Stefan Onofrei, a 35‑year‑old Romanian, was sentenced to three years' imprisonment for stealing €85,000 from the State by claiming social welfare under a false name 463 times between 2009 and 2015. He pleaded guilty to six sample counts of theft of job seeker's benefit, job seeker's allowance, supplementary welfare allowance, emergency means payment, rent property supplement allowance and family income supplement. The Court of Appeal rejected his appeal against the severity of the sentence. The judge noted that Onofrei had originally been charged with 436 counts, each claim constituting a separate offence. He had used a false ID and PPS number, obtained a Lithuanian passport and driving licence, and claimed benefits while his wife was employed. The appeal was dismissed, and the debt to the State remains to be recovered. The case was heard by Mr Justice George Birmingham, Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan and Mr Justice Alan Mahon.
Leon Murphy, 20, was due to be sentenced for being a passenger in a stolen car. While Judge Patrick McCartan was questioning Murphy's future prospects, the judge mentioned Murphy's mother, a re‑formed heroin addict, and asked counsel to confirm she no longer used drugs. Murphy became angry, shouted abuse at the judge, and his mother protested that the judge implied she had used drugs. Murphy then jumped out of the dock, grabbed a glass of water on a bench, and attempted to throw it at the judge. Court staff and prison officers prevented the act, and Murphy was escorted out while continuing to shout. The judge adjourned the case to another court for sentencing, citing Murphy's attitude. No sentence was given in this article. Leon Murphy pleaded guilty.
An unemployed plumber, Derek McCann, 51, pleaded guilty to assaulting Glen Riordan, 35, in a pub on 10 September 2011. McCann, who had moved from Millbrook Road to a caravan park, struck Riordan with a broken glass and then with his fists, causing a facial wound that required ten stitches and a 2‑cm hairline scar. Riordan said the attack strained his relationship with McCann's ex‑wife and made him lose confidence, staying home more. McCann, who had been drinking heavily that night and had no memory of the assault, had lost his plumbing job and was taking medication for stress after his marriage ended in 2008. He offered to sell his car to cover Riordan's €900 financial loss. Judge Melanie Greally adjourned sentencing to next April to allow Probation Services to assess suitability for community service.
A 20‑year‑old man named Dale Byrne, who was part of a group that broke into an apartment on Herberton Street, Rialto, Dublin, on 17 March 2015, was charged with burglary. The group stole €25,000 worth of photography equipment and personal belongings, including a €900 guitar and an expensive bicycle. Byrne left the guitar in a flower bed to avoid being seen carrying it, but CCTV later captured him riding the bicycle in the area. He was arrested after Garda Kevin Lawless spotted him wearing the same clothes as during the burglary. Byrne pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. He had no prior convictions. The judge imposed a two and a half year sentence, which was suspended in full on strict conditions, including 18 months of probation supervision. The stolen items have never been recovered and the homeowners had no insurance for them.
A former National Asset Management Agency official, Enda Farrell, aged 39, faces 13 charges for disclosing confidential information in May, June and July 2012. His trial at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court was adjourned after new material was received on 8 January. Defence counsel Michael Bowman SC requested the case be removed from the trial list and re‑listed in two weeks for a new trial date. Prosecutor Kerida Naidoo SC said the State had no objection. Judge Patricia Ryan remanded Farrell on continuing bail to appear for mention on 1 February.
A 57‑year‑old Dublin woman, Anne Fennell, pleaded guilty to making persistent obscene and menacing phone calls to the President, the Department of Finance, the European Commission, An Post and several TDs between February and December 2014. She threatened to bomb President Michael D Higgins if he visited England, and also threatened bombs and bullets at other officials, including the Environment Minister and TDs. Fennell, a former An Post worker, claimed she was lonely and that her threats were "just words". She had no prior convictions and lived alone in poor conditions, reportedly in a sleeping bag in a bottom room of her house. The court remanded her on continuing bail to July, allowing her to continue psychological therapy and engage with probation services, and ordered a welfare report to explore pro‑social support structures. The judge noted her isolation as a key factor in her offending.
The trial of former Anglo Irish Bank and Irish Life and Permanent executives, including Denis Casey, Willie McAteer, Peter Fitzpatrick and John Bowe, has been postponed to the following Wednesday. The defendants are charged with conspiring to mislead investors by using interbank loans to inflate Anglo's value by €7.2 billion between 1 March and 30 September 2008. They have all pleaded not guilty. An expanded jury of 15 was sworn in at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court and the case is expected to last about five months. The hearing will feature testimony from 14 Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation officers, former Anglo staff and employees of Morgan Stanley, Royal Bank of Scotland and RBC Capital Bank London. The trial will proceed after the jury's rescheduled return.
