Court archive
Court reports mentioning Rosslare, Wexford
2026-06-22 · Wexford
Brian Grendon is to face a non-jury trial in the Special Criminal Court alongside two co-accused for directing a criminal organization and drug-related offenses. Grendon is charged with 12 offenses, including directing the activities of a criminal organization in the importation and distribution of controlled drugs and money laundering. He is also charged with importing cocaine and possessing the drug for sale or supply. His co-accused, Noel Smyth and Paul Kelly, face charges of contributing to the activities of a criminal organization and drug offenses. The State applied for the trial to be held in the Special Criminal Court, and the court granted the application. The trial is set to proceed with the three-judge court, and the matter was adjourned to June 29.
2026-01-21 · Offaly
Michael Murray, a 60-year-old cattle farmer from Moneygall, County Offaly, is appealing his conviction for importing €730,000 worth of cannabis. In 2023, a jury at Tullamore Circuit Court found him guilty of importing a controlled drug in excess of €13,000 and having drugs for sale or supply, rejecting his not guilty plea. He was sentenced by Judge Keenan Johnson to ten years in prison, with the final two years suspended. The appeal before the Court of Appeal centers on whether the jury was misled by prosecution evidence suggesting Murray was the specific target of a garda operation. Defence counsel argued that the solicitor failed to recognize the prejudicial nature of this evidence, which was introduced during the trial. State counsel countered that the defence solicitor explicitly agreed to the introduction of this material. The court noted that no requisition was made to the trial judge to object to the evidence, implying an agreement. The presiding judge, Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy, reserved judgment, and the matter was adjourned.
2025-11-12 · Cavan
The Central Criminal Court heard evidence in the trial concerning the 2014 disappearances of Eoin O'Connor and Anthony Keegan. The prosecution alleged that the pair went to Ballyjamesduff, Co Cavan, to collect a debt of approximately €70,000 owed by Jason Symes and South African national Neville van der Westhuizen. Testimony from the O'Connor brothers described attempts to locate the missing men at the homes of Symes and his son, Sean, who reported being threatened by a group of men. The court heard that van der Westhuizen was in a relationship with Ruth Lawrence, with whom he lived in Patrick's Cottage near Lough Sheelin. The prosecution described their relationship as symbiotic and alleged a plan was formed in 2013 to rob drugs from O'Connor's house. While the source text details the trial proceedings and witness accounts, it does not contain the final verdict or sentencing for Ruth Lawrence or Neville van der Westhuizen in this specific instance. However, factual records indicate that Neville van der Westhuizen is currently serving a 15-year sentence in Westville Prison in Durban, having been convicted in 2020 on six counts of kidnapping, attempted murder, and murder. The report does not specify a plea, finding, or sentence for Ruth Lawrence, nor does it detail any adjournments or suspended portions of the sentence.
2025-10-31 · Cavan
Ruth Lawrence, aged 46 and originally from Clontarf, Dublin, is on trial in Ireland for the murders of Anthony Keegan (33) and Eoin O'Connor (32). She was extradited from South Africa nearly a decade after the bodies were found on Lough Sheelin. Lawrence denies the charges. Her defence cites testimony from Pastor Robert Roger Brazelle, who says Lawrence worked in safehouses for trafficking victims in Pretoria and Bloemfontein, and Pastor Andre Lombard, who confirms her involvement in feeding schemes for the poor. The prosecution alleges that Lawrence shot O'Connor and, with boyfriend Neville van der Westhuizen, killed both men. Van der Westhuizen is serving a 15‑year sentence in South Africa for kidnapping, attempted murder and murder; extradition to Ireland is pending after his sentence ends. The trial is before Mr Justice Tony Hunt with a jury of twelve.
2025-10-09 · Dublin
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.
2025-06-19 · Offaly
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.
2024-01-25 · Dublin
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Chen Hsien Tsai, 59, was sentenced to four years' imprisonment for money‑laundering after he was found carrying more than €1.78 million in cash at Dublin Airport's Terminal One on 7 March. The cash, in euro, sterling and US dollars, was discovered in two envelopes and in bags that also contained food and sanitary items. Tsai, who has no fixed abode in Ireland and no prior convictions in Ireland or the UK, claimed he was merely transporting the money for a friend and was not paid for the service. He admitted to being afraid and frightened when arrested. Judge Martin Nolan noted that an English‑speaking national might have received a longer sentence and that the prison could be a lonely place for a foreign national. The sentence was back‑dated to the day of his arrest. The case has attracted the interest of UK authorities. Chen Hsien Tsai pleaded guilty.
2024-01-12 · Wexford
In a Workplace Relations Commission hearing, Daniel Picton, a Bord na Móna truck driver, alleged that he had been forced to work excessive hours and was denied the statutory 11‑hour rest between shifts. He claimed to have averaged nearly 50 hours a week for a year, with only one documented breach of the rest requirement in July 2023. Picton said he had repeatedly complained to management about fatigue, including a statement that he feared he might "kill a family in the lorry," but was told to continue the run. He said a manager threatened to take him to court and refused alternative working arrangements. Bord na Móna admitted "nominal" breaches of working‑time legislation but argued the violations were not routine and that Picton had voluntarily worked overtime. The adjudication officer will issue a written decision later.
2023-11-13 · Kildare
The High Court approved a Personal Insolvency Arrangement for 54‑year‑old Dermot King of Bishopscourt, Straffan, allowing him to write off over €16 million of unsecured debt owed to Everyday Finance DAC. King, who had been self‑employed trading as DMK Property Limited from 2004 to 2017, owed the fund €17.2 million. Under the arrangement, he will keep his €1.5 million family home, continue mortgage repayments for 25 years, and sell his interests in an investment property in Rosslare, part of the land on which his home sits, and an investment property in Athy to reduce the debt. He will make a €23 000 payment, of which €13 000 will go toward the unsecured debt. The PIA, lasting 12 months, was prepared by Personal Insolvency Practitioner John McCormack and approved by Mr Justice Alexander Owens after counsel noted no opposition and that creditors would fare better than under bankruptcy.
