A 48‑year‑old man was sentenced to eight years in prison for raping his partner's seven‑year‑old son in the shower between 1 May and 30 September 2016. The court found him guilty of one count of rape and one count of sexual assault. The boy was showering when the man entered, claiming his mother had told him to shower with him, and then sexually assaulted and raped him. The man had been in a relationship with the boy's mother and sometimes stayed overnight. The offence was discovered when the boy, then ten, told his teacher he had been abused; the teacher and school leadership were praised for listening. The judge noted the man's position of trust and the boy's vulnerability, and imposed the eight‑year sentence for rape and a concurrent three‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence for assault. The judge also ordered two years of post‑release supervision and prohibited contact with the victim.
In a Dublin court case, a 49‑year‑old woman testified that she found videos on her husband's computer showing him raping her while she was allegedly passed out. The videos, dated between 1 January 2005 and 5 September 2014, depict the husband penetrating her vagina with a range of objects – a knife, a cheese grater, a bottle, a carrot, a banana, a cucumber, a tulip, a wooden spatula, a decanter stopper, part of a shoe, a bicycle pump, a deodorant bottle and his finger – and also shows anal penetration with his thumb. She said she discovered the videos while searching for a different video he had taken of her drinking, and she deleted them but later tried to transfer them to a memory stick, which failed. She identified many objects in photographs presented to the jury, including a bracelet, cushions, a blanket, her engagement ring, a dress, green shoes, a cheese grater and a red spatula. The unnamed woman pleaded not guilty.
In a Central Criminal Court sentencing hearing, Loretta Power, mother of the 25‑year‑old victim, expressed that her son Jack Power's death has left her "tortured" and that the family endures a "life sentence" daily. Jack was stabbed to death on 26 July 2018 after breaking into Dean Kerrie's home in Dunmore East, Waterford. Kerrie, 21, was tried twice for the murder; the first trial ended with a jury verdict of manslaughter, the second with a conviction for manslaughter. The prosecution described a scuffle in the bedroom, with Kerrie allegedly stabbing Jack once in the chest after Jack had attacked Kerrie's mother. Kerrie's defence argued the act was a single defensive movement. The court has adjourned sentencing to 26 October 2022, with the possibility of a suspended portion of the sentence pending probation conditions. The maximum sentence for manslaughter is life imprisonment.
Patrick Dunne, 28, admitted to killing his mother Susan Dunne, 62, on 26–27 November 2013, claiming he had no lawful justification. He said he had argued with her over an iPhone's price, became "out of control" and "lost it". He described striking her with a hatchet, stating it was accidental and not intended to harm. Forensic evidence found six hatchet wounds to her head, blood and hair matching Dunne, and a majority DNA profile for him. A pathology report confirmed multiple blows to the skull, brain swelling and laceration as the cause of death. Dunne was arrested in Listowel after leaving the family home, locking his mother's bedroom door and taking her social protection card. The case is before Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring with a jury of five men and seven women.
At the Central Criminal Court, a general practitioner testified that Stephen Silver appeared disconnected from reality in the hours following the fatal shooting of Detective Garda Colm Horkan at Castlerea, County Roscommon on 17 June 2020. Dr Greg Kelly described observing the accused, aged 46 and from Foxford, County Mayo, exhibiting restless and agitated behaviour at Castlerea Garda Station, including paranoid ideation and speech patterns suggestive of acute psychiatric disturbance. The doctor administered an anti-psychotic medication and recommended psychiatric assessment, believing Silver was experiencing a manic episode consistent with bipolar disorder. Later that day, Dr Kelly noted the accused appeared unnaturally detached from the gravity of events. The State Pathologist detailed that Detective Garda Horkan sustained eleven gunshot wounds, including injuries to vital organs, with forensic evidence indicating some shots were fired from close range. Silver has pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility. The defence argues mental illness substantially reduced his culpability at the time of the shooting.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, a man was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment for raping his ex‑partner after threatening to cut her fingers with garden secateurs. The victim, a Cork woman, had endured an 18‑year toxic relationship for her children's sake. On 2 August 2019, the man showed her the secateurs, threatened to sever her fingers, forced her into the bedroom, and demanded oral and vaginal sex. He raped her again until a child returned home. The woman fled, staying in hotels and with friends before securing rental accommodation. The man later returned, brandishing a modified nail file he claimed was a knife, and threatened her again. The judge noted the crime's severity, imposed a headline sentence of ten years for the rape, and added concurrent sentences totalling nine years for related offences, with a consecutive three‑year term and a two‑year suspension for interference with a witness. The unnamed accused pleaded guilty.
