In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Detective Garda Catherine McGowan, aged 48 and based at Bray Garda Station, denied forging a letter from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to conceal a clerical sex‑abuse investigation. McGowan pleaded not guilty to one count of forgery and two counts of using a false instrument, relating to alleged forgery of a DPP letter dated 14 January 2009 that supposedly directed no prosecution in a clerical abuse case. The letter, which McGowan claimed she had forwarded to the DPP for review, was said to have been fabricated by combining parts of other documents. She denied forging the letter, denying any relation to the priest involved and denying that her alleged failure to send a file could have exposed others to abuse. The trial, presided over by Judge Mary Ellen Ring, continues with a jury of twelve.
At the trial of Wicklow Detective Garda Catherine McGowan (48), who is based at Bray Garda Station, she has pleaded not guilty to one count of forgery on January 15, 2009 at Bray Garda Station and two counts of using a false instrument at Bray Garda Station and at Harcourt Street Garda Station between June 21 and 22, 2011. The alleged false instrument is a letter from the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), dated January 14, 2009, directing that there be no prosecution in the clerical abuse case. Retired Chief Supt Thomas Conway testified that it was not unusual for McGowan not to be asked to report on the progress of the clerical abuse investigation for four years. He stated that a lot of things in relation to the case shocked him, but he did not find it shocking that Detective Sergeant Eamonn O'Neill did not ask about the case. Judge Mary Ellen Ring asked Conway if there was a system for auditing cases dealt with by gardai, to which he said there should be a system, but in this case, it was closed off after the original 2005 investigation and the new case was not recorded in PULSE. The trial continues before Judge Mary Ellen Ring and a jury of six men and six women.
In March 2015, lawyers for Wicklow Detective Garda Catherine McGowan, aged 48, described the investigation into her alleged forgery of a DPP letter as one "nobody seemed to know anything about." McGowan pleaded not guilty to one count of forgery and two counts of using a false instrument, relating to a January 2009 letter and incidents in June 2011. The case was prompted by the Murphy Report on clerical sexual abuse, which named a priest involved in McGowan's investigation. During cross‑examination, Detective Sergeant Eamonn O'Neill admitted he had assigned the case to McGowan in March 2007 and had brief interactions with her in July 2007, but claimed he had not followed up on the investigation. O'Neill denied recalling any request for an update. The prosecution presented a covering report dated October 2008, which O'Neill said he had never received. The trial is ongoing before Judge Mary Ellen Ring and a jury.
Remigijus Tuma, a 32‑year‑old Lithuanian national living in Dublin, was convicted in 2011 of possessing €180,000 worth of cannabis for sale or supply. He was found guilty by a jury at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court and sentenced to seven years' imprisonment by Judge Yvonne Murphy. In 2015 the Court of Appeal quashed his conviction after hearing that the trial judge had imposed an inappropriate burden of proof, requiring Tuma to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he did not know the contents of the suitcase were cannabis. The appellate judges, including Mr Justice John Edwards, agreed that this was a fundamental injustice and ruled that the appeal must be allowed. A formal judgment will be issued on March 23, 2015. Remigijus Tuma pleaded not guilty.
In March 2015, the supervisor of Detective Garda Catherine McGowan denied telling her that she would be "looked after" if she admitted wrongdoing. McGowan, 48, pleaded not guilty to forgery and false instrument charges related to a letter allegedly from the Director of Public Prosecutions dated 14 January 2009. The case arose after the Murphy Report on clerical abuse. McGowan had investigated a priest mentioned in the report, and the letter in question was said to question a rape allegation. The supervisor, Detective Inspector Frank Keenaghan, was questioned about a claim that he offered McGowan protection if she confessed. He denied making such a statement, stating he had not used the phrase and had not initially accused McGowan of forgery. The trial, presided over by Judge Mary Ellen Ring, continues with a jury of twelve.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Detective Garda Catherine McGowan, aged 48 and based at Bray Garda Station, pleaded not guilty to one count of forgery and two counts of using a false instrument. The alleged false instrument was a letter from the Director of Public Prosecutions dated 14 January 2009, which McGowan claimed was a copy she had received and later delivered to the Murphy Tribunal. Detective Inspector Frank Keenaghan, the supervisor, testified that he showed McGowan the letter and asked her to consider its authenticity. McGowan insisted she could not have forged it, and Keenaghan clarified that he was not accusing her of forgery. The trial, presided over by Judge Mary Ellen Ring with a jury of twelve, is scheduled to continue for another week.
Philip Doyle, 38, of Tinakilly, Aughrim, Co Wicklow, was convicted of manslaughter for the death of his ex‑fiancée's three‑and‑a‑half‑month‑old baby, Ross Murphy, at Creagh Demesne, Gory, Co Wexford, on 5 April 2005. The Central Criminal Court, after a four‑week trial, directed the jury to acquit Doyle of murder and return a unanimous manslaughter verdict. He was sentenced to 11 years' imprisonment on 15 May 2012. Doyle's appeal against conviction was opened in the Court of Appeal. His barrister, Giollaíosa Ó Lideadha SC, argued that the incident was an accident, that the judge had not adequately explained the withdrawal of the murder charge, and that expert evidence on physical abuse was unreliable. The Director of Public Prosecutions' counsel countered that medical experts found the baby's injuries inconsistent with an accidental fall. The Court of Appeal will decide the appeal as soon as possible. Philip Doyle pleaded not guilty.
