Mark Kelly, 36, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to two offences of assault causing harm at The Schoolhouse Hotel, Ballsbridge, on 24 February 2014. Judge Mary Ellen Ring imposed a two-and-a-half-year sentence for these assaults, ordered to run consecutively to a three-year sentence for a burglary at Kincora Road, Clontarf, on 23 February 2012. The burglary sentence was backdated to July 2013. Kelly also received a two-year sentence for admitting to taking part in a robbery of an iPhone and wallet on Harcourt Street on 23 July 2012. Additionally, a four-year jail sentence for aggravated burglary, originally suspended in 2012, was activated in October 2013. The court noted Kelly has 34 previous convictions, including burglary and robbery, and has spent over 13 of the last 15 years in custody. During sentencing, Kelly apologized and stated he was taking cocaine at the time of the burglary. His defense counsel highlighted his history of heroin addiction, noting he stopped abusing the drug in 2006. The matter was finalized with the imposition of these consecutive and concurrent sentences.
A Luas tram driver saw 35‑year‑old Darren Canning throw an object through a ground‑floor window of an empty Carrig Court apartment near a tram stop. She called Luas Control, which monitored the apartment on CCTV until Garda Ciaran Kilcoyne arrived. Kilcoyne entered through the broken window, found Canning in the bedroom with a mobile phone, a camera and two zip‑lock bags of jewellery, and arrested him after pepper‑spraying him. Canning, who has no fixed abode and 67 previous convictions including 18 burglaries, pleaded guilty to trespass with intent to commit theft and criminal damage to the window on 1 March 2015. He was sentenced to three years' imprisonment, with the judge noting his resistance to arrest as an aggravating factor. The case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, with prosecution by Dara Hayes BL and defence by Luigi Rea BL.
Aaron Weinrib, 37, of Cambridge Villas, Rathmines, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to eight theft and fraud charges for selling bogus package holidays between June and December 2010. He marketed three holiday packages to New York, Las Vegas and Cape Town, claiming to be an agent for "Top Flight". Weinrib admitted he had never worked for Top Flight and that the documents he provided were forged. He stole €27,600 from 20 people, keeping €23,600 and returning €4,000. The court imposed a two‑year suspended sentence and ordered him to repay the remaining €23,600 over two years. The judge noted his cooperation, lack of prior convictions and the psychological report indicating anxiety, stress and a recent bipolar diagnosis. No further convictions or outcomes were mentioned in the article.
Corporal Damian Flood, 39, was arrested on 15 March 2013 near Nutgrove, Dublin, with €9,814 worth of cannabis herb. He initially claimed the drugs were to pay a €40,000 debt but later explained he had purchased them after researching that juiced cannabis could relieve pain. Flood said he intended to use the substance to ease the suffering of his wife, who was terminally ill with breast cancer and died about five months later. He pleaded guilty to possessing the drug for sale or supply, apologized, and described the act as a moment of madness. Judge Mary Ellen Ring, considering Flood's long service, financial pressure and good character, applied the Probation Act instead of imprisonment, resulting in no conviction being recorded. The case highlighted Flood's three‑year‑old retirement plan and the potential financial impact of a prison sentence.
Dean Adams, 22, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault causing harm after delivering a running kick to Deomid Ryabkov's forehead on 19 February 2012. Ryabkov was attacked while attempting to recover stolen headphones. Adams, who claimed the thief was a friend, later expressed remorse. Judge Mary Ellen Ring imposed a suspended sentence of three and a half years, conditioned on Adams keeping the peace and engaging with Probation Service education and training programmes. Adams has 52 prior convictions, including assault, theft, public order and road traffic offences. He expressed a desire to apologise to the victim and continue drug treatment, noting his problems arise mainly when intoxicated. The court noted the assault was unprovoked and resulted in a severe skull fracture for Ryabkov.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, a jury was informed that former Anglo Irish Bank chairman Sean FitzPatrick was not a defendant in the case. Brendan Grehan SC defended Tiarnan O'Mahoney, former chief operations officer, who, along with former company secretary Bernard Daly and former assistant manager Aoife Maguire, pleaded not guilty to seven counts of conspiracy to defraud Revenue. The prosecution alleged that the trio concealed or omitted accounts linked to FitzPatrick from the bank's Core Banking System and from documents supplied to Revenue during an investigation into bogus non‑resident accounts potentially liable for Deposit Interest Retention Tax. Grehan argued that there was no evidence of loss to Revenue, no evidence that O'Mahoney knew the details of the accounts, and that FitzPatrick's alleged motive was to avoid future scrutiny as he moved from CEO to chairman.
