Court archive
Sligo Circuit Court
2022-02-11 · Mayo
The Court of Appeal has rejected Martin Kearney's bid to have his driving licence restored, upholding a previous decision by Judge Francis Comerford at Sligo Circuit Criminal Court. Kearney, of Castlefield Manor, Ballina, Co Mayo, was jailed for four years in 2012 by Judge Anthony Hunt after admitting dangerous driving causing serious harm to passenger Lydia Branley. He was initially banned from the roads for 20 years, a sentence reduced to 12 years on appeal in December 2014. Kearney's barrister, Liam Dockery BL, argued before the Court of Appeal that Judge Comerford erred in law under Section 29(1) of the Road Traffic Act 1961, claiming the ban was purely punitive. However, Mr Justice John Edwards ruled that the application must be rejected. The incident occurred in September 2010 when Kearney lost control of his BMW at 150 km/h near Ballisodare, leaving Branley, then 25, paralysed. She spent nine months in a coma and remains unable to eat or talk without assistance. Ms Branley attended the proceedings in person, expressing relief at the outcome. Her representatives noted that Kearney had already been banned and should not have been driving that night. The court's decision effectively maintains the 12-year driving ban, denying Kearney's request to restore his licence.
2020-11-06 · Sligo
A Formula 1 engineer's appeal against a nine-year prison sentence for attacking and falsely imprisoning his elderly landlord has been dismissed by the Court of Appeal. Stefan Schaufler, aged 53, pleaded guilty at Sligo Circuit Court in 2018 to assaulting Michael Lally, aged 81, causing him serious harm, falsely imprisoning him for 29 hours, and robbing him at a house in Sligo. Schaufler lured Mr Lally to a bedroom under false pretence and beat him with a metal bar, causing multiple facial and skull fractures, brain bleeding, and spinal injuries. He also stole Mr Lally's wallet and car before handing himself in to gardaí in Wexford several days later. The Court of Appeal found the nine-year sentence was not excessive given the premeditated nature of the offence, the severity of injuries inflicted on an elderly victim, and the extended period of false imprisonment. The court noted Mr Lally's rescue depended on his family's intervention and gardaí diligence.
2020-10-19 · Sligo
Stefan Schaufler, a 53-year-old engineer formerly employed in Formula 1, has appealed his sentence at the Court of Appeal for an attack on his 81-year-old landlord in Sligo on 20 June 2018. Schaufler lured Michael Lally to a bedroom under false pretences before beating him with a metal bar, stealing his wallet and car, and confining him in a locked room for 29 hours. Mr Lally sustained life-threatening injuries including multiple facial and skull fractures, a brain bleed, and spinal fractures. At Sligo Circuit Court, Schaufler pleaded guilty to assault causing serious harm, false imprisonment, and robbery. Judge Francis Comerford imposed concurrent sentences totalling nine years imprisonment. Schaufler's barrister argued the sentencing judge erred in severity and failed to adequately consider mitigating factors. The Director of Public Prosecutions contended the offence's gravity justified the sentence, noting Mr Lally's survival depended on chance discovery. Court President Justice George Birmingham reserved judgement pending full deliberation by the three-judge panel.