A forensic expert, Inspector Michael Moore, testified in the trial of Detective Garda Catherine McGowan that the alleged forged letter from the Director of Public Prosecutions was a 'bad quality photocopied document.' Moore, who has 20 years of experience in the forensic field and has completed training with the US Secret Service and London Metropolitan Police, stated that he was asked to determine if the letter, dated January 14, 2009, was genuine or if it was produced using parts of other documents. He found three different fonts used in the letter, misalignments on the left-hand side, and scan lines suggesting at least two other documents were used to produce it. Moore explained that scan lines or shadow lines indicated a cut document was placed on a photocopier to get an image, and that three documents were used to create the letter. Catherine McGowan pleaded not guilty.
Philip Doyle, 38, of Wicklow, was convicted of manslaughter for the death of his ex‑fiancée's three‑and‑a‑half‑month‑old baby, Ross Murphy, in 2005. The Central Criminal Court found the death an accident after a four‑week trial, and Doyle received an 11‑year sentence in May 2012. Doyle now appeals, arguing the original trial failed to properly direct the jury on the evidence of the baby's ill health and the lack of intent for murder. He contends that the prosecution's reliance on a paediatric study was unreliable and that the judge did not explain why the murder charge was withdrawn. The appeal is before the Court of Appeal, with the prosecution yet to reply. The case remains at the manslaughter conviction stage. Philip Doyle pleaded not guilty.
The trial of Detective Garda Catherine McGowan, aged 48 and based at Bray Garda Station, is hearing that computers at her station were not used to create a forged letter from the Director of Public Prosecutions. McGowan pleaded not guilty to one count of forgery and two counts of using a false instrument in 2009 and 2011. The alleged letter, dated 14 January 2009, claimed that a rape allegation was conjecture and could not form the basis of a prosecution. On day four, Detective John Finan of the Computer Crime Unit testified that searches of two hard drives for phrases from the letter yielded no results, and that traces would still be found if the original file had been deleted. Charles Nicholson, who handled filing in 2006, said a note referred to a letter that could not be located in the system.
Wesley Brennan, 28, was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment for stealing a Honda Accord belonging to Leoney Dunphy during their first date. The theft occurred after Brennan, who met Dunphy on the Plenty of Fish dating site, began shouting at her over her driving and demanded she exit the car so he could drive away. He subsequently sold the vehicle to scrap dealers in Ashbourne. Brennan pleaded guilty to theft of a vehicle worth €5,500. The court noted no violence was used and that Dunphy was not put in fear, though she was flustered. Brennan, who had grown up in Tallaght and was experiencing homelessness and drug debt, apologized to the victim. Judge Martin Nolan imposed the sentence, backdating it to September when Brennan entered custody after bail was revoked.
During a two‑week trial at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Detective Garda Catherine McGowan, aged 48, pleaded not guilty to forging a letter from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) dated 14 January 2009. The letter was alleged to be a false instrument used to influence a case involving a priest accused of child abuse. On the third day of the trial, DPP officer Henry Matthews testified that he could not locate any case file for the priest in question, despite a request in July 2011 to check the DPP's filing system. Legal secretary Caroline Halstead confirmed that no records of the priest existed between 2005 and 2009 in either manual or computerised filing systems. The complainant had earlier stated that McGowan claimed to have sent a file to the DPP, which was not pursued.
During a forgery trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, an alleged victim of clerical sexual abuse, a 44‑year‑old woman from Wicklow, testified that she was upset when she learned a file on her case had never been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). She recounted that in the 1980s she was abused by a local curate and that she had met Detective Garda Catherine McGowan in 2005 and again in 2007 to discuss the matter. McGowan had informed her that the DPP had received the file and would not prosecute. The victim said she was shocked, had a breakdown, and considered suicide. In 2011 a special task force discovered the file had not been forwarded to the DPP; it was finally sent in summer 2011, but the DPP directed no prosecution. The trial, presided over by Judge Mary Ellen Ring, continues with a jury of twelve. Catherine McGowan pleaded not guilty.
In February 2015, Detective Garda Catherine McGowan, aged 48 and based at Bray Garda Station, faced trial on charges of forging a letter from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) related to a priest's sexual abuse investigation. She pleaded not guilty to one count of forgery and two counts of using a false instrument, alleged to involve a letter dated 14 January 2009. Prosecutor Alex Owens argued that McGowan forged the document to mislead Gardaí reviewing her handling of the case, which was prompted by the Murphy Report on clerical abuse. Evidence included a copy of the purported DPP letter, claimed to state that prosecution was impossible due to conjecture in the victim's statement. The trial, set for two weeks, was before Judge Mary Ellen Ring and a jury of twelve.
