Court archive
Circuit Criminal Court
2026-06-17 · Dublin
A number of cases listed at the Central and Circuit Criminal Court were adjourned today due to the withdrawal of legal aid work by solicitors. Counsel acting for the defence in the affected cases told presiding judge, Mr Justice Paul McDermott, that they were not attended by a solicitor and did not have instructions. A number of individual defence solicitors acting were present in court, with one telling the judge when the case they were instructed in was called, "with the greatest respect to the court, I'm withdrawing my services". Mr Justice McDermott thanked the solicitors who were present. While dealing with the Central Criminal Court's case management list, the judge said the court expected that if individual solicitors are going to withdraw their services, they should "come to court and indicate that, not simply as a matter of courtesy to the court", but also so the court could "address in advance any proposed withdrawal of service". The unnamed accused pleaded guilty.
2025-03-27 · Dublin
A 21‑year‑old man, who had posed as a teenage girl online, was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for sexually assaulting a four‑year‑old boy and for multiple offences involving child sexual abuse material (CSAM). He pleaded guilty to the assault, to five counts of possession of CSAM, one count of possession of CSAM on Snapchat, two counts of producing CSAM, and two counts of distributing CSAM. The court noted that the victim was aged between 16 and 18 at the time of the offences and that the man had been in custody since his arrest in May 2024. Evidence showed he had over 1,500 files of CSAM, had communicated with boys aged 12 to 15 on Snapchat, and had encouraged them to produce and send sexual content. The judge imposed a six‑year sentence, with the final 18 months suspended on strict conditions, including probation supervision after release.
2024-05-14 · Kilkenny
A 72‑year‑old former Christian Brother, who taught at a primary school in County Kilkenny, was sentenced to six and a half years' imprisonment for indecent assault on six boys between 1976 and 1981. He had been convicted in March on 25 charges, after earlier trials that produced 55 convictions. The new sentence, back‑dated to the March conviction, means he will be released in September 2030. The judge noted that the victims were isolated by the Brother, who targeted those he deemed disadvantaged. The Brother denied wrongdoing and remains in court for other pending matters. The court heard that the victims endured lasting mental‑health harm and that the Brother had cooperated with the Garda investigation. The sentence is consecutive to his earlier terms. The Brother's earliest release date is now September 2030. The unnamed 72-year-old pleaded not guilty.
2023-03-08 · Dublin
A 33-year-old man from County Mayo has been sentenced to four and a half years imprisonment following his abduction of his two-year-old daughter from a health centre in October 2021, an incident that triggered a nationwide Child Safety Alert. Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that the man, who cannot be named to protect his daughter's identity, collected the child during a scheduled supervised visit and departed in a car driven by the child's mother at dangerous speed. Gardaí located them at a hotel in Dublin 8 after tracing his phone. The man also pleaded guilty to assaulting two of his nieces and attacking gardaí during a second abduction attempt at his sister's County Mayo home in December 2021, when he forced entry and caused damage to property. Judge Martin Nolan noted the man's expressed remorse and acknowledged substance abuse difficulties, but stated the second offences had substantially aggravated his case. The child's mother, a UK national, pleaded guilty to abduction but failed to appear for sentencing and is now resident in London.
2021-10-21 · Ireland
A 30‑year‑old creche worker was acquitted of all 18 counts of sexual assault against three girls after two trials. The first trial in spring 2020 ended with a hung jury on 18 counts and not‑guilty verdicts on five others. The second trial, lasting four weeks, concluded with a jury finding the accused not guilty on 17 counts; one count was withdrawn by the judge. The case involved allegations of assault in various creche locations, including a toilet cubicle, and was based on statements from the children and their parents. The prosecution also sought a charge of possession of child pornography, which was dropped by the Director of Public Prosecutions in June 2020. The defence highlighted alleged investigative failures and suggestibility concerns in the children's testimonies. The jury was thanked by Judge Karen O'Connor and released after a deliberation of one hour and 14 minutes.