A former schools rugby player, Buti Sashi, aged 26, was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment for a series of violent attacks on transgender sex workers in Dublin. On 26 May 2017 he entered the victim's city‑centre apartment armed with a large knife, struck her face and body, cut her, demanded sex, sexually assaulted her and stole her mobile phone and laptop. The victim suffered a fractured jaw and an eye socket injury. A month later, on 28 June, Sashi and another man broke into the flat of a second transgender sex worker, beat her, stole two mobile phones and attacked a house‑mate, breaking his jaw and cutting him twice, taking his phone, laptop and €300. Sashi pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery, two of assault causing harm, one of sexual assault and one of weapon production. He was found to have a history of violent offences, including a 2014 robbery of a taxi driver.
Dominik Biber, a 25‑year‑old Polish national, pleaded guilty in the Central Criminal Court to attempting to murder Tomasz Grosser and to false imprisonment and burglary at Ormston House, Ellen St, Limerick, on 11 April 2020. Biber admitted using two knives during the burglary. The Director of Public Prosecutions accepted the plea and noted other counts on the indictment for sentencing. Biber's lawyer highlighted the client's drug use as a significant factor and requested a probation report. The judge adjourned the case to 5 December and ordered a probation and governor's report.
A key witness in the Central Criminal Court trial of Stephen Silver, who is accused of murdering Detective Garda Colm Horkan, has testified that he deliberately kept the accused away from gardaí on the night of the shooting in Foxford, County Mayo. James Coyne told the court that on June 17th, 2020, Silver called to his home and they travelled together to Foxford, where Silver transferred a motorcycle to him. When Silver later expressed interest in visiting Castlerea Garda Station a second time that evening, Coyne said he steered him away, fearing trouble. The court also heard that following his arrest at the scene, Silver urinated on his cell floor and may have self-harmed by striking his head against the wall. Gardaí described his behaviour as agitated. The trial, which continues before Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury, also heard CCTV evidence of Silver's movements on the day in question.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, Patrick Dunne, aged 29 and autistic, admitted killing his mother Susan Dunne, 62, with a hatchet, inflicting five fatal blows to her head while she lay in bed. The prosecution and defence psychiatrists agreed he was insane as defined by law at the time of the murder. The trial, described as unusual, will focus on evidence of the assault, the hatchet found in the kitchen with Dunne's DNA, and the circumstances leading to the killing. The case also involves testimony about Dunne's routine of collecting her son's disability allowance and his unaccompanied driving. The jury will consider whether Dunne was not guilty by reason of insanity based on the psychiatric assessments. The trial will resume on Tuesday before Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring and a jury of five men and seven women.
A 29‑year‑old man, Patrick Dunne of Ballingeragh, Lixnaw, Co Kerry, is charged with the murder of his mother, Susan Dunne, which occurred between 26 and 27 November 2013 at their family home. He was arraigned before the Central Criminal Court, pleaded not guilty, and a jury of five men and seven women was sworn in. The trial, scheduled to begin later that week and expected to last three days, will focus on the issue of insanity. Judge Paul Burns instructed the jury that all witnesses and Gardaí are from Lixnaw and that they should not research the case or its participants. He also advised the jurors to remain available for the duration of the trial, which may extend beyond the initial day. The case will be heard in the Central Criminal Court.
Stephen Silver, a forty-six-year-old motorbike mechanic from Aughavale near Foxford in County Mayo, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Detective Garda Colm Horkan on June 17th, 2020 in Castlerea, County Roscommon. He has pleaded guilty to manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility. At the Central Criminal Court, Sergeant Michael O'Hara testified that upon arriving at the scene, Mr Silver told him he had retrieved a firearm from an unknown man who approached him on Main Street. When informed that he had shot a detective garda, Mr Silver allegedly responded negatively about the officer's competence. Gardaí at the scene described Mr Silver's demeanor and actions following his arrest. A witness living overlooking the location provided an account of the shooting itself. The trial, heard before Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury of twelve, continues.
A garda witness testified at the Central Criminal Court that Stephen Silver, aged 46, a mechanic from Aughavard in Foxford, County Mayo, displayed a "smirk" while verbally confronting him as he attempted to resuscitate Detective Garda Colm Horkan following the shooting in Castlerea, County Roscommon on 17 June 2020. Garda Aidan Fallon described observing two men fighting before hearing gunshots, then witnessing a man shoot another man lying on the ground twice. Upon discovering the injured man was Detective Garda Horkan, Fallon began CPR, during which the accused allegedly told him he was "doing it wrong" and "killing him". Mr Silver, who denies murder, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility. The trial before Mr Justice Paul McDermott continues with cross-examination of the witness. Stephen Silver pleaded not guilty.
