Ross Gleeson, aged 29, was jailed for 18 months after a bag of heroin worth €5,250 was found in the foot-well of a Garda patrol car he was in on the way to Sundrive Garda Station for questioning. The car was part of Operation Creeper, a drugs operation in Crumlin. Gleeson was arrested when Gardaí saw him enter the car, which had been under surveillance. He pleaded guilty to possession of the drugs for sale or supply on 24 October 2014. He had 31 previous convictions, mainly for traffic offences, and had earlier pleaded guilty to possession of €1,500 worth of heroin on 26 November 2014. In court, he admitted he intended to sell the drugs and had bagged them in his mother's kitchen. The judge noted his admissions, good work history, but significant conviction record.
Thomas Coffey, 31, of Carlow, was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment after pleading guilty to stealing €4,800 from 81‑year‑old Sinclair Downey in September 2013. Coffey, who had 19 prior convictions including four for theft, was part of a fraud ring that overcharged Downey for roof work. Garda Colleen Doherty described how Coffey and accomplice Patrick O'Brien called Downey's home, claiming he owed further payments for unauthorised work, and then accompanied him to a bank to withdraw the cash. CCTV footage captured the men waiting with Downey and receiving the money. Coffey was arrested in Kerry in November 2013 and later admitted his role after a mobile‑phone call was found. The judge described the offence as an "odious crime" and noted Coffey's psychiatric treatment at Kerry General Hospital. O'Brien, 32, was jailed for four years for a similar theft of €14,200 from Downey.
Archili Mindadze, a 40‑year‑old Georgian restaurateur, was sentenced to three years in prison for assaulting Romanian dentist Iurii Borta in Borta's surgery on 1 October 2012. Mindadze and a co‑accused demanded protection money from Borta, asking "Who is your roof?" and threatened to leave Ireland or pay if the police were called. During the attack Mindadze sliced Borta's hand and struck him in the face. Borta suffered scarring, numbness and anxiety. Mindadze admitted presence at the surgery but denied using the knife, claiming the co‑accused supplied it. He has 14 prior convictions, including dangerous driving and theft. The judge suspended the final six months of a 3½‑year sentence, leaving an effective custodial term of three years. The case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, with prosecution by Fiona Murphy BL and defence by Marc Thompson BL. The sentencing hearing took place in October 2015. Archili Mindadze pleaded guilty.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court case, a 49‑year‑old Clare man was sentenced to three years' imprisonment for sexually assaulting an eight‑year‑old girl during a sleep‑over at his home on 11 November 2005. The court found that he had grabbed the child while she was separated from other children and sexually molested her, then denied the charge. He had previously been convicted of abusing a female relative, for which he was already serving a 15‑year term, and had 41 prior convictions including sexual assault and rape. The judge, Patricia Ryan, imposed the three‑year sentence to run concurrently with his existing sentence. The defendant, represented by Keith Spencer BL, did not accept the jury's verdict and intends to appeal. The victim, in a court‑read impact report, expressed relief at being able to move past the incident.
Two Romanian men, Vasile Bizau (24) and Ioan Bizau (31), were convicted in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for a scheme that involved attaching a card‑trapping device to ATMs and using an iPod Nano to record customers' PINs. The trial, which lasted four weeks and heard 80 witnesses, resulted in seven counts of possession of stolen ATM cards for each defendant and additional counts of theft and possession of a card‑trapping device. Judge Melanie Greally sentenced Ioan to four and a half years and Vasile to three and a half years, suspending the final year of each term on the condition that they leave Ireland and do not return for ten years. The case was built on extensive CCTV footage, recovered devices, and forensic evidence collected by Gardaí, who praised the police work in the investigation. Ioan Bizau pleaded guilty.
A 33‑year‑old Chinese man, Nianjie He, was sentenced to three and a half years' imprisonment after pleading guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to unlawfully cultivating cannabis at his apartment on Wolfe Tone Street. The cultivation, valued at €100,800, involved 126 plants at various growth stages, humidifiers, fans and weighing scales, but no flowering buds. Gardaí were alerted by the apartment block manager, discovered the plants, and seized the premises with a warrant. He was found injured two floors below the window he had jumped from. He had previously been jailed for three years in Galway for a similar offence. He admitted to watering and feeding the plants daily, claiming he harvested them for up to €11,000 per crop and that most proceeds were used to pay a large gambling debt. He denied purchasing the plants but said he supplied them to third parties who paid him.
