A 16‑year‑old boy was sentenced to two and a half years' detention for violently robbing a woman at a Luas stop on 2 December 2014 and for burglary and criminal damage at the Black Horse Inn on the same day. He also pleaded guilty to criminal damage of three cars, theft of a Garmin Sat Nav and possession of a wheelbrace on 6 January 2015. The court noted that he had 29 prior convictions, including thefts and criminal damage, since March 2014. He was described by the court as a danger to society. The judge imposed four years' detention for the phone robbery, suspended the final 18 months, and added the other offences to the sentence. A co‑accused, Carl Farrell (23), received two years' consecutive sentences for car‑park damage and burglary, with a one‑year sentence for criminal damage and theft to run consecutively to a one‑year burglary term.
Paul Grace, 36, of Beaumont Park, Artane, pleaded guilty in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assaulting retired youth worker Patrick Malone on 29 March 2013 at Killarney Street, Dublin 1. Grace had previously struggled with drug addiction, had been homeless, and had completed a certificate in drug counselling while studying psychotherapy. He had 22 prior convictions for non‑violent offences such as theft and criminal damage. Malone, a professional who had helped people rehabilitate from drug addiction, had once given Grace money for hostels and had arranged for him to detox in Malone's apartment. During a stay Grace attempted to buy drugs, was told the detox would not work, left, returned in an incoherent state, and later pushed a knife at Malone, who sustained injuries to his arm and hand and required surgery. Malone's victim impact statement requested that no custodial sentence be imposed. The case was adjourned for sentencing on 19 February next year.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, a judge described a brutal robbery of Zimbabwean man Charles Goromonzi as "depressing." Goromonzi, 57, was attacked by two 18‑year‑old teenagers, Aaron Eccles and Niall Brooks, who punched him 18 times, kicked him 13 times, knelt on his head three times, stamped on him seven times and stabbed him four times before stealing his Nokia Lumina 625 phone. CCTV footage showed the assault at 9.30 pm on 29 July 2014. Both defendants pleaded guilty to robbery. Judge Martin Nolan sentenced each to five and a half years, suspending 18 months for Eccles and 3 years 9 months for Brooks, and ordered 18 months of post‑release supervision. Eccles had 29 prior convictions; Brooks had none. Both denied stabbing the victim and claimed intoxication and ADHD as mitigating factors. Goromonzi suffered head, wrist and knee injuries and later required hospital treatment.
Ionut Potop, a 26‑year‑old Romanian, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assaulting Pakistani shop employee Tariq Mohammed on 4 June 2014. Potop head‑butted and bit Mohammed, shouting "F**k off, you Paki bastard" twice. The victim suffered nose, torso and wrist injuries, requiring hospital treatment. Judge Patrick McCartan warned Potop that failure to pay €3,000 within six months would result in prison. Potop, remanded on continuing bail, later paid the amount and was dismissed under the Probation of Offenders Act. The court noted Potop's lack of prior convictions and his remorse, and the judge exercised leniency. The case involved a single assault charge, with no further convictions reported. The incident occurred at a Londis shop on Westmoreland Street, Dublin.
In 2013, a 53‑year‑old Dublin man was convicted of eight counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with his mentally impaired female cousin, receiving a five‑year sentence on each count to run concurrently. He pleaded not guilty but admitted a sexual relationship, claiming ignorance of her impairment. After an unsuccessful appeal in 2014, he was released on bail and later voluntarily returned to custody. On 10 December 2015, the Court of Appeal re‑sentenced him to three years imprisonment, with the final 18 months suspended, and backdated the sentence eight months to account for time served. He was required to post a €100 bond and comply with the sex‑offender register. The appeal focused on the trial judge's treatment of the victim's mental impairment as an aggravating factor and the manner of her evidence, which the appellate judges found insufficiently considered. No further convictions or outcomes are mentioned in the article.
Adrian Doyle, 35, of Lakelands, Naas, pleaded guilty in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to cultivating cannabis and possessing cannabis herb at a rented property in Church View Lawns, Prosperous, Co Kildare, in May 2014. Garda Eoghan O'Neill stopped Doyle's car at a checkpoint on St Johns Road, Dublin, where a cannabis smell was detected. Cannabis herb worth €4,428 was seized from the vehicle, and a subsequent search of the Prosperous address uncovered 24 early‑stage cannabis plants valued at €19,200, almost 2½ kg of dried herb worth €48,886, books on cultivation, bank slips, Doyle's phone, and €26,000 in cash in a laundry basket. Judge Martin Nolan noted the cash may include redundancy payment residue and profit from cannabis sales, and imposed a three‑year jail sentence. Doyle had no prior convictions, was described as remorseful, and had worked in financial services before losing his job during the downturn.
