Bayo Olanrewaju, 48, was jailed for four and a half years after he was caught carrying nearly €200,000 worth of heroin into Dublin Airport. He had swallowed most of the drugs in pellets and claimed he would meet someone in Dublin and hand them over at a hotel. Olanrewaju said he had agreed to transport the drugs because he needed money to travel to Mozambique for his grandmother's funeral. He had previously borrowed money from people who took advantage of his financial situation. Garda Aoife Cusask reported that customs officials stopped him after his flight from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and found a plastic bag with heroin pellets taped to his inside groin area. He admitted swallowing more drugs and that he would be paid €1,000 once he delivered them. The pellets contained 1,305 g of heroin, valued at €182,700. Bayo Olanrewaju pleaded guilty.
In December 2016, 31‑year‑old Scott Grant armed with a wooden branch threatened staff at a Costcutters shop on Hampton Street, Balbriggan, demanding money. He fled when the shop manager confronted him with a wooden sweeping brush. Later that month he damaged a parking meter to obtain coins for his drug habit. A witness described him wearing black clothes and pink gloves; a Garda arrested a man matching that description, and Grant was found with a hammer in his pants. He was released on bail and, in September 2017, he again robbed a local shop armed with a tree branch, taking €100 worth of scratch cards. He was identified when he tried to cash the cards at a newsagent and was arrested. Grant pleaded guilty to attempted robbery in December 2016 and robbery in September 2017, and admitted a further attempted robbery on 17 April 2018.
Gerard Curtis, 32, was jailed for 28 months after pointing an air gun at three gardaí on a second‑floor balcony in Dublin. While still wearing funeral clothes following his mother's cremation, he threatened the officers, saying he would slaughter them all, and then pointed a BB gun at them twice, causing the officers to retreat. Curtis later admitted he was "whacked out of it" after a cocaine‑fuelled party. He pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm on 14 June 2016. The judge noted the weapon was harmless but would not appear so to those confronted. Curtis had 116 prior convictions and had cooperated with the investigation, showing remorse. The incident was described as serious misbehaviour with potential serious repercussions for both Curtis and the gardaí.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, an 18‑year‑old teenager was sentenced to three years' imprisonment for assault causing harm after he threw a stone at a fellow teen's head during an incident on 17 July 2016. The victim, a young actor, sustained a permanent facial scar above his right eye, requiring 11 stitches, and has since lost acting opportunities in Belgium because of the injury. The judge described the assault as "extremely nasty" with "undertones of homophobia," noting that the accused denied the homophobic aspect but the victim heard slurs such as "a fag." The sentence was suspended for two years, with the first year to be served, citing the defendant's remorse and the fact that he was 15 at the time of the offence. The court highlighted the defendant's unstable upbringing, multiple prior convictions, and ongoing issues with cannabis and ADHD. The unnamed 18-year-old pleaded guilty.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, 36‑year‑old Graham Stafford was found guilty of false imprisonment after breaking into a terminally ill woman's home in the early hours of the morning. Stafford, who had previously been convicted of minor drug and public order offences, entered the house believing a family member owed him €3,000. He repeatedly struck the 32‑year‑old male occupant, who was the son of the ill woman, for over four hours. Stafford kicked, hit, and used a kitchen knife to threaten the man, and struck him with a Yankee Candle. The victim sustained a cut to his left eye, head lumps, and mouth wounds, and reported dizziness and headaches afterwards. Stafford was remanded in custody pending sentencing, with a Probation Service report to be submitted before the April hearing. The court did not read the victim impact statement.
James Redmond, aged 25, was sentenced to three years' imprisonment for mugging his 92‑year‑old neighbour, Deirdre Tobin, in Monkstown, Dublin. Redmond admitted to owing money to drug dealers and said he targeted Tobin because she was an easy victim. On 9 March 2018, after Tobin had collected her pension at the post office, Redmond waited for her at home, grabbed her bag from behind, causing her to fall, and stole €487 in cash. Garda Tony Corcoran described the victim lying on her back when he arrived. Redmond was identified from CCTV footage, arrested at his home, and pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Judge Melanie Greally noted that Redmond had cooperated with police, expressed remorse, and that Tobin was a vulnerable woman who had since entered a nursing home. The court considered the victim's age and vulnerability in sentencing.
A 26‑year‑old Dublin man, Keith Gilroy, was sentenced to five years in prison for transporting a loaded Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum revolver and 11 rounds of ammunition, after being on bail for drug offences. He had previously pleaded guilty to possessing €2,590 of cocaine and over €40,000 of cannabis and crack cocaine, and to laundering €4,415. Gilroy admitted to holding drugs for others to offset a debt of €30,000 and to supplying "grass" to creditors. Gardaí found him lying in bed at the Sean O'Casey Avenue address, where they seized €15,347 of cannabis, crack cocaine worth €25,309 and €4,415 in cash. He was also intercepted in a taxi with a shoebox containing the loaded revolver and ammunition in July 2018. Judge Melanie Greally, noting his candid admissions and early guilty pleas, imposed an eight‑year sentence with the final three years suspended, and ordered 12 months of post‑release supervision.