A 16‑year‑old, who bought a car on donedeal.ie for €400, crashed it later that day, killing his 15‑year‑old friend Dayne Cody. The boy, who was 15 at the time of the crash, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to 16 months of detention, with the remainder of a four‑year term suspended. He pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death, driving without a licence and without insurance. The car, an automatic 2002 Kia Magentis, had been driven at speeds far above the 50 kph limit and spun into a tree after the driver accelerated in panic upon seeing a Garda van. The incident left one boy with a 90 % foot amputation and others with minor injuries. The court noted the boy's lack of prior convictions and his remorse, and the Children Act 2001 guided the decision to impose detention rather than imprisonment.
In November 2015, a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court sentenced 27‑year‑old Dean Teeling to eight years' imprisonment for a series of violent assaults. Teeling pleaded guilty to violent disorder and to stabbing Ian McKenna, a 28‑year‑old man, eight times after a brawl at Central Bank Plaza on 9 September 2013. He also pleaded guilty to slashing Gerard McKeever, a 24‑year‑old, across the face with a razor blade at McDonald's on 24 April 2014, and to slashing French tourist Loic Marie‑Magdaleine across the face with a razor blade on Fleet Street on the same day. Each razor‑blade assault carried a maximum five‑year sentence, but the judge imposed four years for each of the three razor‑blade assaults to run consecutively with the four‑year sentence for the stabbing, giving a total of eight years.
In 2015, 19‑year‑old Martin Joyce was jailed for one year and banned from driving for four years after he ran a red light at a pedestrian crossing on Malahide Road, Dublin, and struck six‑year‑old Jennifer Casey. Joyce's van threw Casey into the air, fracturing her femur and causing abdominal injuries. Casey was initially in a wheelchair for weeks and later recovered physically, though she and her family reported ongoing nightmares and fear of roads. Joyce had previously been convicted for leaving the scene of an earlier accident. The court cited his failure to remain at the scene as a gravely aggravating factor, imposing a two‑year custodial sentence with the final year suspended. He was also disqualified from driving for four years. The case highlighted the serious impact of dangerous driving on a child victim and her family.
Patrick Murphy, 27, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of a stolen Apple iPod and to handling a stolen BMW 5 Series parked at an apartment on Main Street, Clongriffin, on 18 August 2014. The car and iPod had been taken in a burglary of a house at The Links, Donabate, four days earlier. Murphy, who was staying in the apartment at the time, told gardaí he was paid a few hundred euros to let others park the car for the night, claiming he did not know who would pay him and that he had done it because he owed a drug debt from his cocaine use. He denied any involvement in the burglary and said he did not have the car keys. Judge Martin Nolan suspended a one‑year prison sentence. Murphy has 25 previous convictions, including drug dealing, firearms offences, criminal damage and car theft.
John Ryan, aged 35, was sentenced to 21 months in prison after pleading guilty to false imprisonment and burglary at a house in Kimmage, Dublin, on 9 February 2015. Ryan had taken ten sleeping tablets before arriving at the residence and forced his way in, claiming to have a gun. He instructed the female students living there to lie on the floor and tie themselves with electrical cords. One student fled, prompting Ryan to chase her. Gardaí arrived shortly after, found Ryan still outside, and arrested him. Judge Martin Nolan described Ryan's conduct as bizarre and terrifying, noting that the tablets were not an excuse but that Ryan had not intended to break in or imprison anyone. The judge considered Ryan's cooperation, personal difficulties, and prior convictions, including two robberies in 2008, a knife possession, and burglary, before imposing the sentence.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court case, 27‑year‑old Dean Moran of Emmet Square, Blackrock, pleaded guilty to possession of a realistic imitation firearm after threatening Irish Water workers with a plastic handgun model hidden in his tracksuit. The court found Moran had deliberately frightened the workers, who were installing water meters nearby, and had shouted threats such as "If you come near my house you will get this." Judge Martin Nolan, noting Moran's guilty plea and the seriousness of the threat, imposed a suspended sentence of two and a half years. The sentence was suspended, and Moran was ordered to raise €1,000 for a charity chosen by Garda Gordon Woulfe within 12 months. No custodial term was imposed, and the case was closed with the suspended sentence and community service requirement.
Alan Stone, 33, was sentenced to 16 months' imprisonment after a series of thefts and a bizarre act of defecation in a Garda interview room. During questioning on 28 April 2015, Stone repeatedly insisted he needed to use the toilet, was offered escort to his cell, but instead he pulled down his trousers, squatted in the corner of the interview room and defecated, wiping himself with a seal from the interview video tapes. The incident prompted the Garda to clear the room for health and safety reasons and the interview was terminated. Stone also pleaded guilty to stealing two boxes of Fairy Liquid tablets from Centra, Dame Street, and was found to have 165 prior convictions, mainly for theft. The judge noted the unusual nature of the act and suggested that abstaining from drugs could improve his prospects of reform. The case highlighted the extent of Stone's heroin addiction and the impact of his criminal behaviour on the Garda station.