A 17‑year‑old boy who caused €10,636 worth of damage to a care home and its car was sentenced by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to two and a half years' detention, with the final 18 months suspended. He pleaded guilty to criminal damage on 27 February 2015. The judge noted the boy had no prior convictions but was considered a high risk of re‑offending due to addictions and lack of parental support. He was already serving ten months for an attempted robbery, so the after‑care programme was on hold. The court required any future plans for the boy to be submitted to the Probation Service and carried out under their supervision. The damage included smashed windows, a fire grate, and removal of wipers and mirrors, rendering the car effectively written off. The boy expressed regret for "breaking up the place.".
Daniel Ennis, aged 20, was sentenced to six years in prison after a series of violent incidents in Ballyfermot, Dublin. In January 2014 he threatened to kill or seriously harm Garda Ryan and Garda Doyle when they searched his back garden for a stolen postbag and bike. He also threatened to kill or seriously harm Linda Carrie and Lena Tims, to damage property, and was found in possession of a firearm on 8 May 2015. Ennis threw a small dog, a paving slab and a bike at four Gardaí, threatened to ram a patrol car, and shouted from an upstairs window that he was armed with a knife. Over a year later, while on bail, he fired shots at a house on Oranmore Road, where a woman was sleeping after being released from hospital, after threatening to blow the occupants' heads off and to burn the house down. Daniel Ennis pleaded guilty.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Daniel Ennis, aged 20, pleaded guilty to threatening to kill or cause serious harm to Garda Linda Ryan and Garda Michelle Doyle during a search of his back garden for a stolen postbag. He also pleaded guilty to threatening to kill or cause serious harm to Ms. Carrie and Ms. Tims, threatening to damage property, and possession of a firearm on Oranmore Road. Ennis had previously fired shots at a house on Oranmore Road, where a woman was sleeping, and had threatened the occupants. He had also thrown a small dog and a paving slab at four gardaí who were searching his garden, and had tried to throw a bike and threatened them with a shovel. The judge remanded Ennis in continuing custody until sentencing. No injuries were reported. The case involved no further convictions or outcomes beyond the guilty pleas.
In February 2014, 24‑year‑old Robert Ellis of Ballyfermot was convicted of criminal damage at Mountjoy Prison after he destroyed his cell to seek medical help. While serving a sentence, Ellis had taken a "cocktail of sleeping tablets" and was coughing blood. He smashed a toilet, a wash hand basin, a protective screen, mirrors, a mattress and bedlinen, causing damage estimated at €2,000. A prison officer heard noises from two adjoining cells and saw the damage. Ellis was removed, examined by a medic, and placed in a padded cell. He admitted he had not acted correctly and had been thinking poorly. The court accepted his apology and noted that his behaviour ended once he was taken from his cell. He was sentenced to eight months' imprisonment. The article reports no further legal actions or outcomes. Robert Ellis pleaded guilty.
Paul Brannigan, 24, pleaded not guilty to manslaughter of Jason Saunders, who died after a rare cardiac arrest called commotio cordis. A six‑day trial and almost five hours of deliberation ended with a hung jury on the manslaughter charge. The jury found Brannigan guilty of two counts of assault by head‑butting and striking with a golf club, and of producing an article capable of serious injury. Brannigan denied all offences. Judge Patrick McCartan remanded him in custody for sentencing on 15 December. Chief State Pathologist Professor Marie Cassidy testified that Saunders died from a blow to the chest within a 30‑millisecond window, while defence pathologist Dr Declan Gilsenan disputed this, suggesting drug use and a testosterone spike caused the arrest. Brannigan admitted head‑butting and swinging a golf club but denied striking the victim. He later expressed remorse to the family. The case concluded with Brannigan taken to prison.
In 2015, Breffni O'Rourke, a 67‑year‑old music teacher, appealed a 2012 conviction for indecent assault of a nine‑year‑old girl in 1987. He had been found guilty by a jury and sentenced to two years' imprisonment, with the final 12 months suspended. O'Rourke's barrister, Colman Cody SC, argued that the jury should have been discharged because of prejudicial evidence from the complainant's twin sister. She claimed O'Rourke was 'friendly' and had a 'habit of tickling us', and that he would put his hands under clothes and feel skin. Cody said this testimony was not probative and was highly prejudicial, and that it went beyond mere tickling. He also contended that the defence was denied access to notes from an English teacher that might have clarified the complainant's earlier statements. The Director of Public Prosecutions maintained that the witness's remarks were not prejudicial, and the Court of Appeal would reserve judgment. Breffni O'Rourke pleaded not guilty.
