Thomas Nicholson, a 24‑year‑old father of two, hired a mini‑digger worth just over €17,000 using his own passport and bank statement. The machine, originally bought for €32,000, was never returned to the hire company. Nicholson pleaded guilty to theft on 6 March 2014 at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Garda Thomas Tighe traced Nicholson through the documentation he left with the hire company, leading to his arrest. Nicholson claimed he had taken the digger on behalf of someone else and did not know its whereabouts. He also admitted to a drug debt from cocaine addiction, which he said would harm his health. Judge Martin Nolan sentenced him to a three‑year suspended term, requiring him to keep the peace for three years and pay €3,000 in two years, while he remains in custody pending the adjourned case. The court noted Nicholson's good record and lack of prior convictions.
Martin Cash, aged 20, was sentenced by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to three and a half years in prison for theft and dangerous driving. He stole jewellery worth €1,830 from a house on Howth Road, Raheny, and was caught after a police chase. Cash also admitted to endangering traffic by cutting across a six-lane junction, driving in bus lanes, and mounting footpaths, forcing cars and buses to swerve. He drove dangerously at a green area where children were playing and at junctions on Collins Avenue. He pleaded guilty to trespassing at a house on Furry Park Road, Killester. Judge Mary‑Ellen Ring suspended the final 12 months of his sentence on the condition of good behaviour for a year, ordered probation supervision, and disqualified him from driving for five years. Cash has 37 prior convictions, including assault, criminal damage, drug misuse and possession of stolen goods. He was drug‑free at the time of sentencing.
In a Westmeath case, a 28‑year‑old man was jailed for twelve years for aggravated sexual assault and attempted rape of his sister. He had been serving a suspended portion of a four‑year sentence for an attempted armed robbery and was released in January 2014. After pleading guilty to the assault, the Circuit Court reactivated 18 months of that robbery sentence, making the new sentence consecutive to the remaining term. The victim, a woman in her 20s, testified that the attack left her depressed, in pain and unable to forgive her brother. She described the assault as a violent, threatening act that involved forced sexual contact and threats to kill. The judge noted the seriousness of the case and imposed the twelve‑year term, with the robbery sentence running consecutively. The defendant has a history of 21 prior convictions, including robbery and drug offences, and is placed on the sex offenders' register.
In a 2011 incident outside Purrfect Pets on Longmile Road, Karl Dempsey (36) and others attacked Mark Eagers over a parking dispute. The confrontation escalated inside the shop, where CCTV captured Dempsey punching Eagers, kicking and stamping him. Eagers suffered a broken nose and had keys lodged in his thumb. Dempsey, who had three prior convictions including a seven‑year drug sentence, pleaded guilty to violent disorder at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Judge Martin Nolan sentenced him to 20 months' imprisonment, refusing a non‑custodial alternative. No compensation order was made. The case highlighted a road‑rage incident that spiralled into violent disorder inside the pet shop.
Stephen Savege, a 31‑year‑old father of two from Clondalkin, pleaded guilty in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to cultivating 32 cannabis plants at his home on 25 March 2014. The plants were valued at €25,600, with harvested herb worth €3,700. Garda Marcella Shannon, after receiving a tip‑off, obtained a warrant and found the plants, seeds, stalks, cultivation equipment and instructions. Savege admitted he had a "good set up", no drug debts and sold his product. He claimed he began smoking cannabis to self‑medicate chronic pain after a serious accident in his youth and that the drugs he bought were not strong enough. His lawyer, Damien Colgan SC, argued that Savege could not qualify as an electrician because of his injury. Judge Martin Nolan, hearing the case, gave Savege a three‑year suspended sentence, noting that he had learned a "salutary lesson" and that imprisonment would not be beneficial.