Two Colombians, Pedro Ruiz (38) and David Sanchez (29), were sentenced to seven years' imprisonment each for possessing 32 kilograms of cocaine in Dublin. The men pleaded guilty at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after the drugs were seized at a bed and breakfast on Stillorgan Road in Donnybrook on 26 June 2014. Their lawyers argued that the men were acting under duress from other Colombians to whom they owed money, and requested that Judge Martin Nolan avoid the mandatory ten‑year minimum. The judge accepted that the men had been under pressure and, believing there was hope for rehabilitation, imposed a seven‑year term backdated to the date of their arrest. The prosecution's counsel, Anne Marie Lawlor BL, said the men's claims of coercion were not corroborated and had not been mentioned in Garda interviews.
Raymond Quinn, 46, a Kildare businessman, was convicted in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for stealing his elderly mother's credit card and using it to make unauthorised purchases, including hotel stays and flights, totalling €14,153. He pleaded guilty to six charges of theft at AIB and Ulster Bank branches and one charge at Brittas. Quinn had no prior convictions. The judge noted the breach of trust and the fact that his mother, now in a nursing home with dementia, had been defrauded. A three‑year suspended sentence was imposed, and Quinn was ordered to pay €8 a week for three years to repay the debt. He receives a weekly social welfare payment of €188 and has been urged to begin repaying the money to his mother. The case highlighted his financial difficulties and the impact of his actions on his family.
Michael Dickenson, aged 29, was convicted of murder for the death of Stephen O'Meara, whose body was found in a shallow grave in Wicklow. He was found guilty by a jury at the Central Criminal Court and sentenced to mandatory life imprisonment by Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy on 7 July 2012. Dickenson appealed against the conviction, arguing that he had not known O'Meara would be shot and that his initial arrest under the Public Order Act was unlawful. The Court of Appeal, hearing the appeal, dismissed it. Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan, sitting with Mr Justice Seán Ryan and Mr Justice George Birmingham, held that Dickenson had driven O'Meara to the woods where a shallow grave was dug and another man shot him, constituting a joint enterprise. The court found the subsequent arrest on suspicion of murder lawful, despite the earlier unlawful arrest, and upheld the conviction and life sentence. Michael Dickenson pleaded not guilty.
The Court of Appeal has dismissed the appeal against conviction lodged by Ruth Barry, who was found guilty of cutting the face and causing serious injury to journalist Jennifer Bray on O'Connell Street in 2010. Barry, who denied all charges including robbery and using a blade, was originally sentenced to seven years imprisonment with the final 18 months suspended by Judge Desmond Hogan at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court in July 2012. Her co-accused, Jonathan O'Brien, was also involved in the incident. Barry's appeal argued that the trial was rendered unfair due to the absence of witness Jacob Gajda, whose statement suggested O'Brien handled a blade only after the injury occurred. However, Mr Justice George Birmingham, sitting with Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan and Mr Justice John Edwards, ruled that Gajda's evidence did not address whether Barry possessed a knife. The court found Barry centrally involved in the joint enterprise, noting her actions in robbing Ms Bray and departing the scene proved she never withdrew from the agreement. The judges concluded that the absence of the witness could not render the jury's verdict unsafe or unsatisfactory. Consequently, the appeal was dismissed, and Barry was returned to prison to serve the remainder of her sentence.
During the 14th day of Graham Dwyer's murder trial, Dr Matthew Corcoran, Elaine O'Hara's GP, testified that her depression had improved in the years before her death. He treated her mainly for asthma, noting she also had low Vitamin B12, mild diabetes and was on a cholesterol tablet. Corcoran confirmed he had not managed her depression but received discharge letters from her psychiatric hospital and sometimes renewed her prescriptions. He described her last visit on 10 July 2012, when she had sinusitis and mild respiratory symptoms, and prescribed antibiotics and steroids. Under cross‑examination, he acknowledged she had been admitted to hospital 14 times, some involving self‑harm, and that she had a history of depression and anxiety. He did not comment on the circumstances of her death, which remains undetermined. The trial continues before Mr Justice Tony Hunt and a jury.
Paul Carabini, aged 48, was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment with three years suspended for a series of armed robberies in Dublin. He pleaded guilty to the robbery of €3,050 at Permanent TSB in Phibsboro on 16 November 2012, to €300 from Mr Sims Shop on 13 June 2013, and to €280 and four pairs of shoes from Shoe Rack on 4 December 2013. He also pleaded guilty to attempted robberies at Hamilton Pharmacy, Dowling's Pharmacy and McDonald's in Phibsboro. During the TSB robbery he held a knife to a pregnant bank worker's stomach while demanding €10,000, and he held a knife to a shop worker's torso at Mr Sims. The court noted his history of 21 prior convictions, heroin addiction since age 16, and lack of formal education. Judge Martin Nolan described him as a "menace to society who caused fear and terror.".
