In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Miguel Pintos, 38, was found guilty of endangering pedestrians after losing control of his motorbike on a speed bump. The incident occurred on Shangan Road, Ballymun, on 6 May 2018, when Pintos's bike skidded into a pedestrian, breaking both her legs, and later collided with another woman, fracturing her ankle. Pintos, who has 30 prior convictions, pleaded guilty. The first victim, who received 20 stitches to her head and requires further surgery for leg plates, reported limited memory of the event and ongoing pain. The second victim now feels nervous around motorcycles. Pintos apologized repeatedly, describing the event as a moment of stupidity, and the court noted no alcohol or drugs were involved. Judge Karen O'Connor ordered a Probation Service report and adjourned sentencing to July.
A judge denied the State's request to bar the media from naming John Gibson, a former Christian Brother teacher, after he was convicted of indecent assault on two children in the 1980s. Gibson, aged 72, was jailed for two years for sexual assaults on a 12‑year‑old girl in 1983 and a 12‑year‑old boy in 1985. The Director of Public Prosecutions sought an order to prevent reporting on the case, citing potential prejudice in future trials. Publishers of the Irish Times, Irish Independent and Irish Daily Mirror applied to lift the restrictions, and the court found no compelling reason to impose them. Judge Elma Sheahan ruled that no reporting restrictions were necessary and that a future warning would suffice. Gibson was subsequently named in press coverage of his trial and sentencing.
A 42-year-old man has been sentenced to 14 months imprisonment for dangerous driving causing death at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. James Dingle, of Drumcliffe Road, Cabra, Dublin pleaded guilty to causing the death of Maureen Creaner, aged 92, on Navan Road, Cabra on 4 September 2016. The collision occurred as Mrs Creaner crossed the road to purchase a newspaper. Garda collision experts established Dingle was travelling at 64 kilometres per hour in a 50 kilometre per hour zone. A breath test revealed he was marginally over the legal drink-driving limit, having consumed alcohol the previous evening. Analysis of his phone activity indicated significant sleep deprivation in the hours before the incident. Judge Martin Nolan noted Dingle had made conscious decisions regarding his condition and speed, for which he bore responsibility. Mitigating factors included his remaining at the scene and full co-operation with gardaí. Dingle was also disqualified from driving for four years.
Martin Hanley, aged 55, was sentenced by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for a violent robbery on 23 November 2017 in Gardiner Lane. He knocked victim Frank O'Neill to the ground, demanded money, and stamped on O'Neill's leg, breaking his tibia. O'Neill, aged in his 60s, was left unable to run and later unable to walk, with the injuries likely to cause arthritis. Hanley, who is undergoing cancer treatment and has had a lung removed, pleaded guilty. Judge Karen O'Connor described the attack as vicious and frightening, suspended the last two and a half years of a five‑year term, and imposed a longer custodial period. Hanley was placed on a two‑year bond for good behaviour and required to engage with Probation Services. No order was made regarding a €2,000 offer of remorse from Hanley's family. The Probation Service assessed him as a moderate risk of re‑offending.
Two men from Dublin have been sentenced following their involvement in a significant drugs seizure and money laundering operation. Patrick Kavanagh, aged 59, of Ballygall Crescent, Finglas, and Patrick Hannon, of Rathvilly Park, Finglas, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of amphetamine and cannabis for sale or supply on 21 August 2017. Gardaí intercepted the pair moving drugs from a storage unit in north Dublin, recovering approximately nine kilogrammes of MDMA and eleven kilogrammes of cannabis herb and resin, with an estimated street value of €645,720. Hannon additionally pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing proceeds of crime, having allowed cheques from companies using false identities to be lodged into his bank account. Judge Melanie Greally imposed concurrent sentences of three years for the money laundering offences. She sentenced Kavanagh to four and a half years with the final eighteen months suspended, and Hannon to six and a half years with the final eighteen months suspended. The judge noted both men occupied lower positions within the criminal hierarchy and had expressed remorse.
Edward O'Keeffe, a 38‑year‑old supermarket manager, was sentenced to five years in prison for possessing a sawn‑off semi‑automatic shotgun and a stolen Suzuki motorcycle. Gardaí searched his Mulhuddart home on the basis of confidential information and found the gun in a bag under the floorboards, wrapped in black tape, and a spent cartridge. The shotgun had not been used in any offence. O'Keeffe claimed he was pressured by a criminal gang to hold the items. He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Judge Melanie Greally suspended the last two and a half years of the sentence, citing financial pressures and evidence of his responsible family role. The judge noted that the gang's operations relied on people "under the radar" and that O'Keeffe was not on any Garda radar. The case was defended by Kenneth Kerins BL, who highlighted O'Keeffe's managerial role and the distress of his children during the search.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Sandra Warren, aged 43, pleaded guilty to robbing a foreign student on May 23, 2016. The student, who had been in Ireland for four days, was led down a lane by Warren after asking for directions. Warren, who was using drugs at the time, grabbed the student's bag, taking her wallet, bank cards and phone. Garda Daniel Hanlon described the victim as traumatised, left confused and with "whiplash injuries," and noted she had difficulty trusting people after the incident. Warren admitted she was under pressure from a man to obtain money and has since ended that relationship. The court adjourned sentencing to July 1, 2019, to allow a psychiatric assessment and to consider a proposal for restitution. Warren has eight prior convictions for robbery, burglary and theft.
