Stephen Kavanagh, 50, a former businessman now in debt, pleaded guilty to stealing alcohol worth €21,000 from a drinks company on 20 September 2023 while on bail for a similar offence. He placed the order under the alias "Mark O'Reilly," prompting the company's suspicion and a Garda surveillance operation that intercepted the delivery. Kavanagh was arrested, the alcohol was returned, and no victim impact statement was filed. He has 29 prior convictions, including a 2022 theft of the same nature. In court, his defence highlighted financial necessity, health issues, and threats from creditors, arguing for community service. Judge Orla Crowe accepted the plea, set a headline sentence of two years, reduced it to 18 months, and adjourned the case to February 2025 to decide on a 240‑hour community service order in lieu of prison.
The trial of Brendan Mullin, a former Ireland rugby international and former managing director of Bank of Ireland Private Bank, began in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Mullin, aged 60, denies all 15 charges, which cover alleged theft, deception and false accounting between July 2011 and March 2013. He is accused of stealing €500,000 from the bank on 16 December 2011, along with eight other theft counts involving various sums, and of false accounting and deception. Prosecutor Dominic McGinn outlined that the alleged thefts involved payments to McCann Fitzgerald Solicitors and Beechwood Partners, where invoices were altered to be paid by the bank instead of Mullin or his companies. A further three theft charges relate to invoices from Grant Thornton for work by Mullin's company Quantum. The prosecution also alleges a €500,000 transfer to Spice Holdings, a British Virgin Islands entity, which was later repaid through Quantum.
A 44‑year‑old Dublin man was sentenced to 16 months' imprisonment for striking his wife in the face with a suitcase during a family holiday, an act the court described as a "vicious attack" witnessed by their three young children. The defendant pleaded guilty to assault causing harm in August 2020, claiming the incident was a 100 % accident when he attempted to flip the suitcase to empty it. Judge Sinéad Ní Chúlacháin imposed a 16‑month term, suspending the final 12 months on strict conditions, and directed the man to be supervised by Probation Services and to undertake anger‑management and domestic‑violence work. The wife, who sustained a facial scar and has been receiving counselling and antidepressants, was praised for her victim‑impact statement, which the judge found "very moving" and helpful in shaping the sentence. The court noted the presence of the children as an aggravating factor and the couple's strained relationship prior to the incident.
Shane Brown, a 35‑year‑old former postman, was sentenced to a suspended two‑year term after pleading guilty to 36 counts of stealing stamped addressed envelopes and one count of stealing €90 from An Post on 1 November 2023. He was caught with 39 stolen greeting‑card envelopes, including three 'test' cards each containing €30, during a sting operation triggered by suspicious mail found on a Dublin street on 27 October 2023. Brown had worked as a postman for four years but lost his job following the arrest. He has no prior convictions, had an online gambling debt that he has since paid, and is in a long‑term relationship with three children. The judge, Orla Crowe, noted his community involvement and new employment as a delivery driver, and ordered that €500 be handed over to An Post as a token of remorse. The sentence was suspended in full on a number of conditions.
Kacper Koszarski, aged 23, was sentenced to four and a half years' imprisonment for a series of burglaries and dangerous driving incidents in Leinster. He pleaded guilty to 17 charges, including four counts of dangerous driving, four of trespass, one of endangerment, four of criminal damage, two of burglary, one of knife production and one of unauthorised vehicle taking, committed between 2020 and 2022. Judge Elva Duffy imposed consecutive sentences totalling five and a half years, suspending the final year on strict conditions. Koszarski was ordered to engage with the Probation Service for two years after release and was disqualified from driving for ten years. The court noted his history of 39 prior convictions, including seven for theft, and his statements of remorse and desire for rehabilitation. The sentence reflects the seriousness of his offences and the potential benefit of rehabilitation to society.
Jim Connors, 30, a banned driver with 36 prior convictions, was sentenced by the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to a fully suspended term of four and a half years. The sentence, imposed by Judge Martina Baxter, is suspended on the condition that Connors keep the peace and exhibit good behaviour for five years, and he must engage with the Probation Service for two years and undergo any treatment deemed necessary, including drug rehabilitation. Connors pleaded guilty to five charges, including dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm, driving without a licence, and failing to assist a passenger after a collision. The collision occurred on 19 February 2022 when Connors ran a red light and struck a taxi, causing the passenger to sustain multiple fractures and the taxi driver to suffer soft‑tissue injuries. Connors was arrested in June 2022 and made no admissions to gardai. The court received CCTV footage, witness statements, and evidence of Connors' prior alcohol‑addiction treatment.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Liam McGrane, aged 59, pleaded guilty to two robbery offences committed at separate hotels in December 2018 and August 2019. McGrane, who had prior convictions for traffic offences and similar robberies, used a knife to threaten escort workers who had booked meetings through Escorts.ie. In the first incident, he stole €1,500 and attempted to extort more from a neighbouring room. In the second, he took €1,800 and fled in a blue car, which was traced to his residence. Gardaí obtained CCTV evidence and recovered the stolen sums. McGrane admitted the robberies, expressed remorse, and offered apologies to the victims. The judge acknowledged the seriousness of the knife crimes, noted McGrane's counselling, and adjourned sentencing to January 2025, ordering a probation report.