2021-07-05 · Limerick
A 47-year-old man has received a life sentence at the Central Criminal Court for the murder of a 78-year-old widow in Limerick in December 2017. Alexandru Iordache, originally from Romania, pleaded guilty to the killing of Rose Hanrahan at her home in Thomondgate on or about 14-15 December 2017. The court heard that Iordache observed Mrs Hanrahan entering her PIN at a supermarket checkout on 13 December and subsequently followed her home. She was found dead by family members, having been strangled with a curtain cord and subjected to blows to her head and face. CCTV footage and DNA evidence recovered from the crime scene proved instrumental in identifying the perpetrator. Iordache had travelled to Ireland on 12 December and departed on 21 December. His life sentence was backdated to his extradition date of 16 January 2020. Justice Michael White described the crime as horrific and noted that Mrs Hanrahan had been ruthlessly targeted.
2019-03-04 · Dublin
Irish Ferries has lodged a High Court challenge against a National Transport Authority (NTA) decision that it must pay compensation to thousands of passengers whose summer sailings between Ireland and France were cancelled. The company argues the cancellations were caused by a delay of the new ferry WB Yeats, which was delivered some 200 days late by the German shipyard Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft. The NTA issued two notices requiring Irish Ferries to compensate passengers who had to travel from Rosslare instead of Dublin, from Roscoff instead of Cherbourg, and those delayed in reaching their final destination. Non‑compliance could result in a fine of up to €250,000. Irish Ferries contends the notices are invalid, irrational, and breach its constitutional and EU rights, and claims the NTA misinterpreted relevant EU regulations.
2019-02-28 · Tipperary
Patrick Quirke, 50, of Breanshamore, Co. Tipperary, pleaded not guilty to the murder of Bobby Ryan, a part‑time DJ known as Mr Moonlight, who disappeared on 3 June 2011 after leaving his girlfriend Mary Lowry's home. Quirke told Gardaí he feared Lowry, describing her as "vicious" and "verbally abusive", and claimed his only crime was an affair with her. He said he did not kill Ryan and that someone else was responsible. Quirke gave voluntary cautioned statements at Tipperary Garda Station on 16 May and 21 May 2013, detailing his movements on the day Ryan vanished and when he discovered Ryan's body in a tank on Lowry's farm. He explained he avoided Lowry because he feared her, and that he had been shocked when he saw the body. The court heard Quirke's statements and his account of his relationship with Lowry, including an affair that began in 2008 and ended after Lowry's husband died in 2007.
2019-02-19 · Waterford
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, Ross Outram, 28, pleaded not guilty to the murder of 90‑year‑old Paddy Lyons in Lismore, Waterford, between 23 and 26 February 2017. During the trial, Sandra Walsh, a relative of Outram's nephew, testified that Outram had called her on Facebook Messenger on 26 February, claiming he had hit Lyons because Lyons would not give him money. She confirmed that Outram identified the deceased as Lyons and that he had spoken of travelling to the UK. Walsh also recounted that Outram was arrested the following day when she was driving him back to Ferryland. Sergeant Ger Falvey described the scene at Lyons' house, noting the victim's lack of trousers, a trail of urine, soot, and possible blood marks. The case proceeds before Mr Justice Paul Coffey with a jury of eight men and four women.
2016-11-07 · Wexford
Dean Fagan, 26, of Fairway Drive, Rosslare Strand, Wexford, was sentenced to five and a half years in prison for an aggravated burglary that took place on 4 January 2014 at John Street, Enniscorthy. He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The burglary involved two men who entered the victim's home at about 11.30 p.m. armed with a knife and a hatchet. The victim, who was at home with her five‑year‑old son, was threatened and forced to give up money and jewellery. The men took two mobile phones and a laptop before leaving. Fagan had previously been serving a six‑year sentence for a separate aggravated burglary. The court noted that Fagan had no forensic evidence linking him to the crime and that his admissions to the gardai formed a large part of the evidence against him.
2016-02-02 · Wexford
Roadteam Logistic Solutions, formerly Nolan Transport Limited, was fined €1 million by Wexford Circuit Criminal Court for breaching section 12 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 after a 2007 road accident that killed two women. The company pleaded guilty to a breach of health and safety laws involving an unsecured load that caused the fatalities and injuries to three others. On 25 February 2013, Mr Justice Raymond Fullam imposed the fine, citing the seriousness of the offence and the company's failure to secure the load. The company has now lodged an appeal, arguing that the judge erred in describing the case as "the worst" before the Circuit Court, that the fine was disproportionate to an omission rather than a deliberate act, and that the company had complied with warnings and expressed regret.
2015-11-06 · Westmeath
Brian Gavin, 28, was driving from Mullingar to Lucan at speeds up to 160 km/h when he clipped a car's wing mirror and later collided with a Skoda, causing Gerard Nolan to suffer a broken hip, broken leg, facial fractures and permanent scarring. Gavin then struck another vehicle before stopping. He told Gardaí he was trying to kill himself, citing suicidal thoughts and a desire to leave his family home. He has bipolar disorder, had stopped his medication, and had a prior suicide attempt. Gavin pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm and failing to stop, and to a second dangerous driving offence. He passed a roadside breath test. Judge Sarah Berkeley adjourned the case to monitor his medication compliance and imposed a mandatory four‑year driving ban.