also given a four‑year driving disqualification from the date of his release. The judge noted his medical history and the impact of his offences on society. The case was prosecuted by Pieter Le Vert BL and represented by Gerardine Small SC.
A Brazilian man has pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to operating a network of brothels across rural Ireland using falsified documents and landlord deception. Ilamar Rodrigues Ribeiro, aged 54, rented ten properties under a false Italian identity, with two located in Roscommon Town and others in Longford, Cavan, Leitrim, Carlow, Wexford and Kildare between 2018 and 2023. When arrested at Dublin Airport in November 2023, gardaí from the Human Trafficking and Co-ordination Unit recovered approximately €788,000 in proceeds of crime across multiple bank accounts. He also pleaded guilty to possessing child sexual abuse material on his phone comprising nine images and sixteen videos. Ribeiro entered guilty pleas to nineteen sample counts including fraud, inducing landlords to rent properties under false pretences, and possession of criminal proceeds. The investigation began following trafficking allegations from two women who identified properties being misused as brothels. Ribeiro has remained in custody since his arrest. Sentencing proceedings are scheduled for 21 March.
Daniel Byrne, 26, of Camolin, was sentenced to five and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to making threats, demanding cash and handling proceeds of crime between February and June 2024. He extorted €22,750 from a former classmate who had contacted him to buy a small amount of cannabis. Byrne threatened the victim and his family, demanding €700, then €5,000, and later collected €15,000 in multiple meetings. He also threatened the victim's father and contacted the victim at his workplace. Byrne's prior convictions include money laundering, possession of drugs, obstruction and threatening behaviour. He was on a suspended sentence for money laundering when the extortion began. The court reduced the initial headline sentence of seven and a half years to five and a half years, citing mitigating factors and Byrne's guilty plea. The victim's impact statement was not read in court.
In a Darndale lane on 22 May 2019, a young father, Jordan Davis, was shot to death while pushing his four‑month‑old son in a pram. CCTV footage, examined by Garda Cormac Flynn, shows Davis walking with a pram on Primrose Grove at 3.56 pm, then meeting a man who later is identified as Wayne Cooney. At 4.00 pm a cyclist in dark clothing, holding a weapon, points it at Davis and he collapses. The cyclist then rides back toward Primrose Grove. Fire‑brigade officer Gerry Woods later found Davis lying on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds, deemed incompatible with life. The case is before Mr Justice Paul Burns with a jury of three men and nine women, expected to last three weeks. Rachel Redmond, 34, is charged with two counts of aiding and abetting murder by facilitating Cooney's escape, and she has pleaded not guilty. The trial continues on Tuesday.
An electrical engineering company, John Fletcher Ltd, was fined €400,000 after a father of four, Alan Mulhall, died when a 760‑kg low‑voltage switchgear fell on his head during a manual move at St Patrick's Hospital. The company pleaded guilty to failing to discharge employer duties under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, and to failing to take organisational measures to avoid manual handling. The incident occurred on 23 November 2017 when the switchgear was transported from a trailer to the hospital plant room over uneven ground and manually lifted into a 2‑m high door. The switchgear tipped and struck Mulhall, causing fatal head injuries. The court found the plan to move the equipment "totally misconceived" and imposed the fine on the company and a €5,000 fine on director David Fletcher. The company had no prior convictions.
David McGrath, 31, was sentenced by the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to five years' imprisonment for possession of child pornography. The court heard that a laptop seized from his home contained 1,730 images, including 708 in Category 1 depicting children aged one to eight in sexual activities, and 1,022 in Category 2 showing exposed genital or anal areas. Additional searches in December 2020 uncovered 445 illegal images on a laptop and over 2,200 on a smartphone, with 695 Category 1 images of children under five. McGrath had prior convictions in 2017 and 2018, for which he received suspended sentences and was on the sex offenders register. The judge imposed consecutive sentences totalling eight and a half years, suspended the final three years for six years, and set strict conditions involving the Probation Service, device disclosure, and Garda supervision. The court noted McGrath's acceptance of responsibility and his ongoing therapy and family support. David McGrath pleaded guilty.