A 66‑year‑old man named Alan Clarke, who worked as a security guard at the FÁS Training Centre in Loughlinstown, was found to possess child pornography after he brought his laptop to the centre for repair. The centre's IT staff discovered 41 videos and 28 images depicting boys and girls aged 5 to 15 in sexual activities or poses. Clarke admitted to having a "curiosity" about such material and said he had lost interest the previous month. The material was determined to have been downloaded between March and May 2009. Clarke denied paying for the material and claimed no evidence of sharing or profiting from it. He had a prior assault conviction from 1987. The case was adjourned pending a psychiatric report, with a new hearing scheduled for June 20. The court heard that Clarke did not attempt to destroy the hard drive after being advised to do so. Alan Clarke pleaded guilty.
Deanna Brogan, 21, avoided jail after a judge placed her on a six‑month good behaviour bond for her role in a violent robbery on a Dublin city bus on St Patrick's Day 2015. Brogan, who had previously been involved in a street assault on a Brazilian man and a violent disorder offence in Temple Bar, admitted to slapping a minor victim twice in the face after the victim had returned his borrowed mobile phone. The attack was captured on CCTV and the victim has expressed ongoing fear of entering the city centre. Brogan's 12 prior convictions include two assault offences. The judge described the bus incident as "mean spirited" and "thuggish," and warned that any further offence would result in a prison sentence. She ordered Brogan to appear again on 10 October. The case also involved her partner Edward Doran, who pleaded guilty to impeding the apprehension of a robber.
Sarah English, 59, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault causing harm after she swung a glass at Paul Clarke, 59, in Belcamp Green, Priorswood on 12 July 2016. The glass shattered, cutting Clarke's head and face and severing a vein in his neck, causing him to lose consciousness and requiring surgery. He now bears a five‑inch scar on the right side of his face. English claimed she believed Clarke had ridiculed her late husband and deceased son, and that her reaction was a spur of the moment. She has no prior convictions. Judge Martin Nolan accepted her remorse, noted her role as a mother and grandmother, and imposed a four‑year sentence suspended in full on strict conditions. She must pay €3,000 as a token of remorse, €1,400 immediately and €1,600 within a year, and is unlikely to re‑offend.
In March 2019, an 18‑year‑old named Dylan Lynch was sentenced to six years in prison for a series of violent offences. In July 2018, he assaulted a teenage girl in his home, repeatedly slamming a door into her head, setting fire to her hair, cutting clumps of singed hair and throwing them out the window. He also filmed the incident and shared it on Snapchat. The assault was described by Judge Melanie Greally as "sadistic" and "degrading." Lynch had previously been convicted of robbery and assault with a vodka bottle three months earlier, for which he received a four‑and‑a‑half‑year term. The two sentences run consecutively, with the last 18 months suspended on the condition that he engage with the Probation Service. The judge noted his youth, childhood trauma, remorse and drug addiction issues in determining the suspended period. The unnamed teenager pleaded guilty.
John Cash, 37, was sentenced to three and a half years in prison for driving at a Garda while attempting to escape arrest for burglary. He had previously been jailed for eight years in 2008 after pleading guilty to dangerous driving that caused the deaths of two French tourists, Martine Talon (54) and Martine Liotard (53), on the Kylemore Road in Dublin on 16 May 2007. Cash had been banned from driving for 20 years after that conviction. In December 2017 he pleaded guilty to burglary at Aldi, Old Lucan Road, Palmerstown Lower, and dangerous driving. During the burglary, he drove his car at Garda Barry O'Shea, smashing the patrol car's windscreen with a baton and then driving into the patrol car, forcing the Garda to jump out of the way. The court described the act as "callous" and noted Cash's prior guilty plea for dangerous driving that caused death.