Alan Rees, 31, of Tinure, Dunleer, Co. Louth, was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment in March 2015 for possessing cat litter and other items used to launder fuel. He pleaded guilty to one count of keeping prohibited goods used for removing the marker from mineral oil at Ballycoolin Business Park, Blanchardstown, Dublin, on 17 May 2013. Customs officers had intercepted him while removing 2,000 litres of laundered fuel from a business premises in Blanchardstown, and he admitted to removing 2,000 litres almost every second day for six months. The court found large and complex machinery and estimated the fuel‑laundering operation cost the State €62,000 in lost revenue. On appeal, the 18‑month sentence was reduced to 12 months, with the final six months suspended, as decided by Mr Justice Mahon, Mr Justice Birmingham and Mr Justice Sheehan.
In a 2015 case, 51‑year‑old Rosemary Kane of Willow Vale, Ballybrack, pleaded guilty to impeding the apprehension of a person after a robbery on Wyattville Road, Loughlinstown, on 23 April 2011. The robbery involved two armed men who stopped Kane's car, forced her to drive, and later left with €1,140 in cash. Kane, frightened and nervous, drove to Killiney Shopping Centre, where she took a bag left by the robbers and threw it into a charity clothes bin. Garda Bernard Dunne traced the Mazda used by the robbers to Kane and called her on her mobile; she agreed to wait for the officers at the shopping centre car park. The officers arrested her there. CCTV footage showed her placing the bag in the bin, and investigators later retrieved the knives from the bin. Kane denied concealing evidence, stating she was afraid for her life and did not want to get involved.
Robert Spratt, 31, of Finglas, was jailed for two and a half years after pleading guilty to possessing 1,487 g of cannabis worth €29,758. He was caught at Finglas Garda Station on 25 November 2011, where a smell of cannabis was detected by Garda David McKenna. Spratt admitted he had been hired to transport the drug to settle a past debt and that he had been pressured by a €300‑weekly drug habit. He had 40 prior convictions, mainly for traffic offences, and was found to have a difficult upbringing.
Michael McDonald, 44, was arrested after a burglary at a priest's house in Cherry Orchard, Dublin, where he stole a Yankees baseball cap and a Lourdes purse containing €660. He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Judge Patricia Ryan imposed a suspended prison term of one year, suspended for three years, conditioned on McDonald keeping the peace and continuing drug treatment with Probation Services, and on his participation in victim empathy programmes. The burglary occurred on 15 August 2013; the priest discovered the front door unlocked and a side‑room window shattered, with the house ransacked. McDonald admitted the theft to Gardaí, apologized to the priest, and was wearing the stolen cap and purse when apprehended. He has 27 prior convictions, including a 2002 sentence of three years for robbery and assault offences. His defence lawyer, Keith Spencer BL, cited his upbringing in the Travelling community and his son's success as a professional footballer.
Rachel Keogh, aged 24, was sentenced to one year in prison for acting as a lookout and participating in a savage unprovoked attack on an elderly homeless man. Keogh kicked the victim at least five times while her co‑accused stamped on the victim's head and chest more than ten times. The pair claimed they stopped the assault when they believed the victim was dead. The attack, recorded on CCTV, took place at the Four Courts building where the victim was sleeping rough. Keogh had previously pleaded guilty to robbery in 2014 and had failed to appear for sentencing in 2014, leading to a bench warrant. She has 13 prior convictions, including theft and handling stolen property. The judge ordered her to cooperate with probation services and submit to urine analysis for 12 months after release.
Kirsty Doyle, a 25-year-old woman from East Wall, Dublin, was sentenced to nine months in prison for smuggling a mobile phone into Mountjoy Prison. At Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Doyle pleaded guilty to bringing a prohibited item into the facility on September 9, 2013. The court heard that she agreed to transport the phone internally in exchange for €500, a decision attributed to her heroin and crack cocaine addiction and homelessness at the time. Gardaí reported that Doyle initially denied carrying contraband when a metal detector was activated but subsequently handed over a phone wrapped in a condom, which she had removed from her underwear. She refused to identify the individuals who requested the delivery or the intended recipient, citing fear. Judge Martin Nolan acknowledged Doyle's guilty plea and co-operation but determined that a custodial sentence was warranted. In mitigation, her defence counsel highlighted her history of drug addiction, previous trauma, and current sobriety, describing her as a pawn in the scheme. The court also noted her 29 previous minor convictions for offences including shoplifting and common assault. The nine-month term represents the effective custody imposed by the judge, with no suspended portions or specific conditions detailed in the finalisation.
