Court archive
Dublin Central Criminal Court
2023-10-12 · Dublin
In a Dublin Central Criminal Court hearing, a 68‑year‑old man, previously jailed for raping a ten‑year‑old girl in June 2021, was identified as having filmed himself sexually assaulting the same victim in 2016. The video, discovered during routine mobile‑phone analysis, shows the child, then about five, lying on a leather couch while the man's right hand is seen under her trousers. The mother, who described the accused as "the worst of the worst – a wolf in sheep's clothing," read a victim impact statement detailing her daughter's loss of confidence and nightmares. The man, who had pleaded guilty to the 2021 rape, denied creating the video but admitted owning the phone. He faces a separate court appearance next month. The case was adjourned to December 6 for finalisation.
2018-06-18 · Dublin
A 25-year-old asylum seeker has been sentenced to five years imprisonment for rape following his guilty plea at Dublin Central Criminal Court. The man pleaded guilty to raping his former girlfriend at a location in Ballyhaunis, County Mayo on 10 January 2016. Imposing sentence, Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy acknowledged the severe impact on the victim and her resilience. The court heard that during an incident at a house party, the accused locked the woman in a bathroom, ignored her refusals of consent, and used force against her. The man, an African national who arrived in Ireland in 2012, had his asylum application rejected and remains in direct provision accommodation. The judge noted the defendant's guilty plea, difficult childhood circumstances, and absence of prior criminal behaviour in Ireland, whilst considering the gravity of the offence. The victim disclosed in her impact statement that she had experienced suicidal ideation and required psychiatric medication following the attack.
2016-07-25 · Dublin
In Dublin Central Criminal Court a 42‑year‑old man was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment for threatening, assaulting and raping his wife during a marital breakdown in 2014. The judge described the assaults as "cowardly" and "brutal" and noted that the rape was committed in the context of a marital breakdown but was not excused. The man had been convicted of rape, threats to kill, assault, and an earlier attempt to cause serious harm. He received a 12‑year sentence for rape with the final two years suspended, and lesser concurrent sentences for the other counts. The victim, who had sought a separation, endured repeated threats, a petrol‑covered living room, a knife threat, a rape in a spare bedroom, and a hammer attack that left her bloodied and unconscious. She reported the violence to the court and described the lasting impact on her sense of power and safety. The unnamed 42-year-old pleaded guilty.
2016-03-18 · Dublin
In March 2016 the Dublin Central Criminal Court sentenced a 23‑year‑old Laois barman to five years' imprisonment for raping a sleeping woman in January 2013. The accused, who could not be named to protect the victim's identity, admitted the offence but claimed he was so drunk that he was unsure whether he had committed rape. He had been drinking with others at a house in the early hours, sat beside the woman and repeatedly placed his hand on her leg. When she tried to push him away and said "stop" he ignored her and continued. After the assault he said "thank you" and left. The court imposed a seven‑year sentence with the final two years suspended, a two‑year post‑release supervision order and required the man to register as a sex offender. The case was prosecuted by Remy Farrell SC. The unnamed 23-year-old pleaded guilty.
2015-04-16 · Dublin
Jason Gumble, aged 21, was convicted of robbery and assault at Dublin Central Criminal Court. On 15 April 2014 he robbed cyclist Paul Roe on North Circular Road, smashing a bicycle U‑lock into Roe's face, then striking him again and stealing €100 and the bicycle. The next day he assaulted Garda Liam Kavanagh at O'Devaney Gardens. Roe suffered six stitches and surgery for a broken cheek. Forensic evidence linked Gumble to the crime. Gumble has 97 prior convictions, including assault, violent disorder, theft and trespass, and has a history of drug use. He was sentenced to seven years, with the last two years suspended, and ordered to remain under Probation Service supervision for 18 months after release. The judge noted Gumble's violent propensity and the foreseeability of the injuries caused by using a lock as a weapon. Jason Gumble pleaded guilty.