In March 2019, Gerard Cully, a 32‑year‑old crack cocaine addict, was sentenced to seven and a half years' imprisonment for a series of violent robberies. He robbed a taxi driver on Railway Street, demanding €30 and the driver's car keys while threatening him with a pointed weapon and an accomplice strangling the victim with a rope. Cully also attempted to rob a convenience store and successfully robbed two other shops in Dublin's city centre, taking a total of €415. He was armed with a knife and a hammer during these offences. Judge Melanie Greally described the crimes as a "spree of severe offences committed at a very high level" to obtain money for his addiction. Cully pleaded guilty, expressed remorse, and had previously sought help for his addiction. The judge imposed concurrent sentences, suspended the final 18 months on strict conditions, and considered his psychological report and prior attempts at treatment.
The trial of 50‑year‑old Garda civil servant Lynn Margiotta collapsed after Judge Patricia Ryan ruled that the seizure of her medical certificates breached her right to privacy. Margiotta was arrested in August 2014 after a complaint of bullying against her line manager, Sergeant Sharon Burke. She had claimed stress from her mother's death in January 2014 and had provided over a dozen sick certificates signed by her brother, Dr Tony Margiotta. The certificates were officially stamped in the names of Dr Teresa O'Brien and Dr Barry Brown. Margiotta faced 18 counts of using a false instrument, and her brother faced 18 related counts of making false instruments. Both denied the allegations. The judge found the seizure improper, the certificates inadmissible, and the content of the interviews inadmissible. Consequently, the Director of Public Prosecutions entered a nolle prosequi on all charges against both defendants.
John Paul Byrne, 32, of Belcamp Crescent, Priorswood, Dublin, pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis for sale or supply on 5 May 2016. Gardaí seized €42,000 worth of cannabis from a hold‑all bag in the back of a car in which Byrne was a back‑seat passenger at a north Dublin road checkpoint set up in response to local feud issues. Byrne claimed he owed €15,000 for a drug debt and said he had little choice in moving the drugs, describing himself as a "gillie" or "lackey" on the lowest rung of the trade. His last offence was in 2010; prior convictions were mainly for traffic and public‑order offences. The court accepted his claim of a one‑off venture and noted his efforts to reduce risk factors. Judge Melanie Greally imposed a three‑and‑a‑half‑year suspended sentence, suspended in full on strict conditions, including engagement with the Probation Service and compliance with all directions.
Ben Mooney, a 22‑year‑old Dublin man, was placed on a two‑year probation bond after pleading guilty to knowingly possessing child pornography. He had used the alias "Nicole Heffernon" to contact up to 15 teenage boys via Facebook, obtaining images and videos of them in underwear, naked and masturbating. At his home, a Samsung phone held 4,000 images and 300 videos of child porn. A seized computer later yielded 476 videos (42 hours total) and 39 images, depicting children in explicit sexual acts or showing genital or anal regions. Judge Melanie Greally, after hearing evidence and a probation report, ordered Mooney to engage with the Probation Service, attend a sex‑offender treatment programme and other courses to address his addiction and educational needs. The judge remanded him on continuing bail until March 2021, noting that a custodial sentence would depend on his cooperation with the Probation Service over the two years.
Shane Craig, 21, was caught in 2015 carrying over €140,000 worth of cocaine in a rucksack while homeless. Gardaí searched his residence and found drug paraphernalia. He pleaded guilty to possession of €142,761 worth of drugs at Foxhill Park, Donaghmede. In 2019 Judge Melanie Greally suspended a five‑year prison term in full, imposing strict conditions: engagement with the Probation Service for five years and random drug testing. The judge noted six Probation Service reports and a prior one‑year probation bond. Craig's probation officer confirmed he no longer used drugs and had made "extremely positive changes." Both Craig and his mother were homeless at the time, and the judge highlighted his vulnerability, addiction, drug debt and mental health problems. The suspended sentence reflects the judge's view that Craig's circumstances placed the case in the narrow category of a fully suspended sentence.
Patrick Stokes, aged 38, was convicted of robbing Claire Coulter's handbag on a footpath in Grangegorman Lower, Dublin, on 2 October 2018. The robbery involved three men; Stokes was one of them. Coulter was walking home when the men approached, one of whom grabbed her handbag, which contained €450, a mobile phone and house keys. The strap broke during the struggle, and Coulter screamed and chased the assailant toward Stoneybatter. Witnesses followed him and helped apprehend him. Stokes claimed he was not the one who took the bag, saying another man had taken it, but he later pleaded guilty to the robbery. He had 49 prior convictions and was serving a suspended sentence for burglary at the time. The court sentenced him to two years' imprisonment, to run consecutively with his current custodial sentence. The victim's impact statement expressed that she no longer feels safe walking home.
