Court archive
Different people may share this name. This page collects matching printed names for browsing; it does not establish that these reports concern the same person. Underlying profiles remain separate.
2025-03-21 · Dublin
Kevin Braney, aged 49, is appealing his conviction for the murder of Peter Butterly at the Special Criminal Court. The appeal, heard before a three-judge panel, centres on two main issues: the lawfulness of surveillance authorisation and the admissibility of evidence from an accomplice-turned-State's witness. Braney's counsel argues that gardai…
2025-03-20 · Dublin
The Court of Appeal is hearing an appeal by Kevin Braney, who was convicted by the Special Criminal Court of the 2013 murder of Peter Butterly. Counsel for Braney argued that the conviction should be overturned because the trial relied on the evidence of David Cullen, a State's witness described as a perjurer and accomplice. Cullen had previously…
2021-07-30 · Dublin
A Dublin man has lost his appeal against conviction for membership of an unlawful organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army. The Court of Appeal dismissed all grounds of appeal by Ciaran Maguire (32), who was sentenced to four years and 11 months imprisonment following his conviction by the Special Criminal Court in May 2018. Maguire…
2021-06-10 · Dublin
A man from Dublin has appealed his conviction for membership of an unlawful organisation after a trial in the Special Criminal Court in 2018. Ciaran Maguire, aged 32, and co-accused Kevin Braney were found guilty of IRA membership following an incident in Co Meath on 13 July 2017, when the two men allegedly threatened a construction worker and…
2019-10-31 · Gormanston, Meath
The Special Criminal Court trial of Laurence Murphy and Ray Kennedy, both accused of IRA membership on March 6, 2013, continued with the court listening to a secret audio recording from a KFC in Charlestown. Both men pleaded not guilty to the membership charge; Mr. Kennedy also faces a charge of perverting the course of justice by destroying a…
2019-10-22 · Blanchardstown, Dublin
The Special Criminal Court has adjourned the trial of Laurence Murphy and Ray Kennedy, who both pleaded not guilty to membership of an unlawful organisation. The court heard that Dave Cullen, a State's witness in the Peter Butterly murder case, was not prosecuted for alleged perjury due to fears he would not return to Ireland from a protection…
2019-10-16 · Gormanston, Meath
An accused man was observed meeting two individuals convicted in connection with the fatal shooting of dissident republican Peter Butterly one day after the killing, the Special Criminal Court heard today. Surveillance officers told the non-jury court that on March 7, 2013, Laurence Murphy was seen at a fast-food outlet in Charlestown Shopping…
2019-02-08 · Dublin
The leader of the so-called New IRA in Dublin, Kevin Braney (44), was today jailed for life for the murder of Peter Butterly (35) almost six years ago. Braney was found guilty by the Special Criminal Court last Monday of the 'premeditated' murder of Mr Butterly, who was chased and shot dead outside The Huntsman Inn, Gormanston, Co Meath, on March…
2019-02-04 · Gormanston, Meath
Kevin Braney, 44, of Tallaght, Dublin, was found guilty by the Special Criminal Court of the premeditated murder of dissident republican Peter Butterly. The three-judge panel, presided over by Mr Justice Paul Coffey, concluded beyond reasonable doubt that Braney was involved in the organisation and planning of the killing, which occurred outside…
2018-12-13 · Dublin
Kevin Braney, 44, of Tallaght, was charged with murdering dissident republican Peter Butterly in March 2013. He pleaded not guilty to the murder and was also charged with possession of a 9mm Beretta pistol and seven rounds of ammunition. The Special Criminal Court, after the prosecution's case closed, refused a defence application for a direction…
2018-12-12 · Dublin
The Special Criminal Court refused to exclude the testimony of former murder accused David Cullen, who has become a State witness, from the trial of Kevin Braney, accused of murdering Peter Butterly. The defence argued Cullen was a 'parody of a witness' and his evidence was riddled with inconsistencies, but the court found the circumstantial…
2018-12-11 · Dublin
In a Special Criminal Court hearing, defence counsel for Kevin Braney, aged 44, argued that evidence from former murder suspect David Cullen should be excluded because Cullen's testimony was a "parody" and riddled with inconsistencies. Braney, charged with the 2013 murder of Peter Butterly, denied the murder and possession of a 9mm Beretta pistol…
2018-12-10 · Dublin