Michael Doran, aged 29, was sentenced to five years' imprisonment, with the final two years suspended, for a series of offences committed in 2009. He pleaded guilty to two robberies, one hijacking, one car theft and one theft of car keys in the Dundrum area of south Dublin. On 12 March 2009 he mugged David Morgan, taking his ATM card, €10 and PIN, and threatened him with a knife, claiming a friend would follow him with a sniper rifle to prevent him from calling the Gardaí. Three days later he was involved in the theft of a car belonging to Caroline Caffrey, using stolen keys. He also participated in a hijacking of a pizza delivery man's vehicle. Doran had 11 prior convictions and had recently completed a four‑year sentence in England for a car‑theft offence. The judge cited his efforts at rehabilitation and his time spent in UK prison as reasons for suspending part of the sentence.
In a 2015 armed robbery at a Spar on Stiles Road, Dublin, Christopher Coakley (24) and an accomplice forced the manager to give them the shop keys, dragging her along the aisles while an imitation gun was held to her head. The robbery involved the alarm being triggered and the victim being held by the neck and pulled to deactivate it. Coakley pleaded guilty to robbery, possession of an imitation firearm and criminal damage, and received a six‑year sentence. He also admitted to assaulting Gardaí, threatening a woman named Anne Walsh, and threatening to damage her property, for which he was sentenced to two and a half years and three and a half years, concurrent with the robbery term. The court noted the victim's ongoing distress and the €4,500 damage to the shop shutters. Coakley has 94 prior convictions and is currently serving a separate sentence for hijacking, due for release in July 2017.
Rebecca Cunningham, 34, was given an 18‑month suspended sentence after she tried to abduct a three‑year‑old girl from a South Dublin crèche, believing the child to be her own daughter. Cunningham was in a drug‑induced psychosis and was searching for her child when she entered the crèche's back garden. The child, who was confused but not distressed, walked out with Cunningham until the manager noticed and intervened. The manager calmly asked Cunningham to return the child, but Cunningham refused to let go of the girl's hand, though she was not violent. The child was ultimately returned to staff. Cunningham pleaded guilty to abduction on 22 September 2015. The court noted her mental illness, lack of prior convictions, and her cooperation with bail conditions. Judge Martin Nolan suspended the sentence on strict conditions, including staying away from crèches, schools and other child‑congregating areas, and engaging with the Probation Service.
A 23‑year‑old man was remanded in custody after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a woman in her bed at a Dublin house in June 2013. The assault occurred after a party when the woman had gone to sleep around 1.30 am and woke to find the man's fingers in her vagina and attempting to kiss her. She screamed and fled the bed; her sister found no one in the room. The accused later claimed he had tripped and landed on the girl, but the victim's impact statement described a life forever changed. The judge, Martin Nolan, adjourned sentencing to 8 January, noting the man's "totally reprehensible" conduct and that he was under the influence of alcohol. He accepted the man's early guilty plea, his remorse, and the €2,000 he brought to court as a token of remorse, and said the man could be released to the victim if she wished.
Clare Dooley, 43, a former Meath insurance broker, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to ten counts of making and using false declaration forms at New Ireland Assurance plc between November 2010 and September 2011. She had taken out 38 fictitious life‑insurance policies, receiving €109,000 in commission, but the insurer was repaid and no one suffered loss. The court imposed a four‑year suspended sentence and ordered 240 hours of unpaid community service to be completed within 12 months. Judge Martin Nolan confirmed the suspended sentence, noting that Dooley's fitness to carry out the work would be assessed medically; if unfit the suspension would remain. No prior convictions were recorded, and the insurer's complaint in 2013 led to the investigation and her arrest. The case concluded with a favourable probation report and the judge's final sentencing.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court manslaughter trial, retired pathologist Dr Declan Gilsenan opposed Chief State Pathologist Professor Marie Cassidy's conclusion that Jason Saunders died from commotio cordis, a rare cardiac arrest caused by a chest blow. Gilsenan argued Saunders' death resulted from a combination of an argument with Paul Brannigan and a cocktail of illegal drugs, noting that cocaine can disturb heart rhythm regardless of dose. He cited the absence of commotio cordis deaths in Ireland and estimated a 1‑in‑50‑000 incidence for cocaine‑related deaths in Cork and Kerry, versus 1‑in‑50‑million for commotio cordis in the US. Brannigan, 24, pleaded not guilty to manslaughter, assault, and possession of a golf club, admitting a verbal row and head‑butting but denying striking Saunders with the club. The trial continues before Judge Patrick McCartan and a twelve‑person jury.
Jason Bowers, 31, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm after a night out at Lillie's Bordello nightclub on Grafton Street on 22 December 2014. He claimed he had been drinking and a "red mist" descended after a verbal interaction. The judge described the attack as a short but savage assault, noting Bowers had become enraged and infuriated. Bowers was given a three‑year suspended sentence and ordered to pay €35,000 within six months, with €10,000 to be paid within seven days. The victim, a prison officer, suffered a broken eye socket bone and a tongue laceration, and reported feeling nervous and self‑doubting after the incident. Bowers had no prior convictions and now lives and works in Dubai.