Paul Carew, a 42‑year‑old Dublin resident, was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment for laundering €660,000 linked to the Kinahan crime gang. He pleaded guilty to three counts of money laundering for activities between 2014 and 2016. In August 2016, Gardaí seized €191,160 from a concealed compartment in a van he drove at Liffey Valley Shopping Centre; in June 2016, they found €350,000 in a box he placed in a van at Dublin Auto Prestige Car Wash. Carew had previously received a suspended sentence in 2014 for possessing nearly €68,000 of criminal proceeds. Judge Martin Nolan described the offence as "very serious" and noted that most of the money came from drug dealing. Carew's appeal against the sentence was dismissed by the Court of Appeal, which upheld the eight‑year term as appropriate for the offences committed.
A 29‑year‑old man named Graham Taylor, who had a 40‑year driving disqualification and 121 prior convictions, was heard in a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court about a high‑speed chase that began on 19 June 2016 in Tallaght. The court considered three counts of endangerment and three counts of dangerous driving. Taylor, who denies the charges, was stopped at a traffic light at 12.30 pm on the junction of Brookfield and Cheeverstown Roads when a Volkswagen Passat, driven by Taylor, turned onto Brookfield Road. Garda David Jennings moved his vehicle to block the Passat, but it accelerated, prompting a pursuit. The chase lasted about two minutes, involved driving at 120 km/h in a 50 km/h zone, wrong‑way driving around roundabouts, and forcing other motorists onto the pavement. No collisions or injuries were reported.
Stephen Finn, aged 32, was sentenced to four years' imprisonment, with the final year suspended, for a series of burglaries at Trinity College and other locations in 2017. He had 115 prior convictions, including 21 burglaries, and was known for stealing to fund a drug habit. The court heard that Finn stole laptops from outside lecture halls, causing a student to fail an exam due to the loss. CCTV identified Finn, who evaded detection during the thefts. He pleaded guilty to burglary at two Trinity departments, the Central Hotel, and a business on Pearse Street. The judge noted the severe consequences for victims, Finn's remorse, efforts to address drug addiction, and his role as a father. Finn's sentence reflects the seriousness of the offences and his established pattern of theft.
Ian O'Connor, 29, was sentenced by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to ten years' imprisonment for two arsons. He pleaded guilty to setting fire to Tyrone Place, Inchicore on 18 September 2017, where a seven‑year‑old's hearing aid melted, and to a later arson at Ailesbury Road on 15 October 2017. Judge Melanie Greally imposed a twelve‑year term for the first arson, suspending the final two years on the condition of peace‑keeping and probation engagement, and a six‑year term for the second arson, to run concurrently. All sentences were back‑dated to 9 March 2018. O'Connor admitted pouring petrol into a letterbox and front door, claiming debt‑related pressure and that he believed the house was empty. He had prior convictions for drunk driving and was unmarried with one child.
Andrew Shannon, 54, was convicted on 31 January 2014 of handling a stolen Frederick Goodall oil painting, a 1892 desert scene taken from Bantry House in Cork in March 2006. Gardaí discovered the painting, valued at about €5,000, during a 2014 search of his home on unrelated grounds. A jury found him guilty after a two‑day trial, and Judge Patricia Ryan sentenced him to two years' imprisonment in November 2014. He was due to appeal the conviction today but had dismissed his solicitor and intended to represent himself. Judge George Birmingham warned him that the Court of Appeal, a three‑judge panel, was unconvinced he could do justice alone and urged him to secure counsel. The case was scheduled for hearing on 16 May. Shannon has 51 prior convictions, including theft, burglary and handling stolen property, and was previously jailed for damaging a Monet painting at the National Gallery of Ireland in 2012.
A 19-year-old man from Strokestown, County Longford, has been sentenced to four years imprisonment at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for violent offences committed during an escape from Oberstown Children's Detention Campus in Lusk, County Dublin, on 29 May 2017. Michael Ward pleaded guilty to criminal damage, assault causing harm, and assault while attempting to commit theft. During the incident, Ward struck the campus director with a metal bar, causing bleeding, and caused extensive damage to the facility estimated at €17,135. He and other detainees barricaded themselves in an office, armed themselves with metal fixtures, and used an angle grinder to breach the campus perimeter fence. Judge Patricia Ryan imposed concurrent sentences of four years for assault and five years for criminal damage, suspending the final 12 months of both terms. She considered Ward's early guilty plea, efforts at rehabilitation, youth, and apology. Ward is currently serving an earlier four-year sentence, with 12 months suspended, for separate criminal damage offences at Oberstown.
Alan Hutch, 36, was jailed after breaking into the Offices of the Revenue Commissioners on 7 March 2018, stealing a mobile phone and assaulting Karl Higgins, who tried to stop him. Hutch entered the building through an unlocked door, walked to Higgins' office, took a white box containing the phone, and when Higgins confronted him, a scuffle ensued. Hutch punched Higgins several times, grabbed a steel pole and struck him in the neck or chest area. Two colleagues subdued Hutch until Gardaí arrived. Hutch was arrested, pleaded guilty to burglary and assault, and was sentenced by Judge Melanie Greally to four years' imprisonment with the final 18 months suspended on strict conditions. The sentence was back‑dated to the date of the offence. Hutch has 73 prior convictions and has been in custody since his arrest. No victim impact report was filed.