A 22‑year‑old man was sentenced to four years' imprisonment for repeatedly raping a young cousin and sexually assaulting another when he was a teenager. He pleaded guilty to three counts of rape of a boy aged six to nine and one count of sexual assault of a boy aged ten to twelve. The offences occurred between 2014 and 2019 while the defendant was aged 12 to 16. The court heard that the man, who had no prior convictions, had been a babysitter and had repeatedly forced the victims to remove clothing and to be in positions that allowed anal penetration, claiming it would help the victims' asthma. He was found to have abused the trust of the children and to have used deceit. The judge imposed a six‑year sentence with two years suspended, citing his remorse, early guilty pleas and young age at the time of the offences.
A 41‑year‑old convicted sex offender was sentenced to 13½ years' imprisonment, with the last two years suspended, for raping his former partner twice in August 2016 at his apartment in Co. Laois. The court found a significant breach of trust, noting the victim was pregnant and had recently given birth. The offender had previously been on the sex offenders register for a 2007 sexual assault of a 17‑year‑old girl and a 2016 assault of his partner. He was also convicted of a 2016 assault of his partner by head‑butting her face. The sentence was based on the rape and anal rape counts, with a headline of 10 years for rape and 13½ years for anal rape. The offender had no guilty plea, no remorse, but did cooperate with Gardaí. The court suspended the final two years of the custodial term, back‑dating the suspension to 28 March 2022. The unnamed 41-year-old pleaded not guilty and was acquitted.
Predatory serial sex offender Slawomir Gierlowski has had his prison sentence further extended for an attempted attack on a woman in 2011. Gierlowski (38) was previously sentenced in 2018 to 22 and a half years with four years suspended for random outdoor attacks on three other women between 2011 and 2016. After a Central Criminal Court trial in May 2019, Gierlowski was convicted of attempted rape, sexual assault and assault causing harm of a fourth victim on the night of December 18, 2010. Sentencing for those offences was adjourned while Gierlowski appealed his 2018 convictions and the severity of that sentence. The Court of Appeal dismissed these appeals and in July 2021, he was sentenced for this offence to a further ten years consecutive to the earlier sentence, giving a total prison sentence of 28 and a half years. The matter was adjourned during the appeal process. In July 2022, Judge Elma Sheahan extended Gierlowski's time in custody by a further six years, imposing concurrent sentences totalling six years consecutive to his Central Criminal Court sentence. The court heard that Gierlowski's DNA and fingerprints were taken as part of an investigation in 2016 into a separate assault and matched samples that were recovered from a flex and a cigarette box in this case. The victim described how the man, later identified as Gierlowski, had jumped at her in broad daylight, pushed her to the ground, straddled her and failed to get a flex around her neck before putting his hands on her neck and squeezing with his thumbs. He tried to pull down her pants. She resisted and fought back at the man, who punched her many times with a closed fist before he ran off. The woman continues to suffer adverse effects from the offence ten years later. Judge Sheahan noted Gierlowski had similar serious offending pre and post this offence. She said his offending had been previously described as 'dangerous predatory behaviour', which even at this stage he refuses to acknowledge despite going through three trials. She noted he has been in custody since 2016 but said she could not take into account any insight gained or remorse as he does not accept the verdict and there is no guilty plea. She said the court would take into account that he is already serving a significant sentence. Previously Mr Justice Michael White said that in the absence of Gierlowski acknowledging his predatory behaviour, he remained a serious threat to the safety of women. Judge Sheahan said the protection of society was an important consideration for the court. She imposed concurrent sentences totalling six years consecutive to his Central Criminal Court sentence. She noted the need to have regard to rehabilitation but said there was no evidential basis for suspending part of the sentence.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing on 7 October 2022, PJ Bennett, father of 29‑year‑old Sharon Bennett, delivered a victim‑impact statement after Patrick Ballard was sentenced to a mandatory life term for murdering his girlfriend. Bennett described the murder as a "nightmare" that has devastated his family, noting that Sharon was a loving daughter and mother of two girls. He expressed remorse for not protecting her and stated he does not blame the Ballard family, only Patrick. Bennett recounted the difficulties caused by Covid‑19 restrictions, which prevented him from seeing Sharon in intensive care for five days and from holding a proper funeral. The judge, Mr Justice Paul Burns, highlighted the brutality of the attack, the victim's blamelessness, and the impact on her children. Ballard, 35, had pleaded guilty to murder and had a history of 140 convictions, including assault and theft. The sentencing was back‑dated to 28 January 2021, when Ballard entered custody. Sharon Bennett pleaded not guilty.
Stephen Silver, aged 46, a motorcycle mechanic from Foxford, County Mayo, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Detective Garda Colm Horkan at Castlerea, County Roscommon, on 17 June 2020. He has pleaded guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility. The Central Criminal Court heard that Detective Garda Horkan, aged 49 and with nearly 25 years' service, was fatally shot shortly before midnight after an encounter with Mr Silver on Patrick Street. Prosecution counsel outlined that Mr Silver told gardaí the garda attacked him and stated: "With all that's going on with the police in this world, I shot him." The post mortem examination revealed eleven gunshot wounds. The defence argues Mr Silver's responsibility is substantially diminished due to mental health difficulties. A psychiatrist will give evidence for both the prosecution and defence. The trial continues before Mr Justice Paul McDermott.