Mark Connolly, 44, a father of three, was sentenced to five years in prison, with two-and-a-half years suspended, after pleading guilty to possessing €311,000 that he believed was the proceeds of drug dealing. He admitted to collecting the cash to pay off a €4,000 cocaine debt, having been paid €300 for each of six runs. Gardaí found €291,790 hidden behind a panel in a wardrobe in a rented Dublin apartment, plus an additional €19,950 in a rucksack. Connolly had been given keys, a phone and instructions on where and when to collect the money. He acknowledged the money likely came from drugs, but claimed he had not transported drugs himself. The court noted his cooperation, guilty plea, financial pressure and low risk of re‑offending, and gave him credit for his post‑arrest conduct and counselling. The sentence was imposed by Judge Melanie Greally at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Michael Smullen, a 31‑year‑old Dublin taxi driver and father of two, was sentenced to nine years' imprisonment for possessing drugs in a €3.5 million operation. Gardaí observed him taking two bags from a lock‑up facility, driving a short distance and handing them to another man. The bags contained cannabis and cocaine worth over €114,900. Investigators later found 18.5 kg of cocaine, heroin, ketamine, cannabis herb and resin, and €51,000 of MDMA in the lock‑up, behind boxes of dried flowers, with a total drug value of €3,592,374. Smullen pleaded guilty to two possession charges at St Joseph's Avenue and St Columba's Road Lower, Drumcondra, on 20 December 2017. He had no prior convictions except minor traffic offences. His counsel argued that Smullen had taken on his cousin's debt to dealers under pressure and that he had a tendency to assume other people's problems.
Sean O'Kelly, 24, was sentenced to six years in jail for arson that endangered an elderly woman, her granddaughter and a ten‑week‑old great‑grandson. He set two cars on fire in a driveway, melting the front door and forcing the family to seek refuge in the back garden. The court heard that the blaze could have spread, posing catastrophic risk. O'Kelly also vandalised six other cars, stole items, and was convicted of robbery, burglary and criminal damage on the same night. He admitted to arson in an underground carpark, causing an estimated €90,000 in damage, later settled for over €76,000. He has 24 prior convictions, including theft and firearms offences. The judge imposed consecutive sentences totalling 12 years, suspended the final six years on strict conditions, citing his rehabilitation efforts and lack of offences since 2017. The court considered his drug addiction, his apology letters, and the testimonies in his favour. Sean O'Kelly pleaded guilty.
Ciaran Wolverson, 53, of Edenmore Crescent, Coolock, Dublin, was found to have allowed drug dealers to mix and bag hard drugs in his home after his mother's death. He received a threatening text warning that houses in the area were being smashed and his could be next. Wolverson admitted that a number of youths would come to his house, he would retreat to a back room while they handled the drugs, and that they would leave him a small piece of heroin for personal use. Gardaí, acting on confidential information, searched his home on 5 October 2017 and seized eight bags of cocaine in a Gucci bag and cocaine and heroin in a plastic freezer bag, valued at about €17,000 and €740 respectively. He pleaded guilty to permitting his home to be used for the sale or supply of controlled drugs.
A former construction worker, Noel Ryan, 42, was jailed for breaking into a basement flat on North Strand Road on 7 March 2018. Ryan, who had relapsed into heroin addiction after losing his job, told the court he believed the basement was an unoccupied office and hoped to find a cash box. The flat belonged to a dentist who ran a clinic on the ground floor, and Garda Jun Han confirmed there was no indication the basement was residential. Three college students were left traumatised; two hid in the back garden and one in her bedroom. When Ryan entered, he was caught by Garda Han and arrested. Ryan pleaded guilty to burglary. Judge Melanie Greally suspended the last 18 months of a five‑year sentence on the condition he engages with addiction services in prison. The case was heard in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Mudassar Khan, 27, was arrested at Dublin airport after customs officers discovered 13 kg of heroin in a suitcase he had brought from Dubai. He was stopped when attempting to enter the EU "blue channel" and was subsequently detained by Gardaí. In court, Khan pleaded guilty to importation and possession for sale or supply of heroin. He admitted living in the UK, being a drug addict with a £2,500 debt, and claimed he had agreed to transport a package he thought contained cigarettes. When questioned about the source of the drugs, he refused to name anyone, citing fear of retaliation. The judge noted his lack of knowledge of the contents did not excuse the reckless transport of a large quantity of contraband. He was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment, with the court taking into account his remorse and the pressure he faced. The case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Brendan Treacy, 35, will be sentenced in July for making a false emergency call that a gangland member had been shot at Peadar Kearney House, Railway Street, Dublin. The call prompted 11 Garda units, a fire brigade truck and an ambulance to respond, and the emergency operation lasted 24 minutes before being called off. Treacy admitted the call was a "moment of madness" while heavily intoxicated on tablets and vodka. He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to making a false report at an unknown location in Dublin 1 on 23 August 2017. Treacy has 40 previous convictions, including theft, road traffic and drug offences. He has since detoxed from tablets, is methadone and heroin free, and seeks treatment at a residential centre. Judge Martina Baxter adjourned the case to allow Treacy to access treatment, warning that such conduct is unacceptable in a democratic society.