Judges at the Special Criminal Court trial of Kevin Braney have refused an application to exclude mobile phone evidence. Braney, 44, of Tallaght, Dublin, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Peter Butterly and the possession of a 9mm Beretta semi-automatic pistol and ammunition at Blackthorn Apartments, Balbriggan, on March 5, 2013. The…
2018-11-28 · Tallaght, Dublin
The Special Criminal Court trial of Kevin Braney, 44, of Tallaght, Dublin 24, continued before Mr Justice Paul Coffey. Braney has pleaded not guilty to the murder of dissident republican Peter Butterly in March 2013 and the unlawful possession of a semi-automatic pistol. Protected witness David Cullen, who turned State's evidence after his murder…
2018-11-27 · Dublin
The Special Criminal Court trial of Kevin Braney, 44, of Tallaght, Dublin, continues before a three-judge panel. Mr Braney, who has pleaded not guilty to the murder of dissident republican Peter Butterly and the unlawful possession of a semi-automatic pistol and ammunition, faces evidence from protected witness David Cullen. Cullen, who turned…
2018-11-26 · Gormanston, Meath
Frank Murphy, 58, pleaded guilty in the Special Criminal Court to impeding the apprehension or prosecution of State witness David Cullen, who had previously pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a semi-automatic pistol. Murphy had originally pleaded not guilty to the murder of Peter Butterly, a trial underway since October, but the DPP…
2018-11-23 · Cavan
A man from Cavan has pleaded guilty before the Special Criminal Court to assisting an unlawful organisation in the murder of dissident republican Peter Butterly. Michael McDermott, aged 59, of Ballinagh, Co. Cavan, admitted to knowingly rendering assistance to the IRA in furthering the unlawful killing of Mr Butterly at various locations between…
2018-11-22 · Gormanston, Meath
A man on trial at the Special Criminal Court for the murder of a father-of-two was removed from proceedings in an ambulance after falling unwell before the hearing commenced. Frank Murphy, aged fifty-eight, of McDonough Caravan Park, Bettystown, County Meath, is one of three defendants charged in connection with the fatal shooting of Peter…
2018-10-04 · Gormanston, Meath
Three men have been arraigned at the Special Criminal Court on charges of murdering a dissident republican shot dead outside a public house in Meath over five years ago. Michael McDermott, aged 58, of Ballinagh, County Cavan; Kevin Braney, aged 43, from Dublin; and Frank Murphy, aged 58, of Bettystown, County Meath, have all pleaded not guilty to…
2018-07-31 · Dublin
Two Dublin men, Kevin Braney (44) and Ciaran Maguire (30), were convicted of IRA membership by the Special Criminal Court and sentenced to four years and six months and four years and eleven months respectively. The court found that on 13 July 2017 they travelled from Dublin to an estate in County Meath, where they threatened an accident victim,…
2018-07-24 · Dublin
In a Special Criminal Court hearing, Kevin Braney (44) and Ciaran Maguire (30) were found guilty of IRA membership. The men had denied membership on August 2, 2017, but evidence from Detective Chief Superintendent Tom Maguire and CCTV showed they travelled from Dublin to an estate in County Meath on July 13, 2017. There, they threatened an…
2018-05-30 · Longwood, Meath
In a Special Criminal Court hearing, Kevin Braney (44) and Ciaran Maguire (30) were found guilty of membership in the Irish Republican Army (IRA). The court considered evidence that on 13 July 2017 the men travelled from Dublin to Longwood, County Meath, where they threatened an accident victim, saying they were the IRA and would shoot him if he…
2018-04-27 · Longwood, Meath
In a Special Criminal Court hearing, two men, Kevin Braney, 44, and Ciaran Maguire, 30, pleaded not guilty to membership of the Irish Republican Army (IRA). The prosecution alleged that on 13 July 2017 the accused travelled from Dublin to Longwood, County Meath, where Braney threatened a man, saying they were the IRA and that if he did not drop a…
2018-04-26 · Longwood, Meath
In a Special Criminal Court hearing, a National Surveillance Unit garda reported seeing Kevin Braney (44) and Ciaran Maguire (30) walk up the driveway of a house in Longwood, County Meath, where a man had claimed the men threatened to shoot him. The garda, whose identity is protected, stated that he was in Longwood on the evening of 13 July 2017…
2018-04-25 · Dublin
In a Special Criminal Court hearing, two Dublin men, Kevin Braney, 44, and Ciaran Maguire, 30, both pleaded not guilty to membership of an unlawful organisation styled the Irish Republican Army (IRA). The prosecution alleged that on 2 August 2017, one accused told another man in Longwood, County Meath that they were the IRA and threatened to…