A mother was sentenced to nine years' imprisonment for assault causing serious harm to her 20‑month‑old son, false imprisonment of a social care worker and possession of a large kitchen knife. The court heard that the infant suffered 18 % total body surface area scald burns to his face, neck and upper body, leaving permanent disfiguring scarring. The mother, who had a depressive disorder and a mild intellectual disability, pleaded guilty to the assault and false imprisonment. The judge noted the aggravating factors of the breach of trust, the severity of the injuries and the mother's failure to take prescribed medication. The sentence for the assault was reduced from a headline 14‑year term to nine years, with the final two years suspended for two years. The false‑imprisonment and knife charges carried a two‑year term, also suspended for two years, and all sentences run concurrently, back‑dated to 9 October 2019.
Patrick Ballard, aged 35, pleaded guilty to murdering his former partner, Ms Bennett, aged 29, in a public toilet in County Clare on 28 January 2021. Ballard had initially pleaded not guilty but, two days into his trial at the Central Criminal Court, admitted that his kicking and stamping caused Bennett's death. Witnesses, including Hussein 'Jamesie' Abdullah, testified that Ballard attacked Bennett in the toilet, pushing her onto a metal floor and repeatedly stamping and kicking her head. Bennett was taken to hospital in Limerick, where she died on 10 February 2021. Ballard was re‑arrested on 24 March 2021 and charged with murder. The trial, expected to last two weeks, was adjourned to hear a victim impact statement, with the mandatory sentence for murder being life imprisonment.
In October 2022, Joseph Byrne, aged 33, was sentenced to nine‑and‑a‑half years in prison by the Central Criminal Court for providing a handgun to his friend Dean McCarthy, who used it to shoot Sinead Connolly on 6 March 2021. Connolly, a mother of one, survived the attack but was left paralysed and in need of ongoing treatment. Byrne's actions were described by Judge Paul McDermott as reckless, irresponsible and dangerous, noting the ease with which he obtained the firearm and ammunition. The judge set a headline sentence of 14 years for possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, reduced to eleven years with an 18‑month suspended portion, and imposed a five‑year concurrent sentence for possession of ammunition. The case highlighted the lack of support for Connolly and her daughter following the violent incident. Joseph Byrne pleaded guilty. Dean McCarthy pleaded guilty.
Patrick Ballard, 35, of Ashford Court Hotel, Ennis, is set to stand trial for the murder of Sharon Bennett, 29, in Ennis's Market area on 10 February 2021. He was arraigned at the Central Criminal Court and pleaded not guilty. The case stems from an incident on 28 January 2021, after which Bennett died weeks later. Mr Justice Paul Burns informed the jury that both parties lived in Ennis and that the matter was investigated by Garda officers from Shannon and Ennis. The trial will last two weeks.
A jury has been sworn in at the Central Criminal Court for the trial of Stephen Silver, a 46-year-old mechanic from Aughavard, Foxford, County Mayo. Mr Silver pleaded not guilty to the murder of Detective Garda Colm Horkan, who died in the course of his duties in Castlerea, County Roscommon, on 17 June 2020. However, he entered a guilty plea to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. The jury, comprising seven men and five women, was cautioned by Mr Justice Paul McDermott that members with immediate family in An Garda Síochána should not serve. The trial is expected to last up to seven weeks. If convicted of murder, Mr Silver faces a mandatory 40-year sentence. The matter was adjourned to 7 October.
At the Central Criminal Court, Mr Justice Paul McDermott remanded Joseph Byrne in custody until October 6 for sentencing. Byrne, 33, pleaded guilty to possessing a G9A Grand Power semi-automatic handgun with intent to endanger life and possessing Luger Barnaul ammunition on March 6, 2021, at Bluebell, Dublin 12. The court heard that Byrne provided the firearm to Dean McCarthy, who was jailed for 15 years last April after pleading guilty to the attempted murder of Sinead Connolly. Ms Connolly, who was left paralysed, rejected Byrne's apology during her victim impact statement, stating he facilitated the attack. Earlier this week, Paul Mooney, 34, also pleaded guilty to possessing the same firearm and ammunition at the same location. The judge ordered that Byrne remain in custody pending his final sentence hearing in October.