In a Dublin case, Liam Byrne, aged 37, chased a former partner into a community centre with a broken brush handle and attacked her in front of children. He had earlier pulled a knife from a kitchen drawer and threatened to kill her after inviting her to his home. Garda Louise Moran reported that Byrne's mother intervened twice, causing him to leave the scene. The victim escaped to a nearby community centre dressing room where Byrne struck her and threatened her again. Byrne pleaded guilty to assault causing harm and threats to kill on 16 May 2018. He was sentenced to 21 months imprisonment, fully suspended for 21 months on the condition of keeping the peace, good behaviour and engaging with probation services. The victim declined a victim impact statement and expressed willingness to forgive Byrne if he stays on the right path. The judge noted Byrne's mental health difficulties and drug use as factors but upheld the suspended sentence.
In a 2019 Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, 23‑year‑old Ryan McLoughlin was sentenced to three years' imprisonment for stabbing Scott Byrne in the stomach and buttock on the Tallaght Bypass on 26 May 2013. McLoughlin, who had previously been convicted of two drug offences and traffic matters, inflicted a serious injury on his own left hand during the attack, slashing an artery. He pleaded guilty and was given a suspended final 12 months, conditional on complying with probation directions for 12 months and distancing himself from "negative peers". The court noted McLoughlin's youth, intoxication, family responsibilities and self‑injury as mitigating factors, while the prosecution highlighted delays in the case's arrival to court and the lack of cooperation from McLoughlin during police interviews.
Kevin Braney, the Dublin leader of the New IRA, was convicted of murder for the killing of dissident republican Peter Butterly. The New IRA, formed in 2012 from remnants of the Real IRA, Republican Action Against Drugs, former Provisional IRA activists and criminal elements, is regarded by the gardai and PSNI as the biggest terrorist threat in Ireland. Braney's conviction followed extensive garda operations involving the Special Detective Unit, Garda Security and Intelligence and the National Surveillance Unit (NSU). NSU members observed Braney's movements before, during and after the murder, and provided evidence in court, though the public were excluded from the proceedings. Braney was also convicted of IRA membership in 2022 and is serving a four‑year sentence in Portlaoise Prison. The New IRA remains a primary target of Garda Security and Intelligence, with about 50 active members and several hundred sympathisers across the island.
In a 2019 trial, 23‑year‑old Robbie Walsh of Kilrush, Co. Clare, pleaded not guilty to the murder of 25‑year‑old Karl Haugh in Kilkee. The Central Criminal Court heard that the alleged killing followed a confrontation at Haugh's house after a phone argument. Gardaí reported that Walsh and his cousins had vandalised a Volkswagen Passat, then went to Haugh's house to buy cocaine. Walsh claimed Haugh had a knife, was attacked, and that he stabbed Haugh in the back after Haugh dropped the knife. Walsh told the garda he had no intention to kill and that he had not brought a knife. He later surrendered after seeing a Facebook post about Haugh's death. The trial was set to continue before Justice Marie Baker and a jury.
Alan McDonagh, 33, was jailed for four years after stealing a rental car fitted with a tracking device. He pleaded guilty to burglary and unauthorised taking of a car on September 8, 2017, and was tracked by gardaí to the N7. McDonagh, who has 173 previous convictions including 31 for burglary, has spent more than half his life in custody and became addicted to heroin at 16. The court accepted his desire to become drug‑free and suspended the last year of a five‑year term on the condition he keep the peace, engage with the Probation Service for 12 months and remain drug‑ and alcohol‑free. He also admitted robbing a woman at St Stephen's Green on November 3, 2017, for which a concurrent sentence was imposed. All sentences are back‑dated to July 18, the day he entered custody.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, 31‑year‑old Michael Smullen pleaded guilty to two charges of possessing cannabis and cocaine. Gardaí had seen him take two bags from a lock‑up facility, drive a short distance and hand them to another man. The bags contained drugs worth over €114,900, and investigators later found 18.5 kg of cocaine, heroin, ketamine, cannabis herb and resin, and €51,000 of MDMA in the lock‑up, bringing the total value of all drugs to €3,592,374. Smullen, a father of two living on Oak Park Avenue, Royal Oak, Santry, claimed he had taken over his cousin's debt to dealers and was under pressure. His lawyer argued a psychologist report showed a tendency to take on others' problems and presented character references. The court remanded him in custody pending sentencing. The other man involved received a six‑year sentence with two years suspended for possession of the bags.