Sean Kenny, aged 24, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to Raphael Momoh, aged 21, on Parkgate Street on 29 January 2013. Kenny struck Momoh in the eye with a broken glass bottle, cutting the cornea and leaving scarring on the eyelids. Momoh required a corneal transplant to restore vision. The assault left Momoh legally blind in the left eye. Kenny has 49 prior convictions and is currently serving a sentence for drug dealing and violent disorder. The case was adjourned after evidence was heard in December to allow the Director of Public Prosecutions to advise on the appropriate sentencing range. The maximum sentence for the offence is life imprisonment, with the DPP indicating a "most serious" range of seven and a half to twelve and a half years. The court ordered a probation report and adjourned sentencing to 16 March.
In a 2014 Luas incident, Aoife Molloy (24) and Martin O'Connor (25) assaulted Noel O'Rourke, a 46‑year‑old passenger, after a slip on the tram. Molloy kicked and pushed O'Rourke, then struck him three times on the head with a Budweiser bottle, which broke, and jabbed his lip. O'Connor hit O'Rourke twice with the bottle and punched him several times. O'Rourke suffered a fractured eye socket, scalp and lip wounds, and lasting scarring. Both defendants pleaded guilty to assault causing harm, violent disorder and possession of a bottle. Judge James O'Donohue sentenced each to four years, suspending two years for O'Connor and 18 months for Molloy, who must pay over €3,000 to the victim. The court noted their intoxication, remorse and lack of prior violent history. The case was identified through CCTV and DNA evidence. The defendants are no longer in a relationship. The sentence was imposed at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Aoife Maguire, aged 62, was convicted of conspiring to defraud the Revenue and delete bank accounts. She received an 18‑month sentence, which the Court of Appeal quashed in December 2015, replacing it with a nine‑month term and suspending the remainder, freeing her from prison. Maguire did not appeal her conviction. Her co‑accused, Bernard Daly (67) and Tiarnan O'Mahoney (56), who denied the allegations, appealed their convictions in the Court of Appeal. During the appeal hearing, the Director of Public Prosecutions argued that Maguire's acceptance of a fair trial was evidenced by her lack of appeal. The hearing focused on the prosecution's opening and closing speeches, the admissibility of evidence, and the judge's directions to the jury, with counsel for the co‑accused preparing submissions for the next day's hearing before three judges. The case remains at the appeal stage.
In a late‑night Luas incident on 11 December 2014, 24‑year‑old Aoife Molloy and 25‑year‑old Martin O'Connor, from South Circular Road and Elmdale Park respectively, assaulted Noel O'Rourke, a 46‑year‑old passenger. The pair claimed they "snapped" after O'Rourke retaliated when Molloy kicked him as he tried to stand after slipping. Molloy and O'Connor struck O'Rourke with a Budweiser bottle, smashing it and striking him three times on the head and once on the lip. O'Rourke suffered a fractured eye socket, scalp and lip wounds, and lasting scarring to the back of his head. CCTV and DNA from the bottles identified the attackers. Both pleaded guilty to assault causing harm, violent disorder and production of a bottle. They have expressed remorse and requested community service or probation. The case was adjourned for sentencing.
An Egyptian engineer, Mina Fanous, 35, who says he came to Ireland after his wife and child were killed in a bomb attack in Alexandria, has pleaded guilty to assaulting his ex‑flatmate, Jiagua Chen, on 20 April 2015. Fanous struck Chen with a belt, stole her Samsung phone and caused damage to her laptop. He also had a prior minor theft conviction. The incident occurred at a rented apartment on Time Place, Corrig Road, Sandyford, Dublin, where Chen had expected a friend to call over. After the assault, Chen fled but returned with a friend to find Fanous on the sofa; she later discovered her phone missing and her laptop had been thrown out the window. Garda Paul Newport reported that Fanous had lost his job at Dell months before the incident and had moved out of the flat due to rent problems. He claimed the assault was self‑defence.
Richard Mansfield, 21, was remanded in custody after being arrested by Gardaí at a routine checkpoint in Tallaght, Dublin, on Tuesday. Mansfield had previously appeared on RTE's Crimecall as a wanted man and had failed to attend his arraignment at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court in July, prompting Judge Martin Nolan to issue an arrest warrant. He faces charges from the District Court for taking a vehicle and endangerment in Foxrock on 7 January 2015. Mansfield had been on High Court bail, living at his mother's address in Kiltalown Way, but Gardaí had difficulty locating him, partly because he had travelled to the UK. Garda Stephen Murray reported that Mansfield's family and friends were aware of his wanted status but did not assist in his capture. He has a history of 11 prior failures to appear at court. Judge Melanie Greally refused bail and remanded him until Monday, when he is expected to enter a plea to the charges.