Frank Kamara, 29, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. On 17 January 2018, while employed as a cleaner at a Dublin shopping centre, he emailed a video to his supervisor. The supervisor watched the four‑minute, 59‑second clip for two seconds, was shocked, and deleted it. Kamara claimed he sent the video to warn his supervisor about the dangers of child sexual exploitation and to advise him not to leave his own children with untrustworthy people. He said the video was sent to him by a woman in Nigeria and that he had deleted it after forwarding it. The prosecution, represented by Garda Joanne Grogan, described the footage as a male adult raping a boy about one or two years old.
Amir Essalhi (34), of Millbrook Avenue, Dublin 13, was sentenced in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to two car thefts committed in 2017. During the sentencing, Essalhi told Judge Melanie Greally that he turned to heroin to cope with the 2011 murder of his brother, Adil Essalhi, who was stabbed and burnt in west Dublin. Wayne Kinsella (46), formerly of the Plaza, Tyrellstown, was previously convicted of murdering Adil Essalhi and jailed for life. Essalhi stated that his addiction led to job loss and criminal activity, including a 2017 partially suspended sentence for six counts of robbery in Clondalkin, which was conditional on seeking drug treatment. His defence counsel, Gerardine Small BL, noted that Essalhi sought treatment but relapsed while awaiting placement. The court acknowledged the disturbing impact of his brother's murder and Essalhi's remorse. Judge Greally imposed concurrent sentences of 12 months and 21 months, to run from December when he went into custody.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court trial, Daniel Molloy, aged 28, was convicted of assaulting Ellen Colgan on Eccles Street. On 17 December 2017, Colgan was walking her two dogs when Molloy, pushing a trolley and walking three dogs, approached her. She reported that Molloy shouted, "Go away you stupid bitch or I'll let them eat you," and that the dogs attacked her. Colgan described a large dog, weighing about 40 kg, biting her neck and head, and she managed to lift and fling the dog away. She sustained a bite mark on her leg and her dog suffered puncture wounds. The judge, Martin Nolan, imposed a suspended three‑year prison term, requiring Molloy to remain out of trouble and comply with probation for one year. He was allowed to keep his two bull terrier mongrels, but may not acquire any dog larger than a terrier after they die.
Bernardus Jozef Scherrenberg, aged 47 and a cancer survivor, was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for possession of cocaine for sale or supply. He was found transporting 49 kg of cocaine concealed in sand-filled tubs at the B&Q car park in Clondalkin on 6 December. Gardaí had followed a Peugeot to the site, intercepted the tubs, and discovered additional ones in Scherrenberg's Jeep. He attempted to flee, discarding his mobile phone, but was apprehended. The seized drugs were valued at €3,435,859. Scherrenberg had pleaded guilty, citing a €2,000 payment and his medical condition—stage 4 non‑Hodgkin's lymphoma remission after a stem‑cell transplant—as mitigating factors. Judge Patricia Ryan, noting his lack of prior convictions and foreign status, imposed the seven‑year term, backdated to his initial custody date. The sentence reflects the seriousness of the offence and the mitigating circumstances presented.
Nermana Gojak, 44, worked as a carer and housekeeper for a 90‑year‑old retired GP for ten years. She stole €41,380 from the GP's sale proceeds by withdrawing cash, using the victim's laser card and transferring money to the victim's current account. Gojak pleaded guilty to theft at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The victim, who had raised the money from a lifetime of hard work, gave a victim impact statement describing betrayal and financial insecurity. Judge Melanie Greally sentenced Gojak to three years' imprisonment, suspending the final 12 months on strict conditions, including 12 months' engagement with the Probation Service. The sentence reflected Gojak's lack of prior convictions, cooperation, remorse and the fact that the money had not been repaid. The case was reported to Gardaí, who arrested Gojak in January 2018 after her admissions.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, John Gibson, aged 72, was found guilty of two indecent assault charges against a 12‑year‑old girl in 1983 and a 12‑year‑old boy in 1985 at a Christian Brothers' School in Co. Wexford. The trial, lasting five days, included testimony from the victims who described how Gibson molested them while washing them after manual work and later during showering or painting tasks. Gibson denied the charges but was convicted by a jury. The victims recounted the lasting impact of the abuse, including the man's loss of interest in sport, binge‑drinking, and eventual school dropout, and the woman's withdrawal, fear, and difficulty with intimacy. Gibson, now retired, lives under a structured community safety plan and is on the Sex Offenders' Register. The sentencing hearing was adjourned to 1 April for finalisation.