A young woman who had recently left State care was gang‑raped on Dollymount Strand by three teenagers, Dion Genocky (23), Troy Ryan (24) and Daryl Rooney (24). The men, aged 17–18 at the time, drove her to the beach, where they took turns raping her. After the first assault, she was forced into a second car that arrived at the scene, where two more men from that vehicle raped her before leaving her on the beach. The case went to trial twice: the first in 2020, where the jury could not reach a verdict, and a second at the Central Criminal Court this year, where the men were convicted. The woman gave a victim‑impact statement via video‑link, describing the trauma, drug addiction and ongoing struggle for justice. She expressed hope that the men will pay for the pain and loss they caused. The court adjourned the case to 21 October for mitigation pleas.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, a Cork woman recounted a 18‑year‑old toxic relationship with her ex‑partner, who raped her on 2 August 2019 after threatening to cut her fingers with garden secateurs. He forced her to perform oral and vaginal sex, then raped her again until a child returned home. The woman fled, stayed in hotels and with friends before securing rental accommodation. The ex‑partner later broke into the property, brandishing a modified nail file and claiming he had paid €10,000 to a hired killer. In his victim impact statement, the woman described ongoing terror and nightmares. He pleaded guilty to interfering with a witness, trespass, assault causing harm, criminal damage and a threat to kill. The case was adjourned to 17 October for finalisation. The court heard the woman's testimony of the assault and her fear of further harm. The hearing focused on the charges and the plea, not on any subsequent outcome. The unnamed woman was convicted.
Richard Morrissey (45) was convicted by a jury of six counts of sexual assault against a girl who was aged seven to fourteen when the abuse occurred between 1996 and 2003 in Louth. The jury could not agree on all counts, so a second trial was held earlier this year, where he was found guilty of one additional count of sexual assault and one count of oral rape. The abuse began with grooming, touching, kissing and culminated in forced oral sex when the girl was fourteen. Morrissey, who was aged 18 to 25 at the time of the offences, maintains his innocence. He has been in custody since the first trial in November last year. Justice Karen O'Connor sentenced him to ten and a half years, suspending the final year on conditions.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, 35‑year‑old Bryan Kennedy of Mount Tallant Avenue, Harold's Cross, pleaded guilty to soliciting Alan Leech to murder Clara Houdebrumette. The alleged solicitation occurred sometime between 1 October 2019 and 11 January 2020. Justice Eileen Creedon remanded Kennedy on continuing bail until 1 November, when sentencing is expected.
A 17‑year‑old boy was found not guilty of rape but guilty of sexual assault after a trial at the Central Criminal Court. He sexually assaulted his eight‑year‑old cousin while she was staying at his family home on 20 July 2019. The victim was told to keep the incident secret, was forced to lie on the floor, and the boy attempted to insert his penis into her bottom. He pulled down her underwear and asked if he could do it, claiming he needed to see something. The victim's bottom was sore, and she later changed her underwear, believing it would reduce soreness. Evidence of bruising was found after a specialist examination, and a specialist interview was conducted by gardai in August 2019. The victim's mother reported the incident to gardai, who searched the house and retrieved the victim's underwear.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing on 28 July 2022, a mother was found guilty of intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to her 18‑month‑old twin sons after she drenched one in boiling water and threatened to kill her children and herself. She also pleaded guilty to producing a large kitchen knife capable of inflicting serious injury, to unlawfully intimidating another person, and to falsely imprisoning a female social worker. The court heard that the social worker, who was supervising the boys in foster care, was locked out of the house and forced to hold the children to safety while the mother poured hot water over one son. The mother was admitted to psychiatric care in Tallaght Hospital and the boy was treated at Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, where he sustained permanent scarring. The court noted that the mother had no prior convictions but had been detained under the Mental Health Act.
A man convicted of rape, assault and coercive control has been sentenced to 17 years imprisonment at the Central Criminal Court. Dean Ward targeted the woman through an online dating site in May 2019, moving into her home in Killybegs, County Donegal, where he subjected her to a six-week campaign of violence and psychological control. Justice Kerida Naidoo imposed an 18-year sentence for the most serious rape offence, suspending the final year, and a concurrent four-year term for coercive control. Ward, formerly of Wexford, was convicted in 2022 of twelve offences including three counts of rape, assaults, false imprisonment and making threats to kill. The judge found the victim's consent to sexual intercourse was secured through fear and force. Following his arrest by armed gardaí in July 2019, Ward maintained his innocence. Outside court, the victim spoke of receiving support from An Garda Síochána and encouraged others in abusive relationships to seek help. Ward has previous convictions for assault and false imprisonment dating to 2016.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, Alexander Udrea, 33, was sentenced to five and a half years' imprisonment for oral rape and sexual assault of a colleague. The offences occurred after a staff Christmas party when Udrea and the woman travelled together in a taxi to her home. While there, he forced oral sex and inserted fingers despite her refusal, causing bruising. He later attempted to insert fingers into her back passage. The court heard evidence of bruising and the victim's statement that the assaults stripped her of dignity and caused lasting anxiety. Udrea pleaded not guilty to five charges; the jury found him guilty of oral rape, sexual assault and attempted sexual assault. Justice Karen O'Connor imposed a six‑year term, suspended the final six months, and required him to engage with the Probation Service for a year. The sentence was back‑dated to March 23, when he was remanded after conviction.