Gary Byrne, 42, of Belcamp Gardens, Coolock, was sentenced in 2015 to 12 years' imprisonment for possessing €2.5 million worth of cannabis for sale or supply at two lock‑ups in Rosemount Business Park, Ballycoolin and North West Business Centre, Blanchardstown. The final three years of that sentence were suspended, leaving an operative term of nine years. Byrne appealed on the basis that mitigating factors had not been considered. The Court of Appeal re‑sentenced him to 12 years with the final four‑and‑a‑half years suspended, reducing the net jail term to seven‑and‑a‑half years. He was required to post a €100 bond to keep the peace and be of good behaviour while in custody and for three years after release. The appeal was granted on the grounds that Byrne's homelessness, depression, suicidal ideation and drug addiction were not adequately weighed in the original sentencing. Gary Byrne pleaded guilty.
In 2010, Davinn Flynn, 42, set fire to the Nirvana head shop on Capel Street, Dublin, causing €1 million in damage and closing the street for three days. He pleaded guilty in 2015 and was sentenced to six years' imprisonment. On appeal, the Court of Appeal re‑sentenced him to seven years, suspending the final two years. The court noted that Flynn and another man started the fire with an accelerant, that CCTV showed Flynn entering the shop's rear, and that the blaze spread to a sex shop and another similar premises. Flynn had 65 prior convictions, including robbery, theft and public order offences. The appeal was based on the original judge's failure to address Flynn's potential for rehabilitation, which the appellate judges found an error in principle. The final sentence therefore remains seven years, with two years suspended.
John Leamy, a 51‑year‑old businessman from Aspen Lawn, Clonsilla, was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for fraudulently claiming nearly €100,000 in VAT through fake invoices. The fraud, which spanned from January 2008 to February 2009, involved five counts of submitting incorrect VAT returns and two counts of failing to file annual tax returns for 2008 and 2009. Leamy, who had become addicted to blackjack and heavy drinking after his marriage ended, used 16 fabricated invoices to claim €99,817.67 in VAT and then drew cash from his company, JT Digital Ltd., by writing cheques payable to himself. The case was uncovered when his accountant, Paschal Murphy, noticed an error in the VAT percentage on two invoices from Printscene, a supplier of JT Digital, and reported the matter to the Revenue Commissioners. The prosecution, led by John Byrne BL, presented evidence that Leamy admitted providing false information to his accountant. John Leamy pleaded guilty.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court trial, Paul Brannigan, aged 24, pleaded not guilty to manslaughter, assault, and possession of a golf club in the death of Jason Saunders on 18 March 2014. Chief State Pathologist Marie Cassidy testified that Saunders died from commotio cordis, a lethal heart rhythm disruption caused by a blow to the chest over the heart within a 30‑millisecond window of the cardiac cycle. Cassidy described bruising and a rib fracture likely from a golf club strike. She noted that the fatal blow must occur at a precise moment, otherwise it would not be fatal. Defence counsel challenged the consistency of the evidence, arguing that Saunders' movements before collapse were inconsistent with typical commotio cordis cases. The trial continues before Judge Patrick McCartan and a twelve‑person jury.
Paul Norton, 27, of Cromcastle Court, Kilmore, lost an appeal against a seven‑year prison sentence and a lifetime driving ban for his role as getaway driver in a failed cash van robbery at the Northside Shopping Centre on 6 June 2012. He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The judge, Mr Justice Patrick McCartan, suspended the final two years of the sentence and imposed a life disqualification from driving, noting Norton had been disqualified 11 times before. Mr Justice John Edwards, speaking for the Court of Appeal, described how Norton fled from security after a robbery attempt, drove at high speed, ran a red light, and was thrown from his bike when avoiding a JCB. He had 80 prior convictions, including similar offences, and had been shot and involved in a traffic accident on earlier trial dates. The appeal was dismissed, and the court confirmed the sentence and driving ban.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, 18‑year‑old Paddy Lawrence was found guilty of unlawful taking of a car, handling stolen property, criminal damage and dangerous driving. On 4 March 2015 he stole a Skoda Octavia from a Balbriggan house, then drove it at high speed, causing a collision on Naul Road that smashed into a car driven by Eddie Tiernan. Tiernan's ten‑year‑old son and eight‑year‑old daughter were inside the vehicle; all were hospitalised with minor injuries. Lawrence fled the scene, smirking when Tiernan asked him to help the trapped family escape. He was arrested later that day. The court described the crash as "inevitable" and Lawrence as "incorrigible", sentencing him to four years' imprisonment with the final 18 months suspended. The Skoda was written off and the other passengers were never apprehended. Lawrence has 37 prior convictions.