Tony Walsh, a former priest known as the "Singing Priest," was sentenced to one year in prison for the sexual assault of a child in the early 1970s. At the time of the offence he was a seminarian. The assault, which occurred between 17 April 1973 and 9 September 1976, involved Walsh locking a girl aged between seven and ten into a room and forcing himself on her until he climaxed. After the assault he told her it was only a game. Walsh, aged 61, was convicted in December 2015 at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. He is currently serving a 16‑year sentence imposed in 2010 for the rape and abuse of three schoolboys. Judge Catherine Murphy imposed the one‑year sentence, suspended the final year on condition of good behaviour, and ordered it to run consecutively to the termination of his current sentence in October 2020. Tony Walsh pleaded not guilty.
Desmond Dunne, 39, a former chef from Clondalkin now living in a hostel on Manor Street, was sentenced to five years in prison for a series of robberies and an attempted raid carried out between 26 November and 18 December 2014. He used a syringe and a blade to threaten staff at five Dublin pharmacies, stealing prescription drugs and cash. Dunne admitted the offences and pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. He has 23 prior convictions, including four for robbery. The judge, Melaine Greally, noted his long‑term drug addiction and the role it played in the crimes. The last 18 months of the sentence were suspended on strict conditions, requiring cooperation with the Probation Service and drug treatment. The court emphasised that the robberies were motivated by his desire to support his addiction. The case was investigated by Detective Garda Eoin Colbert, who identified Dunne through CCTV and seized clothing matching the robber's attire.
In January 2016, Conor O'Keefe, aged 26, was sentenced to five years' imprisonment, with the final two years suspended for two years, for having sex with a 15‑year‑old girl he had groomed through a fake social media profile. O'Keefe created a profile as a teenage girl named "Julie" on Tagged.com, then claimed to be her older brother "Adam" and persuaded the victim to travel to his house where they had sex. The judge noted no threat or force was used and that the girl was a willing participant, but that O'Keefe had pressured her by expressing disappointment when she was reluctant. O'Keefe had previously pleaded guilty to a similar offence in July 2011 and had no prior convictions. He is now on the sex offenders register and is taking part in therapy and the Safer Lives programme. The case was heard at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Conor O'Keefe was found guilty.
A 72‑year‑old bus driver, whose identity is withheld to protect a 30‑year‑old victim with cerebral palsy, will be sentenced on 27 January for two counts of sexual assault on the bus. He had previously pleaded not guilty to ten counts of assault, including incidents at a private residence when the victim was 13. The prosecution, led by Roisin Lacey BL, presented evidence that the driver touched the victim's breasts and private parts while driving her home, and that she had complained after receiving a birthday card. The driver, who has prior road‑traffic convictions, denied the allegations but later pleaded guilty to the bus assaults. He is currently in a care home, dependent on a state pension, and has medical concerns that were highlighted by his GP. The judge noted his health prognosis as a significant factor before finalising the sentence.
Eoghan McGarry, a 30‑year‑old serial burglar, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for a twelfth burglary and possession of stolen jewellery. He pleaded guilty to breaking into St Killian's National School in Tallaght on 1 September 2014 and to possessing nine pieces of stolen jewellery found in his jacket the next day. The court heard he used a rock to smash a window, stole €218 and bank documents, and that a woman in Walkinstown discovered jewellery taken from her home. McGarry admitted the break‑in and said he needed money for a "fix." Judge Melanie Greally imposed a four‑year sentence, extending his existing term by four months, and ordered him to swear an oath to undergo two years of probation supervision upon release, to take medication and engage with mental health services. The sentence was delivered while five prison officers in riot gear stood with riot shields and an officer held a video camera.
Jury selection was completed at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for the trial of four former financial executives accused of conspiring to mislead investors. William McAteer, John Bowe, Denis Casey, and Peter Fitzpatrick have all pleaded not guilty to allegations that they conspired to make Anglo Irish Bank appear €7.2 billion more valuable than it was between March 1 and September 30, 2008. Judge Martin Nolan described the proceedings as a complex financial fraud trial expected to last 20 weeks. The empanelling process concluded after a potential juror suffered a panic attack, resulting in a 15-member jury of eight men and seven women. Several individuals were excused from service due to conflicts of interest, including employment in financial services, shareholding in Anglo, or holding strong views on the bank. Judge Nolan instructed the sworn jury not to investigate the case online or discuss it with others, emphasizing the need for an open mind. He listed potential witnesses, including Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation members and employees from Morgan Stanley, Royal Bank of Scotland, and RBC Capital Bank. The judge stated that evidence is unlikely to begin until the week after next, with jurors instructed to return to court the following Monday unless contacted by Courts Services regarding any changes.