A 77‑year‑old Dublin man was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment after pleading guilty to six sample counts of indecent assault and sexual assault. The indictment covered 18 counts of abuse that occurred over a six‑year period in the 1970s and a four‑year period in the late 1990s. He had adopted his daughter, now 61, when she was four. She was abused between 1972 and 1978, when she was aged eight to 14, and described the abuse as a "living hell" that left her with nightmares and a failed marriage. His granddaughter, now 22, was abused between 1997 and 2001, when she was aged four to eight. She reported feeling intimidated and that the abuse ruined her family relationships. The man admitted the offences, was voluntarily reported to the Gardaí, and was found guilty. The judge noted the prolonged nature of the offending and the breach of trust with the victims when imposing the sentence.
In a trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, three former Anglo Irish Bank officials—Tiarnan O'Mahoney, Bernard Daly, and Aoife Maguire—were accused of hiding or altering accounts linked to chairman Sean FitzPatrick to avoid tax liability. The prosecution argued that the officials deleted or archived six accounts and altered details on two others to conceal them from Revenue during an investigation into bogus non-resident accounts potentially liable for Deposit Interest Retention Tax. Evidence included emails and testimony that the officials were motivated by their connection to FitzPatrick and the desire to protect his interests, particularly concerning an account belonging to his brother‑in‑law, John Peter O'Toole. The jury was told the case involved conspiracy to conceal financial records, but no verdict was reached on FitzPatrick's guilt or innocence. The prosecution's closing statement was delivered by Dominic McGinn SC, after which counsel for O'Mahoney addressed the jury. Bernard Daly pleaded not guilty. Aoife Maguire pleaded not guilty.
A 17‑year‑old, who cannot be named because he is under‑age, was sentenced by the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to three and a half years in prison, with the final 18 months suspended, for two robberies committed in April 2014 when he was 15. He pleaded guilty to the robberies and to resisting arrest at one scene. The offences involved violent assaults on a 52‑year‑old stroke survivor and a man in an alleyway, both of whom were punched and robbed of personal property, including a thesis the survivor had worked on for six months. The teenager was under a peace bond at the time and had an accomplice who was sentenced separately to four years with 18 months suspended. Judge Martin Nolan noted the serious violence and long‑term effects on the victims, and the sentence was conditional on good behaviour and compliance with probation services upon release.
Darren McKevitt, 26, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to arson of a car, dangerous driving, driving under the influence, driving without insurance, three counts of assault, possession of a stolen Toyota Avensis, a stolen PSV certificate, an Irish driving licence and insurance certificate, and unlawful possession of a stun gun. The offences occurred on 31 October 2014 at Durrow Road, Crumlin, and on 24 November 2014 at Cushlawn Park, Tallaght. A blood sample showed he was five times over the legal alcohol limit. Judge Patricia Ryan imposed a probation bond, requiring McKevitt to work with probation officers, undergo drug rehabilitation and employment training, and to return to court on 1 July 2016. He was arrested after Garda Michael Creegan and Garda Micheal O'Sullivan chased him following the bonfire incident, during which McKevitt assaulted three gardaí and was later taken to Crumlin Garda Station. The court noted his nine previous convictions, including possession of drugs for sale or supply.
In July 2015 a Dublin teenager, Scott Cunningham, 18, was sentenced to four and a half years for burglary and assault. He pleaded guilty to breaking into a student's house on Beaumont Road, removing a patio door, and taking a mobile phone. He also pleaded guilty to assaulting Felipe Loughran on Westmoreland Street, where he repeatedly stood on Loughran's head and stamped on it three times. Witnesses described Cunningham as "dancing" on the victim's head while another shouted "kill him, kill him". Cunningham had 15 prior convictions, including burglary. Judge Martin Nolan suspended the final 18 months of the sentence, describing the assault as vicious and noting Loughran's injuries. The court heard Cunningham was not the ringleader of the burglary. The case involved a co‑accused, Calvin Cunningham, who was to be sentenced separately. The article reports Cunningham's background, including long‑term medication for ADHD and drug use. The sentencing took place at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
The trial of three former Anglo Irish Bank officials—Aoife Maguire, Tiarnan O'Mahoney and Bernard Daly—reached its closing stages after 23 days of prosecution evidence. They are accused of hiding or omitting accounts linked to former chairman Sean FitzPatrick from the bank's Core Banking System and from documents supplied to Revenue between 2003 and 2004. One account was in the name of FitzPatrick's brother‑in‑law, John Peter O'Toole. The defendants pleaded not guilty to seven counts and the court will hear closing speeches and a judge's address tomorrow.