Ellavita Flynn, aged 24, admitted to stealing more than €6,500 worth of designer goods from Brown Thomas on Grafton Street between 19 December 2017 and 2 January 2018. She took a Michael Kors watch (€395), a Prada handbag (€2,400), a Gucci handbag (€1,490) and a Louis Vuitton handbag (€2,280) without paying, four times over two weeks. The Louis Vuitton handbag was recovered; the other items were sold on the street for "relatively small money". Flynn pleaded guilty at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. She has three prior theft convictions dealt with at District Court level. The court heard she had no fixed abode and had addiction issues, having begun abusing substances at 18 after being in care as a teenager. The judge adjourned the case for six months to allow Flynn to demonstrate she is addressing her drug problems and gaining employment training, and remanded her on continuing bail until July.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Garda Richard O'Donnell was punched in the face by Willie Connors (42) while attempting to escort him into court. O'Donnell was knocked to the floor, suffered a permanent scar on his upper lip, and was unable to work for a week. The assault, the second in two weeks, prompted his wife to advise him to leave the job and avoid front‑line duties. O'Donnell expressed guilt for putting himself in danger and reported a loss of confidence in hostile situations, raising personal safety concerns for his family. Connors, from Bachelors Walk, pleaded guilty to assault on 10 October 2017. Judge Melanie Greally suspended the final 18 months of a three‑year sentence, conditional on anger‑management and victim‑focus work, and backdated the sentence to April 2018. The court noted Connors' 141 prior convictions and his history of drug abuse. The hearing focused on the assault and the sentencing decision.
Glen Carolan, 21, pleaded guilty to robbing a McDonald's in Santry on 1 May 2018, claiming he was forced to do it or be killed. He admitted using a knife to threaten staff and taking €513, along with his clothes and the knife, to the people who instructed him. Carolan said he had accumulated debt from drug addiction and gambling and was told his family home would be "smashed up" if he did not pay. He apologized to the staff and to Gardaí, describing the situation as a "do or die" one. The case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, where Judge Melanie Greally noted his lack of prior convictions and the high level of threat used. She remanded him on continuing bail until 8 May to allow time for engagement with the Probation Service and to attend all appointments.
In February 2017, Dean Fitzpatrick, 26, assaulted David Curran on Grafton Street, causing a broken nose, three jaw fractures and a fracture above his eye. Curran required surgery, multiple stitches and spent seven months recovering, suffering nerve damage and losing several teeth. The assault left him traumatised, leading to a drop‑out from college and loss of his degree. Curran's victim impact statement, read by Antonia Boyle BL, detailed his mental health decline, social life disruption and ongoing physical injuries. Fitzpatrick pleaded guilty to assault causing harm at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Judge Melanie Greally adjourned the case to 25 July to allow Fitzpatrick to complete a residential drug treatment programme and ordered a probation report. Garda Paul Jordan recounted finding Curran with blood from nose and mouth, and that the incident followed a night out at a nightclub and McDonald's. Fitzpatrick's 70 prior convictions include assault, theft, public order and road traffic offences.
A Sligo woman who pleaded guilty to impeding the apprehension of a man for a killing in the town has been granted bail by the High Court pending sentencing. Janice Brady, aged 29, of Maryville Hostel in Finisklin, Sligo, admitted the charge relating to events in August 2015. The State had opposed her release, arguing she posed a risk of reoffending and returning to drug use. However, Mr Justice Michael White noted her clear urine tests, engagement with addiction counselling, and substantial rehabilitation progress during her two years and six weeks in custody. The judge was also reassured by an offer of sheltered accommodation from the Peter McVerry Trust in Drumcondra for six months. Ms Brady's bail conditions include a personal bond, residence in the approved accommodation, abstinence from drugs and alcohol, three weekly garda check-ins, a daytime curfew, and a prohibition on visiting Sligo except to see her son.
Brendan Heaney, 51, was sentenced to 16 months in prison after a Garda search of his Kimmage home uncovered a large quantity of drugs, including 395 g of heroin and various prescription tablets. He admitted to storing and supplying these drugs for a Finglas-based gang after his daughter, a recovering crack cocaine addict, was threatened by dealers who said they would kill her. Heaney claimed he was forced into the activity to protect his daughter, who had accrued €26,000 in debt to the gang and had been threatened with violence. He had previously received a five‑year sentence in the UK for drug possession. Judge Martin Nolan, acknowledging Heaney's circumstances and his lack of profit from the operation, reduced the mandatory minimum of ten years to a 16‑month custodial term. The sentence was deferred until early this year at the request of his defence counsel. Brendan Heaney pleaded guilty.