2018-04-24 · Longwood, Meath
In a Special Criminal Court hearing, Kevin Braney (44) and Ciaran Maguire (30) pleaded not guilty to IRA membership. They told a witness that they would shoot him if he did not drop a claim against a former employer. The witness, who was at home in Longwood on 13 July, heard heavy knocking, saw the two men, and was told they were IRA members.…
2018-04-19 · Dublin
The Special Criminal Court is hearing a second day of legal argument in the case of Kevin Braney, 44, and Ciaran Maguire, 30, who have pleaded not guilty to membership of the Irish Republican Army. Defence counsel are challenging evidence supplied by the National Surveillance Unit. The prosecution alleges that one of the accused told a man in…
2018-04-17 · Dublin
In a Special Criminal Court hearing, Kevin Braney, 44, and Ciaran Maguire, 30, both pleaded not guilty to charges of Irish Republican Army membership. The prosecution alleged that one accused told a man in Longwood, County Meath, that they were the IRA and threatened to shoot him if he did not drop a claim against a former employer. Defence…
2018-04-16 · Longwood, Meath
In a Special Criminal Court hearing, judges ruled that the extensions to the detentions of Kevin Braney, 44, and Ciaran Maguire, 30, were lawful. Both men had pleaded not guilty to membership of the Irish Republican Army (IRA). Defence counsel had objected to the extensions, and Rosario Boyle SC for Braney challenged the use of CCTV evidence. The…
2018-04-12 · Longwood, Meath
In a Special Criminal Court hearing, two men, Kevin Braney, 44, and Ciaran Maguire, 30, who live in Dublin, have pleaded not guilty to charges of membership in the Irish Republican Army. The prosecution alleges that Braney told a man in Longwood, County Meath, that they were "the IRA" and threatened to shoot him if he did not drop a claim against…
2018-04-11 · Dublin
In the Special Criminal Court, two Dublin men, Kevin Braney, 44, and Ciaran Maguire, 30, were tried for alleged IRA membership. Both pleaded not guilty. The prosecution alleged that one accused told a man in Longwood, County Meath, that they were the IRA and threatened to shoot him if he did not drop a claim against a former employer. Defence…
2018-04-10 · Dublin
In a Special Criminal Court hearing, Detective Chief Superintendent Tom Maguire testified that he believed Kevin Braney, aged 44, and Ciaran Maguire, aged 30, were members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) on the day in question. He based this belief on confidential information. Detective Sergeant Padraig Boyce provided evidence of Braney's…
2018-04-09 · Longwood, Meath
In a Special Criminal Court hearing, two men, Kevin Braney (43) and Ciaran Maguire (29), pleaded not guilty to membership of the Irish Republican Army. Prosecutor Fiona Murphy presented belief evidence from Detective Chief Superintendent Tom Maguire that the accused were IRA members on the day in question. She also introduced evidence that on 13…
2017-12-20 · Gormanston, Meath
Kevin Braney, 43, of Tallaght, was charged with the murder of Peter Butterly, 35, who was shot dead outside The Huntsman Inn in Gormanston on 6 March 2013, and with membership of the Irish Republican Army. At the Central Criminal Court on 20 December 2017, Braney was refused bail. John Berry BL argued that the State was objecting under Section…
2017-12-15 · Gormanston, Meath
A trial date of 2 October 2018 has been set at the Special Criminal Court for five men charged in connection with the murder of dissident republican Peter Butterly. The 35-year-old was fatally shot outside The Huntsman Inn in Gormanston, County Meath on 6 March 2013. Books of evidence were served on the defendants during proceedings before the…
2017-09-14 · Dublin
Kevin Braney, a 43‑year‑old Dublin man, was charged by the Special Criminal Court with membership of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and with the murder of Peter Butterly, a 35‑year‑old father of two, who was shot dead outside The Huntsman Inn in Gormanston, Co. Meath on 6 March 2013. Braney is also charged with possession of a 9 mm Beretta…
2015-07-06 · Tallaght, Dublin
The Court of Appeal ruled that the Special Criminal Court had misinterpreted the statute on rearresting IRA suspects. Mr Kevin Braney, 40, had been charged with membership of the IRA in 2013 after a prior 1989 arrest on the same suspicion that never led to charges. The Special Criminal Court held that the two arrests were unlawful because they…
2015-06-30 · Tallaght, Dublin