Damian Szatkowski, 38, of Peachville, Kilshane, Dublin 11, pleaded guilty in October to the manslaughter of Marcel Kusenda, 48, in Newbridge, Co Kildare, on 8 March 2023. Szatkowski had moved into Kusenda's house shortly before the fatal incident and had previously assaulted the victim twice. He prevented a witness, Marytn Najder, from calling an ambulance and threatened her not to do so. The court heard that Szatkowski struck Kusenda twice in the nose and then kicked him three more times, leaving him unconscious in the bedroom for hours. Kusenda was later found with a large subdural hematoma and died on 10 March. The judge, Ms Justice Eileen Creedon, set a headline sentence of ten years, reduced to six and a half years after mitigation, including Szatkowski's guilty plea and apology. The sentence was backdated to his first custody in April 2023. The hearing included victim impact statements from Kusenda's son and sisters.
The Special Criminal Court trial of Saeid Hassani and Harold Estoesta, who are alleged to have possessed 2.25 tonnes of cocaine on the MV Matthew, continued with evidence regarding the vessel's navigation systems. Both defendants, who pleaded not guilty to three charges including possession for supply and participation in a criminal organisation, are accused of disguising the ship's true position. Expert witness Gary Delaney testified that the vessel's Automatic Identification System (AIS) broadcasts were manipulated, including a period where the ship reported a simulated position off Guyana while actually being off Venezuela. Delaney noted that messages in a WhatsApp group indicated awareness of these efforts to conceal the vessel's route. The prosecution alleges the defendants directed the transfer of drugs to a fishing boat. While Hassani and Estoesta face trial before Justice Melanie Greally, four co-accused—Mykhailo Gavryk, Vitaliy Vlasoi, Soheil Jelveh, and Cumali Ozgen—previously pleaded guilty to similar offences connected to the seizure. The trial was adjourned and is scheduled to continue next Tuesday.
Two men have been convicted and jailed at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for demanding €41,000 from a father by threatening him over debts allegedly incurred by his son. Alan Fitzsimons, aged 47, with addresses in Sutton, Dublin and Lisduff, Castleblayney, County Monaghan, received a sentence of four years and ten months. Dominic Dynes, aged 53, also of Castleblayney, was sentenced to six and a half years imprisonment. Both men pleaded guilty to demanding money with menace in November 2021. The victim was told his son owed money to dangerous individuals and subsequently received multiple calls pressuring payment. After raising €41,000 through a loan and family borrowings, he handed the sum to the defendants. Judge Martin Nolan described the conduct as sinister, noting it represents a concerning trend whereby criminals impose debts incurred by individuals onto their families. The judge acknowledged neither defendant employed physical violence, yet the victim clearly understood the serious threats implied. Gardaí intervened after the victim alerted them, observing a final collection attempt where €3,000 was seized.
Christopher Connaughton, a 45‑year‑old painter and decorator from Enniscorthy, was sentenced to four years in prison at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for his role as the 'warehouse man' in a €726,000 cannabis shipment. He pleaded guilty on 18 July 2023 to possession of cannabis herb and resin after Customs and Gardaí seized two pallets at a Greenhills Industrial Estate warehouse. Connaughton signed for the delivery under a false name, unloaded the drugs, and took the pallets to a Tallaght warehouse where further searches uncovered the full value of the drugs. He admitted his involvement, claiming he acted to pay a drug debt, and stated he had no financial interest in the shipment. His only prior conviction was for drink driving. The judge noted his low‑to‑middle level involvement and imposed the four‑year sentence, citing mitigation but also the substantial drug amount.
Diarmuid Phelan, a law professor and farmer, was accused of murdering Keith Conlon by shooting him in the back of the head on his farm. During a March 2022 High Court bail hearing, the State opposed release, citing flight risk. Phelan, appearing via video-link from Cloverhill Prison, denied any intention to evade justice. The court heard he held significant assets, including farms in Wexford and Tallaght, and was a US citizen. Ms Justice Deirdre Murphy refused bail, finding him a serious flight risk with a powerful incentive to evade justice. Phelan subsequently appealed to the Court of Appeal. Mr Justice George Birmingham noted Phelan had left the High Court judge "totally in the dark" regarding his finances. The Court of Appeal granted bail, requiring a personal bond of €50,000 and an independent surety of €50,000. Phelan's murder trial later opened before Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford. He did not take the stand to give evidence in his defence. The prosecution suggested he was a skilled shooter, while his defence included a US firearms expert. The report details his professional background, financial arrangements, and the procedural history of his bail application and subsequent trial proceedings.