Trevor Curtis (35), of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to two offences. On April 14, 2014, he was found in a laneway off Bedford Lane, Temple Bar, Dublin, in possession of a syringe which he brandished at gardai. Evidence indicated that Curtis had injected himself with a head shop drug and was experiencing hallucinations, believing he was under attack by demons. Garda Paul Gray pepper-sprayed Curtis after he refused to drop the syringe. Curtis also pleaded guilty to robbing a betting shop on Wicklow Street, Dublin, on October 27, 2014, during which he pointed a syringe at a pregnant employee and took €355 in cash. Judge Martin Nolan released Curtis into the custody of the Probation Services, conditional on his residence at a drug treatment centre and compliance with all directions. Curtis has 43 previous convictions, including three similar offences and previous sentences for robbery, including a suspended sentence at Longford Circuit Court.
Anne-Marie Byrne, 30, of Clontarf, Dublin, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to multiple offences. Judge Mary Ellen Ring imposed a two-year sentence for the burglary of Joseph Rowe's home in Sutton on January 24, 2011, and an 18-month sentence for two separate robberies at Xtravision video stores in Ongar Village and Blanchardstown Shopping Centre on April 6 and 7, 2013. The judge ordered that these sentences be served consecutively, resulting in a total effective custody period of three and a half years. Prosecution evidence alleged that Byrne entered Mr. Rowe's home with an accomplice posing as a garda, while in the video store incidents, she wore a balaclava and guarded the doors while others stole goods. Byrne admitted to the charges, stating she was paid €200 for the shop robberies, which she spent on drugs. The court noted her 12 previous convictions and her status as a single mother on a methadone programme. No suspended portions or specific post-release conditions were detailed in the sentencing order. The matter was concluded with the imposition of these consecutive custodial terms.
Breifne O'Brien, 54, has lodged an appeal against a seven‑year prison sentence imposed on 8 October 2014 for 14 counts of deception that yielded about €8.5 million between 2003 and 2008. The appeal argues that Judge Patricia Ryan did not adequately consider mitigating factors such as O'Brien's lack of prior convictions, his guilty plea, remorse, cooperation, family circumstances and loss of social standing. Counsel Patrick McGrath SC also cited the negative publicity that turned O'Brien into a "social pariah" and the "Irish Bernie Madoff" label, claiming this public humiliation should have influenced sentencing. He further highlighted O'Brien's restitution efforts, including a €420,000 return and attempts to repay larger sums, and the lack of reference to these in the judge's remarks. The Director of Public Prosecutions, Kerida Naidoo SC, acknowledged the restitution but noted no further repayments were made. Judge George Birmingham, with Justices Garrett Sheehan and John Edwards, will reserve judgment and deliver a decision soon.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, former Marks and Spencers employee Nicoleta Costineanu, 28, and her sister Maria Talmaciu, 30, pleaded guilty to four counts of theft at the Grafton Street store in September 2014. Costineanu also pleaded guilty to an additional theft on 30 September. The sisters had previously stolen from the shop on four occasions, as shown by CCTV. The total value of stolen stock was estimated at €5,660 and cash at €1,952, none of which was recovered. Both Romanian nationals, who have lived in Ireland for several years, brought €3,000 in compensation to court. Judge Patricia Ryan imposed fully suspended one‑year sentences on each, citing the seriousness of the offence but accepting their remorse, guilty pleas and the compensation as mitigating factors. No prior convictions were recorded for either sister.
Leanne Goode, 21, pleaded not guilty to assaulting Paula McCarthy on the DART on 13 July 2013, but was convicted of the attack. She also pleaded not guilty to assaulting Richard McCarthy, breaching the peace and being intoxicated in public, and was acquitted on those charges. The court found Goode's conduct "unbecoming of a lady" when she boarded the train, roared, danced and "made an absolute and utter nuisance of herself." She punched Ms McCarthy in the face, fracturing her eye socket and causing a bleed. Ms McCarthy, who was on the train with her husband Richard, who has since passed away, received treatment and now wears glasses. In her victim impact report, Ms McCarthy asked the judge not to see Goode jailed, stating she was not vindictive and was remorseful.