Liam O'Dwyer, 45, of Capparoe, Adare, Co. Limerick, was sentenced to 11 years' imprisonment for eight counts of sexual assault, four counts of rape and one count of oral rape after a retrial. The offences occurred in his then partner's bedroom between October 1996 and December 2001, when the victim was aged 12 to 17. O'Dwyer denied the charges. Witnesses described him as obsessed with the girl, calling the house repeatedly and insisting on knowing her whereabouts. The victim, who later struggled with drug addiction and PTSD, gave a victim impact statement describing ongoing fear and trauma. The judge noted O'Dwyer was groomed into submission and, despite his denial, imposed the sentence and ordered three years of post‑release supervision. The court heard he had six prior convictions, including assault and false imprisonment. The victim's partner remains supportive of O'Dwyer's innocence.
Antonia McGrath, a 26‑year‑old single mother from Clondalkin, was found in possession of over €450,000 worth of cannabis and was sentenced to three‑and‑a‑half years' imprisonment by Judge Martin Nolan on 30 April 2018. The sentence was upheld by the Court of Appeal on 25 January 2019. McGrath admitted she had agreed to hold the drugs for sale or supply both at her home and in the vehicle of co‑accused Keith Tiswell, who was also convicted and jailed for the same period. McGrath's apartment had been under surveillance after a Garda tip‑off; CCTV showed her handing the drugs to Tiswell. She claimed she feared for her life and that of her son and gave no further information. The Court of Appeal found no error in the original sentencing and dismissed her appeal. Antonia McGrath pleaded guilty. Keith Tiswell pleaded guilty.
An autistic man, Alyn Maginn, 41, was caught with over €600,000 worth of heroin and cocaine in a car park at Dublin Airport. He pleaded guilty to one count of possession on 7 July 2017. Judge Martin Nolan, after noting Maginn's autism and the unclear benefit he derived from the drugs, imposed a wholly suspended five‑year sentence on 23 February 2018, deeming it unjust to jail him. Maginn had already spent seven months in custody before sentencing. The Director of Public Prosecutions appealed, claiming the sentence was unduly lenient, but the Court of Appeal, led by Justice George Birmingham, upheld the judge's decision. Birmingham highlighted the unusual circumstances, including Maginn's difficulty in interviews, his emotional state, and the fact that the drugs were ultimately claimed by a friend who received a seven‑year sentence. The appeal was dismissed, leaving the suspended sentence in place.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 24 January 2019, Mark McKenna, aged 29, pleaded guilty to possessing €64,660 of cannabis at his Castlewood, Huntstown home on 20 October 2016. Garda Mark Quill reported that officers found 3 kg of the drug and €150 in counterfeit notes. McKenna had no prior convictions and had admitted to storing the cannabis to offset a drug debt. Judge Karen O'Connor imposed a fully suspended three‑year sentence, provided McKenna keeps the peace, behaves well for three years, engages with the Probation Service for 18 months and completes a residential drug treatment programme. The court noted McKenna was "extremely far down the pecking order" in the drugs trade, was unemployed, and had been in the sphere of influence of serious people.
Brian Rattigan, 38, was sentenced to nine years' imprisonment for the manslaughter of 21‑year‑old Declan Gavin, who was stabbed to death outside an Abrakebabra fast‑food restaurant on Crumlin Road in Dublin on 25 August 2001. Rattigan had previously pleaded guilty to murder in 2009, but that conviction was quashed by the Supreme Court in 2017. He entered a plea to manslaughter on 22 October 2018, and the court accepted the plea, citing the case's frailties and the passage of time. The judge noted aggravating factors, including Rattigan's drug‑ and alcohol‑related state and the fatal nature of the wound, and mitigating factors such as his guilty plea, completion of drug‑awareness courses, and a letter of apology to the Gavin family, which was deemed "too late" to mitigate. The sentence was back‑dated to 1 October 2018.
Michael Connors, aged 25, was sentenced by the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to escaping custody twice in 2017 and 2018. He also admitted unlawfully possessing two stolen cars in April 2018 and was charged with producing a hammer and possessing stolen property. Gardaí found stolen car keys and an RF radio signal jammer at his home. Judge Melanie Greally suspended the last year of a five‑year sentence and disqualified him from driving for six years. Connors had previously escaped custody while being treated for a bitten ear at Tallaght Hospital, slipping his handcuffs and fleeing. He had 38 prior convictions, including burglary, knife possession, endangerment and escaping lawful custody. The court heard he had a troubled background, early school leaving, drug use, and had undergone psychiatric treatment. The judge noted his apology and desire to change.