2021-10-15 · Dublin
Amit Chawla, 40, was sentenced at the Circuit Criminal Court after a jury found him guilty of two counts of possessing child pornography. The court heard that in June 2015, the mother of a boy, then aged 11, discovered a Skype conversation on her son's laptop in which the child had sent two naked photos to Chawla. Forensic analysis traced the conversation to Chawla, and the same images were subsequently found on his laptop in Rutland Place, Dublin. During the exchange, the boy stated he was 13, while Chawla identified himself as 34. Chawla responded to the images with comments including "sweet" and "nice," and wrote, "I'd like to have you in bed." Chawla was arrested and charged in 2018, denying the possession of the images. He has no previous convictions. Judge Karen O'Connor noted that the manner in which Chawla came into possession of the images was a significant aggravating factor, describing the conversation as having a "disturbing sexual nature." She emphasized that children must be protected from strangers engaging in such activity. Mitigating factors included the relatively small number of images and the fact that Chawla did not upload or share them. Judge O'Connor handed down a two-year sentence, suspending the final four months on a number of conditions. Chawla does not accept the jury's verdict and plans to appeal.
2021-07-01 · Ireland
In July 2019 a 73‑year‑old man was convicted by a Circuit Criminal Court jury of eight counts of indecent assault on his sister‑in‑law, who was six at the time. He was sentenced to three years' imprisonment. The man appealed, arguing that background evidence presented at trial – an incident at an outhouse two years before the abuse began, in which he allegedly masturbated in front of the victim – was irrelevant and that the jury should have been discharged. The Court of Appeal rejected the appeal. It held that the evidence was relevant to show grooming and the man's intent toward the child, and that the trial judge's instructions to the jury were correct. The court therefore upheld the conviction and the original sentence. The appeal was dismissed in an electronic judgment delivered on 1 July 2021. The decision confirms the trial court's findings and the three‑year custodial term. The case remains at the appellate stage. The unnamed 73-year-old pleaded not guilty.
2021-03-18 · Ireland
A 32‑year‑old transgender woman was convicted by a Circuit Criminal Court jury of ten counts of sexual assault under the Criminal Law (Rape) Act 1990 and one count of child cruelty. The offences took place between September 2011 and September 2013 when the child was five and six years old. A Circuit Court judge sentenced her to six years and six months in prison, suspending the final six months for one year. In a Court of Appeal hearing, the appellant argued that the judge had not given sufficient regard to the difficulties she would face as a transgender woman in prison and that a larger portion of the sentence should have been suspended to encourage rehabilitation. Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy dismissed the appeal, noting the seriousness of the repeated sexual assault, the abuse of a position of trust, and the severe impact on the child.
2021-03-05 · Ireland
Joseph Griffiths, aged 36 and homeless at the time, pleaded guilty in the Circuit Criminal Court to making threats with a syringe under the Non‑Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997 after he threatened to stab two Luas security guards with a syringe while claiming he was HIV positive. In July 2019 Judge Elma Sheahan sentenced him to four years in prison, a reduction from the headline five‑year sentence after considering mitigating factors such as his long history of drug abuse and efforts to stop using drugs. Griffith's appeal to the Court of Appeal was dismissed by Justice Isobel Kennedy, who found no error in the sentencing judge's decision. The appeal was rejected on the basis that the threats were frightening and volatile, and that the victims were strong, well‑prepared men who were not elderly or vulnerable. The Court noted Griffith's 18 previous convictions and upheld the four‑year sentence.
2021-02-26 · Ireland
An unnamed 32-year-old woman, who cannot be named to protect the victim's identity, has appealed the severity of her sentence following a conviction for sexual assault and child cruelty. The appellant was convicted by a Circuit Criminal Court jury of ten counts of sexual assault under section 2 of the Criminal Law (Rape) Act 1990 and one count of child cruelty. The offences, which occurred between September 2011 and September 2013, involved the abuse of her step-son, who was four years old at the time. The trial heard that the appellant, who was male at birth and later transitioned, acted as a step-father and subjected the boy to physical and sexual abuse, including threats to break his limbs. On December 9, 2019, the sentencing judge imposed a term of six years and six months imprisonment, with the final six months suspended. In the Court of Appeal, counsel Roderick O'Hanlon SC argued that the sentencing judge failed to adequately consider the difficulties the appellant would face in a women's prison due to her transgender status. He further contended that a greater portion of the sentence should have been suspended to facilitate rehabilitation. The appeal was heard by President Mr Justice George Birmingham, sitting with Ms Justice Aileen Donnelly and Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy. The court reserved its judgment on the sentence appeal, meaning the matter was adjourned and not concluded.