Tanya Tate, 37, with 115 prior convictions, was jailed for two years after burglarising a house in Glenageary and trespassing on the curtilage or in the vicinity of four other houses on 29 May 2015. She had been released from prison the day before. Children playing outside noticed her attempting to open door handles of two houses, her car, and the letterbox of a third. At a fourth house she entered the garden and was confronted by the homeowner, whose wife had seen her from upstairs. A child aged between eight and ten rang the Garda. Tate then entered a fifth house, went upstairs, and was found in a bedroom. The homeowner brought her downstairs where she sat in a chair until Garda arrived. Money was recovered at the Garda station. Tate pleaded guilty, expressed deep regret, and claimed she had no recollection of the events, saying she was drunk and had taken tablets.
Ron Tulie, a 57‑year‑old former Dublin Fire Brigade fireman with a 30‑year unblemished record, was sentenced to seven years in prison for having a sexual relationship with a 16‑year‑old girl he met while teaching a first aid and fire safety course in 2008. He pleaded guilty to four counts of sexual intercourse with a child under 17, all occurring between June 1 and July 27, 2008, in the Dublin Mountains. The judge noted Tulie's position of authority as an aggravating factor and suspended the final two years of the sentence on strict conditions, including four years of post‑release supervision. Tulie will be registered as a sex offender, named in the media, and has lost the support of his family. He expressed remorse and was described by counsel as having a long, unblemished history with the fire institution before the case.
Corkman Colin Joyce, 35, was remanded in jail for three months after a judge said he had "signally failed" to stop him from sending harassing letters to the Royal College of Surgeons (RCSI). Joyce had previously received a three‑year suspended sentence in February for sending threatening letters to ten former supervisors and tutors at the college, after being refused re‑admission to complete his medical degree. The suspended sentence included a structured treatment plan for his autism spectrum disorder and a prohibition on contact with the college. The court heard that Joyce had continued to send letters and had committed other acts of harassment, including bomb‑threat phone calls to the Criminal Courts of Justice, St Patrick's Psychiatric Hospital and the Civic Offices at Wood Quay, as well as throwing paint at the RCSI building, breaking windows, and knocking over a trolley of Jehovah's Witness leaflets. Corkman Colin Joyce pleaded guilty.
James McLoughlin, 42, pleaded guilty to damaging a Bord Gais meter at Summer Street South, Dublin 8, between 2 July 2012 and 2 July 2013. Judge Patricia Ryan of the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court set a sentencing date of 29 January 2016, when the full facts will be heard. McLoughlin remains on continuing bail until that date.
David Mantle, 37, of Crumlin, pleaded guilty to attempted burglary at Maureen Burke's home in Clontarf on 3 July 2014. At 11 pm, after Ms Burke had gone to bed, she heard noises, thought they were her grandchildren, then heard a window smash and a man talking to himself. She went to the landing, saw Mantle, who smelled of alcohol, and he claimed he was in the wrong house. He left through the same window, and Ms Burke struck him with a belt of her walking stick. Garda Manus Keane investigated, used fingerprints on a broken window to identify Mantle, who was arrested in January 2015. He had 43 prior convictions, including robbery, attempted robbery and assault. He was extremely remorseful. Judge Patricia Ryan imposed a four‑year sentence, with the final year suspended on strict conditions, and Mantle was jailed for three years.
In Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Tadgh Butler, 34, known as Thomas O'Grady, pleaded guilty to assaulting Joanna Walsh on 30 April 2011 at St Patrick's Close, Kilkenny. Butler, a convicted murderer of Michael O'Dwyer, had 45 prior convictions. He broke a wine bottle, swung it at Walsh's face, and threatened to slit her throat. Walsh raised her arms to protect herself, later noticing blood on her arm. She asked Butler for an ambulance, but he refused, claiming he would be arrested. He was drunk and aggressive towards Walsh's family before being arrested. The DPP originally charged him with assault causing harm (maximum five years), but the State accepted a plea to common assault (maximum six months). The court imposed a four‑month sentence, to run concurrently with his life sentence for murder. The case was transferred from Kilkenny to Dublin due to publicity surrounding the murder charge.
Tony Kelly, a 50‑year‑old former restaurant manager, was found guilty of stealing €6,900 from La Maison restaurant in Castle Market, Dublin, after a dispute with the owner. He accessed the restaurant safe on a day off, took the money, and called the owner to say he would never see him again. Kelly pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 15 December 2014. He had no prior convictions and had previously owned a restaurant in Limerick from 2000 to 2005. The court noted he was on prescribed medication and under considerable stress from long work hours. Detective Garda Sarah Barry reported that Kelly had met with Gardaí a few weeks later, claiming the money was owed to him, a claim the owner denied. The judge accepted the dispute, acknowledged Kelly's impaired thinking, and ordered a one‑year suspended sentence with a requirement to repay the stolen amount.
