Court archive

Tipperary Circuit Criminal Court

2020-11-24 · Tipperary

Attacker appeals sentence for unprovoked, vicious assault on passer-by

Ian O'Sullivan, 32, appealed the 12‑year sentence he received for a 2017 unprovoked assault on Thomas Lonergan in Clonmel. O'Sullivan, one of three attackers, was found guilty of robbery after a CCTV‑recorded attack in which Lonergan was punched, kicked, and forced to hand over money and a phone. Lonergan suffered severe injuries, hospital treatment, eight weeks out of work, blurred vision, and long‑term health complications, including diabetic shock. O'Sullivan had 18 prior convictions, including assault and knife possession. Judge Thomas Teehan imposed a 12‑year term with four years suspended and a €2,000 compensation order. O'Sullivan's lawyer argued the sentence was too harsh, citing the victim's impact, while the DPP defended the judge's decision. The Court of Appeal will decide on Thursday.

2020-03-11 · Tipperary

Suspended sentence 'too lenient' for man who drove van into group

Robert Maxwell, 26, was found guilty of endangering Simon Ryan by driving a van into a group of people in Nenagh on 6–7 August 2017. Maxwell struck Ryan, knocked him to the ground, drove over him and then drove at him again. He pleaded guilty to the endangerment and to three public order offences. The Tipperary Circuit Criminal Court had imposed a wholly suspended four‑year sentence on 28 June 2019, but the Court of Appeal deemed it unduly lenient. The appeal court quashed the original sentence and re‑sentenced Maxwell to four years' imprisonment, with the final two years suspended. He must enter a good‑behaviour bond for the suspended period. Maxwell had 28 prior convictions, many for road traffic offences, and had been disqualified from driving on several occasions.