A man from Ballina in County Mayo has failed in his appeal against a five-year custodial sentence for causing a fatal collision while driving under the influence of alcohol and cocaine. Declan Moran pleaded guilty at Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court to dangerous driving causing the death of Martin Wynne, a motorcyclist, on the N26 near Ballinahaglish on 8 May 2016. He also admitted leaving the scene. Moran had attempted an illegal U-turn whilst impaired and collided with Mr Wynne's motorcycle, resulting in fatal injuries. A urine sample taken hours after the incident revealed alcohol levels nearly three times the legal limit. The Court of Appeal upheld the six-year sentence, with the final year suspended, finding the culpability serious and the previous drink-driving conviction a significant aggravating factor.
Richard Rattigan, 39, of Cooley Road, Drimnagh, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of Zopiclone and Alprazolam for sale or supply at his home on 27 September 2017. Gardaí found 40,344 tablets with a street value of €80,688 after a warrant search. Rattigan admitted owning about 27,000 tablets, paid roughly €2,000 for them, and had no prescription. He claimed the €1,370 cash seized during the raid came from gambling, work and "nixing". He expressed remorse in a letter to the court and described himself as being in a "dark place". Judge Melanie Greally, noting his admissions, guilty plea, and family support, sentenced him to four years' imprisonment. The sentence reflected his lack of prior similar convictions and his current employment and care for his daughters. The case was presented as a step‑up offence for Rattigan.
Michael Connors, aged 25, was sentenced later this month for escaping custody at Tallaght Hospital on 10 November 2017 after a fellow inmate bit him on the ear, and for escaping custody at Tallaght Garda Station on 20 April 2018. He also pleaded guilty to unlawfully possessing two stolen cars on 19 and 27 April last year, and to four counts of producing a hammer and possessing stolen property. Gardaí found stolen car keys and an RF radio signal jammer at his home. Connors had 38 previous convictions, including 13 for burglary, and had a history of drug use and self‑harm. He apologized to the court and expressed a desire to turn his life around and work as a gardener. The case was adjourned for sentencing next Tuesday.
The High Court ruled that €14,850 seized from Paul Morgan, an English national, was proceeds of crime. Morgan was arrested after a high‑speed car chase in Finglas, Dublin, where Gardai observed suspicious driving. Following the pursuit, Morgan was searched and found to have just over €13,000 in a bag in his jacket and about €800 in his sock. He denied ownership, claiming the money was not his problem. The Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) argued that Morgan, aged in his late 30s, had no legitimate source of income and had previous convictions, including a 12‑year sentence in 2007 for transporting €3 million of heroin into Ireland. CAB had secured freezing orders and sought to have the cash deemed proceeds of crime. Morgan was served with the application at several addresses in Liverpool but did not contest it or attend court. The judge confirmed the cash as proceeds of crime after CAB's notification efforts.
Alan Behan, 27, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to robbing 87‑year‑old Robert Lynch of €2,500 on 26 August 2016 outside a Bank of Ireland branch in Walkinstown. Lynch had withdrawn the money from an ATM, and Behan seized it as Lynch tried to protect his cash, causing Lynch to fall and suffer a small arm cut. Behan was identified on CCTV and arrested months later. He has 17 prior convictions. The judge, Karen O'Connor, sentenced him to four years' imprisonment, fully suspended. Behan, suffering from bipolar disorder and a manic episode, had not taken his medication and was under the influence of cannabis and other drugs at the time. He apologized to Lynch, who accepted his apology, and agreed to pay €600 in compensation. The court noted Behan's remorse and his living situation in temporary accommodation with his partner and three children. The sentence was suspended in full.
Garrett Hanley, 33, of Oliver Bond House, Dublin, was sentenced by the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to four and a half years' imprisonment for possessing heroin worth €77,301 and cannabis worth €2,100 at his home on 12 May 2015. The heroin was discovered in a gas main after a Garda surveillance operation, while the cannabis was found in a wheelie bin. Hanley had five prior convictions, including a five‑year term for possessing €292,707 worth of heroin in August 2010, from which he was released in February 2013. Judge Karen O'Connor suspended the final 18 months of the sentence, citing that Hanley had not attracted Garda attention since his arrest and that he had held the drugs to repay a debt. She imposed the custodial sentence because Hanley had assisted in supplying drugs to society, and ordered him to engage with the Probation Service and attend any recommended addiction and mental health services upon release. Garrett Hanley pleaded guilty.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Stefan Boyle, aged 31, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for an aggravated burglary at Ali Hussain House, Milltown Bridge, Dundrum, on 2 November 2016. Boyle, who has 110 prior convictions including 63 for burglary and a history of drug and alcohol addiction, broke into a mosque with a knife, stole two phones from caretaker Ali Yassine's bedroom, and later returned them after a chance encounter. Yassine, who did not realise the theft until after Boyle left, later met Boyle again, who handed back the phones and apologised. Boyle pleaded guilty, and Judge Karen O'Connor noted his chaotic background and failure to complete a residential drug treatment programme. The judge imposed a three and a half year sentence with the final 12 months suspended, citing the Probation Service's inability to supervise him.