Anthony Ryan, 49, was found guilty of possessing and distributing child pornography after an FBI tip‑off led to a search of his home and the seizure of 575 items, including 326 images of girls under 12 and 159 videos of sexual activity. He had originally received a fully suspended three‑year sentence, but the Court of Appeal quashed it, citing the seriousness of distribution and the need for deterrence. Ryan was resentenced to 18 months in prison, with a headline four‑year term reduced to two and a half years, the final year suspended. He will begin custody after Christmas, with a post‑release supervision order of two years. The court deferred the warrant to the first week of January, allowing Ryan to finish a course before incarceration. The decision was based on the State's appeal that the original sentence was too lenient.
Peter Sheeran, aged 33, was convicted of robbery after he used a bread‑knife to steal €1,000 from Murphy's Gala store in Kilanerin on 17 June 2023. He left his two‑year‑old and seven‑year‑old children in a car while he carried out the robbery and was apprehended shortly after by passers‑by. Sheeran pleaded guilty at Wexford Circuit Court in December 2023, where Judge Cormac Quinn imposed a five‑year sentence with the final year suspended. In November 2024 he appealed, arguing that the sentence was too harsh because he had no prior convictions, was acting under duress and the offence was not pre‑meditated. The Court of Appeal, hearing the case on 16 December 2024, found that the original judge had erred by setting an eight‑year headline sentence. The appeal was granted, and the Court of Appeal quashed the original sentence.
The Central Criminal Court heard on 9 December 2024 that Damian Szatkowski (38) pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Marcel Kusenda (48) on 8 March 2023. Kusenda, a Slovakian man who had lived in Ireland for 20 years, was found in his Newbridge home with severe head injuries after being repeatedly kicked and punched by Szatkowski, who had recently moved in. A post‑mortem revealed a displaced nasal fracture and a 15 mm subdural hematoma, with death caused by complications of blunt‑force head injury. Szatkowski, with 61 prior convictions, was arrested and denied intent to kill, claiming he had only punched once. The court adjourned sentencing to 17 February, noting the offence's high culpability and the defendant's remorse. The case remains pending.
A 41‑year‑old Nigerian man was sentenced by the Central Criminal Court to 13 years' imprisonment for eight counts of rape, four counts of assault and two counts of threatening to kill or cause serious harm. The court heard that the defendant repeatedly raped and beat his wife, causing her to miscarry a child. He also applied chilli powder to her genitals after a rape. The man threatened to kill the woman and her sister when they tried to recover her bride price, and he planned to put the victim's brother's name on the birth certificate of a child she had with him to secure residency. He later came to Ireland to live with the woman and her baby. The judge noted the defendant denied all allegations and ordered post‑release supervision for two years. The sentence was imposed concurrently with four‑year terms for the assault and threat charges. The unnamed 41-year-old was found guilty.
Tanya Kirwan, 40, of Killisk, The Ballagh, Co. Wexford, pleaded guilty to careless driving causing serious bodily harm on 22 February 2021, when she struck 88‑year‑old Laurence 'Larry' Leacy. The collision left Leacy with spinal fractures, a fractured tibia, a lacerated scalp and kidney failure, and he later died of a respiratory tract infection. Kirwan was initially sentenced by Judge James McCourt at Wexford Circuit Court on 7 July 2022 to a one‑year suspended sentence and a four‑year driving ban. The Court of Appeal, hearing on 11 November 2024, found the four‑year ban was a discretionary order mis‑interpreted as mandatory. It quashed the original ban and imposed a two‑year, four‑month disqualification, back‑dated to 7 July 2022, while keeping the one‑year suspended sentence. Kirwan's car was in good condition, she was not intoxicated, and she had returned to work after lunch before the incident.
Anthony Ryan, an administrator of a child‑abuse messaging group, was found guilty of possessing and distributing child pornography. He pleaded guilty on 22 September 2020 and was sentenced by Judge James McCourt to a three‑year prison term suspended for four years. The State argued the sentence was too lenient, citing the 575 items seized – 326 images of girls, most under 12, and 159 videos of children in sexual activity – and Ryan's active role in the group. Ryan cooperated with Gardaí, supplied his phone PIN and pleaded guilty early, which the defence highlighted as mitigating factors. The Court of Appeal heard the case and the judge reserved judgment, noting the seriousness of the material and Ryan's organisational role in the abuse network. The case remains pending further determination.