Desmond Collopy, aged 29, was jailed for six and a half years after he killed 50‑year‑old Eamon Cronin while driving a Volkswagen Golf. Collopy had six active disqualification orders and had been drinking heavily that night, having consumed at least nine pints of lager and cocktails before driving. Witnesses said he was showing off and jerking the steering wheel, accelerating before striking Cronin, who had just crossed the road to break up a fight. Collopy left the scene, told passengers that a bottle had been thrown at his car, and later continued drinking at a B&B. He pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death, driving without insurance, driving while disqualified and failing to stop at the scene. The court also imposed a ten‑year driving disqualification. The judge noted that Collopy's actions showed "total contempt for road traffic law" and that he had caused the death of a "good Samaritan.".
A young Wicklow man has been jailed for his part in two armed robberies of school children. During one robbery, Aaron Doyle punched a schoolboy in the face before taking his smart mobile phone. Doyle (19) of Cois Cairn, Old Connaught Avenue, Bray, Co Wicklow pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to robbery and attempted robbery at the Dodder Walkway, Irishtown on May 19, 2014. He also admitted robbery at Marlborough Road, Glenageary, Dublin on the same date. Judge Martin Nolan said Doyle had 'picked on young boys'. He suspended the last 15 months of a three year prison sentence on condition he keeps the peace for that period. Doyle's eleven previous convictions include an offence of handling stolen property for which he is already serving a ten month sentence. The matter was adjourned.
Folajimmy Awode, 31, was found guilty of sexually assaulting a female patient at the Mater Private Hospital in Dublin. He had been working part‑time as a care assistant and had cleaned the patient's toilet that evening. The victim, who was on muscle relaxants and Valium, reported feeling a rubbing sensation on her right breast after she fell asleep. She later described Awode standing by her bed, moving his hand away, and then leaving the room. Witnesses confirmed he entered the ward twice, left, and then returned to the patient's bedside for a few minutes. The judge noted pre‑meditation and breach of trust, suspended six months of a two‑year sentence, and placed Awode on the Sex Offenders' Register. He had prior convictions for dangerous driving and no insurance. The case was heard at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Folajimmy Awode pleaded not guilty.
In the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, the prosecution concluded its evidence in the trial of three former Anglo Irish Bank officials accused of concealing accounts from the Revenue as part of a tax‑evasion scheme. The accused—Tiarnan O'Mahoney (56), Bernard Daly (67) and Aoife Maguire (62)—have pleaded not guilty to seven counts. O'Mahoney denied ever instructing a subordinate to remove a name from a list of accounts supplied to the Revenue, and denied that he had asked team leader Zita Madden to do so. He also denied telling former head of compliance Brian Gillespie to omit the account of John Peter O'Toole, Mr FitzPatrick's brother‑in‑law, from a list. The prosecution's evidence, which has lasted 23 days, included interviews, emails and a loan facility letter. The jury will hear later this week whether the defence intends to call witnesses. The trial continues before Judge Patrick McCartan and a jury of twelve.
Gary McMenamin, aged 22 and a former Shamrock Rovers scholarship recipient, was given a two‑year suspended sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for possessing a stolen Cartier watch worth €10,000. McMenamin was travelling by boat to the UK to trade the watch when Gardaí stopped him. He first claimed the watch belonged to his girlfriend, then said it had been offered to him by an acquaintance for €1,500. He pleaded guilty to possession of the watch at Stena Line on 9 October 2014. The watch had been stolen in an aggravated burglary in Wicklow in September 2014, though McMenamin was not involved in that burglary. He has six previous road‑traffic convictions and one conviction for failing to comply with Garda direction, all dating back to 2010. Judge Martin Nolan noted that McMenamin had no role in the burglary but must have suspected the watch was stolen before buying it.
A man aged 51 has been remanded on continuing bail ahead of trial on charges relating to the alleged sexual abuse of two young girls. Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard he faces 50 counts in total, comprising 40 counts of child exploitation, three of sexual assault, and seven of defilement of a child under 17. The alleged offences are said to have occurred between 2007 and 2011 at locations in Dublin and Donegal. Judge Martin Nolan scheduled the trial to commence on 25 May 2016, with proceedings expected to last approximately two weeks. The accused was sent forward from the District Court previously.
The trial of former Anglo Irish Bank officials Bernard Daly, Tiarnan O'Mahoney, and Aoife Maguire continues before Judge Patrick McCartan and a jury at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The three defendants, who have pleaded not guilty to seven counts, are alleged to have hid or omitted accounts connected to former chairman Sean FitzPatrick from the bank's Core Banking System or documentation provided to Revenue between 2003 and 2004. On day 22, former company secretary Bernard Daly testified that he was appointed to handle the Revenue audit due to his public service background. Daly stated he had no memory of asking subordinate Brian Gillespie to delete an account and was unaware that the account of FitzPatrick's brother-in-law, John Peter O'Toole, was omitted from the list of non-resident accounts handed to Revenue. He described the bank's attitude toward the audit as focused on settling a financial liability rather than investigating individual accounts, noting a €2.9 million settlement was reached. Daly also characterized former Chief Operations Officer Tiarnan O'Mahoney as a bully with whom he had a difficult relationship. The prosecution presented evidence that the O'Toole account, holding nearly Ir£140,000 in 1995, fell under the audit remit but was missing from the submitted list. Daly acknowledged the omission but stated he did not compile the list. The matter remains at the trial stage and has not been finalised.