Seven men from Dublin were acquitted of IRA membership by the Special Criminal Court on 30 June 2015. The court, presided over by Mr Justice Tony Hunt, found that the Department of Public Prosecutions would not present further evidence after a ruling last week that the arrests of six of the men were unlawful. The men—Brian Nick Mc Bennett (54),…
2015-06-26 · Tallaght, Dublin
The Special Criminal Court ruled that the arrests of six Dublin men suspected of IRA membership at a house in Tallaght were unlawful. Judge Tony Hunt said each case lacked the modest level of objective justification required under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act, citing the Supreme Court's 2003 Walshe v Fennessy decision. The…
2015-06-23 · Tallaght, Dublin
In a 2015 ruling, the Special Criminal Court declared that evidence from a search warrant executed at a Tallaght house could be used in the trial of seven men accused of IRA membership. Judge Tony Hunt confirmed that the warrant was issued and carried out lawfully. Gardaí had found two packages of tightly folded paper wrapped in clingfilm,…
2015-06-19 · Tallaght, Dublin
The Special Criminal Court will decide next week whether evidence from a search warrant and the arrest of seven Dublin men can be admitted. The men, accused of IRA membership, were found in a Tallaght house where police discovered two packages of tightly folded paper wrapped in clingfilm, allegedly communications from prisoners at Portlaoise…
2015-06-12 · Tallaght, Dublin
The trial of seven Dublin men accused of IRA membership continues with a voir dire hearing to decide the admissibility of evidence from a search warrant and the arrest of the accused at a house in Tallaght. Gardai found two packages of tightly folded paper wrapped in clingfilm, allegedly communications from prisoners in Portlaoise Prison, on a…
2015-06-11 · Tallaght, Dublin
The trial of seven Dublin men accused of IRA membership has continued with a voir dire, a trial within a trial, to determine the admissibility of evidence regarding a search warrant and arrests at a Tallaght house. The accused are Brian Nick Mc Bennett, Peter Burns, Kevin Braney, Michael Barr, John Brock, Declan Phelan, and Desmond Christie. Each…
2015-06-10 · Tallaght, Dublin
In a Special Criminal Court hearing on 10 June 2015, seven men were charged with membership of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) after a 2013 raid on a Tallaght house. The raid, conducted by Special Branch detectives, uncovered two packages on a coffee table in the front room. The packages contained thin paper, tightly folded and wrapped in…
2015-06-09 · Ballymun, Dublin
Seven men from Dublin – Brian Nick Mc Bennett (54), Peter Burns (39), Kevin Braney (39), Michael Barr (33), John Brock (41), Declan Phelan (31) and Desmond Christie (49) – pleaded not guilty at the Special Criminal Court to charges that they were members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) on 3 July 2013. The prosecution, represented by Tara Burns…
2015-05-19 · Dublin
Kevin Braney, 40, of Tallaght, Dublin, was granted temporary bail by the Special Criminal Court in a trial concerning alleged membership of an unlawful organisation. The court, presided over by Mr Justice Paul Butler alongside Judges Cormac Dunne and Flann Brennan, allowed Braney bail on consent from May 26 until June 3. He was required to enter…
2015-05-06 · Dublin
The Special Criminal Court granted temporary bail to Brian Nick McBennet, one of seven men charged with membership of an unlawful organisation, specifically the IRA. McBennet, aged 56, and his co-accused—Peter Burns, Kevin Braney, Michael Barr, John Brock, Declan Phelan, and Desmond Christie—were charged on July 3, 2013. The three-judge panel,…
2015-03-25 · Dublin
Declan Phelan, 32, of Tallaght, Dublin, was granted bail by the Special Criminal Court on charges of membership of an unlawful organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army. The court imposed strict conditions, including surrendering his passport, signing daily at Naas Garda Station between 2 pm and 11 pm, observing a curfew from midnight…
2015-03-13 · Dublin
Seven men from Dublin were acquitted of IRA membership by the Special Criminal Court after the prosecution's case collapsed. The court ruled that belief evidence from Chief Superintendent Peter Kirwan, who claimed confidential information that the men were IRA members, was inadmissible because it had not been disclosed to the defence and was…
2015-03-10 · Dublin
The Special Criminal Court ruled that the opinion evidence of Garda Chief Superintendent Peter Kirwan, who claimed that seven Dublin men were IRA members, was inadmissible because the defence was not informed beforehand that telephone intercepts underpinned his opinion. Kirwan had previously told the court that he believed, based on confidential…