In a Dublin cash‑box robbery, 38‑year‑old Glen Morgan, a chronic drug addict with 63 prior convictions, was jailed for three years. Morgan and accomplices followed a cash delivery van into a shopping centre car park, waited for the security guard to return with the takings, and then Morgan used an axe to seize the box containing €5,341.55. He fled in a car and later admitted to stealing the previous day. Morgan pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to robbing the cash box and to unlawful possession of a vehicle at the same location on 17 July 2014. The security firm's tracking led to the box's recovery at scrub‑land near St Doolagh's Park nursing home, where the stolen vehicle was also found. The judge, after hearing the defence's plea of a spiralling life, imposed a three‑year sentence and granted credit for time already spent in custody.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Russell Ward, aged 23, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for carrying on a sexual relationship with his step‑sister, who was 12 when the relationship began and 16 when it ended. Ward pleaded guilty to four counts of defilement for sexual intercourse that occurred in his home between 2009 and 2011. The victim, now 19, testified that Ward had "stolen all my teenage years," had self‑harmled and suffered from post‑traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression. Judge Martin Nolan noted the youth of both parties, the lack of force, and that the girl could not give consent due to her age. He imposed a four‑year sentence with the final two and a half years suspended, ordered 18 months of post‑release supervision, and required Ward to register as a sex offender. The judge also removed restrictions on publishing Ward's identity at the victim's request.
Brian Quinn, aged 47, was convicted in 2014 of seriously assaulting Lee Harte and assaulting Kurtis Lennon and James Toner Junior, and of producing a knife, after a series of stabbings at a birthday party on 9 October 2011. He was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment by Judge Carmel Stewart. Quinn has now filed an appeal, arguing that the trial judge's directions to the jury on the law of self‑defence were inconsistent. His counsel, Giollaíosa Ó Lideadha, SC, contended that the judge first instructed the jury that an honest belief in the necessity of force was required, then later told them to decide whether the type and amount of force used was reasonable, thereby mixing subjective and objective elements. The Court of Appeal, presided over by Justices Garrett Sheehan, Alan Mahon and John Edwards, has reserved judgment pending further consideration. The appeal concerns only the conviction, not the sentence. Brian Quinn pleaded not guilty.
An Algerian national, Khaled Benfares, aged 32, was found with 17 stolen mobile phones in his Rathmines flat, described by the court as an "Aladdin's cave". He pleaded guilty to eight charges of possessing stolen phones, claiming he had no contact details for the man who left the phones and that he had not stolen them himself. Benfares admitted that the presence of so many phones was suspicious and that he had allowed the flat to be used as a storage place for them. He had no prior convictions and was seeking refugee status in Ireland, having arrived in 2011. Judge Martin Nolan imposed a suspended sentence of two years, noting that imprisonment would be more difficult for a foreign national. The case was prosecuted by Ronan Kennedy BL and defended by Dean Kelly BL. The Garda raid was triggered by a tip‑off, and Benfares was arrested and interviewed five times before the court hearing.
Andrew Durran, aged 43, was sentenced to six years for sexually assaulting a woman he met at a party in December 2006. The assault occurred after most guests had left; the victim was alone in the living room, attempted to leave, but Durran pushed her down and forced penetration. She reported the incident to the police, and DNA evidence linked him. Durran denied the assault, claiming it was consensual, and described the allegation as "a whole lot of shit." He had 17 prior convictions, including a 2007 defilement of his daughter, for which he was already serving a seven‑year term. Judge Sarah Berkeley suspended the final 12 months of the new sentence, citing good behaviour and participation in a sex‑offender treatment course. The six‑year term runs concurrently with his existing sentence, adding only about four months of additional custody.
Christopher Lee, a 33‑year‑old former chef, pleaded guilty to an attempted robbery of Chapman's Superstore in Clondalkin on 12 March 2015. Lee entered the shop armed with a kitchen knife, waving it at shopkeeper James Chapman. Chapman responded by striking Lee with a piece of wood, resulting in the loss of the tip of his finger. Lee had previously been drug‑free and was studying to help others with addiction. He had 36 prior convictions, including two for robbery, and had been in state care from age nine. Judge Martin Nolan sentenced him to 20 months' imprisonment, noting his rehabilitation efforts. Lee admitted he had chosen the shop because it was near a Garda station, hoping to be arrested, and said he did not intend to harm anyone. The court recorded his remorse and his desire to stay drug‑free.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 11 November 2015, Judge Martin Nolan granted a novel application to remove a 61‑year‑old man from the sex offender register. The man had been convicted in March 2000 of indecent assault on his daughter over five years, beginning when she was seven, and of sexual assault when she was 23. He received a two‑year sentence in 2000 and had denied all charges. Probation Services had assessed him as low risk of re‑offending. Judge Nolan noted that the register's purpose is to monitor those who may pose a danger to society and questioned whether a low‑risk individual should remain listed. He ordered a stay of the removal for one month to allow the State to appeal, marking the first time a court had ruled on such an application.