Darren Raymond, 45, of Ballyfermot, Dublin, was sentenced to three years' imprisonment after pleading guilty to possession of cannabis for sale or supply and shotgun cartridges. Gardaí seized over €88,000 worth of cannabis and 25 34‑gauge cartridges from his home following a surveillance operation. A smaller quantity of cannabis, worth €820, was later found in his work van. Raymond admitted he had been paid €700 a week to break the cannabis into deals and store it at his house, claiming financial pressure and a prior car accident had influenced his actions. He denied naming the parties he worked for, citing fear. The court noted his role was to prepare the deals for distribution, that third parties ran the operation, and that he had cooperated with police. Judge Martin Nolan described him as a good family man who had been remiss, and imposed the prison sentence accordingly.
In December 2014, a Dublin man, Graham Rosarius, 36, was found to have a Volkswagen Polo packed with cocaine, heroin and bagging equipment, totalling €79,930. The car was seized by Gardaí after a smashed rear side window prompted a search. Rosarius, of Glenhill Avenue, Finglas, later presented himself at Finglas Garda Station on 12 December, admitting ownership of the vehicle and the drugs, claiming he was holding them to offset a drug debt of up to €7,000. He had been in and out of rehabilitation clinics and had six previous convictions for minor offences. Rosarius pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The judge, considering his cooperation, guilty plea, and the circumstances of the drugs, sentenced him to three and a half years in prison. The case highlighted the Gardaí's role in detecting drug‑laden vehicles and the court's willingness to consider mitigating factors.
John Murphy, 31, of New Ross, Wexford, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for theft committed at an address in Foxrock, Dublin, on October 28, 2014. Murphy pleaded guilty to the charge. The court heard that Murphy, posing as a journalist, extorted €1,000 from 82-year-old Patrick Brendan Tiernan by threatening to publish his image alongside sex offender Larry Murphy. Tiernan, who previously pleaded guilty to 14 charges of indecent assault and gross indecency involving nine victims, was targeted for his prior convictions. Judge Desmond Hogan described the act as a "particularly mean offence" and sentenced Murphy to three years in prison, suspended in full for four years. Murphy was ordered to pay €5,500 to the victim, keep the peace and be of good behaviour for four years, and comply with probation services for two years. The judge noted that Murphy acted as the frontman for a sophisticated operation involving surveillance. The matter was finalised with this suspended sentence and associated conditions.
John (Anthony) Kelly, 41, an executive officer with the Revenue, stole nearly €20,000 from the State by pocketing motoring fines for motorists without Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT). He targeted high‑end cars such as Porches and BMWs, stealing a total of €19,350 between March 2005 and January 2006. Kelly pleaded guilty to three counts of theft from the Revenue Commissioners at New Customs House, Dublin, and was sentenced by Judge Desmond Hogan to six years in prison, suspended in full for four years. The judge noted Kelly's financial difficulties and cooperation with Gardaí, and that he had repaid €3,490 to the court, which was ordered to be passed to the Revenue Commissioners. Kelly has since been fired from his position and is now employed elsewhere, having listed the Revenue as a reference when applying for his new job.
Aoife Maguire, 62, a former Anglo Irish Bank employee, denied to Gardaí that she was part of a conspiracy to conceal offshore bank accounts linked to former chairman Sean FitzPatrick from Revenue. She and two former senior Anglo managers—Tiarnan O'Mahoney, 56, and Bernard Daly, 67—have pleaded not guilty to seven counts at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The allegations claim they hid or omitted accounts from Anglo's Core Banking System between 2003 and 2004 and attempted to delete records from the bank's computer system. In October 2013, Gardaí interviewed Maguire, who said she began at Anglo in 1987 as a typist and later worked on the IT help desk. She admitted being asked to provide a list of accounts to Revenue in 2003 but denied any role in deleting accounts or instructing staff to do so. The case is set to continue before Judge Patrick McCartan and a jury of twelve.