Two Dublin men pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to charges relating to a fraudulent forestry investment scheme. Between January 2014 and mid-2016, Garret Hevey and David Peile induced approximately 143 foreign investors to deposit roughly €5.5 million into Arden Forestry Management. Detective Inspector Catharina Gunne told the court the investments would have required around 858 acres of land, but the company owned only 30.2 acres. Investors were promised returns based on government grants and forest harvesting, though the company was ineligible for grants as its trees exceeded the twenty-year age limit. One investor visited a forest site in Frenchpark, County Roscommon, but was prevented from accessing the land registry to verify ownership. Hevey, of Shankill, Dublin, and Peile, of Ballyguile, Wicklow, both pleaded guilty to dishonestly inducing investment and deception charges. Approximately €1.98 million remained in the company account when gardaí froze it, with €1.5 million having been transferred to a Dubai account. Judge Melanie Greally remanded both men on bail pending sentencing submissions.
A 38‑year‑old former general manager of the Dublin pub Four Dame Lane, Donna McGarry, pleaded guilty to two counts of theft for stealing almost €12,000 between 4 October and 6 November 2017. The court heard that McGarry was under severe financial pressure, had suffered a miscarriage, and was facing a potential repossession of her apartment. She admitted the thefts, transferred the €11,900 stolen to the victim's bank account, and promised to repay the money. McGarry had no prior convictions and was currently employed full‑time in hospitality. Judge Melanie Greally indicated an intention to impose a suspended sentence, citing exceptional circumstances and mitigating factors, and adjourned sentencing to 29 March to allow the transfer to complete. The case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
A 65‑year‑old man pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to six counts of sexual assault against a girl who was 10 years old in 2013. The court heard that the man had abused the girl on several occasions, including when she was sleeping in a camper van, during walks in Wicklow, and while she was on his knee in a shed. He claimed some of the touching was accidental and that he had memory problems. He also hinted that he had killed a former partner to keep the girl silent. The girl, now a teenager, reported ongoing fear, nightmares, and difficulty trusting people. The case was adjourned pending a psychological report, and the man remains on bail until sentencing in May.
In March 2019, Gamiya Muftau, aged 24, was sentenced to two years in prison for his role in a €360,000 money‑laundering scheme that stole funds from Maynooth University. The fraud began in summer 2015 when university staff paid a contractor, Rhatigans, into a fraudulent account after a phone call from someone claiming to be from the firm. The money was then transferred through 15 transactions to several accounts, one belonging to Muftau. He pleaded guilty to possessing €18,100 as proceeds of crime and was arrested in December 2016. Judge Melanie Greally accepted his guilty plea and cooperation, noting his poor judgment and low‑level involvement. She imposed a two‑year sentence, suspended for 18 months, and ordered 12 months of post‑release supervision focused on accommodation and education. Muftau has been in custody since November 2018.
In a Dublin incident, 18‑year‑old Dylan Lynch assaulted a teenage girl by repeatedly slamming a door into her head and setting her hair on fire. He filmed the attack and posted it on Snapchat. Lynch also attacked a passerby, a former Tallaght Hospital lab technician, with a broken vodka bottle, causing serious injuries. The technician received stitches, staples, and ear glue. Lynch, who lives in Avonbeg Gardens, Tallaght, pleaded guilty to both assaults at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Gardaí received complaints from the girl and her mother the next day. The court heard that the attacks influenced the technician's decision to move abroad. Judge Melanie Greally remanded Lynch in custody and postponed sentencing to a later hearing.
Rafal Winter, 37, admitted stealing more than €10,000 worth of lottery scratch cards from Spar, The Crescent and Mulhuddart shops between July and September 2017. He claimed jealousy after friends discussed pay rises prompted him to take up to 30 books of cards, win between €2,000 and €3,000, and cash the winnings at various shops. Winter voluntarily presented himself to Gardaí, stating he took two to four books a week and scratched them himself. He offered to resign and repay the shop, but the loss remains €10,567. He has no prior convictions in Ireland or Poland. The court noted his remorse, lack of wealth, and that he was the sole earner for his family. Judge Melanie Greally adjourned sentencing to October to allow time for potential repayment arrangements. Rafal Winter pleaded guilty.