A 17‑year‑old, who cannot be named under the Children Act, was sentenced to two years' detention for firing a stolen Winchester Super Grade 12‑gauge double‑barrel shotgun into bushes along the Grand Canal in Dublin. The youth, who had pleaded guilty to possessing the stolen firearm and 39 cartridges on 31 August, admitted he fired the gun because he was "bored and 17 years of age." Gardaí had observed him raising the gun in front of CCTV cameras, pursued him, and seized the weapon and ammunition. The gun had been stolen from its owner's unlocked car a month earlier. The defendant has 40 prior convictions, including assault, robbery, drug misuse, theft and criminal damage. The judge, noting his young age, immaturity and difficult upbringing, set a headline sentence of six years but, under the Children Act, imposed a two‑year detention followed by two years of probation with conditions on addiction, training and employment.
A 62-year-old British man has been sentenced to four years imprisonment at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, with the final 12 months suspended, for possession of nearly 150,000 prescription sleeping tablets valued at approximately €298,000. Michael Hall, from Bedfordshire in England, pleaded guilty to possessing Zopiclone tablets for supply on August 16, 2014, at the Regency Hotel in Drumcondra. He was arrested following a garda surveillance operation in Dublin four years prior. The court heard that Hall and two co-accused were observed transferring boxes of tablets between vehicles in a carpark before leaving in convoy. Judge Melanie Greally imposed a headline sentence of six years but reduced it due to mitigating factors, including Hall's significant health issues. She also imposed a ten-year ban on his return to the Republic of Ireland following release. The judge noted that whilst Zopiclone was not a controlled substance at the time of the offence, it has since become controlled due to its appeal among people with drug addiction.
An English national, Simon Cummins, aged 49, was convicted in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for stabbing Thomas McCarthy in the neck with a Leatherman multi‑tool on 22 April 2018. Cummins claimed he had been robbed and was experiencing a psychotic episode while under the influence of alcohol and drugs. He pleaded guilty, citing a previous public‑order conviction in Ireland (2007) and 64 convictions in the UK, ten of which were assault‑related. The court noted that McCarthy was taken to hospital, sutured, and made no victim impact statement. Judge Martin Nolan, after considering Cummins' early guilty plea, remorse, and the need for treatment, imposed a three‑year sentence suspended in full. The sentence is conditional on Cummins leaving Ireland immediately and not returning for five years. Cummins' family, present in court, expressed a desire to take him back to England for community‑based care.
Brendan Heaney, a 51‑year‑old father of two from Kimmage, Dublin, was arrested after gardaí discovered a large quantity of drugs in his home, including 395 g of heroin and numerous pharmaceutical tablets. He claimed that the drugs were stored to protect his daughter, a recovering crack cocaine addict who had accrued €26,000 in debts to a Finglas‑based drug gang. According to Heaney, the gang threatened to kill his daughter and had previously threatened to slash her face. He said he had no intention of profiting from the drugs and that he had only stored them to prevent harm to his daughter. He pleaded guilty to possession of drugs for sale or supply at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 4 April 2017. Judge Martin Nolan accepted that Heaney's circumstances had forced him into the offence, noted his prior five‑year UK sentence, and imposed a 16‑month prison term.
Alan McDonagh, 33, was caught driving a stolen Europcar that had a tracking device. He pleaded guilty to burglary and unauthorised taking of a car on Camden Street Upper on 8 September 2017 and to robbing a young woman of her purse at Stephen's Green East on 3 November 2017. The court noted he became addicted to heroin at 16, has spent over half his life in custody, and has 173 previous convictions, 13 for Circuit Court offences. He is on bail for other offences. The court adjourned sentencing to 7 February to allow him to finish methadone treatment. He has requested to serve his sentence at Midlands prison to stay near family and avoid influences at Mountjoy. He has written apology letters to both victims. The sentencing will occur on 7 February.