In a 2014 incident at Show Nightclub in Tallaght, Alan Gilsenan, aged 26, struck Adam Morris, breaking his jaw and causing a week of hospital treatment and surgery with permanent metal plates. Gilsenan pleaded guilty to assault causing harm at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The prosecution noted that Morris had arrived at the club at 12 am, was speaking with friends, and was struck by Gilsenan, who was later identified through publicity photographs of nightclub visitors. Gilsenan, who has a few prior minor traffic convictions, was undergoing anger‑management therapy and had written a remorse letter to Morris. Judge Martin Nolan, considering Gilsenan's guilty plea, cooperation with Gardaí and good record, suspended a three‑year jail term. He ordered Gilsenan to pay €7,500 to Morris and to post a €100 bond to keep the peace for three years, with the payment due within 18 months.
John Leamy, a 51‑year‑old businessman from Aspen Lawn, Clonsilla, pleaded guilty in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to five counts of submitting incorrect VAT returns and two counts of failing to file annual tax returns for 2008 and 2009. He used 16 fake invoices to fraudulently claim €99,817.67 in VAT between January 2008 and February 2009. The fraud was uncovered after his accountant, Paschal Murphy, noticed an error in the VAT percentage on two invoices from Printscene, a supplier of Leamy's print brokerage company JT Digital Ltd. Murphy discovered that Printscene had never issued the invoices and reported the matter to the Revenue Commissioners. Leamy admitted to providing false information to his accountant during questioning in November 2012. He has no prior convictions, lives with a friend, does not work, and rarely leaves his room to avoid alcohol and gambling. The judge adjourned the case until the following day.
A 29‑year‑old father‑of‑two who had sex with a 16‑year‑old girl he met on Facebook was sentenced to three years' imprisonment, with the final 12 months suspended, by Judge Desmond Hogan on 27 March 2015. He pleaded guilty to two counts of defilement of a child at two Dublin locations on 22 January and 4 February 2013. The man appealed and the Court of Appeal set aside the original sentence. Judge Alan Mahon imposed a new 12‑month custodial sentence, suspending the unserved portion for two years. The man was required to post a €100 bond and keep the peace for that period. The girl was 16 years and nine months old at the time of the offences, and the man was 27. No aggravating factors were identified, and the judge noted the absence of violence, pregnancy or STDs. The appeal was heard by Judges Mahon, Birmingham and Edwards.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court manslaughter trial, Paul Brannigan, aged 24, pleaded not guilty to the death of Jason Saunders, who died on 18 March 2014 after a confrontation at Fassaugh Avenue. Brannigan was accused of striking Saunders with a golf club, causing a fatal blow to the chest, and of assaulting him. Witnesses, including a shopkeeper and Spar store manager Kevin Coffey, described a scuffle where Brannigan head‑butted Saunders before repeatedly swinging a golf club. Brannigan allegedly asked the shopkeeper to "delete that camera for us?" after Saunders was described as "in a bad way." CCTV footage from the shop, pub, Garda station and a bus was shown to the jury. Nurses Melissa Lanigan and Lorna Nangle testified that Saunders received CPR but never regained consciousness, and an ambulance crew later took over resuscitation. The case continues before Judge Patrick McCartan and a twelve‑person jury.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 2 December 2015, a woman in her 20s pleaded guilty to abducting a two‑year‑old child from an early years school in south County Dublin on 22 September. The offence contravened section 17 of the Non‑fatal Offences against the Persons Act, 1997. The court noted the defendant's schizophrenia diagnosis and poly‑substance abuse history, but also that her condition had markedly improved following treatment at the Central Mental Hospital. Judge Martin Nolan released her on bail under strict conditions: she must avoid crèches, schools and any places where children gather, live at her mother's home in south Dublin, remain sober, observe a curfew from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., and sign in daily at a Garda station. The court set a sentencing date for the following Tuesday, while the prosecution expressed concern that the defendant might commit further offences.
A 21‑year‑old Wexford resident, Eric Sutcliffe, was sentenced to 16 months in jail for robbing a Domino's Pizza delivery man and driving off in the victim's car. Gardaí traced the crime to Sutcliffe after he left fingerprints on a two‑litre bottle of Coke at the scene. The delivery man's €1,300 car was found burnt the following day, and the insurer declined to pay because of the nature of his job. Sutcliffe pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to robbing cash and car keys on Reuben Walk, Rialto, Dublin, on 3 November 2013. He has 62 prior convictions, including road traffic offences and thefts, and had accumulated 58 of those since the robbery. The judge, taking into account his cooperation and early guilty plea, imposed a two‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence with the final 14 months suspended.