A 31‑year‑old man was sentenced to two years and three months' imprisonment, with the final six months suspended for 12 months under Probation Supervision, for assault causing harm to his former partner on Christmas Eve 2020. The offence involved an hour‑long assault and threats while the victim, who was pregnant, was at home with her one‑ and five‑year‑old children upstairs. The man barged into the house, slapped the victim's face, head and mouth, verbally abused her, threatened to burn down her and her mother's home, and brandished a knife while saying he wanted to kill her. He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The judge noted his intoxication, drink and drug issues, 30 prior convictions and the seriousness of the intimate partner violence, and imposed the custodial sentence after taking into account his guilty plea, apology and attempts to address his problems. No contact with the victim's children was allowed.
Naveed Rana, 42, of Newcastle, Co Dublin, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to three counts of sexually assaulting an 18-year-old woman in his taxi in October last year. The court heard the victim feared for her life during the incident, which involved erratic driving and forced sexual acts. Judge Elma Sheahan described the offending as serious, noting Rana breached his position of trust and caused significant harm to a vulnerable victim. The judge highlighted that Rana was on bail for a serious drug offence at the time of the attack, for which he later received community service. While acknowledging mitigating factors such as his early guilty plea, remorse, and family circumstances, Judge Sheahan declined to suspend any portion of the sentence due to his status on bail. Rana was handed a five-and-a-half-year custodial sentence. The matter was finalised with this sentence, with no adjournment recorded.
Gerald McQuillan, 37, was on bail for assaulting his former partner when he broke into her home and attacked her again, grabbing the steering wheel of her car and causing it to spin across traffic lanes. He pleaded guilty to endangerment, assault, criminal damage and trespass. The original 18‑month sentence imposed by Circuit Court Judge James O'Donohue on 30 April 2024 was deemed too low. At the Court of Appeal, Justice Isobel Kennedy quashed the sentence and set a headline sentence of five years for the endangerment count, then imposed a final sentence of three and a half years with the last twelve months suspended. The effective custodial term is two and a half years, to run consecutively to the sentence already imposed, with credit for time already served. The appeal was brought by the State, who argued the original sentence was unduly lenient. The case remains at the appellate stage. The unnamed 37-year-old was convicted.
A former solicitor, Herbert Kilcline, 62, and two other men, Matthew Murphy, 52, and Philip Marley, 53, are on trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for alleged fraudulent procurement of two Dublin City properties. Kilcline pleaded not guilty to eight counts, including failing to apply required measures as a designated person, using a false instrument and fraudulent procurement of entry to the land registry between September 2016 and June 2018. Murphy pleaded not guilty to four counts, including money laundering, theft and failing to keep records between April 2017 and April 2018. Marley pleaded not guilty to ten counts, including procuring the registration of a false deed, fraudulent procurement of an entry into the land registry and theft. The charges relate to a building on Phibsborough Road and a second property on St Mary's Road. The trial, opened before Ms Justice Sinead Ni Chulachain, is expected to last five weeks.
A pregnant woman, Hijacker Gillian Byrne (38), is to be sentenced later this month for her role in hijacking a taxi and assaulting the driver in the Phoenix Park on July 26, 2023. Byrne pleaded guilty to the unlawful seizure of a vehicle and assault causing harm. A co-accused woman is to be sentenced next week for the same offences and the additional charge of falsely imprisoning the taxi-driver. Byrne has 12 previous convictions, including a four-year-suspended sentence for a prior vehicle seizure. Counsel said Byrne had requested to be sentenced separately to her co-accused in this case and that she had allegedly been assaulted by associates of the other woman close to the court. The court heard that Byrne rang 999 immediately after the incident to inform gardaí about the offence and her role in it. A prosecuting garda agreed with Mark Lynam SC, defending, that Byrne had a 'passive role' in the hijacking and the assault and had not known they were about to happen. The matter was adjourned for finalisation on October 24.
