Court archive
Today Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
2024-05-07 · Dublin
Niall Colgan, 39, a former senior civil servant at the Department of Justice, pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography, including two indecent videos and two indecent images of children. The videos, one 1 minute 32 seconds long of a pre‑teen girl and another 1 minute 9 seconds long of a boy under ten, were category one material; the images were category two. Colgan admitted ownership of an iPhone from which the material was found after a Garda search on 1 February 2022. He was suspended from his role, resigned, and later faced a court hearing in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Judge Martin Nolan imposed a one‑year prison sentence fully suspended on strict conditions, with Colgan to be on the sex offenders register for five years. The court noted his good character, family support, and low risk of re‑offending, while also acknowledging the harassment he endured following the case.
2020-04-24 · Wexford
Anthony Maguire, 30, of Courtown, Co Wexford, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for possession of drugs for sale or supply. He pleaded guilty to the charge relating to an incident at Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Co Dublin, on June 3, 2017. The court heard that during the Forbidden Fruit music festival, gardaí in plain clothes observed Maguire engaging in drug transactions. He allegedly resisted a search and attempted to flee before being arrested, at which point MDMA tablets with a total value of €3,468 were found in his bag. Judge Melanie Greally had previously adjourned the case for 12 months in March 2019, remanding Maguire on bail under Probation Service supervision. However, the judge noted that probation supervision "never got off the ground" and that Maguire experienced a complete relapse into drug use. She also acknowledged his guilty plea, expression of remorse, and the explanation that he had a significant drug debt at the time of the offence. Judge Greally sentenced Maguire to two-and-a-half years imprisonment. She suspended the final 12 months of the sentence on strict conditions, requiring him to follow all directions of the Probation Service for 12 months post-release.
2017-12-07 · Dublin
Dean Byrne, aged 25, was serving an 18‑year sentence for a 2013 aggravated burglary when he climbed onto the roof of Cloverhill Prison during a riot on 29 May 2015. He remained on the roof for 13 hours, during which he threw a pole down at inmates below. Byrne pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting violent disorder. The Dublin Circuit Criminal Court added six months to his sentence, to be served after the existing term, citing his actions on the roof as a nuisance during the riot. The court noted that Byrne had 122 prior convictions and that he had been in institutions for half his life. The judge refused to reduce the extension, imposing the additional six months as a separate penalty.
2017-02-27 · Dublin
Paul Moore, 51, who has received six jail sentences for rape and sexual assault over the last 25 years, was again released on bail pending sentence for sexually assaulting a woman on the DART. The case was adjourned to allow his case manager to give evidence on how he can safely live in the community. Judge Melanie Greally remanded him on continuing bail until 16 March 2017, stating the court should be alerted if any concerns arise. Moore assaulted an au pair in 2014, was not recognised on CCTV until two years later, and had previously sexually assaulted two women in the city centre in 2015, for which he received 15 months' imprisonment. Earlier convictions include raping a musician in 2001 (ten years) and another woman in 1995 (seven years). He pleaded guilty to the DART assault and his defence counsel highlighted conflicting psychiatric reports and his isolated life.
2016-10-21 · Meath
Bernadette Warnock, 63, a former director of Positive Action Ltd, a charity that supported women who contracted Hepatitis C from contaminated blood products, was found guilty of 71 counts of theft and fraud between 2009 and 2011, stealing €116,226 from the organisation. The charity, which had 730 members and received most of its funding from the HSE, was closed in 2014 after an audit. Warnock, who herself contracted Hepatitis C at 24, pleaded guilty. The court heard she had previously forged cheques in 1990 and had been removed from the finance committee in 2011 after suspicions arose. She had hidden cheque stubs and forged the second director's signature to write cheques to herself. At sentencing, Judge Melanie Greally imposed a three‑year sentence, suspended the final 12 months, and left the decision on the allocation of the remaining €52,000 to the next hearing.
2016-10-03 · Dublin
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 3 October 2016, 19‑year‑old Jordan Maher pleaded guilty to possessing 1.718 kg of ketamine worth €103,132. The court noted that Maher had been granted bail earlier in the year to demonstrate his willingness to reform. A positive probation report, evidence of employment, and a statement that he had addressed the factors that led to his involvement in the offence were presented. The judge, Sarah Berkeley, acknowledged that Maher had turned his life around and that the probation report indicated remorse and a low risk of re‑offending. Consequently, she imposed a four‑year sentence, suspended in full, and ordered 18 months of probation supervision. No previous convictions were recorded for Maher.
2016-02-01 · Dublin
Kenneth Wilson, 46, of Deansrath Road, Clondalkin, Dublin, faces sentencing for the robbery of Bawnogue Post Office in November 2012. Wilson, who was armed with an axe, entered the post office with two other men who had a crowbar and an imitation handgun. They broke the security glass, took over €7,000 from the registers, and fled in a blue BMW. Wilson was apprehended near Deansrath Lawns, where he was seen running from the vehicle. He was later arrested, interviewed ten times, and pleaded guilty to the robbery. Wilson has 18 prior convictions, including manslaughter and armed robbery, and was sentenced to ten years for possession of firearms in 2009. In court, his defence counsel stated that he views this robbery as the last of his offending behaviour, that he is seeking work, and that he poses a low risk of re‑offending. The judge ordered a probation report and remanded Wilson in custody until 15 April 2016.
2015-03-12 · Roscommon
A man aged 59 from Roscommon has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting his daughter between July 2004 and July 2006 at the family home. Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard the offences occurred when the child was between five and seven years old. The girl was also abused by her mother, who is currently serving a 14-year sentence with four and a half years suspended for sexual assault, sexual exploitation and child cruelty. A neighbour in a relationship with the mother received a 14-year sentence for rape and other sexual offences against the child. During garda interviews, the defendant initially denied the allegations before suggesting any contact with the child's genitals was accidental. The child told specialist interviewers the abuse occurred multiple times when she was aged five or six. Judge Martin Nolan remanded the man on continuing bail pending sentencing on Monday. Defence counsel submitted his client was not responsible for the more serious abuse orchestrated by the mother and was himself operating within a chaotic family environment.
2014-11-28 · Dublin
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, former Anglo Irish Bank executives William McAteer (64) and Pat Whelan (52) were informed that their trial for alleged fraudulent loan of over €8 million would begin on 16 January 2017. McAteer is accused of securing the loan to repay a Bank of Ireland personal loan in September 2008, while Whelan is alleged to have been a party to the same loan. Both men intend to plead not guilty. Judge Mary Ellen Ring set a four‑week trial and ordered witnesses and exhibits, allowing parties to re‑enter the case if needed.