A 24‑year‑old Dublin man, Paul Brannigan, is on trial for the manslaughter of Jason Saunders, who died outside a flat on Nassau Avenue, Cabra West, on 18 March 2014. Brannigan has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter, assault causing harm, and possession of a golf club during the dispute. Prosecutor Colm O'Briain told the jury that Saunders arrived at Brannigan's flat in a taxi at about 6 a.m., that the men argued, and that Brannigan head‑butted Saunders before striking him on the left side of the chest with a golf club. CCTV footage and witness statements will show Saunders stumbling, falling face‑down, and being tended by nurses before an ambulance arrived. The Chief State Pathologist will testify that the blow caused fatal interference with Saunders' heart, and the prosecution will argue that Saunders was "extremely unlucky" that the blow was fatal, without alleging intent to kill.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 1 December 2015, a 17‑year‑old was given a three‑year suspended sentence for assaulting a teenage male on 13 July 2014. The minor, who had no prior convictions, pleaded guilty to causing the victim a fractured nose and two cheek fractures after a mistaken‑identity attack. Garda Mark Nolan explained that the victim was walking home with a friend after the World Cup final when the youth, in a group, punched the friend and then kicked the victim in the head as he lay on the ground. The court heard that a member of the youth's group later apologized, saying "Sorry bro, wrong person." The victim was treated in hospital, described his confidence as "knocked" and said he was "constantly on edge," but did not see himself as a victim. George Burns, the youth's solicitor, presented €5,000 as a token of remorse.
Jayne Kearney, aged 26, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm and driving while intoxicated after she hit Blathnaid Molloy on 8 March 2014. Kearney was almost three times the legal alcohol limit and left the scene. Molloy suffered a fractured skull, brain bleeding, speech and hearing impairment, and dizzy spells. She missed her eldest's first day of school and could not care for her 11‑month‑old child for a time. Kearney had eight prior traffic convictions. Judge Martin Nolan sentenced her to three years' imprisonment, disqualified her from driving for the same period, and noted her remorse and cooperation. The case highlighted the severe impact on Molloy's life and family.
Patrick Constant, aged 32, received a seven‑year prison sentence with four years suspended for possessing 122.6 grammes of heroin worth €18,390 in Dublin's Bus Aras on 17 February 2015. He will begin serving the sentence after completing a three‑year term for a prior drugs offence. Constant, of Riverview Estate Tower, Blarney, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Garda Joanne Myles described how she approached him in the Bus Aras lobby after hearing a question about a package, and how he resisted her attempt to handcuff him. She later found a heroin package in a sock between his trouser legs. Constant claimed he was receiving €500 to offset a €3,000 drug debt if he collected a package in Dublin and returned it to Cork. He said he had been promised a job upon release.
Eoin O'Sullivan, a 28‑year‑old man from Cork, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for a series of offences including dangerous driving, unlawful use of a stolen vehicle and endangerment. On 24 November 2014, Garda Blaine Feely stopped O'Sullivan on the M50 at Santry after a suspicion of dangerous driving. While the garda was partially inside the vehicle, O'Sullivan refused to stop, drove off, and later performed a U‑turn, travelling the wrong way on the M50 and the M1 before colliding with another vehicle at the Oscar Traynor Road Roundabout. He was also accused of tracing a stolen white Ford Transit box van used in a burglary in Louth. The court noted that O'Sullivan had 195 previous convictions, including dangerous driving, driving without insurance and a licence, careless driving and drink driving. Eoin O'Sullivan pleaded guilty.
David Radford, aged 19, was sentenced to three and a half years' imprisonment for the sexual assault of a 15‑year‑old girl in a Dublin suburb on 12 November 2014. He was arrested after CCTV footage showed him following the girl from her Luas stop and approaching her to ask for directions. Radford denied the allegation in interviews but was re‑arrested in January 2015 when DNA from a semen stain on the victim's clothing matched his. He had 15 prior convictions, including three for sexual assault of women, dating back to 2010 when he was 14. At the trial he pleaded guilty. The judge, Martin Nolan, noted Radford's claim of no memory due to drug use but found this did not lessen his culpability. He was given a suspended 12‑month period of the sentence, subject to strict conditions. The case was prosecuted by Anne Rowland BL and defended by Kieran Kelly BL.