2015-03-26 · Dublin
James Bennett, 22, of Clanbrassil Street, Dublin, pleaded guilty to attempted robbery at Leonard's Corner Post office on 17 October 2013. On that day, he approached the counter where two women were working, placed a note under the hatch stating "I have a bomb strapped to my body," and then produced a pellet gun. The workers fled to the back office and Bennett left. CCTV footage identified him and he was arrested shortly after. His pellet gun was recovered from a nearby bin. In a victim impact statement, Geraldine Smith, one of the workers, described the incident as "on the lower end of the scale" and expressed a degree of sympathy for Bennett. Judge Mary Ellen Ring noted the need for a seriousness scale for robberies. Garda Rory Heffernan and defence counsel Ronan Kennedy BL highlighted Bennett's full admissions and his desperation to raise money for a deposit. Bennett was remanded on continuing bail until 22 June.
2015-02-13 · Dublin
John Paul Casey, 30, pleaded guilty to affray after a bloody fistfight that escalated onto the bonnet of a Garda car in Tallaght. The altercation began at Mayfield Crescent on 24 February 2014, with Casey and another man, both topless and covered in blood, surrounded by up to 30 onlookers. The fight resumed after a brief break, leading to pepper spray being used to separate them. Casey received a one‑year suspended sentence, with the judge noting the incident followed a night's drinking and that Casey was on strong anti‑depressant medication.
2015-02-12 · Dublin
During the Graham Dwyer trial, evidence was presented that Elaine O'Hara had experienced persistent, obsessional thoughts and fantasies from the age of 12. She had sought psychiatric care from 2007 until her disappearance in August 2012, when she was discharged from a mental health hospital. Dr Matt Murphy testified that O'Hara had been treated for borderline personality disorder, with a history of self‑harm and masochistic behaviour, and that she had been on a reduced dose of medication and receiving cognitive‑behavioural therapy in 2012. He reported that she had no indication of suicidality at discharge and was planning to return to work. The trial also heard that O'Hara's skeletal remains were found at Killakee in September 2013, with the cause of death undetermined. The case remains in court before Mr Justice Tony Hunt. The unnamed man pleaded not guilty.
2015-02-11 · Dublin
The trial of Graham Dwyer at Dublin Central Criminal Court heard that on the night before Elaine O'Hara's murder, a nurse suggested she report a man who was repeatedly visiting her apartment. A friend warned O'Hara that she was "playing a dangerous game" by allowing an architect she met online to cut her. Witnesses gave evidence on the 15th day of the trial. Dwyer, 42, is charged with the murder of the 36‑year‑old childcare worker on 22 August 2012, hours after she was discharged from a mental‑health hospital. The court heard that O'Hara had been in a relationship with a man who liked to cut her, that she had not reported him to Gardaí because he had children, and that she had been physically hurt by him. The trial continues before Mr Justice Tony Hunt and a jury. The unnamed man pleaded not guilty.
2015-02-02 · Dublin
In February 2015, a 40‑year‑old man named Jason White pleaded guilty in Dublin Central Criminal Court to harassing and threatening a neighbour, Jacqueline Hogg, over a three‑month period in 2012. White admitted harassing Hogg between St Patrick's Day and 7 July 2012, threatening to burn her house, and making violent threats to her family. He also threatened to damage the house, shouted threats from his upstairs window, and was found very drunk and aggressive. The court heard that youths had been drinking at his house, causing anti‑social behaviour, and that Hogg lived in a constant state of fear. Judge Patrick McCartan imposed a six‑month jail sentence suspended for two years, ordered White not to return to his former home in Doon Court, and noted his cooperation with Probation Services. White had three prior convictions for assault and criminal damage.
2014-10-07 · Carlow
Sanjeev Chada, 44, of Co. Carlow, was sentenced at the Central Criminal Court to two mandatory life sentences for the murder of his sons, Eoghan (10) and Ruairi (5). The sentences, handed down by Mr Justice Paul Carney, run concurrently and were backdated to July 31, 2013. Chada pleaded guilty to murdering the boys in Skehanagh Lower, Ballintubber, Co. Mayo, on July 29, 2013, after their bodies were discovered in the boot of his crashed car. He admitted strangling them with a rope and causing blunt force trauma to Eoghan's head. The court heard that Chada had accumulated significant gambling debts and intended to kill his wife, Kathleen Chada, but spared her. Kathleen Chada delivered an emotional victim impact statement, describing the loss of her children. Defense counsel Brendan Grehan SC noted Chada's guilty plea and his current status on suicide watch at the Central Mental Hospital. The matter was finalized with the imposition of the life sentences.