2021-02-02 · Dublin
The Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal by David O'Brien, a former scout leader, against the severity of his sentence. In 2018, O'Brien was convicted of indecent assault on four boys and sentenced to eight years' imprisonment, with 16 months suspended on condition of Probation Service supervision. This followed a 2015 conviction for abusing six other boys, resulting in a combined total of 14 years' imprisonment with three years suspended. O'Brien's counsel argued that the cumulative sentence was excessive given the offences occurred in the same period and that O'Brien had previously admitted to abusing 30 to 40 boys. However, the three-judge panel, presided over by Mr Justice Edwards, found no error in principle, noting that the sentencing judge had conscientiously considered the aggravating factor of a serious breach of trust by a person in authority. The court stated that a net sentence of 11 years could easily have been justified. During the hearing, O'Brien called on gardai to identify his remaining victims so he could address them under the Criminal Justice Act, though the court noted this was not a matter for the appeal. The appeal was rejected, leaving the original 2018 sentence intact.
2021-01-26 · Dublin
A bus driver has appealed his conviction for careless driving causing death, challenging the trial judge's instructions to the jury on legal terminology. Osborn Irabor, aged 60 of French Park, Dublin, was convicted in 2018 at the Circuit Criminal Court in connection with the death of a cyclist on November 17, 2014. During jury deliberations, jurors requested clarification of legal principles in layman's terms, but the judge subsequently re-charged them using formal legal language including words such as "appreciable" and "due care and attention." At the Court of Appeal, Irabor's counsel argued this approach may have caused jury confusion and questioned what conduct demonstrated a fall below the standard expected of a competent driver. The three-judge panel, presiding over the appeal, reserved judgment. At sentencing in 2018, the trial judge imposed a mandatory four-year driving ban, finding imprisonment unjustified despite the serious nature of the offence. The judge noted Irabor's unblemished safety record and absence of previous convictions.
2020-12-23 · Louth
Aaron Brady was convicted of the murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe, who was shot during an armed robbery at Lordship Credit Union in County Louth on 25 January 2013. An investigation spanning several years culminated in Brady's trial, where the prosecution presented extensive circumstantial evidence linking him to the crime. This included CCTV footage connecting Brady to a stolen Volkswagen Passat used in the raid, phone records showing his movements, and witness testimony placing him in the vicinity. Brady's own statements to gardaí contained multiple falsehoods about his whereabouts that night. The investigation also revealed Brady had later made incriminating admissions whilst living abroad, boasting about shooting a police officer. The jury found Brady guilty of the murder. The case was handled by Dundalk District Court and involved cooperation between Irish and Northern Irish police services.
2020-09-07 · Dublin
Two men are currently on trial in the Circuit Criminal Court, accused of indecently assaulting their younger brothers on dates up to 41 years ago. The first accused, a 55-year-old Meath man, pleaded not guilty to 35 sample counts of indecently assaulting his two younger brothers between 1979 and 1985. The second accused, a 50-year-old Dublin man, pleaded not guilty to 16 sample counts of indecently assaulting one of the brothers between 1985 and 1988. Neither man can be named for legal reasons. The trial heard that the first complainant, now 45, alleges he was sexually abused by both brothers at the family home in Dublin. He claims the abuse began when he was three and escalated to anal rape, alleging he was raped "1,000 to 1,200 times" over several years. The complainant stated he first made complaints in 2015, after his parents died, and denied that the allegations were motivated by a dispute over his mother's estate. The second complainant is also an applicant in the case. The matter is at the trial stage and has not been finalised; the proceedings continue before Judge James McCourt.
2020-06-24 · Tipperary
A 53‑year‑old man lost his appeal against convictions for indecent assault on his younger sisters in the 1980s, but secured a reduction of his prison term by one year. He had pleaded not guilty to five counts against one sister, aged 11 or 12, when he was 14 or 15, and denied one count against his other sister, aged 12 or 13, when he was 18 or 19. The trial before the Circuit Criminal Court in Tipperary resulted in a guilty verdict and a sentence of five and a half years, with the final two years suspended. In the appeal, his barrister argued that the judge erred by admitting the appellant's 'no comment' answers to Gardaí, claiming this violated his right to silence and created an impression of evasiveness. The State countered that the interview had been edited to exclude such answers before the jury. The unnamed 53-year-old was found guilty.