Aoife Maguire, 62, former assistant manager at Anglo Irish Bank, was jailed for 18 months after a jury found her guilty of conspiring to delete bank accounts from the bank's internal system and defraud the Revenue Commissioners in 2003 and 2004. She pleaded not guilty at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. On appeal, the Court of Appeal quashed the original sentence, substituted a new nine‑month term and suspended any unserved portion. The judge noted the seriousness of the offence, the fact it occurred in a publicly quoted company, and that Maguire had no prior convictions and a good character. She was required to enter a €100 bond for one year. The appeal focused solely on the sentence, not on the conviction itself. The decision was delivered by Mr Justice George Birmingham, with Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan and Mr Justice Alan Mahon present. The court also considered testimonials about Maguire's conduct in prison and her voluntary contributions to society.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court trial, Ivan Seredych, a 42‑year‑old taxi driver from Clonee, was convicted of sexually assaulting a 24‑year‑old woman in Dublin city centre on 10 June 2012. The victim, who had become separated from friends during a night out, was invited into Seredych's taxi, where he repeatedly touched her in a sexual manner, including placing his hand under her underwear and exposing himself. She managed to record his name and badge number on her phone and fled to a Garda station immediately after the assault. Seredych, who has five prior traffic convictions and arrived in Ireland from Ukraine in 2001, was sentenced to three years' imprisonment. He does not accept the jury's verdict. The judge noted the victim's vulnerability and the seriousness of the offence, imposing the three‑year term. The case highlights the victim's ongoing emotional distress and the court's consideration of the defendant's foreign status.
A 17‑year‑old, who cannot be named, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of heroin for sale or supply on 7 October 2014 at Tom Kelly Flats, Tom Kelly Road. He was wearing two pairs of boxer shorts to conceal three knotted bags of heroin (70.5 g, €9,785 street value) and the keys to a Renault Kangoo van. Garda John Donnelly, on routine patrol, spotted the teenager, who fled, and after a brief struggle he was arrested. The van, locked and later opened with the teenager's keys, contained a further stash of heroin and paraphernalia. The teenager had no prior convictions and had not attracted Garda attention before. Judge Martin Nolan, noting the law that prison should be the last resort for juveniles, suspended a two‑and‑a‑half‑year term on strict conditions, stating that imprisonment was not justified at the moment. The van was forfeited to the State.
Gavin Kinsella, 27, pleaded guilty to unlawfully keeping prescription‑only medication for supply at his home in Summerhill Parade. He was found with 15,908 Zopiclone tablets and a small amount of cannabis during a Garda surveillance operation from 14 to 20 December 2013. The tablets, worth €1 each, were not available in Irish pharmacies and are prescribed for short‑term insomnia and anxiety. Kinsella claimed he was holding the drugs for someone else to pay a cocaine debt. He has 12 prior convictions, all dealt with in the District Court. Judge Martin Nolan revoked his bail, remanded him pending sentencing, and on 21 December 2013 sentenced him to a three‑year prison term suspended on strict conditions, citing his admissions, cooperation with Gardaí and prospects for rehabilitation. The sentence was imposed at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The case was prosecuted by Tony McGillicuddy BL.
Gavin Walsh, 26, a father of one, was ordered to carry out 200 hours of community service instead of a two‑year prison term after pleading guilty to possession of a stolen Ford Focus in County Dublin. The car, stolen from a tow truck in Santry on 15 January 2014, had been advertised for sale on Done Deal and was recovered by undercover Gardaí. Walsh attempted to sell the vehicle to the Gardaí, who discovered the plates and discs had been cloned. He was also linked to a second stolen Audi A4, which had been bought with a fake bank draft and similarly advertised for sale; that vehicle was also returned to its owners. Walsh had six prior convictions for minor road traffic and public order offences. His defence argued that he had recently become a father, was employed, and intended to become a registered carer for his parents.
Neil Mannion (34) and Richard O'Connor (34) were jailed for running an online global drug‑dealing operation. They were charged with possession of LSD, amphetamine and cannabis resin worth €143,000 after a Garda raid on a business premises in south Dublin in October 2014. Mannion, described by Judge Martin Nolan as "the brains of the operation", owned, sold and sourced the drugs, while O'Connor acted under Mannion's instructions for a weekly wage. Mannion received a six‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence; O'Connor received three years. The court noted the operation used the "darknet" to sell drugs to customers in countries such as Japan, Argentina, the Czech Republic and the USA, and that the defendants had no prior convictions. The case highlighted the use of bitcoin and darknet sites like Silk Road and Agora for international drug distribution. The defendants were found to have cooperated with the investigation. Neil Mannion pleaded guilty. Richard O'Connor pleaded guilty.
