Court archive

Bray Circuit Criminal Court

2019-01-15 · Wicklow

Suspended sentence for man who attacked ex at creche "too lenient", court finds

Matthew Kelly, 26, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to his ex‑partner in Roundwood, Co Wicklow, on 17 November 2017. He was originally given a wholly suspended two‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence by Judge Michael O'Shea at Bray Circuit Criminal Court on 26 July 2018. The Director of Public Prosecutions appealed, arguing the sentence was "unduly lenient". The Court of Appeal agreed and, on 15 January 2019, imposed a new two‑and‑a‑half‑year term with all but the final 12 months suspended, effectively sentencing Kelly to 12 months in custody. The appeal judge noted the assault occurred near a creche where the victim's two‑year‑old daughter was being collected, that Kelly had a safety order in force at the time, and that the attack was described as "cowardly, vicious and violent". The court highlighted the seriousness of breaching a safety order and the presence of the victim's child during the assault.

2018-06-28 · Wicklow

Victim unaware of abuse until clips found on phone of man involved in fatal crash, court hears

Frank Kelly, aged 24, pleaded guilty to three counts of sexually assaulting a 20‑year‑old woman while she was in a state of particular vulnerability. The assaults were captured in three video clips found on the mobile phone of a man involved in a fatal car crash. The clips show Kelly licking the victim's vagina, digitally penetrating her while saying he was "going in for the kill", and anal penetration. The victim was unaware of the abuse until the clips were presented to her during the investigation, which she described as very distressing. Kelly was sentenced at Bray Circuit Criminal Court to five years' imprisonment, with the final two‑and‑a‑half years suspended by Judge Michael O'Shea on 7 April 2017. The Director of Public Prosecutions sought a review, claiming the sentence was unduly lenient, but the Court of Appeal declined to intervene, leaving Kelly's release date in February 2019.