Gerard Jordan, 54, was sentenced to 12 months in jail for setting a fire outside the front door of an acquaintance's third‑floor apartment in Rosemount Court, Dundrum, on 2 July 2022. The blaze caused €14,000 of damage to the common area. Jordan pleaded guilty to arson and was a resident of a second apartment block at the same address. The court noted that no physical harm was caused and that Jordan had previously been assaulted by the victim. He had 12 prior convictions, mainly for public order, criminal damage and theft. The judge, Elma Sheahan, considered Jordan's guilty plea, cooperation with Gardaí, personal circumstances and mental health difficulties, and imposed a three‑year sentence with the final two years suspended on strict conditions. No injuries were reported, and the fire was extinguished by the Dublin Fire Brigade. The victim declined to give a victim impact statement. The case was heard in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 9 October 2024, a 44‑year‑old woman testified that a facial scar she sustained during a "vicious attack" by her husband remains a constant reminder of the assault. The husband, who pleaded guilty to assault causing harm in August 2020, claimed the incident was a 100 % accident when he attempted to flip a suitcase to empty it, striking her face and causing a wound between her nose and lip that bled heavily. The couple were on holiday with their three small children when the incident occurred. The woman described the children's distress, her fear of the husband, and her ongoing emotional and physical impact, including counselling and antidepressants. She also noted she had used up sick leave entitlements and worries about future support for herself and the children. The case was adjourned for finalisation to 15 October 2024.
In a sentencing hearing at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Annette Keane, mother of 34‑year‑old motorcyclist John Keane, delivered a victim impact statement after her son was killed in a collision with a car driven by Karl Ennis on 14 April 2021. Ennis pleaded guilty to careless driving. The court disqualified him from driving for three months and fined him €2,000. Judge Pauline Codd noted Ennis's lack of attention and the serious consequences of a momentary lapse, while also acknowledging the family's forgiving attitude. Ennis, who had no prior convictions, was cooperative with Gardaí and had retired after the incident. The hearing included testimony about the collision, Ennis's apology, and the family's profound loss. The judge extended legal aid for any appeal and directed the fine to be paid within 12 months.
Elizabeth Lock, 56, was jailed for two and a half years after customs officials at Dublin Airport discovered 30 vacuum‑packed bags of cannabis worth €270,460 in her luggage. A drugs dog had indicated the presence of contraband, and a search revealed the cannabis. Lock claimed she had been given the bags in Canada by a third party and believed she was transporting precious metals for tax‑avoidance purposes. She said she had answered an online job posting, was in financial difficulty, and was promised $10,000. She pleaded guilty to possession and importation of a controlled drug for sale and supply. Judge Orla Crowe cited the large quantity and financial motive as aggravating factors, but noted Lock's medical issues, lack of prior convictions, and guilty plea. The judge imposed a three‑year sentence, suspended the final six months, and backdated the term to her March arrest.
A former Irish rugby international, Brendan Mullin, aged 60, appeared before the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 8 October 2024. He pleaded not guilty to 15 charges, including one count of stealing €500,000 from Bank of Ireland Private Bank on 16 December 2011 and eight other counts of theft of various amounts between July 2011 and March 2013. Mullin also pleaded not guilty to one count of deception and five counts of furnishing false or misleading information to the bank to authorise payment of invoices. The alleged offences all took place at the bank's Mespil Road premises. Judge Patricia Ryan empanelled the jury, instructing that no one connected with the bank should serve and warning against independent investigations. The trial, to be presided over by Judge Martin Nolan, is scheduled to last four to five weeks, with the jury being sent home until Friday at the earliest to allow other matters to be dealt with.
Paul Beggs, 49, of Brookfield Park, Rush, was found guilty of four counts of theft after diverting €26,785.53 from Eventhouse's bank account to his own. He admitted the fraud, citing a gambling addiction, and accepted responsibility. Beggs has paid €1,000 in 2020 and raised an additional €10,000, but the total restitution remains incomplete. He has no further theft convictions and has not been involved with Gardaí since the incident. Beggs has expressed remorse, is drug‑free, attends Alcoholics Anonymous and Gamblers Anonymous, and has re‑entered employment after a period of unemployment. The court, acknowledging his early plea and low re‑offending risk, imposed a suspended sentence of two years and three months, with the full term suspended. He must repay the remaining amount within the next week. The case was heard by Judge Dara Hayes in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Former 2FM presenter Nikki Hayes (real name Eimear Black O'Keeffe), aged 44, avoided a criminal conviction after pleading guilty to possessing €15,000 as proceeds of crime in a Permanent TSB bank account. The money, comprising €10,000, €2,600 and €2,400, was withdrawn from an injured party's account and deposited into O'Keeffe's account. She had six prior convictions for minor road‑traffic offences and had her sentencing hearing adjourned twice, once after a fall and once to seek treatment for alcohol addiction. O'Keeffe has since completed residential treatment, is drug‑ and alcohol‑free, and has repaid the full amount to the victim. Judge Martina Baxter discharged her under Section 100 of the Criminal Justice Act, meaning she will not incur a criminal conviction. The court noted her vulnerability, mental‑health diagnoses, and rehabilitation efforts as mitigating factors. O'Keeffe is no longer employed in radio and is pursuing further training and an accountancy course.
At Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Martin Nolan sentenced two defendants for their roles in the unlawful administration of the euthanasia drug Dolethal to two dogs at Ashton Dog Pound in July 2020. Vet Sydney Nagle, 65, pleaded guilty to two counts of causing or permitting a non-vet to possess the medicine, as well as four counts regarding record-keeping failures. He was fined €12,500, payable over six months. Judge Nolan noted Nagle was a fine vet who had done considerable service but failed to know the law, adding that Nagle may face consequences from an ongoing Veterinary Council of Ireland fitness-to-practice inquiry. Raymond Connolly, 56, the pound supervisor, pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing the vet-only medicine and causing or permitting a lay person to administer it. He was fined €400, payable over six months. The judge described Connolly's culpability as low, stating he followed established instructions and could not be expected to know the legal intricacies. The court heard the dogs, an Akita and a Bichon Frise, suffered vomiting and diarrhoea after being dosed orally; one died, and the other was humanely euthanised days later. This follows previous fines for former pound manager Donal Moroney and owner David Stone for similar offences.
David Callaghan, aged 33, was sentenced to 13 and a half years in prison for assisting an organised crime group involved in international money laundering and drug trafficking between 29 April 2021 and 4 February 2022. The sentence was reduced to 8.5 years with the final five years suspended. The court heard that Gardaí discovered an electronic ledger showing over €924,000 moved between June 2021 and January 2022, and that Callaghan communicated with a driver via the Signal app about money laundering, drug trafficking and operational details. Evidence included photos, videos, and instructions for handling drugs and cash. Callaghan pleaded guilty, exercised his right to silence during the interview, and later expressed regret, promising to avoid future criminal activity and to protect his children. The judge cited mitigating factors, including the tragic deaths of three of Callaghan's siblings, when suspending part of the sentence.
Tony Guilloteau, aged 32, was extradited from France to Ireland after a campaign of sexual assaults on young women on the Dublin commuter rail and near train stations in 2020. He pleaded guilty to four counts of sexual assault and two counts of offensive sexual behaviour between 13 February and 11 March 2020. The offences included exposing himself to a 17‑year‑old on the Dart, masturbating in front of a 26‑year‑old on a train, and assaulting women aged 21 to 22 at various stations. Guilloteau had previously served an 18‑month community sentence in France for similar offences. Judge Orla Crowe sentenced him to three and a half years' imprisonment, back‑dated to 30 January, after noting the aggravating nature of the five victims and his expressions of remorse. The sentence reflects the seriousness of the impact on the victims and the court's consideration of his guilty plea and personal circumstances.
Jonathan Diggins, a 47‑year‑old former pupil of US First Lady Jill Biden, was jailed for three and a half years after he was caught with €330,000 worth of ketamine in a suitcase at Dublin Airport. The suitcase, which had a false bottom, was found when Diggins returned to Ireland to search for it after it missed a connecting flight from Brussels to San Francisco. He pleaded guilty to one count of importing drugs on 6 November 2023. The court noted the high value of the drugs and that Diggins had returned to Ireland to retrieve the suitcase, describing the activity as nefarious. Judge Orla Crowe took into account mitigating factors, including his status as a non‑national and his role as a father, before sentencing. The sentence was back‑dated to 28 November, when he entered custody.
A French national, Yanis Soudani, aged 21, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for a smishing offence that involved the theft of luxury items worth over €52,000 from high‑end shops in Dublin city centre. The crime was carried out over five dates in January, using three victims' credit card details obtained through fraudulent text messages. The stolen goods included Cartier watches, a Dior shirt and trousers, a Louis Vuitton keepall, and a Gucci top, among other items. Garda David Dunne explained that the victims had received smishing messages asking for financial details, leading to withdrawals of more than €70,000 from one account and smaller amounts from the others. Soudani was arrested on January 22 after Brown Thomas staff recognised him on CCTV. He pleaded guilty, cooperated with investigators, and has no prior convictions.