Breifne O'Brien, 54, lost an appeal against a seven‑year jail sentence for a €8.5 million Ponzi scheme. He had pleaded guilty to 14 counts of deception and theft between 2003 and 2008 and was sentenced by Judge Patricia Ryan on 8 October 2014. O'Brien argued that the judge failed to consider mitigating factors such as his lack of prior convictions, his guilty plea, remorse, cooperation, loss of social standing and restitution efforts. Judge Garrett Sheehan dismissed the appeal, stating that adequate consideration had been given to these factors and that the seven‑year term was appropriate. The appeal was heard by Sheehan, George Birmingham and John Edwards. O'Brien made no reaction to the judgment. The case was noted as distinct from most other appeals before the Court of Appeal.
Andrew Shannon, aged 50, was convicted of damaging Claude Monet's painting 'Argentuil Basin with a Single Sail Boat (1874)' at the National Gallery of Ireland on 29 June 2012. He had previously been found not guilty of damaging two paintings at the Shelbourne Hotel on 8 January 2014. In the National Gallery case, a jury found him guilty and Judge Martin Nolan sentenced him to six years' imprisonment, with the final 15 months suspended, on 4 December 2014. Shannon has now moved to appeal the conviction, arguing that the trial judge erred by failing to sever the indictment and by allowing the prosecution to merge the two separate incidents. His counsel, Michael Bowman SC, contended that the prosecution's strategy of linking the two cases compromised a fair trial. The Director of Public Prosecutions' counsel, Kerida Naidoo SC, countered that the jury was instructed to treat the cases separately and that evidence supported the conviction.
Brian Quinn, a psychiatric nurse aged 47, had been convicted in 2014 of seriously assaulting Lee Harte and assaulting Kurtis Lennon and James Toner Junior, and of producing a knife, after a 2011 incident at a neighbour's 18th‑birthday party. He was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment. Quinn claimed he acted in self‑defence, arguing that he was attacked by a drunken crowd and that any force he used was lawful. The Court of Appeal found that the trial judge had failed to give the jury clear directions on the two‑part test for self‑defence, particularly the subjective element of Quinn's belief and the objective element of reasonable grounds. The appeal was allowed, a retrial was ordered, and Quinn was remanded on bail pending the next hearing on January 28. No other charges were altered or new convictions imposed. Brian Quinn pleaded not guilty.
In a Dublin city robbery on 29 September 2014, 35‑year‑old Derek McCann, who has 31 prior convictions, held a knife and forced two boys to hand over their phones and €6 each. The older boy, 14, kept his younger brother calm. McCann returned the money and told the boys not to speak of the incident. A Garda praised the older boy's maturity and noted that the children had become less fearful over time. McCann pleaded guilty to the robbery. The case is set for sentencing on 26 February 2015, pending a probation report. The article reports no further legal outcomes beyond the pending sentencing.
James Butler, a 38‑year‑old former marathon runner and nurse, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault causing harm to his partner on 14 December 2014. He put his hands on her neck, choked her, and struck her head against a wardrobe, causing her to pass out. The victim, who has a toddler with Butler, later received medical treatment, including four stitches to her cheek and a CAT scan at St Vincent's Hospital. Butler's lawyer, Fiona Pekaar, noted the couple's volatile relationship and Butler's regret, while the prosecution highlighted an earlier argument at a Christmas market that escalated into the assault. Judge Catherine Murphy adjourned sentencing, ordered Butler to pay €1,155 in medical costs within three months, and decided he would not be jailed due to no prior convictions and his prompt responsibility for medical care. The case remains at the sentencing stage.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 18 December 2015, Neil Mannion (34) and Richard O'Connor (34) pleaded guilty to possession of LSD, amphetamine and cannabis resin with intent to sell or supply. The drugs, valued at €143,000, were seized during a Garda raid on a business premises in south Dublin in October 2014. Mannion, a former Eircom employee, had set up an online drug‑dealing operation that used the darknet sites Silk Road and Agora, and was paid to post packages to customers in Japan, Argentina, the Czech Republic and the USA. O'Connor, a self‑employed film grip, handled the packaging and posting of the drugs. Both men had no prior convictions and were remanded in custody pending sentencing. The court heard that Mannion had quit a €36,000‑a‑year job to run the online business, while O'Connor was described as having a drug dependency at the time but was now clean.