Paul O'Brien, a 51‑year‑old credit controller at Finglas Credit Union, stole €1,669,696 over seven years by issuing 215 fraudulent loans and stealing 13 cheques. He used some of the money to repay the loans and to fund a severe gambling addiction, paying mortgage and credit‑card bills on three occasions. The net loss to the credit union was €453,300. O'Brien pleaded guilty to nine counts of theft and one count of falsifying a loan application for €17,000 between 2005 and 2012. He had no prior convictions. He was sentenced to three years' imprisonment, with the judge noting his good character and family life but citing the abuse of trust as an aggravating factor. He has since sought help for his gambling problem and has not been re‑arrested.
Colin Foley, 45, avoided jail after swinging bolt cutters at a 73‑year‑old parking warden, Michael Griffiths, in Tallaght. Foley had already received a €120 speeding fine that day and found a parking ticket on his van. He drove to the main street, stopped, and confronted Griffiths, who was working for APCOA. Foley took bolt cutters from his van, approached the warden, and, after a brief exchange, swung the cutters, knocking a radio from Griffiths' hand. Foley then fled, later turning himself in after a drink. He pleaded guilty to production of a weapon and theft. The court, noting Foley's financial difficulties and prior convictions, imposed a one‑year suspended sentence and ordered him to pay over €1,000 to the victim within a year. No jail term was imposed.
Barry Gray, aged 30, was sentenced to 21 months' imprisonment for assault causing harm and robbery after he repeatedly stabbed his ex‑partner in the face with a fork while she was holding their infant child. The incident occurred on 10 February 2015 in the woman's home on Dominic Street. Gray threatened to kill the child and demanded €150, taking the money despite the victim's explanation that it was needed for the baby's food. He had 47 prior convictions, including assaults and breaches of safety orders. The judge noted the presence of the child and the victim's attempt to protect him. After the attack, the victim was treated for shallow stab wounds and later called an ambulance. Gray pleaded guilty and expressed remorse, having written an apology letter. The case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Clive Keogh, a 40‑year‑old former businessman and graphic designer, was found guilty in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court of possessing a false travel pass in the name of Brad Pitt, along with four other fake passes on a USB key. He pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a false travel pass with intent to deceive. The judge, Catherine Murphy, noted Keogh's prior 18 minor convictions and his recent shop‑lifting charge, but also acknowledged his progress since July, including enrolment in a training course and secured accommodation. She imposed a nine‑month prison sentence, suspended in full on strict conditions, and ordered 240 hours of community service and engagement with the Probation Service for two years. The sentence was delivered after a Garda investigation that uncovered the fake passes and Keogh's cooperation with the authorities.
Bernard Daly, a former Anglo Irish Bank company secretary, was refused bail for the second time by the Court of Appeal pending his appeal against conviction. Daly, 67, pleaded not guilty to furnishing false information, conspiring to defraud the Revenue Commissioners, and conspiring to delete accounts from the bank's internal system. He was found guilty by a jury and sentenced to two years' imprisonment by Judge Patrick McCartan on July 31. His counsel argued the trial was unfair, specifically criticizing the trial judge's handling of an accomplice warning regarding evidence from former compliance head Brian Gillespie. Mr Justice George Birmingham, sitting with Justices Sheehan and Mahon, stated it was not possible to establish a strong chance of success at this stage, noting the issues would demand considerable attention at the hearing. The court set aside three days for Daly's appeal on January 13. Co-accused Tiarnan O'Mahoney, the former Chief Operations Officer, will also move to appeal his conviction on that date; he had denied furnishing false information and conspiring to delete accounts and defraud the Revenue. O'Mahoney did not seek bail. Aoife Maguire, a former assistant manager, has not sought bail but was granted a priority hearing date of December 23 for her appeal against sentence. Maguire had denied conspiring to delete accounts and defraud the Revenue. The matter remains adjourned pending these hearings.