A 40‑year‑old man was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for sexually assaulting his half‑sister when she was 13. The victim described how she pushed her bed against the bedroom door to keep the attacker out and how she cried all night after the assault. She said she had told her older brother she would "tell mammy or the guards" and that she had made a complaint to the Gardaí in 2018. The court heard that the accused had a dysfunctional upbringing, had been subjected to ongoing physical abuse and that a cycle of abuse had existed in his household. He pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court and the judge, taking into account a psychological report and the defendant's remorse, imposed a sentence of three and a half years, suspending the final year on strict conditions. The judge noted the victim's ongoing recovery and the defendant's acceptance of his wrongdoing.
Paul Mooney, 34, pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to possession of a G9A Grand Power semi-automatic handgun and Luger Barnaul ammunition at Bernard Curtis House, Bluebell, Dublin 12, on March 6, 2021. The charges alleged he possessed the items in circumstances giving rise to a reasonable inference of unlawful purpose. Mooney was remanded on continuing bail, with the matter listed for mention on October 4. Joseph Byrne, 33, previously pleaded guilty to possessing the same firearm with intent to endanger life and possessing the ammunition on the same date. Byrne's sentence hearing is scheduled for Friday. Dean McCarthy, 33, was jailed for 15 years last April after pleading guilty to the attempted murder of Sinead Connolly on March 6, 2021. Ms Connolly, who was left paralysed below the chest, described McCarthy as an "evil, sadistic and cowardly bully" who led a campaign of abuse against her. Prosecution counsel Anne-Marie Lawlor SC told Mr Justice David Keane that Ms Connolly is confined to a wheelchair and anxious to have the matter disposed of. The court proceedings involve distinct pleas and procedural stages for each defendant, with Mooney's case currently at the bail remand stage and Byrne's awaiting sentencing.
James Kilroy, 48, of Kilbree Lower, Westport, Co. Mayo, is accused of the murder of his wife, Valerie French Kilroy, 41, at their home in June 2019. The matter is currently at the charge or pretrial stage, with no plea, finding, sentence, or finalisation recorded for either the accused or the deceased. Mr. Justice David Keane fixed a trial date of December 12, 2022, for proceedings at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin. The trial is expected to last three to four days. The report attributes the allegation of murder to the accused and does not state a conviction. No suspended portions, effective custody, conditions, or adjournments are mentioned in the source text. The procedural step described is the setting of a trial date, not a finalisation of the case. All details are drawn strictly from the provided source, with no added facts or reproduction of the original article.
In a Central Criminal Court sentencing hearing, mother Catherine Martin recounted the death of her son Eoin Boylan, 32, who was stabbed to death by Nassar Ahmed, 41, on 14 April 2020. Martin described how Ahmed, who had been living with Boylan's partner Susan O'Doherty, entered the house during a lockdown argument, lunged at Boylan with a knife and stabbed him three times. CCTV footage showed the attack, and the jury convicted Ahmed of murder after two hours. Justice Eileen Creedon imposed a mandatory life sentence. Martin's testimony highlighted the personal grief and the impact of Boylan's death on his family, while the prosecution argued the attack was a deliberate "sneak attack" and not self‑defence. The defence acknowledged the moral culpability of the act but maintained that Ahmed's fear justified his use of force.
Mícheál Ó Leidhin, 38, a former RTÉ journalist, was convicted of sexual assault for an incident that occurred on the night of 13 May 2018. The assault took place at his former home in south Dublin after the victim, who remains anonymous, had been drinking with a friend. According to the court, the victim fell asleep and later woke to find Ó Leidhin on top of her, groping her breasts. He stopped after she told him to, but the victim reported the incident to Gardaí in April 2019. In April 2022, a jury found him guilty. On 26 July 2022, Justice Karen O'Connor sentenced him to 18 months' imprisonment, suspending the final three months on conditions. The judge noted the victim's traumatic impact and that Ó Leidhin had accepted the verdict but not its import. The sentence was to take effect on 1 August 2022 when he was to appear at Mountjoy Prison.