Tony Walsh, a former priest and serial child abuser, was sentenced to a maximum of two years for the indecent assault of a girl aged between seven and ten in the early 1970s. The offence occurred while he was a seminarian and involved locking the child in a room, forcing himself on her, and assaulting her private parts. Walsh had previously been convicted in 2010 of raping and abusing three schoolboys, receiving a 16‑year sentence, and in 2013 an additional 18‑month term was added for further child‑abuse offences from 1979, later run concurrently with the 16‑year term. The court noted that the maximum penalty for the 1970s offence was two years, and Judge Catherine Murphy adjourned the case for sentencing next month. The victim, now 50, was a child who had been rewarded with sweets for helping nuns at a parish hall where the assault took place. Tony Walsh pleaded not guilty.
Niall Butler, 41, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of cannabis resin for sale or supply after police seized over €140,000 of cannabis from his rented room at The Pines, Lehaunstown Lane, Cabinteely, on 2 September 2015. Garda Ivor Scully reported that officers, acting on confidential information, entered the premises at 7.30 am and announced a search. Butler, who was in the kitchen with others, initially refused to give his details and told the officers to "fuck off". He then grabbed a Garda's jumper with a closed fist and refused the search, before being restrained and the search continued. Police found 24.5 kg of cannabis in bags inside a wardrobe in Butler's bedroom, valued at €147,000. Butler said he had been holding the drugs for someone else to repay a drug debt and would not disclose the creditor's identity for his own and his family's safety.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court case, Shane Murphy, 24, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to Aidan Mullen on 10 July 2011 over a stolen green bin. The court heard that Mullen, who was in bed at about ten that night, was awakened by two men taking a wheelie bin from in front of their home. Mullen went outside to see the bin on fire and attempted to stop it when Murphy confronted him. Murphy struck Mullen from behind, knocking him to the ground, then knelt on his chest and struck him again in the face. Mullen suffered fractures to his skull and cheekbone, extreme pain, and incurred €1,500 in medical bills and €4,200 in lost income. Murphy admitted the assault, apologized, and claimed he would have said sorry if Mullen were present. The judge adjourned sentencing to read the victim impact and psychological reports.
Thi Ha Pham, a 55‑year‑old Vietnamese woman, was found in a €940,000 cannabis growhouse on Lagan Road, Dublin, after a garda raid. She had been locked in the facility for over a month, living in rudimentary conditions, and had pleaded guilty to cultivation of cannabis on 20 November 2012. The court heard that she had no prior convictions and that she had been brought to Ireland without a passport by plane and truck after meeting a Vietnamese woman. She described living in the growhouse, turning lights on and off, and receiving no payment of the €800 per month she expected. Garda Neil Cepeda noted that the growhouse had sophisticated lighting and irrigation and that 1,176 mature plants were found. Judge Sarah Berkeley, noting that Ha Pham "probably was and is a victim of trafficking," imposed a three‑year sentence back‑dated to the date she entered custody.
Laura Clarke, a 23‑year‑old tennis club employee from Coolock, Dublin, pleaded guilty in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possessing 372 grams of cocaine for sale or supply. She admitted that she had been addicted to cocaine and that drug dealers had exploded a pipe bomb outside her home two years earlier to intimidate her. Clarke claimed she was forced to hold the cocaine to repay a €3,000 drug debt and that her dealers threatened to take her four‑year‑old son if she did not comply. Gardaí raided her family home after a confidential tip‑off, finding the cocaine and weighing scales in her bedroom. The judge, citing the seriousness of drug‑dealing offences, imposed a five‑year suspended sentence, taking into account her young son and voluntary community work. Clarke has no prior convictions and has since claimed to be drug‑free and involved in community training schemes.
Thomas Mooney, aged 74, was sentenced by the Appeal Court to 14 months' imprisonment, with 11 months suspended, for indecently assaulting a boy between 1983 and 1985. The court found that the maximum sentence for indecent assault at the time was two years, not ten as previously thought. Mooney had pleaded not guilty at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, where he was found guilty after an eight‑day trial and originally sentenced to four years, two of which were suspended. He had been granted bail pending appeal. The judge noted that the victim was paid to visit Mooney's flat for sexual acts, which ceased when the victim entered an industrial school. Mooney had no prior convictions, was a bachelor with limited intellectual capacity, and his health was deteriorating, factors the court considered in reducing the custodial term. The appeal was heard by Mr Justice Alan Mahon, Mr Justice George Birmingham and Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan.
