Tralee District Court round-up: Three sent forward on arson charges
The KerrymanThe last Tralee District Court of September was a brisk sitting before Judge Carol Anne Coolican.
Three men were sent forward to the next sitting of Tralee Circuit Court on October 7 for charges of arson.
Keith Horan (26) of Finnegans Hostel, Tralee, David Walsh (35) of Cois Coille and Shane Nolan (28) of James Street were all charged with arson to a residence in Pinewood Estate, Killarney, on May 13, 2026. All appeared in person and entered a signed plea.
Mr Nolan is to appear in person on that date. Mr Walsh will appear by video-link.
Meanwhile, in a separate case, two women were granted protection orders.
One discussed how her growing fear for her children had brought her to court after years of psychological abuse.
“I was afraid he was going to kill me and the girls,” she told the court of a recent incident.
“I don’t feel safe in my own home,” she added.
The protection order was granted and will hold into early October, at which point she can apply for a long term order.
In the next case, James Lawlor (27) of The Kerries, Tralee pleaded guilty to seven charges, including burglary and theft of diesel from a Killarney petrol station.
Solicitor Brendan Ahern noted Mr Lawlor’s mother died when he was a young child and he struggled with alcohol and drug dependency as a teenager.
The date of his last offence was 2021, said Mr Ahern, after which he overcame his addiction while working with a relative.
“But around the turn of this year, he relapsed on drugs,” said the solicitor.
Mr Lawlor was “in the throes of addiction” but addressed his addictions in custody.
Mr Ahern noted his client had been in custody since late June and was willing to engage with probation services.
The judge stated this would require a further two weeks’ custody to allow services time to prepare a report for sentencing. Instead, Mr Lawlor chose immediate sentencing.
He was given three months for burglary at Meadowlands Hotel for using a garden chair to smash the glass of an emergency door in a hallway at 3.48am on June 20, causing €500 in damage.
He was sentenced to two months for careless driving on Killeen Road on April 15 and a week for the theft of €50 of diesel from Applegreen, Killarney on April 14. Sergeant Detective Chris Manton told the court he offered to pay but drove away when the payment system on his phone didn’t work.
He was also sentenced to a week for possession of €40 woeth of cocaine at MacDonalds, Tralee.
The judge took other charges into consideration - an attempt to walk out the door of Garvey’s SuperValu on Rock Street, Tralee with €26 worth of sweets on June 8; a €27 alcohol theft from Tesco at Manor West on June 24, and possession of a penny knife on Denny Street on June 27.
Meanwhile, court clerks, who are part of the Forsa Trade Union, begin work-to-rule later this week. Court clerks manage the administrative operations of a courtroom. The national solicitors’ withdrawal of services continues.