The trial of William Moran, a 20‑year‑old from Waterford, will resume before a jury on Wednesday morning. Moran is charged with the murder of 22‑year‑old Martin Brophy, who died of blunt‑force trauma to the head at the old Waterford Institute of Technology building between 19 and 21 May 2012. He has pleaded not guilty and is being tried at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin. Witness testimony last week described the alleged assault: Moran allegedly stamped on Brophy's head, saying "This is out of American History X", and also kicked and dropped a brick on him, causing blood to spatter. The witness, Gavin Walsh, said the incident occurred in a warehouse on Saturday 19 May 2012. The jury, composed of four women and eight men, will return to decide the case. The trial has been in legal argument before Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy for several days.
A 48‑year‑old Clare resident was sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment at the Central Criminal Court for sexually abusing his Limerick niece from age six. He began raping her from age nine, forcing her to touch his private parts and perform oral rape while she stayed at his bedsit. The jury found him guilty of eight counts of rape and 17 counts of sexual assault between October 1998 and April 2003; he had pleaded not guilty to 32 counts of rape and assault between October 1998 and October 2004, with seven counts unresolved. The judge, Mr Justice Paul Carney, described the case as distressing, noting the abuse was filmed, the victim was drugged with alcohol, and pornographic material was shown. He imposed a 15‑year term with no suspension and ordered 18 months of post‑release supervision. The defendant had prior convictions dating from 1984 to 2012.
A jury at the Central Criminal Court has been presented with a letter of retraction written by Mark Nash, a 42-year-old man from Dublin, who previously gave gardaí a statement admitting responsibility for the 1997 murders of two women in Grangegorman. Nash has pleaded not guilty to the charges concerning the deaths of Sylvia Shields and Mary Callanan between 6 and 7 March 1997. In the retraction, read to the court by former Assistant Commissioner James McHugh, Nash attributed his knowledge of the crimes to media coverage, teletext reports, and radio accounts. He claimed he had been in mental distress when making his initial August 1997 statement at Mill Street Garda Station in Galway and asserted he had requested legal representation on three occasions during questioning. The trial, with Roscommon connections relating to an earlier assault allegation against Nash, continues.
A murder trial at the Central Criminal Court heard evidence on its 22nd day regarding Graham Dwyer, aged 42, who is charged with murdering Elaine O'Hara at Killakee, Rathfarnham on August 22nd, 2012. Mr Dwyer has pleaded not guilty. A former partner testified that Mr Dwyer had expressed a fantasy involving stabbing during sexual activity and subsequently brought a kitchen knife into their bedroom. She also described receiving a birthday card from Mr Dwyer in November 2014 containing references to forensic evidence and acquittal. Detective Garda Bríd Wallace of the Computer Crime Unit gave evidence regarding examination of Ms O'Hara's laptops, identifying documents concerning methods of killing and online searches for stabbing-related content and specific knives. Email communications and user profiles on websites associated with Mr Dwyer were also discussed. The trial continues before a jury of five women and seven men.
At the Central Criminal Court, a retired garda sergeant gave evidence in the trial of Mark Nash, who is accused of murdering two women in sheltered accommodation in Grangegorman, Dublin, in 1997. Sergeant Kevin Duffy, who was member in charge at Mill Street Garda Station in Galway when Nash was arrested in August 1997, testified that he could not recall observing a wound to Nash's face or a laceration to his head at the time of arrest. Under cross-examination, the sergeant was challenged about his failure to note visible injuries despite medical evidence that a doctor had examined Nash and observed a head laceration and facial abrasion. The defence suggested the sergeant was aware Nash had been struck with a baton and was suppressing this fact. The court also heard from a prison officer regarding an incident at Mountjoy Prison in December 1997. The trial, heard at the Central Criminal Court, is expected to continue for approximately three weeks. Mark Nash pleaded not guilty.
In a 2015 hearing, a jury heard that Mark Nash, aged 42, gave a written statement to Gardaí on 17 August 1997, admitting he had stabbed two women in a house in Grangegorman, Dublin, five months earlier. Nash described leaving the GPO, drinking at a club, taking a wrong turn to Orchard View, breaking into the house, and using a bread knife to stab a woman in her bedroom and a second woman in another bedroom. He claimed he later regained control, left the house, and returned to his flat where he showered and slept. Nash also provided sketches of the house and a letter to his girlfriend. The statement was read by Detective Garda Gerard Dillon, and the case was presented to the Central Criminal Court, where Nash pleaded not guilty to the double murder of Sylvia Shields (59) and Mary Callanan (61).