Daryl Bolger, 32, of Kilcarrig Green, Tallaght, was jailed for endangerment after a high‑speed chase during the 2020 lockdown that ended in a head‑on collision with a Garda patrol car on Neillstown Road. He broke at least seven red lights, drove the wrong way around roundabouts, overtook dozens of vehicles on the wrong side of the road and reached speeds over 100 km/h in 50 km/h zones. No one was injured, but the patrol car was written off. Bolger pleaded guilty to endangerment and to driving without insurance at several locations in April 2020. He received a sentence of three and a half years, with the final six months suspended, and was disqualified from driving for five years. The court noted his 131 previous convictions, mostly for driving offences, and his participation in an enhanced prison regime. He has shown remorse in a handwritten apology, but the prosecuting Garda did not accept it.
A Danish‑Somalian man, Mohamed Mahamed, aged 48, was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment for unlawfully assisting a woman's entry into Dublin Airport on 28 January. The woman, who had been refused asylum in Greece, arrived on a Ryanair flight from Luxembourg without any travel or identity documents, having been given a passport for someone else by Mahamed and instructed to leave it in the plane toilet. Mahamed, a Danish citizen of Somalian origin living in Aarhus, claimed he needed the money to travel back to Somalia to visit family while on disability benefit in Denmark. He pleaded guilty, had no prior convictions, and was given a reduced sentence after the court considered a psychological report detailing his PTSD from childhood war trauma. The court set a headline sentence of three years but reduced it to 18 months due to his personal circumstances.
During a billiards tournament at the Royal St George Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire on 29 September 2023, 70‑year‑old software company owner Steven Gillman felt his refereeing abilities were belittled by a fellow club member. In a fit of anger, Gillman punched the victim repeatedly in the face, then again after the victim fell. The assault caused the victim a fractured eye socket, a dislocated eye lens, and ongoing medical issues including double vision and tinnitus. Gillman pleaded guilty to one count of assault causing harm. He has no prior convictions and was described by his defence counsel as a "model citizen." He has since resigned from the yacht club, paid €5,000 as a token of remorse, and is awaiting a probation report. The court adjourned the matter to 24 November, noting that a higher sum of €15,000 would be more appropriate.
Eoin Hannan, aged 50, was convicted in April 2022 of harassing a woman at various locations between February 14 and August 25 2020, and in July 2022 of harassing her father between January 20 and February 13 2021. The court heard that Hannan repeatedly contacted the victim despite Garda warnings in 2017 and 2019, sending Valentine cards, wine, chocolates, a watch, a bracelet, a teddy bear, a lollipop and a letter with a threatening phrase. He claimed the offences were "romantic rather than sinister" and a case of mistaken identity. Hannan, who has 44 prior convictions, argued that his bipolar affective disorder should have mitigated the sentence. Mr Justice Seamus Woulfe found no error in the sentencing judge's approach, noted that the judge had considered Hannan's mental health, and dismissed all grounds of appeal. The appeal was rejected, leaving the four‑year prison sentence in place. Eoin Hannan pleaded guilty.
James O'Neill, aged 57, was convicted of causing serious harm to Patrick Hansard, aged 78, after a pre‑meditated assault in a stairwell near Hansard's home on 17 August 2019. O'Neill, wearing a "V for Vendetta" mask, waited in the stairwell and struck Hansard with a shovel, inflicting a fractured cervical spine, skull fractures, lacerations, a haematoma and a traumatic brain injury. Hansard was hospitalised from August 2019 until May 2020 and remains impaired. O'Neill's prior convictions include a suspended sentence for actual bodily harm in 1992. Gardaí recovered a phone containing a "selfie" of O'Neill in the mask and holding the shovel, taken about 15 minutes before the assault. The court, after a jury trial, imposed a headline sentence of 13 years, reduced to 11½ years on mitigating factors such as intoxication and cooperation with the investigation. The sentence reflects the unprovoked nature of the attack and the significant impact on Hansard's life.
Diego Dos Santos Carvalho, 33, of Goldsmith Street, Phibsborough, Dublin, was sentenced to six years in prison for drug offences and a concurrent four‑year term for money laundering. He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possessing €80,165 worth of cannabis and €341,000 in cash, which he admitted were proceeds of crime. The cash was found in a shoebox behind a kickboard under a wardrobe in a small bedroom that served as an office in his apartment, while a smaller amount of cannabis, €3,933, was found in his vehicle. Judge Elva Duffy noted that the drug dealing was carried out in the family home in the presence of his very young children and that Carvalho had cooperated with Gardaí, showing officers where the drugs and money were hidden. He had no prior convictions and had been working in Ireland for ten years since arriving from Brazil.
A 72‑year‑old former Christian Brother teacher, already serving a sentence that will end in September 2030 for indecent assaults on boys at a Kilkenny primary school, was sentenced today to five years' imprisonment for the indecent assault of four boys between September 1976 and June 1977. The jury found him guilty on 23 counts after a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court trial in June. The judge, Elma Sheahan, described the offences as a "significant breach of trust" and noted the defendant's long history of similar conduct. The five‑year term was back‑dated to the June conviction, meaning he will not spend additional time in jail for these particular offences. Victim impact statements highlighted the lasting psychological harm, with one boy describing the teacher as a "monster" and the abuse affecting him into adulthood. The defendant, who has no other complaints from his subsequent teaching career, has pleaded not guilty and has further matters pending in court.