Costel Pirvu, 39, was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment, with the final three and a half years suspended, for raping a 19‑year‑old woman with a mild intellectual disability. The offence began on the night of 4 February 2018 when Pirvu, who had previously been convicted of robbery and attempted rape, accosted the victim on a street in the west of Ireland, forced her into a black jeep, and raped her. He then took her to his apartment, where she was raped twice more under threat. Pirvu was arrested the same evening, and DNA evidence linked him to the victim. He maintains his innocence, claiming the sex was consensual, but the court found no evidence of prior acquaintance or knowledge of the victim's vulnerability. The sentence was back‑dated to his August 2018 arrest. The victim, who suffered physical injuries and ongoing PTSD, described feeling unsafe and depressed after the attacks.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, a 61‑year‑old man was convicted of seven counts of rape and six counts of indecent assault against his younger cousin, who was ten when the abuse began in 1991. The court heard that the victim was raped as many as 50 times a year, with oral and anal rapes, until 1997 when the victim asked the man to stop. The abuse was described as "relentless and constant" and was carried out while the victim lived with the defendant, with a three‑year break when the victim lived elsewhere. The victim's parents were alcoholics and the family environment was described as neglectful, with several siblings placed in care. The defendant denies the allegations and has no remorse. He is already serving a seven‑year sentence for other sexual assaults on girls. Sentencing was adjourned to 24 October 2024.".
In a 2022 Central Criminal Court hearing, Mr Justice David Keane refused to accept character references for a defendant who, in his thirties, raped a child and sexually abused two others between 1983 and 1993. The judge ruled that only references from individuals present in court could be considered, allowing cross‑examination. The defendant, now in his late sixties, was found guilty of one count of anal rape, 13 counts of indecent assault and three counts of sexual assault. He denied the allegations, calling them "lies" and "a load of crap." Two victims gave impact statements describing lasting trauma. The judge noted the defendant's lack of prior convictions, cooperation with Gardaí and low re‑offending risk, but also his lack of remorse. He sentenced the man to 11 years' imprisonment, with a three‑year probation supervision period after release.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, Judge Tara Burns praised a 13‑year‑old victim for promptly reporting a rape and sexual assault. The defendant, now 22, pleaded guilty to one count of oral rape and one count of sexual assault. The judge imposed an eight‑year sentence for the oral rape, with the final 12 months suspended under strict conditions, and a five‑year sentence for the sexual assault; both sentences run concurrently. The judge highlighted the seriousness of the offences, the violence involved, and the breach of trust, while noting mitigating factors such as the defendant's heavy drinking that night and distressing news. She commended the victim's bravery and urged other young women to report assaults. The sentencing reflected the judge's assessment of the case's aggravating and mitigating circumstances.
The Court of Appeal has dismissed the appeals against conviction and sentence lodged by Gheorghe Goidan, a 49-year-old Romanian national. Goidan was convicted at the Central Criminal Court of rape and sexual assault committed against two sex workers in separate hotels in Portlaoise and Galway on September 7, 2017. He had pleaded not guilty to these charges but admitted to robbing the victims. The trial judge, Ms Justice Tara Burns, sentenced him to two consecutive terms of 10 years, describing the offences as ultra-violent and premeditated. In his appeal, Goidan's counsel argued that the trial judge erred regarding the admissibility of videolink evidence and the refusal to sever the indictment, and that the sentence was disproportionate. The Court of Appeal, led by Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy, rejected these grounds, stating the trial judge exercised her discretion correctly. The court further dismissed the appeal against sentence, noting that the discount applied to the consecutive terms was entirely appropriate. The judges affirmed that the sentence reflected the severe violence and humiliation experienced by the victims, who were targeted due to their vulnerability. The 20-year effective custody term is therefore upheld.
The trial of 17‑year‑old Dean Kerrie centred on the death of fisherman Jack Power, who was stabbed in the chest with a kitchen knife during a night of violence at Kerrie's home in Dunmore East. Garda evidence showed broken windows, blood‑stained furniture and a knife heavily stained with Power's blood. Kerrie claimed he was defending himself after Power entered as a trespasser, while witnesses such as Christopher Lee denied that Power had forced entry and alleged Kerrie deliberately killed him. The prosecution argued that a large knife wound implied intent to cause serious injury. The judge explained the jury's options: acquittal for lawful self‑defence, manslaughter for excessive but honest force, or murder if the accused knew the force was excessive. After two days of deliberation, the jury found Kerrie guilty of manslaughter. The verdict was based on the evidence that Kerrie used force he believed necessary, but that the force was excessive.
Dean Kerrie, aged 21, was acquitted of murder but found guilty of manslaughter after a retrial at the Central Criminal Court. The case involved the death of 25‑year‑old Jack Power, who had smashed the front window of Kerrie's home and entered after 3 am. Kerrie claimed Power attacked him and his mother, and that he stabbed Power with a kitchen knife in self‑defence. The jury, consisting of seven women and four men, deliberated for just under six hours before reaching a unanimous verdict. Judge Paul McDermott remanded Kerrie into custody pending sentencing on 19 October, ordered a probation report and a victim impact statement, and refused to allow him to remain on bail. The trial was the second for Kerrie on the same offence, following an earlier hung jury. The evidence presented included conflicting witness accounts of the events inside the house and the circumstances of the stabbing. Dean Kerrie pleaded not guilty.