Peter Sheeran, 33, of Carraig Mor, Kilcoole, County Wicklow, was convicted of robbery after he armed himself with a bread‑knife and stole €1,000 from Murphy's Gala store in Kilanerin on 17 June 2023. He left a two‑year‑old and a seven‑year‑old in a car while he carried out the robbery and was subsequently caught by passers‑by. Sheeran pleaded guilty at Wexford Circuit Court in December 2023, where Judge Cormac Quinn imposed a five‑year sentence, with the final year suspended. On appeal, Sheeran's counsel argued that he had no prior convictions, was acting under duress, and the offence was not premeditated. The Director of Public Prosecutions countered that the planning was minimal and the knife was more akin to a machete. Judge Patrick McCarthy acknowledged the duress but noted premeditation in Sheeran's preparation and disguise.
A Workplace Relations Commission adjudicator has rejected a religious discrimination claim brought by Judyta Zielinska against the Health Service Executive under the Employment Equality Act 1998. Ms Zielinska, a Jehovah's Witness care assistant at the Wexford Residential Intellectual Disabilities Service, alleged she suffered severe stress and chest pain after a nurse manager commented that it was "strange" she did not want to take residents to Mass. The HSE argued that Ms Zielinska was not requested to engage in the religious service but was asked to support residents in attending it, noting that staffing changes necessitated her presence. Adjudicator Pat Brady concluded that the central action was a "simple, oral request" to check Mass times, which did not constitute adverse treatment. He found that Ms Zielinska had an "excessively sensitive reaction" to a religious service of which she disapproves. The adjudicator noted that while Ms Zielinska claimed distress, this was not sufficient to ground a case, particularly as she was ultimately not required to attend Mass. The decision rejects the complaint, distinguishing it from cases involving clear acts of detriment such as dismissal.
In a sentencing hearing at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Annette Keane, mother of 34‑year‑old motorcyclist John Keane, delivered a victim impact statement after her son was killed in a collision with a car driven by Karl Ennis on 14 April 2021. Ennis pleaded guilty to careless driving. The court disqualified him from driving for three months and fined him €2,000. Judge Pauline Codd noted Ennis's lack of attention and the serious consequences of a momentary lapse, while also acknowledging the family's forgiving attitude. Ennis, who had no prior convictions, was cooperative with Gardaí and had retired after the incident. The hearing included testimony about the collision, Ennis's apology, and the family's profound loss. The judge extended legal aid for any appeal and directed the fine to be paid within 12 months.
The Supreme Court ruled that the Labour Court erred in ordering the reinstatement of Mr Aodhagan Ó Suird as principal of Gaelscoil Moshiolog, a decision made in 2015 after his dismissal. While the Labour Court had found the dismissal unfair, the Supreme Court held that it had not properly considered the exceptional nature of reinstatement and the practical implications for the school. The Court therefore set aside the Labour Court's order and refused to remit the case for a fresh consideration, citing the passage of time and Mr Ó Suird's continued service as principal. It also overturned High Court orders that had awarded him arrears of pay and legal costs, directing those sums to be repaid to the board. The decision was delivered by Chief Justice Donal O'Donnell and a panel of four other judges. The case stemmed from allegations that Mr Ó Suird had inflated enrolment figures and from earlier complaints about his conduct with a student.
A 70‑year‑old man, John Sheridan, was given a fully suspended sentence for assaulting his wife, Ann Sheridan, over a ten‑year marriage. Sheridan pleaded not guilty to four counts of assault occasioning bodily harm and three counts of assault causing harm, committed between 1994 and 2002. The court found that the abuse began with verbal insults from the first day of marriage and escalated to physical violence, including repeated hits with an open hand, a closed fist, and kicks with a steel‑capped boot. Sheridan admitted to hitting his wife but denied kicking her. He had no prior convictions. The judge, citing Sheridan's transfer of his interest in the family home to the victim, imposed a headline sentence of three years, reduced to 18 months, and suspended it entirely. Sheridan was also ordered to stay away from the victim and his children and to hand over his interest in the family home.
Leon Sharlott, 34, of Fordstown, Navan, was convicted in 2022 of possessing two handguns and ammunition under Section 27A(1) of the Firearms Act. He received a seven‑year sentence, with the final 12 months suspended, at Wexford Courthouse. The weapons and matching ammunition were found in a Volkswagen Golf at a council yard near Gorey, and additional items such as runners and gloves were discovered in the boot. Sharlott's appeal argued that the trial was unsafe because the prosecution relied on a "defect to his ear" for identification. His counsel claimed that no formal identification parade had occurred and that the ear defect had contaminated the process. The Court of Appeal rejected these arguments, stating that the evidence, including the ear defect, was circumstantial and admissible. The appeal was dismissed, leaving the conviction and sentence intact.