In July 2019, two take‑away workers, Dawei Zhang (37) and Han Chung Tang (45), fought violently over a dispute about who was the better chef in the kitchen of Jumbo Wok takeaway in Kimmage, Dublin. Tang struck Zhang with a meat cleaver, after which Zhang repeatedly stabbed Tang with a knife. Tang was found in the back yard of the restaurant with severe blood loss and multiple stab wounds, while Zhang suffered lacerations to his scalp, chest and shoulder. Both men pleaded guilty to assault causing harm and to producing a knife in the course of a dispute. The Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, hearing the case in 2024, sentenced each man to 240 hours of community service in lieu of prison terms—Zhang in lieu of a two‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence and Tang in lieu of a two‑year sentence. The judge noted the violence was gratuitous and that neither man had prior convictions.
Michael Nolan, aged 54, pleaded guilty in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to indecent assault of a child between November 1984 and September 1985, when he was 14‑15 and the victim 4‑5. He had no prior convictions. The court heard that Nolan's parents and the victim's parents met after the offences were discovered, and that both children were referred to therapy. The victim's impact statement described lasting physical, emotional and psychological harm, including PTSD, anxiety and nightmares, and her motivation to report the abuse to prevent further victims. Judge Pauline Codd noted the offence's seriousness and the victim's enduring suffering. She considered the passage of time, Nolan's rehabilitation, his guilty plea, remorse, and €6,500 contribution to counselling costs. The judge imposed a headline sentence of four years, suspended for three years, and placed Nolan on the sex offenders register for two years, avoiding custodial imprisonment. The case was concluded with no further convictions or charges.
Jonathan Diggins, 47, a former student of Jill Biden, was caught with €330,000 worth of ketamine in a suitcase at Dublin Airport in 2023. The suitcase, which had missed a connecting flight from Brussels to San Francisco, was found to contain seven packs of ketamine with a street value of €330,000. Diggins was arrested a few weeks later when he returned to Ireland to search for the lost suitcase. He pleaded guilty to one count of importing drugs on 6 November 2023. He has no prior convictions. His defence counsel argued that the drugs were simply in transit from Belgium to the United States and that Diggins had no intention of importing them into Ireland. The court adjourned the matter for finalisation on 31 July 2024. The case was heard in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The prosecution was represented by Jane Horgan-Jones BL, and the defence by James Dwyer SC.
The Director of Public Prosecutions has dropped charges against a 42-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman, who were accused of female genital mutilation and child cruelty of their infant daughter. At Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, senior counsel John Byrne informed the court that nolle prosequis were entered on all charges, meaning they are no longer being pursued. This decision follows a new expert report prepared for the DPP, which agreed with the defence expert that no FGM took place. The couple, who pleaded not guilty to one count of FGM and one count of child cruelty each, had previously been convicted in 2020. Judge Elma Sheahan sentenced the man to five-and-a-half years imprisonment and the woman to four years and nine months. However, the Court of Appeal quashed these convictions in November 2021, citing a breach of fair trial rights due to mistranslation. A subsequent re-trial last year ended with a jury unable to agree on a verdict. Defence counsel described the situation as an "appalling miscarriage of justice," with one lawyer requesting a formal acquittal. The matter was adjourned until October 25 for mention before Judge Patricia Ryan.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Garda William Ryan (41) was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault and one count of false imprisonment after a jury deliberated for about three and a half hours. The case centred on an incident at Aughrim Garda Station on 29 September 2020, when a woman sought help to retrieve her son's car. Ryan allegedly prevented her from leaving the station, slapped her bottom, groped her breasts, and sexually assaulted her again by digitally penetrating her vagina. He claimed the encounters were consensual, citing a prior phone conversation and the woman's Snapchat photos. The prosecution described his testimony as implausible and "badly‑written erotica." Ryan was remanded in custody until a sentencing date of 7 October, with the judge noting his status as a serving Garda and his family responsibilities. The trial concluded with the jury issuing a unanimous guilty verdict. William Ryan pleaded not guilty.
The trial of Garda William Ryan, 41, has entered its final stages. Ryan has pleaded not guilty to three sexual assault charges and to one false imprisonment charge relating to a woman held at Aughrim Garda Station on 29 September 2020. Judge Elma Sheahan delivered her charge to the jury, who deliberated for two and a half hours before returning home, with deliberations to resume tomorrow morning.