Joseph Cole, 48, will be sentenced in February for stealing a handbag from a woman walking home with her two‑year‑old daughter on 14 October 2011. The handbag contained €1,100 in cash and other items, none of which was recovered. Cole pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court and has 42 prior convictions, including a seven‑year term for armed robbery in the UK in 1994 and an eight‑year term in Ireland for attempted robbery and false imprisonment in 2002. He was homeless at the time of the offence, admitted using tablets and had difficulty recalling the event, but accepted responsibility for taking the bag. The judge noted his efforts to overcome drug addiction and adjourned sentencing until a probation report is submitted. The case is still pending, with no further outcome reported in the article.
Paul Keenan, 36, of Griffeen Glen Park, Lucan, was sentenced to three years' imprisonment after Gardaí seized bags of cocaine and cannabis at his Dublin home. The drugs, valued at €19,840 and €316 respectively, were found in a kitchen press, a bedroom drawer, and a weighing scale, along with a "tick list" and two mobile phones. Garda Gavin Curtin reported that Keenan also possessed €10,000 in cash, including a €5,300 envelope, a €1,000 roll, and a €4,325 envelope. Keenan admitted to using cocaine recreationally, which escalated as he fell into debt after losing his electrician job in June 2013. He claimed he owed €6,000 to drug dealers and sold an ounce a week for about €1,300. He pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine and cannabis for sale or supply on 24 April 2014. The court noted his prior 2003 conviction for drug dealing, for which he received a suspended five‑year sentence.
Sean Kenny, 24, was remanded in custody pending sentence after pleading guilty to intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to Raphael Momoh, 21, on Parkgate Street on 29 January 2013. Kenny struck Momoh in the eye with a broken glass bottle, cutting the cornea and leaving scarring on the eyelids, which will require a corneal transplant. Momoh was hit on the back of the head while walking toward Heuston Station, then punched in the face, stomach and chest before a passer‑by pulled Kenny off him. Gardaí used CCTV, witness statements and identification to name Kenny as the suspect. Kenny has 49 prior convictions and is currently serving a sentence for drug dealing and violent disorder. The case was adjourned to 15 January 2016.
Mary Ward, a 34‑year‑old pregnant mother of three, had her partially suspended sentence reactivated after a 2015 court decision. She had pleaded guilty in 2011 to robbing taxi driver Declan Byrne, threatening him with a syringe after he rejected her sexual advances, and to attempting to rob a Spar shop customer. She also pleaded guilty to robbing a woman at Arbour Place and another woman, Joan Coady, at Arbour Hill. In 2012 Judge Patrick McCartan sentenced her to five years in prison, suspending the final two years. The suspended portion was reactivated in 2015 because her attendance at probation meetings had deteriorated and she had left the country without notice. The judge noted that the suspension had not achieved the intended stabilisation and reactivated the two‑year element to protect her child and the community.
Joseph French, 24, of Neilstown Park, Clondalkin, was sentenced by the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to seven and a half years for endangerment of a Garda and dangerous driving. He pleaded guilty to endangerment on the Ninth Lock Road, dangerous driving on Cherry Orchard Avenue, and driving without insurance. French also admitted to two robberies and an attempted robbery between 30 July and 9 August 2014 at Centra on La Touche Road, Bluebell, and Mace on Manor Road. His prior convictions include robbery, theft, burglary, possession of knives, and drug offences. Judge Martin Nolan imposed consecutive terms of seven and a half years, suspending the final two years on strict conditions. French was disqualified from driving for five years. The sentence reflects the violent nature of the robberies, which were committed to fund a drug habit, and the serious risk posed to Garda Fiona Ruddy during the high‑speed chase and reversal of his Volkswagen Passat.
Gavin Kinsella, 27, was arrested after a Garda surveillance operation uncovered 15,908 Zopiclone tablets and a small amount of cannabis in his Summerhill Parade home. The drugs, a prescription‑only medication used for insomnia and anxiety, were found in blister strips and were not available in Irish pharmacies. Kinsella pleaded guilty to unlawfully keeping the prescription‑only product for supply. He claimed he was holding the drugs for someone else to pay off a cocaine debt, but the prosecution argued he was not involved with the same peer group as at the time of his arrest. He has 12 prior convictions, all dealt with in the District Court. Judge Martin Nolan remanded him in custody, revoking his bail, and scheduled his sentencing for the following week. The court urged him to consider the consequences of his actions while remanded.
Paul Brannigan, aged 24, was convicted by a jury of assaulting Jason Saunders by head‑butting and striking him with a golf club outside Saunders' home on March 18, 2014. Saunders died shortly after the attack. Brannigan was also charged with manslaughter, but the jury could not reach a verdict on that charge. He pleaded not guilty to the assault, production of an article and manslaughter charges. The trial lasted six days with almost five hours of deliberation. CCTV footage showed Brannigan head‑butting Saunders and later swinging a golf club, which he broke into three pieces and discarded. The judge imposed a three‑year sentence for the golf‑club assault, concurrent with a two‑year sentence for the head‑butt, and noted that the manslaughter charge remained unresolved. The case was scheduled for mention again next month.