Barry Doyle, 29, pleaded not guilty to the murder of rugby player Shane Geoghegan, who was shot in a case of mistaken identity on 9 November 2008. A jury at the Central Criminal Court found Doyle guilty and imposed a mandatory life sentence on 16 February 2012. Doyle's appeal to the Court of Appeal centres on the claim that Gardaí induced his admissions during interviews, using psychological pressure involving his child and a woman named Victoria Gunnery. Doyle's counsel argues the admissions were obtained non‑voluntarily and should not be admissible. The DPP's counsel maintains that Doyle confessed voluntarily, driven by guilt, and that he had access to legal advice throughout the interrogation. The Court of Appeal will decide the appeal as soon as possible. The article reports only the procedural status of the appeal, not any outcome. Barry Doyle was found guilty. Shane Geoghegan was found guilty.
During the 20th day of the murder trial of Graham Dwyer, evidence was presented that a text message reading "Must get fit for the murder" was backed up onto Elaine O'Hara's laptop. Computer crime experts examined O'Hara's Apple Mac, which had been synced with an iPhone, and extracted hundreds of SMS messages from a forensic copy of the hard drive. The messages were traced to a number 083 1103474, which was also found in O'Hara's calendar as "Graham's phone number." The jury saw screenshots of messages sent from this number, including one dated March 31 2011 that referenced a child's name, and another from November 15 2011. Additional testimony detailed the purchase of Nokia phones and mobile top‑ups linked to the number, but no definitive link to the murder was established in the court record. The trial proceeded before Mr Justice Tony Hunt and a jury of five women and seven men.
At the Central Criminal Court, the jury foreman in the trial of Mark Nash, accused of murdering two women in 1997, was excused from duty after disclosing his intention to sit a garda assessment test. Mr Justice Carroll Moran determined that the foreman's aspiration to join An Garda Síochána presented a perception of bias, particularly given that garda witnesses and their credibility form part of the case. The jury was subsequently reduced from twelve to eleven members, and a replacement foreman was elected. Detective Garda Anthony Reidy, now retired from Mill Street station in Galway, gave evidence concerning interviews conducted with Nash on 16 August 1997. During questioning about an assault in Roscommon, Nash allegedly volunteered an account of stabbing two women in Phibsborough months earlier. The court also heard that Nash subsequently pointed out a house at Orchard View in Grangegorman, which he identified as the location of the alleged murders. The trial continues. Mark Nash pleaded not guilty.
At the Central Criminal Court, a jury has been presented with CCTV footage in the trial of Oliver Kierans, aged 57, from Drumbannon, Bailieborough, County Cavan. Mr Kierans has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Patricia Kierans on 5 September 2013 at their home address, and to related firearms charges. Garda Paul Fee gave evidence of surveillance footage showing the movements of both parties in Bailieborough on the date in question, including footage from a public house. Detective Garda Jerome Crawford outlined admissions made by the accused during garda interviews regarding a shotgun and events at a bar. The accused reportedly told gardai the firearm discharged accidentally and that he was in distress following the death of his wife. The trial before Ms Justice Aileen Donnelly and a twelve-member jury continues.
During a Waterford murder trial, 21‑year‑old Gavin Walsh testified that William Moran, the accused, stamped 22‑year‑old Martin Brophy's head with a Timberland boot while shouting "This is out of American History X." Walsh described how Moran had dragged Brophy, kicked and stamped him six or seven times, and then dropped a brick on his head, causing blood to spatter. Walsh said he tried to stop Moran, who pushed him away, and that Moran later threatened to hit Brophy three more times with the brick. Walsh also recounted that Moran called his cousin Ray Connolly, laughed on the phone, and later burned two jackets. The testimony was given before Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy and a jury of four women and eight men. The accused remains on trial at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin. William Moran pleaded not guilty.
In a 2015 High Court decision, Mr Justice Brian Cregan ruled that Daniel McDonnell's almost‑year solitary confinement at Wheatfield Prison breached his constitutional rights to bodily and psychological integrity. McDonnell, a 20‑year‑old convicted of murdering 16‑year‑old Melanie McCarthy McNamara, had been kept in a 22‑to‑23‑hour lock‑up regime, with only one hour outside his cell for chores and exercise. His lawyers argued the regime was disproportionate and unlawful. The judge found the 11‑month confinement was a clear, sustained violation of his rights, noting that the prison authorities had failed to set an end date under Rule 63 of the 2007 Prison Rules. McDonnell had requested to mix with other prisoners, but his requests were denied. The judge adjourned the matter to allow both sides to consider his judgment before any formal orders or declarations were made.