The trial of Graham Dwyer at the Central Criminal Court heard testimony from two men who met Elaine O'Hara on the alternative‑sexuality website alt.com. Robert Cullen Jones, who met O'Hara in March 2011, described their meetings in Dundrum Shopping Centre and at her apartment in Stepaside, noting her interest in bondage and the presence of handcuffs and vibrators. He also recalled receiving texts from her and later deleting her number. Seán Guerin SC presented items recovered from Vartry Reservoir, including a butt plug, and questioned the witness about her sexual fantasies. Mark Guerin, another alt.com user, recounted meetings with O'Hara in Blackrock and Stepaside, describing her restraints and references to self‑harm. The jury heard that O'Hara was last seen on 22 August 2012, her remains found at Killakee on 13 September 2013, with no cause of death determined. The case remains before Mr Justice Tony Hunt and a jury.
In the 2015 trial of 42‑year‑old Graham Dwyer, the jury was shown video footage of him flying a model aeroplane at a family day on 19 August 2012, three days before the alleged murder of childcare worker Elaine O'Hara. The footage was presented by John Flynn, a member of the Roundwood Model Aeronautical Club, who confirmed Dwyer's participation in a 2011 competition and his flying of a blue and black Extra 300 electric plane on 24 June 2012. Flynn also verified that no club event occurred on 22 August 2012. Additional witnesses from the Shankill Radio Flying Club discussed a dead sheep found near the club and Dwyer's use of various cars. The trial also examined Dwyer's work records, confirming he worked a normal eight‑hour day on 22 August 2012, and noted that O'Hara's skeletal remains were found at Killakee on 13 September 2013.
The trial of Graham Dwyer, a 42‑year‑old architect, has heard that he worked a normal eight‑hour shift on the day he is alleged to have murdered childcare worker Elaine O'Hara. Testimony from Siobhán McKevitt, manager of the Baggot Street firm, confirmed that Dwyer's office records show he worked a standard 40‑hour week in the weeks ending 19 and 26 August 2012, and that he worked a normal eight‑hour day on 22 August 2012, the day of the alleged murder. No record indicated he left early that day. The jury also heard that O'Hara's skeletal remains were found at Killakee on 13 September 2013, with no cause of death determined, and that her glasses, keys, and other personal items were recovered from the Vartry Reservoir. The case is proceeding before Mr Justice Hunt and a jury of five women and seven men.
During the 42‑day trial of 42‑year‑old Graham Dwyer at the Central Criminal Court, a detective presented a hand‑drawn map supplied by Dwyer's solicitor that led Gardaí to two knives in the basement of A&D Wejchert Architects. The map, titled 'Items of Interest', identified a shelf and two file boxes where the knives were found. One knife was a Buck Special 119, delivered to the office on 21 August 2012, and the other a flick knife. Dwyer is charged with the murder of 36‑year‑old childcare worker Elaine O'Hara, who disappeared on 22 August 2012 after leaving a mental health hospital. The trial also heard evidence of a spade found near O'Hara's remains and other items linked to Dwyer, but no verdict has yet been reached.
In the Graham Dwyer murder trial, the jury heard that a search of Dwyer's home and workplace on 17–18 October 2013 yielded 219 exhibits, including computers, hard drives, and financial documents. Among the seized items were letters from A&D Wejchert Architects informing Dwyer of pay cuts: a 10 % reduction from €87,350 to €78,615 in December 2010, and a further cut to €70,000 in June 2011. The prosecution argued the pay‑cut documents were relevant, while Dwyer's defence counsel noted no instruction to seek such documents. Other seized items included a jacket, a wetsuit, and a two‑drawer filing cabinet containing the pay‑cut letters. The trial also covered CCTV stills from Ms O'Hara's apartment block and the discovery of her skeletal remains at Killakee, but the focus of this hearing was the evidence of the pay cuts and the breadth of the search.
During the 42‑year‑old Graham Dwyer's trial, the Gardaí presented CCTV stills from Elaine O'Hara's apartment block to his son, Sennan McShea, to determine if he could identify anyone in the footage. The stills depicted a man the prosecution had already identified as the architect accused of O'Hara's murder. The trial, held in the Central Criminal Court, heard from Garda Paul Corcoran, who showed the stills to McShea on 18 October 2013, and from Garda Keith Gantly, who explained that only one camera was operational in the Shangannah area on the night of O'Hara's disappearance and that it was pointed in the wrong direction. The court also heard that O'Hara's skeletal remains were found at Killakee on 13 September 2013, with her glasses and keys recovered from a lake. The proceedings continue before Mr Justice Tony Hunt and a jury of five women and seven men. The unnamed 42-year-old pleaded not guilty.