Thomas Finnegan, a 26‑year‑old Dublin boxer who had won a gold medal at a European competition, was sentenced to two years in prison by the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for assault causing harm. The offence occurred on 15 May 2013 at Cookstown Industrial Estate, Tallaght, when Finnegan, after a dispute over a tyre, repeatedly punched tyre fitter Mr Mantis Viknius. Viknius suffered a fractured eye socket, a broken nose, nerve damage and permanent loss of memory, and required a steel plate in his right eyebrow. Finnegan pleaded guilty and was described by the judge as a strong man who had applied his skills destructively. He had 23 prior convictions and had been stabbed in a previous assault, which ended his boxing career. Finnegan brought €3,800 to court as a token of remorse. The court noted his sporting achievements and the letters of support from mentors, but also his history of drug and gambling problems.
Keith Donovan, a 30‑year‑old from Cabra, Dublin, was sentenced to six years in prison for possessing 14.2 kilos of cannabis and a handgun with three rounds of ammunition. He was arrested after a Garda National Drugs Unit surveillance operation and admitted to holding and transporting the drugs at a rented premises in Arbour Hill. Donovan pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court and cooperated with investigators. The judge, Martin Nolan, noted Donovan's early guilty plea, lack of prior convictions, and his role as a low‑level "gilly" or pawn in the drug trade. He was also a father and had no previous serious offences. These mitigating factors led the judge to depart from the mandatory 10‑year sentence for the drug offence and impose a six‑year term. Donovan's sentence reflects the court's consideration of his cooperation and personal circumstances.
Thomas Nicholson, a 24‑year‑old father of two from Larchhill Apartments, Santry, Dublin, hired a mini‑digger worth just over €17,000 using his own passport and bank statement. The machine was never returned, and the Gardaí were contacted when it was missing. Nicholson pleaded guilty to theft on 6 March 2014 at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. He claimed in a Garda interview that he had taken the digger on behalf of someone else and did not know its whereabouts. The digger, originally purchased for €32,000, remains unreturned. Garda Thomas Tighe traced Nicholson through the documentation he left with the hire company. Nicholson had a drug debt from cocaine addiction, which he said would not be good for his health. Vincent Heneghan BL noted that Nicholson had used his own documents to hire the digger, making it clear he could not escape the theft.
Christian Coffey, aged 38, was sentenced to four and a half years in jail for storing cannabis worth €64,658, two Russian semi‑automatic pistols, and 16 rounds of ammunition at a rented container in Lusk, north County Dublin. He pleaded guilty at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 17 October 2013. Coffey had gambling debts exceeding €50,000, including amounts owed to banks and money lenders, and had been described by a judge as a "fully reformed gambler" and a "remarkably decent man". The judge, Martin Nolan, noted Coffey's lack of prior convictions, early guilty plea, strong work record over 20 years, and community contributions through his GAA club. Despite the Director of Public Prosecutions recommending seven to eight years, the judge imposed the four‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence, citing Coffey's mitigation and remorse.
The High Court has set a three‑day extradition hearing in July for Gary Davis, a 26‑year‑old Wicklow man, who is wanted in the United States for alleged links to the Silk Road drug‑distribution website. Davis faces US charges of conspiracy to distribute narcotics, conspiracy to commit computer hacking and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He is contesting the extradition, arguing he should not be surrendered. The US claims Silk Road, shut down by the FBI in 2013, was an underground marketplace for drugs, firearms and counterfeit money, and that Davis acted as an administrator under the name 'Libertas'. He was first arrested on a warrant issued by the High Court in 2014. The court will hear the case on July 14, 15 and 16, with the possibility of an additional day if needed. Davis remains on bail pending the hearing.