John O'Toole, a 33‑year‑old chef from Ballyfermot, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm after biting a co‑worker's shoulder twice on 17 July 2023 at the Clayton Hotel. He admitted the act was "the most stupid thing I had done" and apologized via text. The victim, who was working in the dining area, described shock, fear and a throbbing shoulder, later receiving antibiotics and a tetanus shot. She filed a victim impact statement expressing ongoing distress. Judge Pauline Codd, noting the workplace setting and the victim's safety, imposed an 18‑month headline sentence, suspended in full for one year, and ordered O'Toole to pay €3,000 to the victim within six months. He had no prior convictions and had been working at the hotel for ten years before resigning. The court highlighted his early guilty plea and steps toward therapy as mitigating factors.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Brian McKee, 29, pleaded guilty to criminal damage by arson after setting fire to his partner's parents' home at Heather View Lawn, Tallaght, on 27 July 2018. The blaze, reportedly ignited on a couch, spread through the attic and into two neighbouring houses, destroying three privately owned homes. McKee, who had been drinking a can of Coors Light and gin and possibly cocaine, was found by neighbours early in the morning with a long‑bladed knife and blood on his clothes. Garda Josh Doran recounted that McKee was unconscious in the stairwell when the fire erupted, and that the police had to detain him after he attempted to re‑enter the burning house. The owners, who were abroad, suffered significant loss of property and financial hardship, with one victim impact statement noting €2,600 in lost wages and €11,000 in repair costs.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court trial, Garda William Ryan, 41, pleaded not guilty to three counts of sexual assault and one count of false imprisonment. He claimed the complainant, who had come to the Aughrim Garda Station to retrieve her son's car, had masturbated him in a shower room while facing away, asserting the encounter was fully consensual. Ryan described the woman's behaviour as "sexually‑charged" and said he was "hot under the collar" and "fully aroused." The State's counsel, Maurice Coffey SC, described Ryan's account as "badly‑written erotica," arguing the woman's actions were implausible and that Ryan had prevented her from leaving the station and assaulted her three times. Defence counsel Breffni Gordon BL argued no crime was committed, noting the woman left the station the same day and later told her husband about the incident. The judge will deliver her charge on Thursday.
A 79-year-old Dublin man has been sentenced to seven years imprisonment at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for sexually abusing his two granddaughters over a fourteen-year period. He pleaded guilty to eleven counts of sexual abuse occurring between 2006 and 2020 at properties in Dublin and Cavan. The offences involved the older girl, who was between three and twelve years old, and her younger sister, aged five to eight during the abuse. The defendant initially denied the charges and only entered a guilty plea on the second day of trial after a jury was sworn. The abuse came to light in 2020 when the younger girl disclosed the matter to her school teacher. Judge Elva Duffy imposed consecutive sentences of three years and four years respectively. She commended the complainants and their mother for their bravery throughout proceedings. The judge noted the serious breach of trust and the significant impact on the victims' physical and mental health.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, James Hawkins, 24, pleaded guilty to robbing an American student studying at Trinity College after she withdrew €200 from an ATM on College Green. The victim, in her early 30s, was forced to surrender her purse, which contained cash, identification cards and credit cards. Hawkins, who has 76 prior convictions, was identified via CCTV, arrested, and admitted the offence. He apologized, claiming the robbery was unplanned and that he was homeless and struggling with drug addiction at the time. The court noted his cooperation, early guilty plea and desire to re‑engage with family and work upon release. No victim impact statement was available, and the case was adjourned to 21 November for further evidence and a governor's report. The court considered a custodial sentence with possible partial suspension.
Harry Archer, 23, of Kellys Bay Rocks, Skerries, Co Dublin, was remanded on bail pending sentence after pleading guilty to possession of cannabis at his home on 18 January 2022. The court found he was caught with €4,886 worth of the drug during a search. Archer had 13 prior drug and road traffic convictions. He claimed to have Covid‑19 at the time of the search and did not attend the Garda station as promised, later being taken in for questioning after a separate custody case. He made no admissions during the interview but pleaded guilty in the Circuit Criminal Court. The prosecution noted repeated targeting of his family home. Archer's defence highlighted his former cricket success and subsequent drug misuse following disappointment after being dropped from national teams. Judge Orla Crowe adjourned the case to 26 November 2024 for a probation report, with Archer remaining on continuing bail.