Dean Brennan, aged 28, was jailed after sending 13 "grossly threatening" text messages to his ex‑girlfriend Louise Hanna and her new partner Richard Doyle. The texts, sent on 18 and 26 December 2014, included threats to shoot Hanna, blow her head off, burn her house and kill both her and Doyle. Brennan pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Judge Pauline Codd imposed a four‑year prison sentence, suspending the last two years on the condition that Brennan remains drug and alcohol free and continues counselling with Probation Services. She also ordered that he must not communicate with the victims or their families, nor approach within half a mile of their homes or workplaces for seven years. Brennan had been recently released from prison when the texts were sent. The court noted his prior convictions, including robbery and nine public order offences, and his participation in anger‑management and drug‑recovery programmes.
In a tragic incident on 7 April 2014, French national Quentin Hannezo, aged 31, was fined €4,000 for careless driving that caused the death of Yao Webster, 35, who was walking on the footpath when her silver BMW collided with an oncoming Luas tram after Hannezo broke a red traffic light. Hannezo pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, having no prior convictions. The court heard a victim impact statement from Webster's husband, describing the loss of his wife and daughter and the emotional toll on their family. Witnesses reported that Hannezo was driving between 37 and 41 km/h in a 30 km/h zone and that the collision lasted 1.2 seconds. The judge noted the incident was a human failing, imposed the fine, and acknowledged Hannezo's remorse and employment status.
Larry Wapor, 36, of Arbour Hill, Dublin, pleaded guilty in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to four theft counts after using a stolen Bank of Ireland card belonging to John Burke to pay four separate bills. Wapor claimed a cleric had given him the card and denied the CCTV evidence, later admitting the theft. He was sentenced to a two‑year suspended term, with the judge noting it would be his first and last chance.
During a 2015 trial, a senior Revenue official testified that he had serious concerns in 2003 about Anglo Irish Bank's disclosure of non‑resident accounts, noting that earlier statements about no DIRT‑liable accounts were inaccurate. The case involved three former bank officials—Tiarnan O'Mahoney, Bernard Daly, and Aoife Maguire—who pleaded not guilty to seven counts of hiding or omitting accounts linked to former chairman Sean FitzPatrick between 2003 and 2004. Anglo had reached a DIRT settlement with Revenue in 2004 after discovering many non‑resident accounts. The trial also heard that Revenue had offered amnesty to bogus account holders, leading to customers coming forward. Evidence from Revenue auditors highlighted discrepancies in the bank's records, including a missing account for John Peter O'Toole, a relative of FitzPatrick. The trial proceeded before Judge Patrick McCartan and a jury of twelve.
Thomas Mooney, 74, of Belvedere Place, Dublin, was convicted of indecently assaulting a boy aged 11 to 13 on eight occasions between October 1983 and June 1985. He pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, but a jury found him guilty after an eight‑day trial. Judge Catherine Murphy sentenced him to four years' imprisonment, suspending the final two years. Mooney appealed, arguing that a voluntary statement he made to Gardaí while not in custody should not have been admissible. The Court of Appeal, hearing a ten‑minute video in which Mooney confirmed the contents of that statement, dismissed the appeal. The judges noted that Mooney had been in his forties when the offences occurred and that the victim was always under 15. The case was scheduled for further proceedings on 30 July, with Mooney remaining on bail until then. The appeal was rejected, and Mooney will be taken into custody following the court's decision.
A 21‑year‑old Wicklow man, Dylan Keegan Duignan, and an accomplice robbed a 62‑year‑old taxi driver, Leslie Leady, on 14 October 2014. The robbery took place after the driver had taken the men from Dublin's O'Connell Street to St Margaret's Park halting site in Ballymun. Duignan sat in the front passenger seat while the other man sat behind Leady. The accomplice threatened Leady with a sharp object, demanding money, and Duignan then took the car keys. Leady was forced to walk into a field. The robbers fled to the nearest petrol station after the taxi's tank ran empty; they were arrested when they returned with petrol. Duignan pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court and was sentenced to two years' imprisonment by Judge Martin Nolan, adding to an existing eleven‑month term for a 2012 robbery. The other accomplice is also before the courts for the same offences.
David Cagney, 49, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to eleven counts of failing to remit €108,767 in VAT to the Collector General between 2003 and 2009, along with other tax offences such as not filing income tax returns and providing incorrect information. He had prior convictions in 2008 for failing to file returns for 2004 and 2005, and in 2012 for 2008 and 2009 returns. Witnesses, including his ex‑wife and a friend, testified that his crimes were not motivated by greed but by an inability to manage mundane matters, citing his ADHD, depression, and alcohol issues. Judge Martin Nolan, citing Cagney's "very unusual character," suspended a two‑year prison term on the condition he keep the peace for that period. The court noted no evidence of a lavish lifestyle or offshore concealment of funds. Cagney's work as a self‑employed computer consultant involved invoicing clients with VAT, which he failed to remit to Revenue.