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.
A 48‑year‑old Clare resident, unnamed for legal reasons, abused his Limerick niece from age six, raping her from nine on a regular basis in his bedsit. The victim, now in her early 20s, testified that she begged her mother not to let her stay with him, yet her mother still allowed it every few weeks. The man forced the child to touch his private parts, perform explicit sexual acts, and even oral rape. In December a jury found him guilty of eight counts of rape and 17 counts of sexual assault between October 1998 and April 2003; he pleaded not guilty to 32 counts of rape and assault between October 1998 and October 2004, with seven counts undecided. He was remanded in custody for sentencing next Monday. The victim's impact report described how the abuse ruined her childhood, caused her to turn to alcohol, and left her fearful of visiting his flat.
In 2015, the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal of Greg Crawford, 27, who had been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Gareth Brosnan‑Grant in Limerick in 2007. Crawford had pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court, where a jury found him guilty and Mr Justice Paul Carney imposed the mandatory life sentence on 3 March 2012. The appeal was rejected on all grounds, including Crawford's request that the trial judge give the jury an adequate identification warning. Mr Justice George Birmingham noted that the deceased's partner, Ms Claire Ronan, had identified Crawford shortly after the shooting, and that her identification was later confirmed by Garda Sergeant Gerry Cleary. The Court held that the appeal failed and dismissed it. The case remains at the life‑sentence stage.
A 74‑year‑old Kerry man pleaded not guilty to eleven counts of indecent assault alleged to have occurred in County Kerry between January 1971 and December 1974. The Central Criminal Court will begin his trial on Thursday morning in Court Six before a different judge, with Mr Justice Paul Carney informing an eight‑man, four‑woman jury that the hearing will last three days.
A Dublin man has been convicted of manslaughter but acquitted of murder following a five-day trial at the Central Criminal Court. Kevin Moran, aged 30, was charged with the murder of archaeologist Emmett Connolly, 32, at Lodgeview in Cootehill, Co Cavan on 29 September 2013. The jury returned a majority verdict of 10 to 2, finding Moran guilty of manslaughter and not guilty of murder after five hours and eleven minutes of deliberation. Evidence presented during the trial outlined that the deceased sustained 17 stab wounds following an alcohol-fuelled altercation. The court heard testimony regarding Moran's statements to gardaí, in which he described both panic and rage as motivations. Moran was remanded in custody pending sentencing on 9 March. Mr Justice Paul Carney directed the jury to consider provocation as a potential partial defence to the charge.
In the trial of William Moran, a 20‑year‑old Waterford man, the court heard that the 22‑year‑old victim, Martin Brophy, died of blunt force trauma to the head. The forensic pathologist, Dr Khalid Jabbar, described extensive fractures to Brophy's skull, including temporal bone fractures and a hinge fracture across the base of the skull. He noted subarachnoid haemorrhage, brain swelling, and bruising to both sides of the brain and the base of the skull. Additional injuries included trauma to the eyelids, ears, nose, neck, shoulders, abdomen, back, chest, and all four limbs. Dr Jabbar stated that the head bore the brunt of the impact, which could have been caused by kicking, stamping or stomping, and that acute ethanol intoxication was a contributing factor. The jury heard that Brophy's death was rapid but not instantaneous. The trial, expected to last three weeks, continues before Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy and a jury of four women and eight men. William Moran pleaded not guilty.
Mihalache Marian, 53, was convicted of murdering his ex‑girlfriend Loradena Pricajan in a Sandyford hotel room on 27 January 2010. He pleaded not guilty, claiming Pricajan had committed suicide after an alleged injury that left him unconscious. The court found the suicide claim "infinitely unlikely" and cited circumstantial evidence, including a timeline of their relationship and recorded phone conversations, to support the jury's guilty verdict. Marian received a mandatory life sentence on 28 January 2010. On 12 February 2015 he appealed to the Court of Appeal on the ground that the jury's verdict was perverse and not supported by the evidence. The Court of Appeal, presided over by Justice Seán Ryan, dismissed the appeal, upholding the conviction and sentence. The appeal was based solely on the jury's verdict and the weight of evidence presented. The case remains at the appellate level with no further changes to the conviction or sentence.