Businessman Desmond McGahan sued Mars Capital Finance and receiver Rory Cotter over interference with the sale of Ballinacurra House, a Kinsale estate that has hosted celebrities such as Michael Jackson. McGahan, who owns the property with his wife Lisa and three children, sought an injunction to stop the receiver and security staff from restricting access and changing locks. He claimed the receiver was not properly appointed and that the fund might sell the house at a gross undervalue of €4 m. The defendants denied wrongdoing and opposed the injunction. The case was heard by Ms Justice Siobhan Stack, where Edward Farrelly SC and Keith Farry BL represented McGahan, and William Abrahamson SC and Edward Murray represented the defendants. The parties reached a confidential settlement after mediation, allowing McGahan to proceed with his sale plans. The matter was adjourned for several months to implement the settlement terms.
A financial fund, Everyday Finance DAC, has applied to the High Court to restrain Mr Joseph Kennedy and others from occupying a beach‑side property at Brackendown, Portrane, Co. Dublin, which the fund repossessed last month following court orders. The fund claims that Kennedy, who had previously lived there, unlawfully re‑occupied the two‑bedroom gated house with the help of unknown individuals. On Thursday evening, Kennedy allegedly asked a lone security operative for a guitar; when the operative returned the instrument, four men seized him and forced him out. The operative was then followed by a UK‑registered Nissan SUV that shoved into his car and pursued him to Malahide Garda Station, where the Gardaí reportedly did not register a complaint or remove the trespassers. Kennedy has since initiated proceedings against Everyday, which the fund says amount to a collateral attack on the possession orders.
In a 2024 appeal, defence counsel James B Dwyer SC argued that Leon Sharlott's conviction for possessing firearms and ammunition was unfair because the prosecution's identification relied on a distinctive ear defect. Sharlott, 34, was sentenced in 2022 to seven years' imprisonment with the last year suspended after being found guilty of two offences under Section 27A(1) of the Firearms Act. The prosecution linked Sharlott to the weapons by DNA from shoes found in a Volkswagen Golf's boot and by CCTV footage of him buying gloves. Dwyer contended that no identity parade was held, and that witnesses' descriptions of the ear defect were inconsistent, undermining the identification process. Judge John Edwards noted that while an identity parade might have been best practice, its absence did not necessarily render the trial unfair, and the court would reserve judgment.
The Court of Appeal increased the 46‑year‑old child rapist's sentence from 11 to 16 years after rejecting his appeal. He abused a girl aged eight to eleven, tying her to a bed, holding a knife to her throat and threatening her before raping her. The judge noted that this single offence alone warranted a headline sentence at the top end of the mid‑range, and that the original 13½‑year headline was too low. The appeal was dismissed, and the court quashed the original sentence, resentencing the offender to 16 years with the final six months suspended. The conviction remains for eight counts of rape, nine of anal rape, eight of oral rape and nine of sexual assault, with a two‑year post‑release supervision period retained. The victim, whose identity is protected, suffered lasting mental health effects and remains on medication for anxiety and sleep. The unnamed 46-year-old was acquitted.
Philip Ogbewe, a 59‑year‑old from Drogheda, was jailed for six and a half years for endangerment after he performed circumcisions on seven boys in their homes between 2018 and 2019. He charged parents €300‑€350, used anaesthetic spray in some cases but not all, and was on bail for a prior 2015 circumcision that caused hospitalisation. Ogbewe pleaded guilty to seven counts of endangerment and seven counts of assault causing harm. Judge Elma Sheahan noted the absence of anaesthesia in several incidents, the children's lack of long‑term harm, and Ogbewe's acceptance of wrongdoing. She imposed a global sentence of seven and a half years, with the final 12 months suspended on strict conditions to encourage rehabilitation. The case was heard in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
In a High Court case in Limerick, Westglade Unlimited Company and Timothy Carroll, who bought farmland at Ballycullane, Kilmallock, for €1m from a receiver appointed by Everyday Finance DAC, claim that former owners William and Anna Kennedy still occupy the land and keep horses there. The plaintiffs say the Kennedys refuse to give up vacant possession and have threatened them, saying the next person to unlock the gate will be shot. They also allege that the Kennedys blocked access with vehicles and posted a "No unauthorised person allowed" sign. The plaintiffs had previously offered a goodwill payment of about €275,000, but the Kennedys' actions have prevented any settlement. They seek injunctions to stop the Kennedys from occupying the land and to remove a lis pendens registered over the property. The case was heard by Mr Justice Mark Sanfey, who granted the plaintiffs permission to serve short notice of the proceedings and will hear the matter again next week.