Duane Brady, 36, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to two counts of assault causing harm to his former partner on the number 39 Dublin Bus and on a public street near Blanchardstown Shopping Centre on 13 May 2011. The victim fled the bus, was punched by Brady, lost consciousness and suffered a fractured hand, swelling, bruising and rib abrasion. Brady had 43 previous convictions, including robbery and assault, and a long history of drug and alcohol addiction. On 10 March 2014, Justice Carmel Stewart imposed a wholly suspended two‑year sentence, which the Director of Public Prosecutions described as "unduly lenient." The DPP appealed, arguing the judge erred in imposing a non‑custodial sentence and that the suspension should have been longer. The Court of Appeal, led by Justice George Birmingham, dismissed the appeal, stating that the suspended sentence was appropriate and that incarceration was not warranted at this stage. The case remains at the appellate decision stage.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 6 April 2014, William O'Shea, aged 30, and Mark Hayden, aged 43, pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine for sale or supply. O'Shea had transported almost a kilogram of cocaine from Dublin to Cork, while Hayden had held the drugs for two days. Gardaí had monitored the Skylon Hotel in Dublin after a tip, observed O'Shea leaving the hotel and entering a car driven by Hayden, and seized a bag containing €68,740 worth of cocaine from O'Shea. Hayden later admitted he had been approached for a €1,000 delivery, knowing it was illegal, and had collected the drugs two days earlier. O'Shea claimed he was offered a "box of coke" and promised a "sorted" role. Both men had good work histories and cooperated with investigators.
The President of the High Court has rejected applications by three men imprisoned for drug possession offences, who sought release following a Court of Appeal decision that struck down provisions of the Misuse of Drugs Act as unconstitutional. Keith Willis was convicted of possessing ecstasy tablets after gardaí discovered drugs in his vehicle in Sligo in 2012. Anthony Murphy and Joseph Carberry were each convicted of possessing synthetic cannabis and pentedrone respectively for supply purposes. The men argued their detention had become unlawful after the Act's regulatory framework was found unconstitutional, contending the substances were not legally prohibited at the time of their arrests. Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns dismissed the applications, finding their detention remained valid. He held that prior Supreme Court authority established that cases concluded under laws subsequently found unconstitutional need not be reopened absent wholly exceptional circumstances. The judge determined none of the applicants satisfied the threshold for such exceptional relief. Anthony Murphy pleaded guilty. Joseph Carberry pleaded guilty. Keith Willis pleaded guilty.
Robert Lawlor, a 31‑year‑old Dublin father of three, was sentenced to 16 months in jail for possessing a stolen Ford C‑Max. He had previously been disqualified from driving and was caught driving the vehicle by a Garda at Airside Retail Shopping Centre, Swords. The Garda followed him to Bewleys Hotel on Clonshaugh Road, where CCTV captured him driving the car into the carpark while wearing blue latex gloves. DNA evidence linked Lawlor to the same gloves found when the stolen car was recovered two weeks later at another location. Lawlor pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possessing the stolen vehicle, which had been taken from a premises on Griffith Avenue in March 2012 and had registration plates from a vehicle stored in a County Clare garage. His 124 prior convictions include dangerous driving, public order offences and a five‑year sentence for drug possession.
In a Dublin supermarket raid on the Grange Road, Michael Coleman (34), Michael Sweeney (32) and Waymon Sweeney (33) used an axe, a large knife and a gun while wearing balaclavas. They threatened staff and the manager, forced customers to lie on the floor, and stole €24,556 from the safe. After the robbery, the men fled in a getaway car, pursued by gardaí, and later abandoned and burned a second vehicle. Coleman was arrested at the scene; Michael Sweeney was detained after a McDonald's visit and DNA evidence linked him to the second car. Waymon Sweeney failed to return from lunch recess, leading to a warrant for his arrest. All three pleaded guilty to robbery and were sentenced to five years' imprisonment. The court described the crime as a well‑planned, ambitious robbery. The case highlighted the men's drug‑related problems and personal losses.
A 28‑year‑old man from the Midlands, whose identity is withheld to protect his sister, admitted to the Central Criminal Court that he sexually assaulted and attempted to rape his 26‑year‑old sister on the night of 16 June last year at his home. He pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual assault, attempted rape, threatening to kill and false imprisonment. The court heard that the sister had come to his house to remove alcohol and help clean up, and that he violently attacked her, threatening to stab her and threatening to cut her vaginal area. She described the assault as devastating, leading to depression, an overdose attempt and loss of contact with her children. The judge adjourned sentencing to May, noting the man is already serving a suspended sentence for a previous offence. The case highlights the severe impact on the victim and the defendant's history of drug addiction and prior convictions.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Gail O'Rorke, 43, pleaded not guilty to aiding and abetting the suicide of Bernadette Forde, 51, who died in June 2011 after taking pentobarbital. O'Rorke admitted that she helped Forde obtain the drug from Mexico and that a courier delivered the pills to Forde's home, where Forde allegedly cried with relief upon receiving them. She denied arranging travel to Zurich for a euthanasia clinic and denied making funeral arrangements in advance of Forde's death. O'Rorke also claimed that Mary Lundy, a friend, had contacted an exit‑international organisation and that Lundy was present when Forde took the pills. The trial, presided over by Judge Patrick McCartan, continues with a jury of twelve. The prosecution has finished presenting its evidence. The case remains at the trial stage.