In a Central Criminal Court trial, a jury examined CCTV footage from Belarmine Plaza in Dublin that appears to show Graham Dwyer, aged 42, with Elaine O'Hara, aged 36, outside her home in the months before her murder. The footage, covering January to August 2012, includes several instances where Dwyer is seen entering and leaving the building, sometimes accompanied by O'Hara, and carrying a backpack that matches a bag recovered from Vartry Lake. The prosecution highlighted these clips to suggest a relationship between Dwyer and O'Hara. Dwyer is charged with O'Hara's murder, which occurred on 22 August 2012 after she was discharged from a psychiatric hospital. The trial also covered the discovery of her skeletal remains at Killakee and the subsequent search of Dwyer's home and workplace, where various items were seized. The case is proceeding before Mr Justice Tony Hunt with a jury of twelve.
A new judge will be assigned to hear the extradition case of Gary Davis, a 26‑year‑old Wicklow man, who is wanted in the United States to face charges of conspiracy to distribute narcotics, conspiracy to commit computer hacking and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Davis is alleged to have acted as an administrator on the underground website Silkroad, using the name "Libertas," a site described by U.S. authorities as a "sprawling black market bazaar" where drugs, firearms and counterfeit money were sold. He was first arrested on a warrant issued by the High Court in January and is currently on bail. Counsel for the Attorney General, Ronan Kennedy BL, asked the High Court whether it could assign a new judge to the case, citing little progress.
The trial of Graham Dwyer, a 42‑year‑old architect, is in its tenth day at the Central Criminal Court. He is charged with the murder of 36‑year‑old Elaine O'Hara, who was found dead in the Dublin Mountains at Killakee, Rathfarnham on 22 August 2012, shortly after she was discharged from a psychiatric hospital. Dwyer, a Cork‑born father of two, lives on Kerrymount Close in Foxrock, Dublin, and has pleaded not guilty. The jury heard that a dog walker discovered O'Hara's remains on 13 September 2013, and that glasses found in a Wicklow lake matched her prescription. Gardaí testified that they searched Dwyer's home and office on 17 October 2013, seizing an Audi, a Land Rover, and various computers from his workplace on Lower Baggot Street. The accused was arrested by Detective Sergeant Peter Woods when he answered the front door shortly after 7 a.m. on the day of the arrest.
A dispute over the alleged failure by insurers to pay out approximately €1.6m on a policy of a premises in Bray Co Wicklow that went on fire is to be fast tracked by the Commercial Court. The action has been brought by Veema Ltd, The Drive Cypress Downs Dublin 6w, which owns the Everest Centre, Castle Street, Bray Co Wicklow, against Great Lakes Reinsurance UK plc, of Fenchurch London, and insurance broker The Underwriting Exchange Ltd, Tower Street London. Veema says it has suffered a serious loss as a result of the insurances firm's alleged failure to pay out. The case was entered into the fast-track Commercial Court list today by Mr Justice Brian McGovern on the application of lawyers for Veema Ltd. In its action, Veema says it was furnished with a contract of insurance in respect of the Everest Centre by the broker, which was underwritten by Great Lakes Reinsurance. The policy was obtained in 2012. It claims that under the terms of the policy the premises was covered in the event of it suffering damage from fire. On July 15 2014 the Everest Centre, which has a number of tenants, accidentally caught fire. Veema says the fire occurred when a storage unit at the rear of the Everest Centre was being cleared. It says that a third party was allowed enter the property started to remove steel shelving. While using an angle grinder it is believed the third party accidentally set fire to the property. Veema says it believes its policy of insurance covered the damage. In its action it claims the insurers are not paying out because of an alleged change in tenancy, and occupation and use of the property that constituted an alternation of risk. The underwriters say they were never informed of the changes, which amount to breaches of conditions of the policy. In its action, Veema claims Great Lakes Reinsurance UK has breached the insurance policy following its alleged failure and refusal to pay out the sums insured for. It is also claimed Great Lakes has neglected to confirm it is prepared to indemnify Veema in respect of any claims against it by tenants of the property. It further claims the broker had a duty to warn them with of any unusual terms or interpretations that would be applied to the policy by the underwriter. The failure to warn Veema of such unusual terms was negligent, it is claimed. In its action Veema seeks various orders including one directing the underwriters to pay the sum necessary to reimburse the damage suffered by it caused by the fire. That figure has been estimated at €1.6m. Veema also seeks declarations including one it is entitled to an indemnity in respect of claims made against by the tenants of the Everest Centre in respect of the fire that took place last July.
The Central Criminal Court adjourned the seventh day of evidence in the trial of 42‑year‑old architect Graham Dwyer, charged with the murder of Elaine O'Hara, because a juror could not attend. Justice Tony Hunt sent the remaining jurors home, noting that the parties had already scheduled a day of work in their absence for Monday, giving the absent juror an extra day. He also warned the jurors not to discuss the case over the long weekend. Dwyer is accused of killing the 36‑year‑old childcare worker in the Dublin Mountains at Killakee, Rathfarnham, on 22 August 2012, hours after she was discharged from hospital as a psychiatric patient.