In February 2015, lawyers for Joe O'Reilly, who was convicted of murdering his wife in 2007 and sentenced to life imprisonment, applied to the Central Criminal Court for inspection facilities while he appeals his conviction. The request, made by counsel Ronan Munro BL, was granted by Mr Justice Paul Carney without objection from the State. The inspection facilities are intended to allow O'Reilly's legal team to examine the trial file. O'Reilly has filed an appeal under Section 2 of the Criminal Procedure Act 1993, claiming his conviction was a miscarriage of justice. The State has moved to strike out the appeal, a motion that will be heard by the Court of Appeal on 3 March. The appeal's grounds include alleged mishandling of evidence and questionable meetings during the 2007 trial. O'Reilly has previously lost appeals in 2009 and 2012, and in November 2012 he was granted legal aid to pursue the miscarriage‑of‑justice claim.
Paul Henry, a 29-year-old Roscommon man, brought an appeal against his acquittal for the alleged murder of his mother, Ann Henry, at The Spinney, Abbeystown, Roscommon, in September 2011. Henry had pleaded not guilty to the charge. At a previous Central Criminal Court sitting in Castlebar, a jury acquitted him of murder by reason of insanity. On May 7, 2014, Mr Justice Paul Carney ordered his commitment to the Central Mental Hospital. Today, in the Court of Appeal, Henry sought to appeal this acquittal. The three-judge panel, comprising Mr Justice George Birmingham, Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan, and Mr Justice John Edwards, raised immediate jurisdictional concerns. Counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions, Úna Ní Raifeartaigh SC, described the situation as very unusual, noting that the right to appeal typically arises only upon conviction. The judges observed that Henry was not a convicted person regarding the murder charge; rather, he was liable to detention at the State's discretion without a criminal record, meaning the State had vindicated his good name. Consequently, the court did not determine the appeal on its merits. The matter was adjourned and put back to March 5 next.
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.
At the Central Criminal Court, a jury heard that gardaí discovered the body of Patricia Kierans at her family home in Drumbannon, Bailieboro, County Cavan, on the evening of 5 September 2013. Garda Adrian O'Hanlon of Virginia Garda Station testified that he found Ms Kierans lying on the floor of a bedroom containing a cot. Oliver Kierans, aged 57, has pleaded not guilty to her murder on that date, and also to unlawful possession of a double-barrel shotgun and possession of the weapon with intent to endanger life. The court heard evidence that gardaí attended The Square bar in Bailieboro as part of a critical incident response, where the accused was later arrested at 3.20am. The trial, before Ms Justice Aileen Donnelly and a jury, addresses legal issues and will resume with evidence on Friday.
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.
A Dublin man has gone on trial at the Central Criminal Court charged with the murder of Emmett Connolly at a house in Cootehill, County Cavan on 29 September 2013. Kevin Moran, aged 30, pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter, a plea the Director of Public Prosecutions did not accept. The court heard that gardaí discovered Mr Connolly with stab wounds to his chest, shoulder and back at the property. The prosecution alleges Mr Moran used excessive force during an altercation between the two men, who had not previously known each other. Mr Moran's account suggests the confrontation arose over drugs and that he acted in self-defence with a kitchen knife. A witness who was present at the house stated the two men appeared to get on well before he retired to bed. The trial continues before Mr Justice Paul Carney and a jury.
William Moran, aged 20, stands trial in the Central Criminal Court for the murder of Martin Brophy, which occurred at the old Waterford Institute of Technology building between 20 and 21 May 2012. Moran pleaded not guilty. Judge Patrick J McCarthy informed the jury that the trial is expected to last three weeks and will open tomorrow.
Michael McDonagh, a 36‑year‑old bare‑knuckle boxer, was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his wife, Jacqueline McDonagh, on 29 August 2012. The Central Criminal Court heard that the assault lasted one hour and twenty minutes and that Jacqueline was brutally beaten to death in their Dundalk home. CCTV footage showed McDonagh leaving his car in good form after a family party, and the investigation revealed extensive bruising and penetrating wounds inflicted with a long‑handled implement found at the scene. A post‑mortem confirmed severe injuries, including three large scalp wounds and multiple bruises on the left thigh. McDonagh pleaded guilty and was given a life sentence, back‑dated to 1 September 2012, after the court considered the victim impact statement and the evidence of domestic violence. The sentence was imposed by Justice Paul Carney.