James Kelly, 25, a chronic heroin addict, was convicted at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court for false imprisonment, unlawful vehicle taking and robbery at Colbert Station on 4 May 2011. He was sentenced to six years' imprisonment, with the final two years suspended for seven years. The Director of Public Prosecution appealed, arguing the sentence was unduly lenient. The Court of Appeal, hearing the appeal on 23 April 2015, found the sentence too lenient and remanded Kelly in custody until 4 June 2015 for a new sentence. Kelly's defence counsel noted he was no longer on heroin and had completed the custodial part of his sentence, having been released for less than a week before being returned to custody. The appeal focused on the seriousness of the offence, the use of a knife, the victim's false imprisonment, forced driving, ATM theft, and the threat of rape and indignities. James Kelly pleaded guilty.
Brendan Mangan, 43, of Wellington Walk, Mornington Park, Co. Meath, was sentenced to six and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to possession of drugs for sale or supply at a house on Tonlegee Road, Coolock, Dublin. Mangan had recently separated from his wife and was living with his sister, but needed a home for his teenage son on weekends. He was approached by a man who offered to pay the rent if Mangan allowed cannabis to be stored in a spare bedroom. Mangan agreed, paid a deposit and a month's rent, and later advertised a room for sublet to make the arrangement appear legitimate. Gardaí had been investigating drug dealing in Coolock and had the house under surveillance. They observed a man loading three packages into a car, which led to a high‑speed chase. The driver fled and has not been charged.
In 2015 a trial heard that Gail O'Rorke, 43, was accused of aiding Bernadette Forde, 51, in taking her own life in 2011. O'Rorke claimed that another friend, Mary Lundy, had contacted the euthanasia organisation Exit International on Forde's behalf and that Lundy had used Forde's credit card to buy a book on suicide methods and set up a private email account. O'Rorke said that on 5 June 2011 she visited Forde's house, washed her, and spoke about "important things." She alleged that Lundy was present when Forde took a lethal dose of pentobarbital, that Forde had said she was "doing well," and that Lundy later claimed the drug was a dud. O'Rorke denied that anyone else was charged and stated that Tom Curran, a representative of Exit International, had advised Forde. The case was before Judge Patrick McCartan with a jury of twelve. Gail O'Rorke pleaded not guilty.
In a 2015 trial, Gail O'Rorke, a 43‑year‑old taxi driver, pleaded not guilty to aiding and abetting the suicide of her friend Bernadette Forde, 51, who died in June 2011 by taking pentobarbital ordered online from Mexico. O'Rorke denied knowingly paying for the lethal drug, saying she had no knowledge of its purpose and that she had only transferred money for errands. She claimed she had supported Forde's decision to seek assisted suicide in Switzerland, but that Gardaí had intervened after a tip‑off. O'Rorke also denied arranging travel to Zurich or making funeral arrangements. The court heard that Forde left O'Rorke 30 % of her estate and that her solicitor confirmed she was of sound mind and not under undue influence. The case was heard by Judge Patrick McCartan with a jury of twelve.
The Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that Bernadette Forde, aged 51, died from a lethal dose of the barbiturate pentobarbital, which she had ordered online from Mexico. The drug is used in capital punishment in the United States and for euthanasia where legal. Gail O'Rorke, 43, a taxi driver from Kilclare Gardens, Tallaght, is accused of assisting Forde's suicide by helping her obtain and take the drug between 20 April 2011 and 6 June 2011 at a Dublin location. O'Rorke denies aiding the suicide by arranging travel to Zurich, arranging funeral arrangements, or procuring the drug. Dr Muna Sabah testified that a lethal concentration of 53 micrograms per millilitre of pentobarbital was found in Forde's system. The trial, expected to last about two weeks, is before Judge Patrick McCartan and a jury of twelve. Bernadette Forde pleaded not guilty. Gail O'Rorke pleaded not guilty.
Aaron Weinrib, 37, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to eight theft and fraud charges for selling 20 bogus holiday packages between June and December 2010. He claimed to be an agent for "Top Flight" and sold packages to New York, Las Vegas and Cape Town, collecting €27,600. Gardaí received complaints in November 2010 from two men who paid €3,200 and €550 for non‑existent stays; both received forged Top Flight documents. Weinrib admitted the holidays were never booked, that he intended to refund victims, and that he had never worked for Top Flight. He has raised €9,900 and requested more time to pay compensation. The judge adjourned the case to 22 July, noting he will use half his €400 weekly wage to repay victims. The case remains at the pleading stage, with no custodial sentence imposed yet.
Jason Gumble, aged 21, was convicted of robbery and assault at Dublin Central Criminal Court. On 15 April 2014 he robbed cyclist Paul Roe on North Circular Road, smashing a bicycle U‑lock into Roe's face, then striking him again and stealing €100 and the bicycle. The next day he assaulted Garda Liam Kavanagh at O'Devaney Gardens. Roe suffered six stitches and surgery for a broken cheek. Forensic evidence linked Gumble to the crime. Gumble has 97 prior convictions, including assault, violent disorder, theft and trespass, and has a history of drug use. He was sentenced to seven years, with the last two years suspended, and ordered to remain under Probation Service supervision for 18 months after release. The judge noted Gumble's violent propensity and the foreseeability of the injuries caused by using a lock as a weapon. Jason Gumble pleaded guilty.
Graham Bannon, 26, of Walkinstown, pleaded guilty to robbery at The Trader's Office License on 4 December 2013 and to possession of €210 worth of cocaine for personal use. He had 178 prior convictions, 146 for traffic offences, and others for theft, affray, criminal damage, knife possession, public order, failure to appear and violent behaviour. The robbery involved him entering the off‑license with a scarf and a claw hammer, taking €560 from the till, and fleeing after the assistant manager recognised him. Judge Martin Nolan described him as a "general menace" and sentenced him to two and a half years' imprisonment. Bannon has since engaged in education and counselling while in custody and maintains contact with his six‑year‑old daughter and mother. The case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
In a High Court ruling, Ms Justice Iseult O'Malley found that an EU Directive on human‑trafficking victims had not been properly transposed into Irish law. The case involved a Vietnamese woman who was discovered locked in a cannabis grow‑house in Dublin and is due to be tried for unlawful possession of cannabis. She claimed she was a trafficking victim and that the State had breached her rights by refusing a declaration of victim status. The judge held that Ireland's mechanism for recognising suspected trafficking victims was inadequate, particularly in how it interacts with criminal investigations. She noted the need for clear rules or protocols when a person claims victim status while also being suspected of criminal activity. Following the judgment, the woman's solicitor intends to ask the Director of Public Prosecutions not to proceed with the prosecution, citing the woman's two‑and‑a‑half‑year prison term. The matter will be heard again later this month.
Jamie O'Hara, 20, of Killinarden Estate, Tallaght, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to multiple offences. He admitted to the robbery of a phone at Sean Walsh Park, Tallaght, on September 9, 2014, as well as stealing a mobile phone and a purse on the same date. Additionally, he pleaded guilty to the attempted robbery of a mobile phone on May 13 and to unlawfully producing a knife to intimidate on June 30, both at Sean Walsh Park. The court heard that O'Hara was on bail for the earlier offences when he committed the September robbery, during which he threatened a mother walking her children. Judge Mary Ellen Ring imposed a four-year sentence on all counts. She suspended the final year of the term on the condition that O'Hara go under the supervision of the Probation Services for that period. The judge noted that the local park is now a safer place with O'Hara in custody. Defence counsel highlighted the defendant's remorse and his different behavior when not under the influence of drugs. The sentencing concluded the proceedings for these specific charges.