The trial of 42‑year‑old architect Graham Dwyer, charged with the murder of 36‑year‑old childcare worker Elaine O'Hara, has heard evidence that items recovered from a Wicklow lake in October 2013 matched O'Hara's personal belongings. Glasses found in the lake were shown to have the same prescription and frames as those prescribed to O'Hara, and a set of keys recovered from the water matched keys to her car and home. The items, which included bondage cuffs, a leather mask, a ball gag, a blindfold, a knife, a rope, a chain, a Nokia mobile phone, a white vibrator, a black anal plug, a red battery‑operated device, a red kidney‑shaped object, a ski mask, a gold bracelet, a Tesco Mobile SIM card, a metal band, a pair of sunglasses, a pair of glasses, a pair of shorts and a Real Madrid dressing gown, were presented to the jury.
In the Central Criminal Court trial of 42‑year‑old architect Graham Dwyer, the jury was shown a photograph of a punctured, blood‑stained mattress found in Elaine O'Hara's apartment at Belarmine Plaza, Stepaside. The mattress, removed by Detective Garda Brian Barry, displayed multiple puncture cuts and blood staining. The trial also presented evidence that O'Hara's remains were discovered in a forest in the Dublin Mountains on 13 September 2013, where forensic anthropologist Laureen Buckley testified that the skeleton was largely recovered and that the body had decomposed for about a year. Dwyer is charged with O'Hara's murder on 22 August 2012, after she was discharged from hospital as a psychiatric patient. The case continues before Mr Justice Tony Hunt and a jury of five women and seven men.
During the fourth day of the 42‑year‑old Graham Dwyer's trial at the Central Criminal Court, the jury was shown two large metal chains found in Elaine O'Hara's bedside locker shortly after her disappearance in August 2012. Retired Detective Garda Ultan Sherlock identified the chains from the witness box. Mr Dwyer, an architect, is charged with the murder of the 36‑year‑old childcare worker in the Dublin Mountains on 22 August 2012, hours after she was discharged from hospital as a psychiatric patient. The case involves the discovery of Ms O'Hara's skeletal remains at Killakee, Rathfarnham, on 13 September 2013, and the finding of her keys in an almost‑dry reservoir in Wicklow. The unnamed 42-year-old pleaded not guilty.
The Central Criminal Court trial of Graham Dwyer, a 42-year-old architect accused of murdering Elaine O'Hara in August 2012, continued with testimony from family members. Dwyer, who has pleaded not guilty to the alleged murder of the 36-year-old childcare worker at Killakee, Rathfarnham, faces charges related to her death hours after her discharge from a psychiatric hospital. Her brother, John O'Hara, testified that he found printouts of hunting knives and a notebook containing the URL for the fetish lifestyle website FetLife in her apartment. He reported finding a profile named 'Chained Brunette' on the site. Sheila Hawkins, the deceased's father's partner, described recoiling from oily latex found in the home and clarified that her knowledge of O'Hara's BDSM interests came from conversations with her father. Ann Charles, O'Hara's sister, described her as naive and trusting, noting a miscarriage in 2011. Conor Gilfoyle, the last person to see O'Hara alive, testified to giving her directions near Shanganagh Cemetery. The trial, presided over by Mr Justice Tony Hunt, is ongoing and expected to last up to eight weeks.
During the Central Criminal Court trial of 42‑year‑old Graham Dwyer, the partner of Elaine O'Hara's father, Sheila Hawkins, testified that she "recoiled" when she found oily latex in O'Hara's apartment on August 24, 2012. Hawkins, a psychologist, described how she and O'Hara's father were searching for a passport and that she had put her hand into a straw basket on a shelving unit, feeling an oily rubber substance that she identified as black latex. She did not inform O'Hara's father at the time because he was "very distressed." Hawkins also discussed her knowledge of O'Hara's interest in BDSM, which she said came from a conversation with O'Hara's father, and her recollection of O'Hara confiding that she had had sex for the first time in 2011. The trial, which is scheduled to last up to eight weeks, continues before Mr Justice Tony Hunt and a jury of five women and seven men. Graham Dwyer pleaded not guilty.
The trial of Graham Dwyer, 42, for the murder of 36‑year‑old Elaine O'Hara, began on the second day of the Central Criminal Court hearing. O'Hara's father, Frank O'Hara, testified that his daughter had been in good health on the day she disappeared, had a history of psychiatric illness, and had been seen by a married Foxrock architect who allegedly refused her request to kill her. He described her routine, her medical conditions, and her relationship with the architect, noting that she had asked him to kill her but he refused. The jury heard that the cause of death could not be determined from skeletal remains found in a forest, and that no evidence of trauma was found. The trial is scheduled to continue for up to eight weeks. The unnamed 42-year-old pleaded not guilty.