In a case heard at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Karen Smith, a 29‑year‑old former Ulster Bank cashier from Ratoath, was sentenced to a three‑year suspended term for stealing €14,160 from an elderly woman's inactive bank account. Smith withdrew the money two weeks after the woman's death and had forged a bank document to facilitate the theft. She pleaded guilty to both theft and forgery. Smith had no prior convictions and had a seven‑year unblemished record at the bank before being dismissed. Garda Brendan O'Horan testified that Smith had been threatened by a loan shark who pressured her to repay a debt, and that she feared for her safety. Smith admitted the offence, apologized, and expressed remorse. The judge noted the offence was "odious" but accepted her remorse, and acknowledged that Ulster Bank had compensated the estate but suffered reputational damage.
In a court hearing on 14 December 2015, it was revealed that a woman was deceived into purchasing a stolen Toyota Vitz for €4,300 after seeing it advertised on Done Deal. Garda Martina Drew explained that the seller, Stewart Crosbie, 45, was identified through a smartphone photo taken by the woman's suspicious friend. Crosbie later admitted he had passed the money to a third party owing him a drug debt. He had previously pleaded guilty to possessing the same stolen vehicle in January 2015 and was serving a partially suspended three‑year sentence for a similar offence in November 2014. Judge Martin Nolan imposed an eight‑month sentence to run consecutively to the time Crosbie was already serving, as he was on bail when he committed the offence. The woman discovered the deception upon returning home when the vehicle's registration did not match the documents, prompting her to contact the Gardaí.
Aaron Carey, 28, was sentenced to two years in prison at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to assaulting district court solicitor Aine Ni Riain, causing her harm. The attacks occurred on January 24, 2015, at Benburb Street and Wolfe Tone Quay. Prosecution evidence indicated that Carey punched Ms Ni Riain in the face after taking her phone, and struck her again when she pursued him to the quays, bursting her top lip. Garda Brian Graydon testified that Carey was later identified on CCTV and arrested days later. The court noted that Carey had previously been fined €200 in the district court for handling the stolen phone, which was subsequently returned to the victim. Carey, a father of two with 45 previous convictions, was residing at Judge Darley's Hostel at the time of the offence. Defence counsel Luigi Rea BL submitted that Carey regretted his actions and had completed educational courses and a charity run while in prison, attributing the crime to his drug addiction. Judge Martin Nolan acknowledged Carey's ambition to be a good father but imposed the two-year custodial sentence. The matter was finalised with this sentence.
A 44‑year‑old man who was abused by his older brother faces a maximum two‑year prison sentence for each of the 56 counts of indecent assault committed between 1980 and 1985. The abuse began when the victim was nine and continued until he was fourteen, when he finally told his brother to stop. The brother, aged 53, was convicted earlier this year and is currently serving a nine‑year sentence for sexual abuse of his sister. The judge has adjourned sentencing to April to consider an appeal of the existing sentence and to obtain an updated medical report after the defendant suffered a stroke in custody. The victim gave a victim impact statement describing the abuse as a "nightmare" that left him with a 20‑year stammer and a sense of shame. The defendant denied all allegations and claimed the accusations were lies. The case is pending sentencing.
A 58‑year‑old Dublin man, who had spent three days in jail for indecently assaulting his 11‑year‑old niece in 1977, had his two‑year sentence suspended on appeal. He pleaded guilty to four counts of indecent assault at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The original sentence, imposed by Judge Patricia Ryan on 29 July 2013, was two years with the final 12 months suspended. After a successful appeal, the Court of Appeal left the two‑year term unchanged but suspended it. The judge noted the offender was 17 at the time of the offence, that the abuse occurred in the family home, and that the victim had reported the abuse to Gardaí between 1991 and 1993, though no formal complaint was made. The offender had admitted the wrongdoing, apologized in 2000, and had made full admissions at a Garda station. He was required to enter a €100 bond and remain of good behaviour for two years.
A 57‑year‑old Dublin woman, Anne Fennell, pleaded guilty in November to making persistent nuisance phone calls to the Department of Finance on 2 February 2014. Her sentence hearing was adjourned by Judge Martin Nolan to allow a psychological report, which will not be ready until next month. Fennell's lawyers argued that the report would benefit her, and the Director of Public Prosecutions agreed to the adjournment. The judge set the new hearing for 15 January, warned no further adjournments, and remanded her on continuing bail.