David Gill, a 40‑year‑old GAA coach from Leopardstown, pleaded guilty in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possessing €560,000 worth of cannabis for sale or supply at three Dublin locations on 22 August 2013. He was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment by Judge Martin Nolan on 29 July 2014. Gill's appeal to the Court of Appeal was dismissed on 9 November 2015. Justice Alan Mahon, sitting with Justices Garrett Sheehan and John Edwards, held that the seven‑year sentence was not excessive. During a Garda surveillance operation Gill was stopped in a white van on Kylemore Road where 8.5 kg of cannabis herb worth €171,000 was found; a follow‑up search of a lock‑up yielded 19.5 kg of cannabis resin worth €389,000, and €30,000 in cash was discovered hidden in a pool table at his home.
Alan Wilson, 36, of New Street Gardens, Dublin, was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment for a meat‑cleaver attack on Dromheath Drive, Blanchardstown, on 3 June 2009. He and David Crowley, 38, had pleaded not guilty to trespass and assault. Wilson was also charged with murder, for which he was later acquitted. While awaiting trial for the murder, Wilson spent 12 months in custody. The Court of Appeal, on 12 April 2013, reduced Wilson's sentence by one year, citing the time he had already been deprived of liberty. Judge George Birmingham explained that Wilson's bail for the meat‑cleaver attack remained in force even though he was in custody on the murder charge. Wilson's counsel argued the original seven‑year term was excessive, noting his lack of prior prison experience and the absence of a victim impact report. Wilson did not react to the resentencing. The final sentence was six years' imprisonment.
Alan Ring, 24, of Mac William Park, Tallaght, was arrested after a car was rammed into the rear door of St Joseph's Church, Terenure Road, on 8 August 2014. Gardaí received a report at 5.15 am and found the vehicle's engine still running. Ring and two other men were apprehended while ransacking the church for money. They had not taken any items but broke glass panels and damaged the sacristy door, causing €12,175 in damage. Ring pleaded guilty to burglary at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Judge Desmond Hogan sentenced him to a three‑year term, suspended for two years, citing the seriousness of the damage and the men's intoxication. In a separate case, Ring pleaded guilty to unauthorised vehicle use in Greenhills, Dublin 12, and received a suspended one‑year term. The court noted his 15 prior convictions, including burglary. The sentence reflects the severity of the church burglary and the overall conduct of the offenders.
Joseph Byrne, aged 21, was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment for assault causing serious harm after he slashed a teenage boy's face with a knife on 4 February 2014. Byrne approached the boy, accusing him of having his X‑Box console, and cut a 10‑cm slash from the boy's ear to his lip, requiring 36 stitches and leaving a likely permanent scar. He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Byrne had 15 prior convictions, including two for knife possession, and was suffering from schizophrenia and depression at the time of the attack. Judge Desmond Hogan imposed a seven‑year sentence with the final two years suspended, ordering psychiatric care while in custody and 12 months of probation monitoring after release. Byrne also received a suspended one‑year sentence for a burglary committed while on bail, which will run consecutively with the seven‑year term.
Richard Molloy, a 44‑year‑old printer from Kildare, was convicted of possessing equipment for producing counterfeit banknotes and sentenced to six years in prison. He had been selling €20,000 of fake €50 notes to an IRA associate in exchange for €2,200, and a Special Detective Unit search uncovered over €2 million in counterfeit notes and the machinery used to make them. Molloy admitted he was working with the IRA but denied direct involvement with the organisation. He pleaded guilty to possession of counterfeiting tools after initially being charged with membership of an illegal organisation. The court, after hearing his financial difficulties and family circumstances, imposed the full six‑year term without suspension.
In November 2015, the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard the case of Robert Smith, a 37‑year‑old father of seven from Crumlin, who had lost his home during the recession and turned to cocaine. Smith had pleaded guilty to possession of heroin on three occasions – at his home in September 2014, at Sarsfield Road in March 2015 and at Kevin Street Garda station in April 2015. He had been caught with €1,950 worth of heroin in March 2015 and later with €3,000 and €2,700 worth of heroin in March and April 2016, while on bail. Judge Desmond Hogan noted Smith's history as a good father and provider, his financial collapse after work dried up around 2008, and the threats he faced from drug dealers. He imposed consecutive sentences totalling five years, which were suspended in full, and highlighted that Smith was now drug‑free and working to rebuild his life with his wife's support.
Farhad Khorang, 38, received a 21‑month suspended sentence after pleading guilty to assaulting his wife on 18 November 2014. The incident involved Khorang punching and biting his wife, who was later locked in their apartment for four days before escaping to a refuge. Garda Neil Canny reported that the woman later wished to drop the assault allegation and returned to Khorang. The Director of Public Prosecutions pursued the case despite her recantation. Khorang, of Kurdish‑Iranian origin and naturalised Irish, had no prior convictions. A passerby alerted Gardaí to a woman on a balcony seeking help; translations from French to English allowed Gardaí to break down the door. The woman, with bruises and a bite mark on her knee, testified that she and her baby had been locked in the premises overnight. The judge described the attack as "reprehensible" but found no useful purpose in imprisoning Khorang, noting it would be his first and last chance.