2020-05-28 · Tipperary
A 53‑year‑old man appealed his convictions for indecent assault on his younger sisters in the 1980s, arguing that the judge allowed his 'no comment' answers to Gardaí to be presented to the jury. He had pleaded not guilty to five counts against one sister aged 11 or 12 when he was 14 or 15, and denied one count against another sister aged 12 or 13 when he was 18 or 19. The trial, held before the Circuit Criminal Court in Tipperary last June, resulted in a guilty verdict and a sentence of five and a half years, with the final two years suspended. In the appeal, his barrister, Colman Cody SC, claimed the judge erred by admitting the 'no comment' answers, which he said prejudiced the defendant and violated his right to silence. He also argued the sentence failed to give sufficient weight to the defendant's age and good character. The unnamed 53-year-old was found guilty.
2019-05-20 · Ireland
A 65‑year‑old man accused of indecent assault on a younger female relative has applied to the High Court to halt his trial in the Circuit Criminal Court. He faces more than a dozen counts of indecent assault alleged to have occurred in the 1970s and 1980s when the complainant was a child relative. The man argues he cannot obtain a fair trial because his lawyers have not been provided with certain information he claims is essential to his defence. This information concerns allegations the complainant has made about other persons she says sexually abused her, but she has refused to name those persons or give details. He also cites the lengthy delay since the complainant's 2016 statement to the Gardai. The man denies the accusations, has no prior convictions, and claims the complainant suffers from psychiatric illnesses. In a judicial review action, he seeks an order preventing further prosecution.
2018-02-08 · Dublin
John Doherty, 55, of Stillorgan, Dublin, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexually assaulting his step‑daughter between January 1996 and April 1998 when she was 12 and 13. The victim, now 39, gave a victim impact statement describing the abuse as having ruined her childhood, family and education, and said she would never again call him "Dad." She said the abuse led to a breakdown of her relationship with her mother, forced her out of the house, and caused her to leave school in the fifth year. She also described drinking alcohol with Doherty from about age 10, watching adult films with him, and being touched inappropriately on several occasions. Doherty has no prior convictions, has taken responsibility for his actions, and is on the Sex Offenders' Register. The court heard that the original Garda handling the case had gone on sick leave, retired and died, and that the case was not reassigned until recent years.
2016-02-10 · Kilkenny
The article discusses how, since the start of the legal term, two murder trials resulted in defendants pleading not guilty by reason of insanity, with juries finding them not guilty after brief deliberations. Both cases involved young men with delusions of persecution who stabbed victims, and the prosecution and defence agreed the men were legally insane. Judges had effectively instructed juries on the verdict. The piece explains that Section 5 of the Criminal Justice (Insanity) Act 2006 allows such pleas and requires psychiatric testimony. It notes that when both sides agree on insanity, the trial still proceeds, which the author finds absurd. The article cites additional cases, including a 2012 trial involving a former MEP's son, to illustrate the system's inefficiencies and potential for miscarriages of justice. It concludes by suggesting a non‑criminal proceeding could better protect vulnerable individuals while reducing the burden on the court system. The unnamed accused was acquitted.
2016-02-09 · Dublin
The trial of four senior bankers accused of conspiring to mislead investors has heard that former Anglo Irish Bank CEO David Drumm authorised €7.2 billion in allegedly dishonest transactions. The accused include former Irish Life and Permanent (ILP) CEO Denis Casey, Anglo's former group finance director Willie McAteer, ILP's then group finance director Peter Fitzpatrick, and John Bowe, who had been Anglo's head of capital markets. All four have pleaded not guilty to four charges, which allege that they conspired together and with others to mislead investors through financial transactions to make the bank appear €7.2 billion more valuable between March 1st and September 30th, 2008 in Dublin. The trial, which is scheduled to run for up to five months, continues before Judge Martin Nolan and a specially enlarged jury of eight men and seven women.
2016-01-25 · Cavan
The Director of Public Prosecutions has appealed a Circuit Criminal Court ruling that a man charged with dangerous driving causing death is unfit to stand trial. Robert Harrison, aged 25, from Shantonagh in Monaghan, faces charges relating to a collision at Drung, Cootehill, County Cavan in November 2009, in which a 19-year-old passenger died and another passenger was seriously injured. Judge Pauline Codd determined in July 2014 that Mr Harrison was not fit to be tried. The DPP's counsel argued before the Court of Appeal that psychiatric evidence supported Mr Harrison's fitness to proceed if special trial provisions were implemented, including regular recaps of evidence. Defence counsel contended the DPP sought to create an unprecedented trial arrangement and that Mr Harrison remains unfit due to brain damage sustained in an earlier accident. The Court of Appeal, comprising Justices George Birmingham, Garrett Sheehan, and John Edwards, reserved judgement.
