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2026-03-19
Stephen Silver is appealing his murder conviction over psychiatric evidence and jury directions concerning insanity and diminished responsibility after he shot Garda Colm Horkan with the garda's service weapon. At the appeal hearing, the court heard competing arguments about whether purposeful actions could coexist with the relevant mental-health defence and reserved judgment.
2026-03-19
Alex Nyamhamba received a two-and-a-half-year sentence, with the final 15 months suspended, after pleading guilty to assault causing harm at a Sandyford builder's yard. The court heard he punched a customer eight to ten times during a traffic dispute, breaking two front teeth and knocking out two others.
2026-03-19
Lee Hyland was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after leading garda cars and a helicopter on a high-speed pursuit, driving the wrong way on the N7 and forcing motorists to take evasive action. He received an 18-month sentence with the final six months suspended and a further four-year driving disqualification.
2026-03-19
Eduard Hupalov was fined €300 and disqualified from driving for two years after pleading guilty to drink driving on Belgard Road. Gardaí said he had glassy eyes and slurred speech, while testing found 61mg of alcohol per 100ml of breath within three hours of driving.
2026-03-19
The Court of Appeal dismissed Richard Morrissey's challenge to convictions for sexual assault and oral rape involving a girl abused in Louth from childhood. The court rejected arguments about the timeframe, corroboration warning, delayed disclosure and other evidence, holding that none of the appeal grounds had merit.
2026-03-19
A Central Criminal Court jury heard garda interview evidence from a man accused of sexually abusing his older sister, who described the allegations as lies and a joke. Seven men are on trial over 103 charges involving the deaf primary complainant and, in one case, two other sisters; all deny wrongdoing.
2026-03-19
A former Aware chief executive told the Workplace Relations Commission that limited pay opportunities contribute to staff turnover in the charities sector. The evidence came during Leah O'Brien's unfair-dismissal complaint, in which she alleges her redundancy followed concerns about management style and low morale.
2026-03-19
A man in his 20s was refused bail at Dún Laoghaire District Court after being accused of assaulting a seven-year-old boy, allegedly causing a broken nose and fractured cheekbone. The judge cited the seriousness of the alleged injuries, evidence concerns and possible witness interference before remanding him in custody.
2026-03-19
The District Court of Appeal replaced Marian Dumitru's three-month sentence for spitting at a garda with a fully suspended term. The judge called the conduct abhorrent but allowed Dumitru to remain in the community for 24 months on condition that he attend addiction counselling.
2026-03-18
A psychiatric report remains outstanding for Ahmed Abdirahman, who is accused of murdering his former partner Mary Ward in south Belfast. The Central Criminal Court heard that two recent video-link consultations were cancelled by the prison and that at least one or two further consultations are needed. The judge adjourned the case to March 25 and requested explanations for the cancellations.
2026-03-18
Former school principal Patrick Harte was jailed for a further four years after conviction on 17 counts of indecent or sexual assault against boys. Judge Martina Baxter said the offences were repetitive, involved a breach of trust and showed no remorse or prospect of rehabilitation; all sentences were concurrent and none was suspended.
2026-03-18
A 41-year-old manager at a multinational company has pleaded guilty to assaulting his 18-year-old au pair at his Dublin home in 2020. The Dublin Circuit Criminal Court barred the press from identifying him after his lawyers argued that naming him would remove anonymity from a related Workplace Relations Commission adjudication. Judge Orla Crowe reduced the term to four months, adjourned sentencing to May for a Probation Service report and directed that an €11,000 sum offered as remorse be given to the investigating garda.
2026-03-18
An unnamed 36-year-old man has been jailed after pleading guilty to defilement, sexual exploitation and engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child involving a vulnerable 16-year-old girl in Dublin in 2021. The Central Criminal Court heard that he offered money and drugs as inducements and had groomed the girl. Ms Justice Karen O'Connor imposed a three-and-a-half-year sentence, suspending the final six months, and the man is now on the sex offenders' register.
2026-03-18
The State is still trying to establish whether a Somali national accused of murdering Ukrainian teenager Vadym Davydenko is a juvenile. The unidentified accused, whose case is proceeding on the basis that he is a minor, appeared by video link at the Central Criminal Court after being sent forward for trial. Tusla is still trying to determine his age and the matter was adjourned to later this month.
2026-03-18
The jury in Liam O'Leary's Central Criminal Court murder trial has been discharged after the judge said an 'unfortunate situation' meant the proceedings could not continue. O'Leary denies murdering 58-year-old John Casserly at a Peter McVerry Trust housing unit in Ballina in October 2024. The case will return to court on April 15, and the jurors were excused from further service for five years.
2026-03-18
Patrick Rea has received a concurrent 12-year sentence for raping and indecently assaulting his young cousin in Longford Town between 1986 and 1989. The Central Criminal Court reduced the headline term to account for Rea's age when the offending occurred. He remains in custody serving a life sentence and was made subject to lifelong post-release supervision and restrictions on contact with the victim and children.
2026-03-16
Sean McGovern has pleaded guilty at the Special Criminal Court to two charges of directing a criminal organisation. The charges concern activity connected to the murder of Christopher 'Noel' Kirwan and surveillance of James Gately. McGovern, who was extradited from the United Arab Emirates last summer, is due to be sentenced on April 27, when victim impact evidence is expected to be heard.
2026-03-16
Patrick Murphy has been sentenced to ten years in prison, with the final year suspended, after admitting the manslaughter of 20-year-old Jordan Ronan outside his Tallaght home. Murphy had maintained he was defending his family and property after Ronan entered vehicles, but a jury found him not guilty of murder and guilty of manslaughter. The Central Criminal Court backdated the sentence to July 26, 2024.
2026-03-16
The Court of Appeal upheld a decision to extradite John Edward McNicholl and Seamus Christopher O'Kane to Northern Ireland over offences linked to the 1975 murder of RUC Constable Robert John McPherson and an attempted murder. The court rejected arguments that delay, alleged abuse of process, ordinary life in the Republic or health concerns justified refusing surrender. It placed a stay on the extraditions to allow the men to ask the Supreme Court to hear their cases.
2026-03-16
Conor O'Brien has been jailed for 11 years, with the final year suspended, after admitting he helped a criminal organisation import firearms, ammunition and explosives and possessed weapons components in suspicious circumstances. The Special Criminal Court heard that he used US citizenship to buy military-grade weapons in America for distribution to gangs in Ireland. The court ordered the firearms and ammunition forfeited and destroyed, while cash forfeiture submissions remain outstanding.