A 21-year-old man from Longford has been sentenced to one year in custody at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court following a dangerous driving incident in Blanchardstown, Dublin on August 2nd, 2013. Dylan Meade of An Cussan, Lisbrack Road pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing serious harm, failing to remain at the scene, driving without a valid licence and driving without insurance. The court heard that Meade struck a cyclist at approximately 57 kilometres per hour, causing severe brain trauma and four months of amnesia. Judge Catherine Murphy imposed a three and a half year sentence with two and a half years suspended, subject to strict conditions including probation supervision, abstinence from alcohol and drugs, and attendance at mental health appointments. The judge noted that non-compliance would result in activation of the suspended portion. The cyclist, who suffered significant neurological injury, submitted a victim impact statement describing the profound effect on his family and future prospects.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, 26‑year‑old Amy McAuley of Ledwidge Hall, Slane pleaded guilty to stealing €132,355 from Nordzucker Ireland Ltd between 23 July 2013 and 26 February 2014. The thefts were carried out while she was a credit controller on maternity leave, using the distributor's bank details to divert client payments. McAuley later admitted the crimes to her father, who helped transfer €10,000 back to the company. She claimed she used part of the stolen money to repay €91,113 she had taken from a previous employer to support her family. The court noted her repeated offending but also her willingness to repay, and Judge Patrick McCartan imposed a two‑year suspended sentence, suspended for ten years, with a requirement to continue repayments. The sentence was not to be enforced unless she failed to meet the repayment plan.
Conor O'Keefe, 26, will be sentenced next year for sex with a 15‑year‑old girl he met online using a fake profile on Tagged.com. He created a teenage girl's account called "Julie" and later claimed to be her older brother "Adam," persuading the girl to travel by taxi to his house where they had sex. O'Keefe pleaded guilty to sex with a child in July 2011 and was found guilty of a further count of sexual exploitation of a child by a jury after a three‑day trial. He had no prior convictions and is now on the sex offenders register. Defence counsel submitted a probation report and a psychological report, asking the court to consider non‑custodial options. Judge Sarah Berkeley adjourned sentencing to 12 January to allow consideration of the case. O'Keefe faces a maximum possible sentence of 14 years imprisonment on these charges.
Kenneth Valentine, 27, and Richard McCudden, 24, were convicted of assaulting cyclist Darren Molloy on Dundrum Road on 20 November 2013. Valentine struck Molloy in the face and McCudden joined the beating when Molloy tried to defend himself with his bike lock. The pair also pleaded guilty to damaging a taxi's front passenger window on Churchtown Road on the same day, causing €100 in damage. Valentine, an electrical engineering student at Rosemount Glade, had 11 prior convictions, including two assaults; McCudden, an apprentice electrician, had four prior convictions. Judge Martin Nolan sentenced Valentine to 14 months' imprisonment and McCudden to eight months, citing Valentine's larger role in the "savage" attack. Both pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The court noted the defendants' cooperation and prior remorse gestures, but did not alter the sentences.
A Dublin Circuit Criminal Court judge has permitted the removal of an unnamed 48-year-old man's name from the Sex Offenders' Register. Judge Martin Nolan stated that the Probation and Welfare Services deemed the appellant to be at low risk of re-offending. The man was originally jailed in March 1998 for three sex assaults, a sentence that was later reduced from four years to two and a half years on appeal. He was released in May 2002 and has maintained a conviction-free record since, having completed rehabilitation courses and complied with all requirements of the Sex Offenders Act. Defense counsel Luigi Rea BL submitted that the 1998 incident involved the touching of three 17-year-old male victims at a house party where alcohol was consumed. A garda inspector expressed concern regarding the drink-related nature of the original offense. Judge Nolan noted he could not impose conditions upon the removal of the name but advised the man to address any alcohol issues. The court ordered that the man's name be removed from the register effective immediately, subject to a four-week stay to allow the Director of Public Prosecutions the opportunity to appeal the decision.
Patrick Ryan, 37, a Dublin crystal‑meth addict, was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment for 16 robberies committed between January 2014 and January 2015. He admitted to stealing cash ranging from €136 to €1,400 from shops, petrol stations and businesses, as well as phones and cash from individuals. Ryan's crimes involved knives, syringes and an imitation firearm, and victims' ages ranged from young to 79‑year‑old. He had 129 prior convictions, including 12 robberies, 18 aggravated burglaries and two false imprisonment offences. Judge Martin Nolan, noting Ryan's guilty pleas and "sad" background, imposed a 10‑year sentence with consecutive elements and suspended the final two years. Ryan claimed he had been drug‑free for two years before the offences and that his drug habit had driven the robberies. The court accepted his admissions and the evidence presented by Gardaí and the prosecution.
An Algerian man, Amine Laib, aged 25, was jailed for one year after using a French passport under the name "Riadh Karim Laheen" to obtain a PPS number and claim €17,768 in Jobseeker's Allowance from 2012 to 2014. The fraud was uncovered when Laib applied for a PPS number as an asylum seeker under his real name and facial‑recognition software matched the photos from the PPS number issued to his assumed identity. Laib pleaded guilty at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to 11 counts of stealing cheques for €124 from the Department of Social Protection and to making a false French passport. He had no prior convictions. The judge noted Laib was "an intelligent, ambitious and very hard‑working young man" but imposed a custodial sentence to deter similar offences. The case highlighted the use of dual identities to claim social welfare payments.