Michael Cummins, aged 32, of Applewood Avenue, Swords, pleaded guilty to stealing an iPhone, making a threat to kill, burglary, false imprisonment and assault in Swords on 9 August 2017. He threatened to pour acid into a boy's eye and to blow up their house, actions that occurred during a drug‑induced paranoid episode. The Dublin Circuit Criminal Court sentenced him to two years' imprisonment on 27 February 2018. The Director of Public Prosecutions appealed, arguing the sentence was unduly lenient. The Court of Appeal added a two‑year suspended sentence, to be applied upon his release. Cummins' final net sentence is four years' imprisonment, with the last two years suspended. The case involved two teenage boys, aged 13 and 15, who were falsely imprisoned and threatened with violence. The Court noted Cummins' 230 prior convictions and the serious nature of the offence, including a racial element. The suspended sentence will be activated if he reoffends.
A 21‑year‑old Dublin man was sentenced to two and a half years' imprisonment for having sex with a 14‑year‑old neighbour. The offence occurred between 1 and 24 July 2014. The man pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. He has 47 prior convictions for assault, drug offences, false imprisonment, criminal damage and road traffic matters. Judge Martina Baxter sentenced him to two and a half years, suspending the final six months on strict conditions. He must engage with the Probation Service for two years after release, keep the service informed of his address, and participate in any sex‑offender treatment programmes and addiction counselling recommended. The victim, aged 14, reported the incident to her school chaplain, who notified her family and Gardaí. She suffered depression, attempted suicide, and had to give up school, but her condition has improved with treatment.
Brian Rattigan, a 38‑year‑old Dubliner who has spent most of his adult life in prison, pleaded guilty to manslaughter for the 2001 stabbing death of his former friend Declan Gavin, a 21‑year‑old. Gavin was killed outside an Abrakebabra on Crumlin Road when Rattigan stabbed him twice, one wound to the heart. Rattigan had been tried twice in 2009, the first jury being hung and the second convicting him; that conviction was later quashed by the Supreme Court in 2017. In October 2019, at arraignment, the Director of Public Prosecutions accepted a plea to manslaughter, citing the case's exceptional features and the complex litigation history. Rattigan had previously served sentences for assault, firearms, violent disorder and drug offences, the longest being 17 years for drug dealing while in jail. He had written a letter of apology to Gavin's widowed mother, which she declined to read.
In the Central Criminal Court, Michael O'Higgins SC defended Keith Connorton, 40, who pleaded not guilty to the murder of 32‑year‑old Graham McKeever on 18 February 2017. O'Higgins argued that Connorton was attacked by McKeever's partner, Claire McGrath, who had entered the home at 4 a.m. and threatened him with a knife. He claimed Connorton was forced to defend himself after McKeever "barrelled in" and inflicted a fractured eye socket on Connorton. O'Higgins questioned the reliability of McGrath's statements, noting inconsistencies and her drug‑related vulnerability. He urged the jury to consider Connorton's right to self‑defence under the suddenness and ferocity of the attack, and to assess whether the force used was proportionate. The prosecution maintained that McKeever had no knife and that Connorton's account was a "pack of lies," seeking a guilty verdict for murder. The case was set for jury deliberation the following day.
The High Court has ruled that €17,000 in cash seized from the apartment of Jeremy Skerritt constitutes proceeds of crime. Ms Carmel Stewart appointed a receiver over the monies after Skerritt, who did not contest the Criminal Assets Bureau's application under the 1996 Proceeds of Crime Act, failed to claim ownership or provide an explanation for the funds. The cash was discovered wrapped in tinfoil under a mattress during an April 2016 search of his North Circular Road flat, part of Operation Thistle targeting the Kinahan organised crime gang. CAB argued the money derived from drug sales, noting Skerritt's lack of legitimate income and 22 previous convictions. The court heard Skerritt is described as a low to mid-ranking member of the Kinahan organisation and a childhood friend of Daniel Kinahan, who was a named party on Skerritt's motorbike insurance policy. That policy was found in the home of Skerritt's girlfriend, where keys to a Lower Baggot Street apartment were also recovered. A subsequent search of that address revealed Naoufal Fassi, cannabis, a false Belgian ID, cash, and documents linking the location to the Kinahan gang. Fassi was later extradited to the Netherlands, where he was jailed for 18 years for organised crime and attempted murder. The High Court's decision finalised the civil forfeiture of the seized cash.
In a Central Criminal Court trial, 40‑year‑old Keith Connorton pleaded not guilty to the murder of 32‑year‑old Graham McKeever, who was stabbed to death at Connorton's home on 18 February 2017. Connorton told Gardaí that his dream of a happy family with his son and his partner had been ruined. He claimed he had met his partner, Claire McGrath, at a Luas stop, comforted her after a breakup, and described her as "beautiful" and "nice sweet young one". Connorton said he loved her "to bits" and that he wanted to be free of heroin and have a happy family. He had been on a methadone programme, reducing his daily dose from 115mls to 55mls. The trial, presided over by Justice Tony Hunt, continues with a jury of nine men and three women. The case involves a fight between Connorton and McKeever, during which McKeever received a fatal stab wound to the heart.