Stefan Onofrei, a 34-year-old Romanian national from Balbriggan, was sentenced to three years in prison at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to six sample charges of theft. The charges related to the fraudulent claiming of job seeker's benefit, job seeker's allowance, supplementary welfare allowance, emergency means payment, rent property supplement allowance, and family income supplement between January 9, 2009, and February 10, 2015. Prosecution evidence indicated Onofrei used a false identity to claim social welfare payments 463 times, with the State alleging a total loss of €97,207.24, although his defense disputed the figure, suggesting it was closer to €85,000. Judge Martin Nolan described the conduct as a serious fraud committed over a protracted period, noting that Onofrei engaged in a pattern of behavior to deceive the social welfare system. While acknowledging Onofrei's cooperation with the Garda investigation and his status as a hard-working family man, the judge imposed the custodial sentence. The matter was finalized with this sentence, concluding the proceedings.
Aaron Byrne, aged 22, was sentenced to eight years in prison for stabbing a 15‑year‑old in Naas, County Kildare, after a dispute over a €250 cannabis debt. Byrne had previously demanded the money at the victim's home and had given €100 the day before the stabbing. On 12 April 2014, he met the teenager at a service station and later at a housing estate, where a confrontation escalated. Byrne stabbed the boy under the rib cage, penetrating the chest wall and left lung, causing a major bleed that required immediate surgery. The victim recovered after five days in hospital and returned to school and sport. Byrne pleaded guilty to intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm. Judge Martin Nolan imposed an eight‑year term, suspended the final three years, and ordered 18 months of probation. The case highlighted the seriousness of the assault and the victim's recovery.
The trial of three former Anglo Irish Bank officials – Aoife Maguire, Tiarnan O'Mahoney and Bernard Daly – was adjourned until tomorrow. They are accused of hiding accounts linked to former chairman Sean FitzPatrick by deleting or omitting records from the bank's Core Banking System or from documents supplied to Revenue between 2003 and 2004. All three pleaded not guilty to seven counts. The case is before Judge Patrick McCartan and a jury of six men and six women at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, with the prosecution expected to finish its case next week.
A man aged 51, who cannot be named for legal reasons, faced Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on a trial date that could not proceed. He is charged with 50 counts of sexual offences alleged to have occurred between 2007 and 2011 at locations in Dublin and Donegal. The charges comprise 40 counts of child exploitation, three of sexual assault, and seven of defilement of a child under 17. The trial was expected to last approximately two weeks. Judge Desmond Hogan adjourned the case due to lack of judicial availability, remanding the accused on continuing bail. The matter was listed before Judge Martin Nolan for Tuesday, 21 July, when a new trial date will be set.
Daniel Martin, aged 21, was sentenced by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to a total of seven years' imprisonment for a series of violent offences committed between August 2013 and June 2014. He received a two‑year term for possession of a weapon, unlawful seizure of a car and assault causing harm, and a consecutive five‑year term for assault causing serious harm on Wayne Donovan. The court described the attack on Donovan as a "savage assault" after Martin struck the victim with a stick, a broken bottle and a stick, cutting Donovan's little finger and inflicting large wounds to his head and face. Martin pleaded guilty to all charges and had no prior convictions. The judge noted Martin's history of violence and his attempts to reform, but imposed the seven‑year sentence with no mention of a suspended portion or separate custody period.
During a trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, it was heard that the computer login "mc9" used to alter bank accounts linked to former Anglo Irish Bank chairman Sean FitzPatrick was intended solely for use by the bank's IT department. Former IT head Michael Campbell testified that the login was employed in November 1999 to change the address on John Peter O'Toole's account, and that no non‑IT staff should have accessed it. He also stated that the login should not have been used for address changes. The trial also covered the alleged deletion or omission of accounts connected to FitzPatrick from Anglo's Core Banking System between 2003 and 2004. Accused Aoife Maguire, Tiarnan O'Mahoney and Bernard Daly, aged 62, 56 and 67 respectively, pleaded not guilty to seven counts. The case remains before Judge Patrick McCartan and a jury of twelve.
The trial of Bernard Daly, Aoife Maguire, and Tiarnan O'Mahoney continued at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, where all three defendants have pleaded not guilty to seven counts. They are alleged to have deleted or omitted accounts connected to former Anglo Irish Chairman Sean FitzPatrick from the bank's Core Banking System or documentation provided to Revenue between 2003 and 2004. Witness Crohan O'Shea, a friend and business partner of FitzPatrick, testified that he was unaware of transfers from their joint trust account to an internal Anglo account called SRLADV, nor was he aware of name changes to the account that removed FitzPatrick's name. O'Shea stated he paid tax on the account and considered it above board. Deputy IT head James Shaw testified that he was asked by Maguire to remove accounts from the bank's record system. Shaw stated he archived the accounts instead of deleting them to ensure they remained retrievable, a distinction he believed Maguire did not understand. The matter was adjourned and is not concluded.