2016-01-20 · Dublin
The Circuit Criminal Court began a trial on 20 January 2016 involving four former executives from Anglo Irish Bank and Irish Life and Permanent. The defendants – William McAteer (65), Denis Casey (56), Peter Fitzpatrick (63) and John Bowe (52) – are accused of conspiring to mislead investors by using interbank loans to make Anglo appear €7.2 billion more valuable between 1 March and 30 September 2008. They pleaded not guilty. The case will hear from dozens of witnesses, including 14 Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation members and former employees of Anglo, ILP, Morgan Stanley, Royal Bank of Scotland and RBC Capital Bank. The trial is expected to last about five months before a jury of fifteen, sworn two weeks earlier, will decide the matter. The prosecution, represented by Paul O'Higgins SC, will open the proceedings before Judge Martin Nolan.
2015-07-06 · Wicklow
During a 2015 trial, former Anglo Irish Bank chairman Sean FitzPatrick was heard to have instructed an employee not to submit accounts belonging to his brother‑in‑law, John Peter O'Toole, to the Revenue while the bank was under investigation for alleged tax evasion. Witness Brian Gillespie, the former head of compliance, testified that FitzPatrick had asked him to withhold the O'Toole account and that FitzPatrick had also told him that a family member's account should not be returned to the Revenue. Gillespie said he reported these instructions to his superior, Director of Finance Willie McAteer, who was uninterested. The trial also heard that other Anglo officials, Bernard Daly, Tiarnan O'Mahoney and Aoife Maguire, were accused of attempting to delete references to the O'Toole account and other accounts from the bank's Core Banking System and from a list of non‑resident accounts over €100,000 that was to be supplied to the Revenue. Aoife Maguire pleaded not guilty.
2014-10-13 · Dublin
Carol Hawkins, 51, former personal assistant to U2 bassist Adam Clayton, was convicted in 2012 on 181 counts of theft from two of Clayton's Bank of Ireland accounts between 2004 and 2008, amounting to €2,869,274. She used the money to buy and maintain 22 thoroughbred racehorses, a €310,000 New York apartment, holidays, her children's education and shopping sprees, and spent €1.4 million on her credit card funded from Clayton's accounts. Hawkins was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment. In the Court of Criminal Appeal, she appealed her conviction and sentence on grounds that the trial court failed to disclose material, did not exclude witnesses, and admitted prejudicial evidence. The appeal was reserved by the three‑judge panel, with no decision announced. The case remains pending while the appeal is considered.
2014-02-11 · Dublin
In February 2014 the Court of Criminal Appeal reserved judgement on an appeal by the Director of Public Prosecution concerning a wholly suspended seven‑year sentence given to Keith Jervis (36) and Therese Doyle (35) for possession with intent to supply. The couple had pleaded guilty in October 2011 to storing 45 kilograms of cannabis, valued between €320,000 and €550,000, in 15 silver bags in their home at Rosewood Grove, Lucan. Gardaí discovered the drugs in March 2010. The appeal argued that the original sentence was unduly lenient. The DPP's counsel highlighted the early guilty plea, the couple's instructions to each other, and the fact that they were caught red‑handed while knowingly storing drugs for financial gain. The defence counsel argued that mitigating factors – fear of the drug suppliers, lack of knowledge of the drugs' value, and the couple's non‑criminal background – justified the suspended sentence.
2014-02-04 · Dublin
In a Dublin court, the trial of Nathan Kinsella, aged 33, for alleged membership of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) was halted because he did not appear. Kinsella was scheduled to stand trial on 13 September 2012 for unlawful organisation membership. A bench warrant had been issued by the Special Criminal Court after Kinsella failed to attend a hearing, and a similar warrant had been issued by the Circuit Criminal Court in November after he again failed to appear. Counsel for Kinsella, Mr Diarmaid McGuinness SC, stated that he had not received any communication from Kinsella or his solicitor for several months and was unaware of the accused's whereabouts. The prosecution's counsel, Mr Tom O'Connell SC, reported that Kinsella had not been harmed and that Gardaí had made efforts to locate him without success. The presiding judge, Mr Justice Paul Butler, noted the existence of warrants from both courts.