The trial of 42‑year‑old architect Graham Dwyer, charged with murdering 36‑year‑old Elaine O'Hara on 22 August 2012, is being heard in the Central Criminal Court. The State alleges Dwyer killed O'Hara for sexual gratification, citing an "unusual sexual relationship" that involved stabbing. Evidence presented includes 400 pieces of evidence, eight key exhibits, and text messages between Dwyer's number and O'Hara's phones. The prosecution claims the texts reveal a BDSM relationship, with Dwyer expressing sadistic desires and threatening O'Hara to cooperate. DNA from semen on O'Hara's mattress matched Dwyer, and data extracted from her phones linked her to Dwyer's number. The jury was shown photographs of O'Hara's skeletal remains and her mattress, which had been pierced. The trial is scheduled to continue for six to eight weeks. Graham Dwyer pleaded not guilty. Elaine O'Hara pleaded not guilty.
At the appeal stage, Mark Farrelly (43) and Christopher Corcoran (67), previously convicted in 2009 for their roles in a 2005 tiger raid involving the robbery of €2.28 million from Mr Richardson and Securicor Security Services Ireland Ltd, were found not guilty by direction. The ruling followed a decision by Judge Mary Ellen Ring that mobile phone records could not be used as evidence in the case. Both men had pleaded not guilty to the charges of falsely imprisoning the Richardsons at Ashcroft, Raheny on the night of March 13 and 14, 2005, and the robbery of €2.28 million in cash. They had been sentenced to 25 years and 12 years respectively in 2009, but their convictions were overturned in 2012 due to a Supreme Court ruling on the unconstitutionality of search warrants. A retrial in 2013 ended in a hung jury. The current appeal concluded with the matter being adjourned, as the jury was directed to find the men not guilty, and no retrial will take place. The legal argument centred on the admissibility of mobile phone records, with the defence relying on the 1992 Cochrane ruling. The case has had a lasting impact on the Richardson family, who have not retrieved the stolen cash and continue to be affected by the events ten years later.
In a 2015 Court of Appeal decision, Edward Rooney, 65, and Des Ryan, 55, were sentenced to three years' imprisonment for possessing €1.2 million worth of drugs. The appeal followed a 2013 conviction where both men received 10‑year suspended sentences for holding 4.5 kg of heroin and 227 g of cocaine. The Court of Appeal found the original suspended terms too lenient after a successful appeal by the Director of Public Prosecutions. The court noted the men's financial pressure and the serious nature of the drugs, and applied a maximum mitigation to reduce the sentence to three years. The men were arrested after a Garda surveillance operation in Finglas, where a black hold‑all bag containing nine plastic bags of heroin and a bag of cocaine was recovered. The case highlighted the Court's willingness to impose imprisonment when the offence was serious and the value of the drugs substantial. The unnamed man pleaded guilty.
Ruth Barry, 36, of Moy Elta Road, Dublin 3, was convicted in 2012 of cutting journalist Jennifer Bray's face, using a blade, robbery, and assaulting two of Bray's companions on O'Connell Street on 25 June 2010. Barry was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment, with 18 months suspended. She and boyfriend Jonathon O'Brien followed Bray, her companion Sarah Furlong, and Neil Callanan to a taxi; Barry punched Bray, head‑butted Furlong, and bit Callanan. Bray testified she felt a cold object and heard a click before slumping. Barry's counsel argued that a witness, Jakub Gajda, who allegedly saw O'Brien take something from behind his back, was unavailable and that the trial judge had accepted his statement as evidence. The Court of Appeal has been asked to grant a retrial, with the appeal pending a decision date.
Michael Byrne, a 77‑year‑old former secondary school teacher from Rosewell, Templerainey, Arklow, pleaded guilty to four counts of indecent assault on a boy aged 11 to 15 between 1975 and 1978. He was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment, with the final four years suspended, by Judge Michael O'Shea at Wicklow Circuit Criminal Court on 10 April 2014. The Court of Appeal rejected Byrne's application to review the sentence. The appeal panel, chaired by Mr Justice Seán Ryan, noted that Byrne's offences involved calculated grooming, repeated touching, groping, and the accused masturbating the boy, exploiting the boy's medical condition to obtain sperm samples. The judge described the conduct as cold, calculated, pre‑meditated and that of a predator. The Court of Appeal found no error in principle and upheld the eight‑year term, with the suspended portion remaining in place. Cormac Walsh, the victim, expressed delight at the decision. The case remains at the sentencing stage.
Ibrahim Moradi (23) of Birchwood Heights and Adnan Mohamadzadeh (24) of Belgard Square, both in Tallaght, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to falsely imprisoning Roman Bobowicz on June 25, 2012. Both admitted to the charge and pleaded guilty. Judge Mary Ellen Ring ordered Moradi and Mohamadzadeh to perform 220 hours of community service in lieu of a two and a half year sentence. Both men handed over compensation in court, with Moradi contributing €1,500 and Mohamadzadeh €2,000. They also offered an apology to the victim. Jalal Moradi (24) of Pinelawn, Old Bawn, was previously sentenced last July and ordered to perform 220 hours of community service in lieu of a two and a half year sentence. He had handed over €1,000 compensation on that date and was given 12 months to gather a further €1,000. The case is at the sentence stage, with no suspended portions, effective custody, or adjournments mentioned.