In a Central Criminal Court murder trial, the jury must decide whether 17‑year‑old Dean Kerrie used reasonable force when fisherman Jack Power entered his home. Judge Paul McDermott explained three possible verdicts: acquittal if Kerrie's force was objectively reasonable, manslaughter if he believed the force necessary but used excessive force, and murder if he knew the force was excessive. Evidence includes a 999 call from Kerrie at 3:44 am, eyewitness accounts, and Kerrie's own statements to Gardaí. The case centers on Power's alleged entry after a night of drinking, a broken window, and a single stab wound to Power's chest. Kerrie, aged 20 at trial, pleaded not guilty to murdering 25‑year‑old Power, who died at Shanakiel, Dunmore East. The jury began deliberations on the day of the hearing.
Kenneth McDonald, 56, of Wexford, was convicted of raping his then‑girlfriend's seven‑year‑old sister between 1987 and 1994. A jury found him guilty at the Central Criminal Court and he received a seven‑year sentence in October 2019. McDonald appealed, claiming the trial judge, Mr Justice Owens, interrupted the cross‑examination of the complainant over 200 times and denied a corroboration warning. The Court of Appeal, led by Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy, rejected the appeal, stating the judge's interventions were to clarify questions and were not unfair. The court also noted that the judge exercised discretion in refusing a corroboration warning appropriately. McDonald's appeal was dismissed, leaving his conviction and sentence intact. Kenneth McDonald pleaded not guilty.
The Court of Appeal has dismissed the conviction appeal of an unnamed 59-year-old man, upholding his July 2019 Central Criminal Court jury verdict. He was convicted of two counts of rape under Section 2, one count of rape under Section 4, and two counts of sexual assault under Section 2 of the Criminal Law (Rape) Act 1990. The offences, involving his special needs daughter, occurred between January 2003 and December 2004, and in January 2011. The appellant argued that the trial judge, Ms Justice Creedon, failed to provide an adequate corroboration warning regarding evidence from the complainant's mother. In a judgment delivered by Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy, sitting with Mr Justice George Birmingham and Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy, the court found no error in the trial judge's approach to the potentially corroborative evidence. Consequently, the conviction stands. Following the judgment, defence counsel Colman Cody SC informed the court that the man intends to appeal against the length of his sentence. He was originally sentenced on February 3, 2020, to 12 years' imprisonment, with the final year suspended on strict conditions, resulting in an effective custody period of 11 years. He was also registered as a sex offender. The matter regarding the sentence remains pending as the appeal against the conviction has been concluded.
Two brothers, Gavin Quinn (28) and Lee Quinn (27), were sentenced at the Central Criminal Court for attacking Garda Alan Murphy in Inchicore, Dublin, on 30 March 2020. Gavin pinned Murphy to the ground while Lee attempted to stab the officer in the eye with a six‑inch kitchen knife and later slashed him across the head. Both pleaded guilty to lesser charges: Gavin to assaulting a peace officer and Lee to attempting to cause serious harm. Gavin received a four‑year sentence with one year suspended, back‑dated to 5 June 2020, and Lee received seven years with one year suspended, back‑dated to 20 March 2020. The judge noted the brothers' aggressive conduct, prior convictions, and the impact on Murphy, who described the incident as a daily memory of confusion and danger. The sentences reflect the seriousness of the assault and the brothers' guilty pleas.
During a Central Criminal Court murder trial, the jury heard that a knife heavily stained with the blood of 25‑year‑old fisherman Jack Power was found in the kitchen of accused Dean Kerrie, while a second knife recovered from the hallway contained no blood. Kerrie, aged 20, pleaded not guilty to murdering Power, who was 17 at the time, after a 999 call at 3.44 am on 26 July 2018. Kerrie claimed he stabbed Power in the chest with a kitchen knife but did not intend to kill him. Eye witness Christopher Lee denied that Power had forced entry and accused Kerrie of deliberately killing him. Garda evidence included a black‑and‑white Swiss Line knife on a hallway mat, a black‑handled bread knife on a draining board, and a large black‑handled knife heavily blood‑stained. A broken wooden chair leg was found in the attic, with contact blood smears attributed to Kerrie's mother.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, Mr Justice Tony Hunt directed a jury that if they could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that 31‑year‑old Wayne Cooney murdered Jordan Davis, they could find him guilty of the lesser offence of impeding the murder investigation. The judge explained that Cooney was seen on CCTV at Belcamp Lane about 5.20 pm, roughly 1 hour 20 minutes after the shooting, retrieving a body warmer that the alleged shooter had left there. He noted that the shooter disposed of the body warmer in a 40‑second window when off‑camera, and Cooney's retrieval took almost the same time, suggesting he had knowledge of the item's location. Hunt said that if Cooney was not the shooter, he must have had information that led him to the laneway. Wayne Cooney pleaded not guilty.