Breda Cahill, owner of three convenience stores, gave a victim impact statement describing a "reign of terror" after her shops were robbed six times. She said she had to spend every minute in the shops to support staff and keep them safe. The statement was prepared for the sentencing of Brendan Payne, 36, who robbed one of her shops and was prevented from raiding another by Gardaí. Payne pleaded guilty to possession of a knife with intent to intimidate and to robbery. Judge Melanie Greally imposed a nine‑year prison sentence, suspending the last three years on the condition that Payne keep the peace, engage with Probation Services for 18 months, attend prison drug services and take up residential drug treatment. The sentence includes both offences and runs consecutively. Payne admitted he was tired of offending and had used drugs since age 12, citing his mother's alcoholism as a trigger.
Sam Maughan, 24, of Mount Brown, Dublin, pleaded guilty in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possessing a Stanley blade with intent to incapacitate a person at the Criminal Courts of Justice on 15 August 2018. He was arrested after security staff at the entrance detected a suspicious item in his bag, which he later discarded into a bin. A garda alerted to the knife's presence approached Maughan in the foyer and asked him to leave, suspecting a breach of peace. Maughan admitted he had brought the knife to attack a man seeking bail, who had been arrested for assaulting his sister's friend. He has 77 prior convictions, including knife possession, assault, drug and public order offences. Judge Melanie Greally accepted his guilty plea, noted the effectiveness of the screening machines, and acknowledged his difficult upbringing and ongoing efforts to address addiction and risk factors. He was sentenced to two years' imprisonment.
Kevin Coughlan, aged 23, was sentenced to five years in prison for burglarising 17 occupied homes and stealing 13 cars, engagement rings, passports and other items between May 2016 and September 2017. He admitted stealing baby clothes, a baby's birth certificate and a marriage certificate during one burglary. Victims reported severe emotional distress, including sleeplessness and financial hardship, with a total economic loss exceeding €130,000. Judge Melanie Greally suspended the final two and a half years of the sentence on strict conditions, requiring Coughlan to engage with the Probation Service for 18 months and attend addiction counselling. He pleaded guilty, citing hunger, rent and a drug debt as motives, and expressed remorse in a letter to the court. The case was largely based on his admissions, with no violence reported during the burglaries. The judge noted his homelessness and drug addiction at the time of the offences.
Gregory Kelleher, 44, of Clondalkin, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of €1,675,000 worth of cannabis with intent to sell or supply. The drugs were found in a white van at the car park of Bottom of the Hill public house, Finglas, on 23 June 2015. Customs officials, acting on confidential information, had discovered a pallet of 83.7 kg of cannabis at a Finglas shipping company on 22 June 2015, which had been misdeclared as second‑hand clothes. Kelleher drove the van to the shipping company, loaded the drugs, and later abandoned the vehicle in Poppintree where Gardaí seized it. His fingerprints were found on a plastic bag containing duck tape, a knife, gloves and bin bags. He had eleven prior convictions, including criminal damage and intoxication in public. Judge Patricia Ryan sentenced him to six years' imprisonment, back‑dating the term to 26 February 2015, the day he first entered custody.
Stephen Weafer, 32, was sentenced in April for assaulting two women in 2016. He head‑butted Rebecca Burke while queuing outside Greyhound Pub, Blanchardstown, and later kicked Rachel Burke in the face during a melee. CCTV captured the head‑butt; no footage showed the kick. Rebecca broke a finger after falling; Rachel's nose was broken and remains permanently damaged. Weafer pleaded guilty to assaulting both women. He had 49 prior convictions for traffic offences and was taking epilepsy medication, which his defence cited as a factor. He offered €3,000 as a token of remorse and wrote a letter apologising. Judge Karen O'Connor remanded him on bail until April 30 for sentencing. The case was prosecuted by John Berry BL.
In a case heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, 22‑year‑old Eoin McKinley pleaded guilty to assault causing harm after a confrontation at Weatherspoon's, Westend Retail Park, Blanchardstown, on 30 May 2016. McKinley, who was 19 at the time, had been drinking with a friend when he overheard a group of men criticizing the loudness of his friends. He threw a glass at the group's table, which shattered on a fence, and then struck the victim's face with another glass. The victim suffered a broken nose and a scar on his left eyebrow. He claimed a €1,000 financial loss from medical bills and lost wages. McKinley had no prior convictions and was intoxicated during the incident. The judge described the assault as a "very serious glassing" and ordered a community service report, with the matter adjourned to 25 June.
Warren Farrell, a 33‑year‑old Garda in Ballyfermot, was driving a marked patrol car when he struck 75‑year‑old Elizabeth Core on Fonthill Road South, Dublin, on 28 August 2014. He pleaded not guilty to dangerous driving causing death, but was convicted on an alternative charge of careless driving causing death. The jury found him guilty by majority verdict. Judge Cormac Quinn noted Farrell's speed was between 50 and 56 km/h, slightly above the 50 km/h limit, and that he failed to slow after seeing Core cross the road. Farrell claimed he expected her to stop, applied brakes, and tried to avoid her by moving onto the footpath, but a tyre burst prevented this. The judge deferred a nine‑month prison sentence under section 100 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006, requiring Farrell to pay a €2,000 fine and €5,000 to the Irish Road Victims Association within four months.