2014-05-12 · Laois
A man from Portlaoise, Robert Corbet, aged 25, was arraigned at Dublin Central Criminal Court on 12 May 2014. He faces a murder charge for the death of 30‑year‑old Aoife Phelan, who worked at Hermitage in Portlaoise. Corbet pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter, a plea rejected by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Isobel Kennedy SC. The alleged killing occurred between 25 October and 7 November 2012 at Capoley, Portlaoise. The trial, presided over by Justice Garrett Sheehan, is expected to last two weeks with a jury of twelve.
2014-05-08 · Dublin
In a Dublin Central Criminal Court trial, the jury heard that Vesel Jahiri, aged 33, had not told social workers that it would be easy for him to stab his former partner, Anna Finnegan, aged 25, as alleged by witnesses. The social worker, Karen Byrne, testified that Jahiri had threatened to kill Finnegan and their children. She claimed that Jahiri had said it would be easy to stab Finnegan but would not do so because he loved her. During cross‑examination, defence counsel played an audio recording of the conversation. Byrne stated that the tape was "doctored" and that a portion of the recording was missing. The case was set to continue before a jury of 6 men and 5 women, presided over by Mr Justice Paul McDermott. Vesel Jahiri pleaded not guilty.
2014-04-03 · Sligo
A jury at the Central Criminal Court has found Simon McGinley, aged 30 of Connaughton Road Car Park in Sligo, guilty of the murder of Eugene Gillespie, a 67-year-old retired telecoms broker. McGinley had initially denied the murder charge but admitted manslaughter, a plea the State rejected. He pleaded guilty to false imprisonment and burglary at Mr Gillespie's Old Market Street home on 19 September 2012. Mr Gillespie was discovered tied up in his hallway two days after the assault and died in hospital following cardiac arrest. The jury, after five hours of deliberation, returned a unanimous guilty verdict on 3 April 2014. Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan imposed a life sentence, backdated to 29 September 2012, with concurrent sentences of ten years for false imprisonment and seven years for burglary. A victim impact statement highlighted the family's trauma and called for enhanced resources for An Garda Síochána to protect vulnerable people.
2014-01-30 · Dublin
In the Central Criminal Court, Stephanie Tuite, aged 20, was sentenced under the Probation Act for contempt of court after refusing to testify in the murder trial of Daniel McDonnell, who was jailed for life for killing 16‑year‑old Melanie McCarthy McNamara. McDonnell, 19, had written a letter to Tuite bragging about the murder, which was used as evidence. Tuite, listed as a prosecution witness, could not be located by the Gardaí during the trial; her statement was read to the jury instead. She was arrested on a bench warrant after the trial and apologized to the court through her barrister. Judge Paul Carney noted her fear of McDonnell and others, accepted her lack of prior convictions, and imposed a three‑month imprisonment under the Probation Act, allowing her to remain free pending future court appearances.
2014-01-24 · Dublin
Daniel McDonnell, aged 19, was sentenced to life imprisonment after a jury found him guilty of murdering 16‑year‑old Melanie McCarthy McNamara. The murder occurred in Tallaght when a stolen black Hyundai Santa Fe fired a shot that struck Melanie in the head while she sat in the back seat with her boyfriend and his friend. The vehicle and weapon were abandoned in Citywest, and no fingerprints were found on the car, gun or cartridges. McDonnell had been arrested the week after the shooting and had made no statements to police, instead leaving graffiti in his cell. He later wrote letters to a friend and a former girlfriend that were deemed admissions of guilt. The trial lasted seven days, and the jury deliberated for 4 hours and 17 minutes before reaching a unanimous verdict. The judge imposed the mandatory life sentence for murder. The case was heard at Dublin Central Criminal Court. Daniel McDonnell pleaded not guilty.