Michael Doyle, aged 22 at the time of the offence, was sentenced by Judge Patricia Ryan to a three‑year term with the final year suspended, following a guilty plea to defilement of a child under 15. The offence occurred on 23 July 2012 when Doyle, after meeting a 14‑year‑old girl on a bus, bought alcohol for her and a friend, and later took the girl to his father's home where they had sex. Doyle had 31 prior convictions, including violence, criminal damage, arson and handling stolen property. The judge noted Doyle's remorse, low risk of re‑offending in sexual matters, and the seriousness of the charge and victim's age. Doyle was held in custody pending sentencing after failing to attend a previous hearing. The victim reported lasting psychological effects, including paranoia, school‑work disruption, flashbacks, loneliness and isolation.
John McDonagh, 36, a married father of three from St. Louises Park, Temple Hill, Blackrock, pleaded guilty in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to threatening to kill or seriously harm Garda Donacha Ryan during a search at his halting site on 4 December 2014. He had eleven prior convictions. Judge Desmond Hogan, after hearing evidence in July 2015, adjourned sentencing to allow a probation report. On 6 November 2015, Hogan imposed a four‑year sentence, suspended on conditions including 240 hours of unpaid community work and completion of drug or alcohol treatment programmes as directed by the Probation Service. The court noted that McDonagh had threatened Garda Ryan with petrol and a knife, and had also made threats to other Gardaí. The judge described the area as "an almost no‑go area for Gardaí.".
Ian Waters, 35, of Springfield Heights, Newtownmountkennedy, was sentenced to six years' imprisonment with two years suspended for harassing and threatening two former partners, Orla Sheridan and Amy Tresson, over money. He pleaded guilty to harassing Sheridan with mobile calls and texts from 19 August to 10 December 2013, and to making menacing demands of Tresson between May and July 2014. Waters claimed he was under debt pressure and sought cash from Sheridan, who lent him over €10,000, and from Tresson, who gave him €1,000 after he threatened to drag her from work and kick her in the head. He threatened to shoot or kill both women and their families. Judge Patricia Ryan imposed consecutive sentences totalling six years, suspended two years, and ordered Waters to stay away from Sheridan and her family for twenty years. No prior convictions were recorded.
Brian Gavin, 28, was driving from Mullingar to Lucan at speeds up to 160 km/h when he clipped a car's wing mirror and later collided with a Skoda, causing Gerard Nolan to suffer a broken hip, broken leg, facial fractures and permanent scarring. Gavin then struck another vehicle before stopping. He told Gardaí he was trying to kill himself, citing suicidal thoughts and a desire to leave his family home. He has bipolar disorder, had stopped his medication, and had a prior suicide attempt. Gavin pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm and failing to stop, and to a second dangerous driving offence. He passed a roadside breath test. Judge Sarah Berkeley adjourned the case to monitor his medication compliance and imposed a mandatory four‑year driving ban.
In November 2015, Mariola Machura, a 42‑year‑old Polish woman from Sosnowiec, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of a stolen BMW X5 that had been "cloned" with false registration plates. The vehicle was seized by undercover Gardaí at Airside Business Park, Swords, after they responded to a suspicious online advert. The car had been stolen three months earlier and had been fitted with the plates and electronic control unit of a scrapped BMW five‑seater. Machura was described by the judge as a follower rather than a leader in the scheme and was given an 18‑month sentence, which was suspended in full. She had no prior convictions. Her estranged husband, who had been arrested earlier, received a two‑year sentence for attempted theft. The case was prosecuted by James Dwyer BL, with Garda David Magee noting that Machura had acted under her husband's direction and was not a ring leader.
Michael Smyth, 66, a chronic alcoholic with a long history of homelessness and 362 prior convictions, was sentenced to two years' imprisonment for arson at a flat in Hogan Court, Dublin, on 12 August 2014. The fire caused €25,910 in damage. Smyth admitted to being intoxicated and possibly leaving a cigarette on his bed, which he said he had left that morning and not returned to. He denied any exchange of words with his upstairs neighbour, who had reported hearing him shout threats such as "I will burn you." Garda Amy Kelly confirmed that Smyth was living in accommodation provided by Dublin City Council at the time of the incident. Judge Martin Nolan, noting the serious danger and cost of the damage, imposed the sentence and backdated it to the date Smyth entered custody. The case was heard at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, where Smyth pleaded guilty.