In October 2016, the Central Criminal Court will hear the trial of eight Tallaght residents charged in the murder of 20‑year‑old Dale Creighton, who died on 2 January after being injured on a footbridge on Saint Dominic's Road. Seven defendants—Aisling Burke (21), David Burke (26), Graham Palmer (24), Ross Callery (21), James Reid (24), Jason Beresford (21) and Gerard Stephens (25)—are charged with murder. A eighth defendant, James O'Brien (22), is charged with assault causing harm. The trial is expected to last eight weeks, with the first hearing set for 3 October 2016.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, 28‑year‑old James Gallagher was sentenced to two and a half years for stealing a €26,200 Rolex from Weir's Jewellers in Dundrum and for dangerous driving on the M50. Gallagher snatched the watch from a customer, fled in a Volkswagen Golf, and was pursued by Gardaí. During the high‑speed chase he allegedly threw the watch out of a car window near Wesley College, Ballinteer, but a subsequent search failed to recover it. The judge noted Gallagher's actions endangered the public by forcing Gardaí to chase him at speeds over 120 kph on a 50 kph road, breaking red lights and driving the wrong way. Gallagher admitted the theft was to support his crack cocaine habit and is now addressing his drug addiction. The sentence was back‑dated to the date of his arrest. James Gallagher pleaded guilty.
In December 2014 the Court of Appeal ruled that the 10‑year suspended sentences handed to Edward Rooney, 65, and Des Ryan, 55, for possessing €1.2 million worth of heroin and cocaine were too lenient. The men had pleaded guilty in October 2013 to possession for sale or supply after transporting a bag of drugs from the UK to Ireland. The appeal court noted the financial pressure that led them to act as couriers, the high value of the drugs, and the fact that neither was driven by addiction. It also highlighted that the men were not compelled by compulsion but chose to participate for financial gain. The court reserved its judgment, to be delivered on 19 January 2015, and indicated that the sentences would be revised to reflect the seriousness of the offence. The original judge had imposed a wholly suspended 10‑year term, which the appeal court found to be an error in principle.
Jason Breen, 41, a chef, set fire to his sister's home in Dun Laoghaire after she obtained a barring order against him. He poured petrol through an upstairs window while the house was empty, and a neighbour entered to rescue a dog, which was later found unharmed. Breen was arrested with singed hair and burn marks, admitting he wanted to destroy the house because it belonged to his late mother and because he had not slept for nine days while using crack cocaine and "snow blow." He pleaded guilty to arson on 30 July 2013. Judge Mary Ellen Ring sentenced him to three years in prison, suspended in full on the condition that he keeps the peace for three years. The court noted his lack of prior convictions, his drug rehabilitation at Coolmine, and his willingness to offer his culinary skills to help others. The fire caused about €30,000 in damage, paid by the local council.
In a High Court appeal over a boundary dispute between the Rueters and the Madigans, Kathleen Maureen Rueter denied allegations that her family had damaged the white thorn and blackthorn hedge that marks the boundary between their properties. She also rejected claims that the lane outside the Madigans' home had been widened in 2003 to allow access to the Rueters' caravan park. The Madigans had previously won a Circuit Court judgment awarding them €5,000 for trespass and nuisance and a right of way to maintain their hedge. Rueter stated that since acquiring the land in 1964 her family had maintained and improved the lane, and that any work carried out in 2003 only raised parts of the road surface without significantly widening it. She maintained that the hedge had not been "butchered" and that a gap in the boundary hedge was caused by the Madigans. The case before Mr Justice Kearns is expected to conclude early next week.
Andrew Shannon, 49, of Willians Way, Ongar, was convicted of damaging Claude Monet's 1874 painting "Argenteuil Basin with a Single Sail Boat" at the National Gallery of Ireland. He pleaded not guilty but a jury found him guilty after 1½ hours of deliberation. The jury also found him not guilty of damaging two other paintings at the Shelbourne Hotel. Shannon has 48 prior convictions, including burglary and theft of antiques. He was sentenced to six years' imprisonment, with the final 15 months suspended under strict conditions, including a ban on entering any public gallery or building displaying paintings. The maximum penalty for the offence is ten years. The Monet painting has been restored and returned to display. Shannon's heart condition and prior custody time were considered in sentencing. The case was heard by Judge Martin Nolan.
In a High Court case, Jarlath and Lorraine Sweeney argue that National Assets Management Agency (NAMA) demands for additional security to keep their loan facilities operational would force them to commit a criminal offence under Irish company law. The couple, shareholders in several property‑related companies and owners of hotels such as the Esplanade and Wilton Hotels in Bray, secured loans of about €25 million from Anglo Irish Bank in 2009, later acquired by NAMA. They have provided assets of their companies as security but refuse to offer the unencumbered Summerhill House Hotel in Enniskerry, owned by companies where Mrs Sweeney is principal shareholder, as additional collateral. They claim NAMA's demand is unlawful, disproportionate and unreasonable, and that complying would breach company law because a statutory declaration and independent report are required, which they cannot obtain.