A 23‑year‑old Wexford man was jailed for two years and ten months after being found guilty of 14 counts of sexual assault on his younger cousin between 2013 and 2020. The victim, aged five to eleven at the time of the abuse, was forced by the defendant, aged thirteen to twenty, to touch his own penis and to touch the boy's penis. The abuse took place in the boy's home and a grandparent's house. The defendant has maintained his innocence. The victim confided in his mother in April 2020, leading to police involvement. He was interviewed by specialist Gardaí and said the abuse occurred more than fifteen times. The victim's behaviour deteriorated, leading to aggression and criminal offending.
Victoria Dalton, 28, pleaded guilty to theft at a Circle K petrol station in Dundrum on 24 March 2020. She entered the shop at about 9:15 pm, asked for children's medicine, and was then approached by a man who held a knife to her throat and demanded €120 from the till. The staff, fearing for their safety, complied. Dalton later claimed she had been acting as a victim and denied participation in the robbery. Judge Orla Crowe sentenced her to 18 months' imprisonment, suspending the final nine months, and directed her to probation supervision for two years. The sentence was back‑dated to 30 March 2020, when she entered custody. Dalton has a history of drug addiction and a prior conviction for possession of drugs for personal use in March 2022. She is currently receiving treatment and intends to attend a residential drug programme after release.
Victor Titov, 48, of Bray, pleaded guilty to 14 fraud charges linked to false insurance policies sold by the jailed 'ghost broker' Egidijus Aleliunas. Titov acted as an intermediary, referring seven Moldovan community members to Aleliunas and earning €50 per referral. The court found Titov responsible for losses of almost €7,000 to those policy holders. He received a two‑year suspended sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The judge noted Titov's community standing, work history and family responsibilities, but held that he should have known Aleliunas was engaged in fraud. Titov had been in Ireland for nearly 20 years and had a long career as a car mechanic. The scheme, valued at €4 million, had previously seen three relatives of Aleliunas receive suspended sentences. The court emphasised that Titov did not act as a broker himself but facilitated the fraud by referring customers. The sentencing reflected the seriousness of the fraud while recognising Titov's personal circumstances.
The Workplace Relations Commission awarded €10,000 to Wexford County Council employee Patrick O'Connor, finding he continued to suffer penalisation and ostracisation for making a safety complaint. This follows a previous €20,000 award for similar treatment, which is currently under appeal to the Labour Court. In this second complaint under the Health, Safety and Welfare at Work Act 2005, O'Connor alleged ongoing ostracisation, denial of overtime, and an incident where a foreman allegedly shoved him from a pickup truck in October 2022. The council disputed the assault allegation but admitted its investigator fell ill, preventing the conclusion of the investigation. Adjudicator Roger McGrath ruled that the council's failure to conclude the investigation and produce the foreman as a witness amounted to penalisation, noting there was nothing to contradict O'Connor's testimony. The adjudicator described the council's inaction as "unacceptable" and found that O'Connor continued to suffer ostracisation, with colleagues dispersing when he entered the yard. While acknowledging the overtime issue was addressed to some degree, the tribunal noted the council failed to provide documentation proving O'Connor was not out of pocket. Consequently, the tribunal upheld the finding of penalisation and awarded the additional €10,000 compensation. The original decision remains subject to appeal, while this new award addresses the continuing nature of the alleged misconduct.
Maurice O'Carroll, a 63‑year‑old former Garda from Co. Wexford, was sentenced to two years in prison for harassing and threatening to kill an ex‑wife's solicitor and his wife between December 2019 and September 2020. He sent the solicitor five letters, one to the solicitor's wife accusing her husband of gambling, cheating, genocide, gun‑running and arms dealing, and another demanding she choose a child to die. The final letter contained a live and a spent bullet. O'Carroll also threatened the solicitor's children, saying they would be targeted and suffer great pain. He represented himself at trial, pleaded guilty, and offered a letter of apology and €20,000, which the victims declined. Judge Sarah Berkeley noted his low risk of re‑offending, imposed a three‑year sentence with the final year suspended, and ordered him to refrain from contacting the victims for five years. The unnamed accused was found guilty.