Michael McGuirk, aged 23, was sentenced to six years' imprisonment for dangerous driving causing death after he struck 67‑year‑old Carol Seery while speeding at 96.4 km/h in a 50 km/h zone. McGuirk, who had been banned from driving for four years at the time, had 66 prior convictions, including dangerous driving, unlawful vehicle taking, and no insurance. He fled the scene and refused to answer Garda questions. The court noted he failed to activate brake lights, did not alter his course, and continued at speed before abandoning the car. Seery, a caregiver and beloved family member, was killed instantly. McGuirk pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death, endangerment, dangerous driving and driving without insurance. Judge Elva Duffy imposed a headline sentence of eight and a half years but, considering mitigating factors, set a final sentence of six years and a 15‑year driving disqualification. The case was heard in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Anthony Kelly, 64, was sentenced to two years in prison for assault causing harm to a woman on 14 April 2019 and a separate conviction for threatening to kill a pregnant bookies employee on 9 October 2020. The assault took place in Blackhall Place, Dublin, where Kelly struck a woman in the face, kicked her, and was verbally aggressive towards an eyewitness who intervened. The victim suffered a 5‑cm contusion but did not require stitches. In the bookies incident, Kelly shouted threats, claimed he had a knife, and the pregnant employee pressed the panic alarm. No knife was found. Kelly's sentence for the assault was two years and six months, with the final six months suspended to encourage rehabilitation. The threat‑to‑kill sentence was two years, suspended in full on strict conditions. He was directed to probation supervision. The judge noted his age, medical difficulties, and personal circumstances as mitigating factors. Anthony Kelly pleaded guilty.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court trial, a jury was informed that the alleged sexual assault of a woman by Garda William Ryan at Aughrim Garda Station was described by the defence as "consensual activity between two adults." Defence counsel argued that the woman had cupped her own bottom, pressed herself against Ryan, and showed him her breast before they went upstairs together for consensual sexual activity. The woman repeatedly denied these claims, stating "definitely did not happen." Ryan, aged 38, pleaded not guilty to three counts of sexual assault and one count of false imprisonment. The State alleged that Ryan prevented the woman from leaving the station and sexually assaulted her three times. The trial, presided over by Judge Elma Sheahan, continues with the jury hearing evidence from both sides.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, a tourist from France was attacked on Talbot Street by a group of men, one of whom struck him repeatedly with a machete. The victim, who had been traveling extensively across Europe, was left with two deep wounds on his right leg and required surgery. He survived but suffered significant trauma and expressed uncertainty about future travel. John Hogan, 33, with 29 prior convictions including knife possession, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm and producing a machete. He was sentenced to five and a half years' imprisonment, with a headline sentence of eight years, and the court noted the attack was "particularly savage." The sentence was backdated to 30 December 2023 when Hogan entered custody. The case highlighted the potential for a murder charge had the victim died.
A former ESB electrician, Colm Sheehy, aged 43, pleaded guilty to possessing €133,752 worth of heroin and cocaine at his Tallaght home in October 2022. He was on bail for a prior drug conviction when the offence occurred. Judge Martin Nolan, hearing the case in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, normally would have imposed a six‑year sentence for the serious offence but reduced it to three years because Sheehy suffered a serious brain injury in 2017 after falling from a ladder at work. Medical reports showed a 30‑point IQ drop and ongoing cognitive difficulties, headaches, anxiety and depression. Sheehy has 33 prior convictions, including a previous three‑year prison term in 2002, and has struggled with long‑term drug addiction since age 18. The court noted his good work history and the impact of his injuries on his culpability. The case was adjourned to address his earlier conviction.
Magno Da Silva, 33, pleaded guilty to possessing €99,975 as proceeds of crime in his AIB account. He had previously received a suspended sentence for laundering €10,000 in a 2023 investment fraud. The court heard that the €100,000 came from a fake treasury bond scam in which the victim transferred the money to Da Silva's account after receiving a digital copy of a purported bond. Da Silva claimed the money was "clean" and intended to pay tax. Two weeks later he bought a second‑hand Mercedes for €22,900 and a Toyota for €22,400, and gave the remainder to his wife. The court sentenced him to three years' imprisonment with the final nine months suspended, ordered the sale of the two cars, and directed the proceeds to the victim. The victim's loss was €79,604. The case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, a serving Garda, William Ryan, aged 38, pleaded not guilty to three counts of sexual assault and one count of false imprisonment. The case concerns an incident at Aughrim Garda Station on 29 September 2020, where a woman sought assistance with her son's case. According to the prosecution, Ryan invited her into the station, made lewd comments, and after a brief conversation, allegedly forced her to stand, slapped her buttocks, and locked the side door to prevent her escape. The woman is said to have tried to leave but was prevented by the lock. She reportedly showed Ryan a bikini photo, after which he allegedly grabbed her breast, propositioned her, and forced her into a shower room. In that room, he is alleged to have placed his hand on her, forced her to pull away, and then digitally penetrated her vagina.