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.
A jury at the Central Criminal Court has heard that Oliver Kierans, aged 57, of Drumbannon, Bailieboro in Cavan, was involved in a siege at a public house on the same day he is alleged to have shot his wife. Mr Kierans has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Patricia Kierans on 5 September 2013 at their home address. He has also pleaded not guilty to unlawful possession of a 12-gauge double-barrel shotgun and to intent to endanger life with the same weapon. The prosecution opened the trial on Friday, telling the jury that the accused and Mrs Kierans had been married over 33 years but were living separately at the time. The court heard that following an incident at the family home, Mr Kierans subsequently attended The Square bar nearby, where he was later found armed. A standoff ensued before his eventual exit late that evening. The trial, before Ms Justice Aileen Donnelly and a jury, continues next week.
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.
A Cavan man was arraigned before the Central Criminal Court on charges relating to the death of his wife in 2013. Oliver Kierans, aged 57, of Drumbannon, Bailieboro, pleaded not guilty to murdering Patricia Kierans on 5 September 2013 at their home address. He also entered not guilty pleas to unlawful possession of a 12-gauge double-barrel shotgun and to intent to endanger life with the same firearm. A jury of twelve was sworn in to hear the trial, which commenced before Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy and was expected to last approximately two weeks.
In 2015 a 46‑year‑old man, who had been jailed for six years for neglecting his children, sought to appeal a separate 12‑year rape conviction. The conviction stemmed from a retrial in 2011 where he was found guilty of raping his then eight‑year‑old daughter. He had pleaded not guilty to the rape charge and to an indecent assault charge, the latter of which he was cleared. The appeal argued that the trial judge erred by refusing to direct the jury to acquit, rendering the verdict perverse. His barrister claimed the victim's evidence was "extraordinary, bizarre, contradictory, incredible" and that allowing it questioned the system. The Director of Public Prosecutions countered that the jury was best placed to assess credibility and that the judge had summarised all evidence, including inconsistencies. The Court of Appeal would reserve judgment until March.
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.
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.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, Lateef Bello, a 42‑year‑old man from Clonee who was originally from the Ivory Coast, was found not guilty by reason of insanity for attempting to murder Adejoke Opesusi. Bello, who had lived in Ireland for nine years, claimed he believed his wife was having an affair and that Opesusi had convinced her to do so. On 19 February 2012, after returning from work as a taxi driver, Bello entered Opesusi's home at 4.30 am, stabbed her repeatedly with two knives and tried to choke her. He fled through a first‑floor bedroom window but was soon apprehended by Gardaí. Prior to the incident, he had threatened his wife Elizabeth that he would stab himself. After a two‑month stay at the Central Mental Hospital in Dundrum, he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.
In the trial of 42‑year‑old architect Graham Dwyer, the jury heard that a document titled "The Gorean Lifestyle: A Woman's Right is Slave" and two large metal chains were found in Elaine O'Hara's home shortly after her disappearance in August 2012. The document, read by the prosecution, describes a "slave" lifestyle for women, detailing how a woman's identity is subsumed under a master and how refusal to obey can lead to punishment or death. Garda James Codd testified that he seized a black plastic bag containing a PVC dress, a lubricant bottle, a rope, a gas mask, and a printout of the document. He also reported finding bloodstains on the mattress when the bed was stripped. The trial, presided over by Mr Justice Tony Hunt, continues with a jury of five women and seven men. The case remains ongoing.
The jury has begun deliberating in the trial of Lateef Bello, a 42‑year‑old Dublin man from Clonee, who has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to attempted murder of Adejoke Opesusi, burglary, criminal damage, endangerment and assault causing harm. The prosecution, represented by Paul O'Higgins SC, presented evidence that Bello, a former taxi driver, believed his wife was having an affair and that he was hearing voices and experiencing religious delusions. He allegedly broke into Mr. Oroleye's house, smashed property, drove his car at Mr. Carrick, and then approached Mrs. Opesusi at Littleplace Close, stabbing and choking her. The defence, led by Michael Bowman SC, described Bello's behaviour on 19 February 2012 as terrifying and mentally unwell, citing a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia and a two‑month stay at Central Medical Hospital. Mr. Justice Paul McDermott instructed the jury of seven men and five women to return a unanimous decision.