Michael Byrne, a 25‑year‑old father of two from Kilbarrack, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to stealing €3,000 in coins from a G4S cash services van on 26 March 2014 and to robbing €450 from a Paddy Power shop on 25 April 2014. He admitted the theft after fingerprints were found on the van and that he had been drinking and taking drugs, which he said caused him to forget what he did with the coins. Byrne had previously been convicted of four robberies and 12 criminal damage offences and was already serving a five‑year sentence for robbery and criminal damage. The new five‑year sentence will run after the two‑year term for the earlier offence expires. The court noted that Byrne's use of a replica shotgun during the Paddy Power robbery was treated as a serious offence because it could have been mistaken for a real gun.
Breifne O'Brien, a 54‑year‑old former businessman, is set to appeal a seven‑year prison sentence imposed on 8 October 2014 for deceiving investors into advancing about €8.5 million for bogus property deals between 2003 and 2004. He pleaded guilty to 14 counts of deception at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. His counsel, Patrick McCullough BL, secured an extension to file the appeal, as O'Brien had missed the normal 28‑day filing window by four months, and also applied for legal aid. The Court of Appeal scheduled the hearing for 15 October, with the judge expecting it to last 45 minutes. O'Brien was absent from the procedural hearings in May and on the day of the listing. Solicitor Séamus Cassidy, Head of Appeals at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, confirmed that the DPP would not object to legal aid if the necessary paperwork is submitted.
A trial involving charges of 50 sexual offences against two young girls has been adjourned until Wednesday at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The 51-year-old defendant, whose identity is protected by court order, was forwarded for trial from the District Court in relation to allegations dating between 2007 and 2011 at locations in Dublin and Donegal. The charges comprise 40 counts of child exploitation, including the production of child pornography, three counts of sexual assault, and seven counts of defilement of a child under 17 years of age. Defence counsel indicated the trial would likely require two weeks. The court heard the trial was not ready to proceed immediately. Judge Desmond Hogan remanded the accused on continuing bail pending the adjournment to Wednesday.
Simon O'Donnell and Francis O'Donnell were sentenced to two years in prison each at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to the unlawful possession of 244 cannabis plants valued at €195,000. The plants were found at a house in Meakstown Close on June 21, 2014. Gardaí discovered the defendants clipping branches from mature plants in a boarded-up house, alongside 65 plants in early growth stages, fans, lights, and plant food. Judge Martin Nolan noted that the brothers, who are volunteer boxing coaches, were "lower cogs in the drug producing enterprise" who were rewarded for harvesting the cannabis. Defence counsel highlighted that Simon, a father of six, was dependent on cannabis and medication, while Francis, an All-Ireland boxing medalist and father of three, used drugs recreationally following his father's death. Both men claimed they were paid an ounce of cannabis per hour of work. The court accepted that the defendants did not hold keys to the property. Judge Nolan acknowledged that the men are well-regarded in their community before imposing the two-year custodial sentences.
In a Luas incident on 14 August 2012, 37‑year‑old David Larkin and 42‑year‑old Suzanne McGowan attacked and robbed Izabela Portyka. Larkin punched Portyka repeatedly, spat at her, and stole her handbag while McGowan shouted abuse. Passengers did not intervene. Larkin and McGowan pleaded guilty to robbery. Larkin, with 30 prior convictions, received a four‑year sentence with the final two years suspended. McGowan, with 24 prior convictions, was remanded on bail pending a probation and welfare services report. The court noted the offence was "out of character" for McGowan, a mother of two. Portyka suffered neck and head injuries, later treated for migraines and psychological issues. The case was heard in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
The trial of former Anglo Irish Bank officials Tiarnan O'Mahoney, Bernard Daly, and Aoife Maguire continues at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The three defendants have pleaded not guilty to seven counts alleging they deleted or omitted accounts connected to former chairman Sean FitzPatrick from the bank's Core Banking System or documentation provided to Revenue between 2003 and 2004. On day 16 of evidence, senior manager Zita Vance testified that she was asked by O'Mahoney to remove a name from documents requested by Revenue. Vance stated she was removed from the project team after refusing the instruction. She later told Anglo's fraud prevention officer that O'Mahoney was the individual who asked her to delete an account. Defence counsel for O'Mahoney noted that his client has no recollection of the conversations and denies making such requests. The court also heard from Monica Kearney, a former personal assistant to FitzPatrick, who identified an email sent to O'Mahoney in November 2003 detailing four account numbers. The matter is currently before Judge Patrick McCartan and a jury, with the trial ongoing.