John Doyle, 38, was arrested after looting a Centra shop in Tallaght during Storm Emma. He entered the shop for only one minute and 30 seconds before Gardaí arrived, carrying three packets of cigarettes. Doyle pleaded guilty to trespassing with intent to commit theft. While Gardaí pursued him, he threw trolleys to obstruct them and was found crouched in a store room. Two other men were present, one with a sledgehammer. Doyle has 111 prior convictions, including robbery, burglary, possession of stolen property, road traffic offences and criminal damage. A co‑accused, David Berney, already received an 18‑month suspended sentence. The court adjourned sentencing to July to allow a probation report. The incident involved a mechanical saw breach of the shop's front shutter and Gardaí arriving by jeep and on foot. Doyle's defence highlighted his panic, shame and claim of being lured into the chaos. The case remains at the pleading stage.
Aaron Gilsenan, 38, a crack cocaine addict, was jailed for four years after a spree of robberies and attempted robberies in Dublin between December 2017 and March 2018. He used a knife to threaten staff at five convenience stores and filling stations, robbed a taxi driver of €40, and stole a total of €760. Gilsenan was identified on CCTV and used his own car to escape each time. He pleaded guilty to four robberies and two attempted robberies, admitting the crimes were driven by his addiction and the death of his daughter. He had 87 prior convictions, including 51 for road traffic offences. The court noted he was drug‑free at sentencing and had expressed genuine regret. The sentence was imposed by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, with a suspended portion of 18 months, and he was also due for sentencing in Trim and Naas Circuit Courts for other pending cases.
Brian Walton, a 31‑year‑old Dublin musician, was found in possession of €21,423 worth of cannabis and cannabis resin at his home on 24 April 2017. He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to the offence of possessing cannabis. Garda Peter Lyons obtained a warrant to search Walton's address based on confidential information and seized three phones containing text messages advertising drug sales. Walton admitted selling cannabis to clear debts. He had no prior convictions. Judge Melanie Greally, after considering his early guilty plea, cooperation, personal circumstances and lack of previous convictions, imposed a four‑year suspended sentence. The suspension is in full, with strict conditions including a nine‑month period of probation supervision. No custodial term was imposed. The case was adjourned to allow a probation report to be prepared. The court noted Walton's insight into the wider implications of his activities and his efforts to overcome a cannabis addiction.
Michael Shine, aged 86, is awaiting the outcome of an appeal against his conviction for abusing two teenage boys in the mid‑1970s. He had pleaded not guilty to eight charges of indecent assault at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital and his private clinic in Drogheda between 1964 and 1991. In October 2017, a jury found him guilty of indecent assault on two 15‑year‑old patients; the judge directed a not‑guilty verdict for one complainant and acquitted him on the remaining counts. He received two consecutive 10‑month sentences, totalling 20 months imprisonment, below the then‑maximum two‑year sentence. Counsel Hugh Hartnett SC argues the complaints were unusually orchestrated via media campaigns, all complainants used the same solicitor and psychiatrist, and the trial judge failed to address this. He also contends the judge improperly admitted evidence of civil settlements (€70k) to rebut claims of financial motivation, calling it prejudicial and lacking probative value.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Liam Black, aged 46, received a three‑year suspended sentence for trespass and theft after a 2015 incident where he shouted obscenities, smashed windows and brandished a golf club at his ex‑partner's home. The judge noted a significant change in his behaviour since his 2015 release from prison, where he had served five years for aiding cash van raiders and for possessing €70,000 of cocaine. Black had pleaded guilty to the 2015 trespass and theft, and had not attracted Garda attention since then. He had previously been sentenced to seven years for cocaine possession, with the final two years suspended, and had addressed his drug addiction and cared for his son and niece. The court deemed it not in the community's interest to return him to prison.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on March 8, 2019, Michael Donohue, aged 20, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm for an attack on his ex‑girlfriend on November 11, 2017. Donohue was sentenced to two years' imprisonment, with the final 12 months suspended on the condition that he keep the peace, behave well and engage with Probation Services for 12 months after release. The court described how Donohue ran toward the woman while she was walking with her sister, grabbed her around the head and neck, struck her head against a wall, kicked her in the stomach and head, dragged her by the hair, and pushed her sister to the ground when she tried to intervene. The victim's impact statement noted cuts to her legs, a lump on her head, ongoing panic attacks and reluctance to leave her house. Donohue had no prior convictions and had accepted responsibility for his "monstrous" actions, presenting himself to Gardaí.