An Algerian national, Amine Laib, aged 25, used a false French passport under the name Riadh Karim Laheen to obtain a PPS number and claimed over €17,000 in Jobseeker's Allowance from 2012 to 2014. The fraud was uncovered when Laib applied for a PPS number as an asylum seeker under his real name in 2014, and facial‑recognition software matched his photographs to those on file for the assumed identity. He pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to 11 counts of theft of €124 from the Department of Social Protection and to making a false French passport. Laib admitted using both names because, as an Algerian citizen, he had no employment rights in Ireland and wanted to work. Garda Keith Morrissey reported that a social welfare inspector had alerted authorities to the fraud, leading to the seizure of documents from Laib's home.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court case, Christopher Maughan, aged 22, was sentenced to three years' imprisonment for robbing a 62‑year‑old taxi driver in Ballymun on 14 October 2014. Maughan pulled the driver's head back, threatening to cut his throat, and after the driver was dropped at a halting site, Maughan's friend walked around the car to take the keys. The driver was then forced to walk across fields while the two men fled in his vehicle. Maughan pleaded guilty to robbery of cash and a phone, and the court noted his 33 prior convictions, including robberies, knife possession and assaults. Garda Pamela Dunne reported that the driver had reported the crime to a station, and the stolen items were recovered from Maughan and his accomplice. The judge, Martin Nolan, accepted the guilty plea but found no significant mitigation due to Maughan's extensive criminal record.
David Ward (30) and Lynsey Ivory (27) staged a car crash to claim insurance. They pretended to be strangers, but FBD Insurance discovered they appeared in each other's Facebook profile pictures. Both pleaded guilty to attempting to defraud FBD between July 2013 and January 2014. Ward was the front‑seat passenger in an Opel Corsa that rear‑ended Ivory's Volkswagen Passat. They claimed injuries but denied knowing each other to Gardaí. Ward had seven prior convictions; Ivory had none. Judge Martin Nolan suspended one year of Ward's two‑year sentence, citing deterrence, and fully suspended Ivory's two‑year sentence because she had no prior convictions. Ward was jailed for one year, with the suspended portion not counted as custodial time. Both were married and have two children. The case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
David Ward (30) and Volkswagen Passat Lynsey Ivory (27), both of The Beeches, Clonshaugh, Priorswood, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to attempting to dishonestly by deception cause a loss to FBD Insurance on dates between July 22, 2013 and January 1, 2014. Both admitted to the charges and pleaded guilty. The case is at the sentence stage. Ward and Ivory were involved in a staged car crash where they pretended to be strangers. They were discovered when an FBD Insurance claims handler noted their appearance in each other's Facebook profile pictures. Both submitted personal injury claims to FBD Insurance, denying knowledge of each other during the investigation. Garda Neill Plunkett stated that inconsistencies in their accounts and the lack of airbag deployment raised suspicions. Ward has seven previous convictions for offences including criminal damage and theft, while Ivory has no convictions. The couple have two children and have since married. The matter will be sentenced tomorrow.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court case, a 17‑year‑old boy pleaded guilty to causing criminal damage to a care home and its car on 27 February 2015, with the damage amounting to €10,636. Judge Martin Nolan noted the boy had no prior convictions but was considered at high risk of re‑offending due to addictions and lack of parental support, according to a Probation Service report. He said the options for a non‑custodial sentence were "stark" and that the boy was not fit to be released into society. The boy was remanded at Oberstown Detention Centre awaiting a District Court case. The care home's house manager offered a place for the boy until he turns 18 and an after‑care programme thereafter. Judge Nolan adjourned the case until the District Court decision and asked for a report on the boy's supervision in the after‑care programme.
Aaron O'Neill, 20, and his friend Colin Hammond, 21, both from Balbriggan, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to making a false bomb report on Bath Road on 13 January 2015. O'Neill, after drinking and taking tablets, decided he did not want to go to work the next day and paid Hammond to call 999 from a payphone outside Hammond's home, claiming an Islamic State bomb threat at Intel. The hoax caused a motorway closure, disrupted air traffic control and prevented 4,000 Intel staff from working, costing the company an estimated 6,000 production hours. Judge Martin Nolan described the plan as "profoundly stupid" and ordered Hammond to serve 200 hours of community service instead of a two‑year sentence. O'Neill's case was adjourned to January for a probation report to determine suitability for community service. No prior convictions were recorded for either man.