In 2011, George Arundel, 27, was found guilty of attempted rape, sexual assault, rape and false imprisonment at Tinker's Field, Cork, and sentenced to ten years' imprisonment in 2012. He appealed to the Court of Appeal, arguing that the jury's verdict was perverse and that inconsistencies in the victim's testimony undermined the conviction. The Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal, stating that any inconsistencies were matters for the jury and that the evidence was substantially consistent. Arundel also appealed his sentence on the basis of mitigating circumstances, including his age and drug addiction, but the Court of Appeal upheld the original sentence, finding no error in the sentencing process. The appeal was dismissed, and Arundel remains in prison to serve the remainder of his term. George Arundel pleaded not guilty.
Mark Nash (42) pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to the murder of two women, Sylvia Shields and Mary Callanan, who died between 6 and 7 March 1997. The victims were residing in sheltered accommodation at a house attached to St Brendan's Psychiatric Hospital in Grangegorman. On 27 January 2015, three gardaí from Mill Street Station in Galway gave evidence about encountering Nash on the Tuam Road in Galway on 16 August 1997. Garda Caroline McKenna testified that when she approached Nash, he identified himself and warned her to stay away or he would kill her, then produced a hammer from his pocket. The court heard Nash subsequently threw a bicycle aside and fled. During his escape, he was struck by a van, used the hammer to damage the vehicle's window, and attempted to enter a nearby house before being restrained. Nash was arrested at 7.45pm that evening. The trial, which is expected to last six to eight weeks, was adjourned pending legal submissions.
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.
John Prendiville, 49, was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment for sexually assaulting a 14‑year‑old boy in Kerry on 12 May 2012. The boy was in residential care at the time. Prendiville had 33 prior convictions, including five for sexual assault and four for failing to notify the Gardaí under the Sex Offender's Act. He had recently been released from Castlerea Prison after a six‑year term for sex assault. He took the teenager to his B&B, kissed him and performed oral sex. The court suspended the final two years of a twelve‑year sentence, requiring Prendiville to stay away from the victim and undergo 18 months of post‑release supervision. The boy, who was found drunk and reporting assault, was later moved to a new care centre for his safety. The case highlighted Prendiville's repeated breaches of the Sex Offender's Register. John Prendiville pleaded guilty.
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.
A 23-year-old man from Mount Prospect in Roscommon has pleaded guilty to manslaughter before the Central Criminal Court. Ray Gralton was arraigned on Monday in connection with the death of a woman in December 2013. He entered a not guilty plea to murder but accepted responsibility for manslaughter in the incident at Mayo Abbey, Claremorris. The State indicated acceptance of the guilty plea. Mr Justice Paul Carney remanded Gralton in custody pending sentencing, which has been scheduled for 23 March to allow time for the preparation of a probation report.
The trial of Mark Nash, aged 42, accused of murdering Sylvia Shields (60) and Mary Callanan (61) in Grangegorman in March 1997, continues in legal argument. Nash pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court. Evidence was heard from Garda Michael McGrath and undertaker Ronan Stafford. Mr Justice Carroll Moran sent the jury home on Friday and instructed them to return Monday at 11 a.m. The trial is expected to last six to eight weeks.
John Walsh, 49, appealed his murder conviction, arguing that Gardaí had "harvested" evidence after misleading his solicitor about the nature of his arrest. He was arrested on a bench warrant for failing to display a valid NCT certificate, and his solicitor, Frank Buttimer, was told this was the only issue. While in custody, Walsh provided five sets of material evidence related to the murder of John McManus, which the appeal contends was done without meaningful legal advice. The appeal cites the Supreme Court's Gormley ruling, which requires suspects to receive meaningful legal advice before interrogation. The Court of Appeal has reserved judgment, with a decision expected "as soon as possible.".
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.
A trial at the Central Criminal Court has heard that DNA evidence from two women found dead at sheltered accommodation in Grangegorman in 1997 was discovered on the jacket of Mark Nash, who stands accused of their murders. Nash, aged 42, with last addresses in Dublin, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Sylvia Shields and Mary Callanan, whose bodies were found between March 6 and 7, 1997. The prosecution outlined that a bloodstain on Nash's jacket could not be analysed as DNA in 1997, but a breakthrough in July 2009 established DNA from both women on the garment. The court heard Nash initially confessed to the Grangegorman murders whilst in custody on unrelated charges connected to deaths in Roscommon, but subsequently retracted his admissions. The prosecution argued the DNA evidence, independent of any confession, points to Nash's involvement. The trial continues before Justice Carroll Moran.
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.