Charles Twesigye, a Rwandan national, was convicted in 2012 at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court of a section 15 offence for possessing drugs for sale or supply, but acquitted of a section 15a offence for possessing drugs worth more than €13,000. He received a 10‑year sentence with the final three years suspended, imposed by Judge Patricia Ryan on 31 January 2014. The conviction stemmed from a FedEx package addressed to "Mr Seán Kelly" that contained cocaine valued at over €142,000. Twesigye has now applied to the Court of Appeal to challenge the conviction, arguing that it is illogical and inconsistent to be acquitted of the higher‑value offence while being convicted of the lower‑value offence, given that the same drugs were involved. His barrister, Conor Devally SC, contended that the jury may have misunderstood the offence, and that procedural issues surrounding the timing of his arrest and subsequent detention could have affected the admissibility of evidence. Charles Twesigye pleaded not guilty.
Marius Vardauskas, a 25‑year‑old Lithuanian resident of Ilford, Essex, pleaded guilty in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of cocaine after he swallowed 49 pellets of the drug in an attempt to smuggle it into Ireland. The pellets were discovered on an X‑ray at a hospital following his arrest. Garda John O'Reilly reported that customs officers had been suspicious of Vardauskas after he was stopped for questioning following a flight from Madrid, which had originated in Brazil. He could not provide the required visa stamps or a Dublin address, and his luggage was scanned with no findings. Vardauskas denied concealing drugs, but the pellets were later confirmed to contain cocaine. He claimed he was pressured into the scheme and that his mother had been a victim of domestic violence in Lithuania, motivating him to raise money for her.
Anthony Naughton, a 29‑year‑old van driver from Ballyfermot, Dublin, was sentenced to a wholly suspended six‑year prison term for possessing €137,000 worth of heroin for sale or supply at Steeples Apartment Complex in Chapelizod on 6 February 2012. He had pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The Court of Appeal dismissed the Director of Public Prosecutions' appeal that the sentence was unduly lenient. The court noted that Naughton had been targeted because of his "appearance of cleanliness", had been physically assaulted, had his jaw broken, his vehicle vandalised and his parents threatened if he did not comply with the criminals' demands. The court found the duress, threats to his family, attacks on him and his property were exceptional circumstances that justified a high degree of leniency, and therefore upheld the suspended sentence. No prison term was imposed.
Joseph Prendergast, aged 50, pleaded guilty to robbing €3,500 from a Permanent TSB office in Phibsboro on 16 November 2012. He was described by Garda Dan D'Arcy as acting mainly as a look‑out at the door while co‑accused Paul Carabini, aged 48, threatened staff and customers with a knife. Prendergast had 59 prior convictions, including drug possession and theft. Judge Martin Nolan imposed a three‑and‑a‑half‑year suspended sentence on Prendergast, taking into account his partner's medical difficulties and his lack of offending since 2012. Carabini received a ten‑year sentence, with the final three years suspended, for the robbery and other offences. The court heard that Prendergast waited at the bank's door, while Carabini demanded money, and that DNA evidence linked Prendergast to discarded clothing and gloves found in the lane after the raid. The case was prosecuted by Paul Carroll BL and defended by Luigi Rea BL and Dominic McGinn SC.
Parada Hermen Arteaga, a 65‑year‑old Bolivian national, was sentenced to four years' imprisonment for importing 1.28 kg of liquid cocaine into Ireland. He had swallowed 39 condoms filled with the drug, claiming he did so to earn money for his family after meeting a contact on the street. Arteaga was stopped by customs at Dublin Airport on 26 March 2014, admitted swallowing the condoms, and was taken to Beaumont Hospital for safety concerns. He pleaded guilty at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, where Judge Martin Nolan noted Arteaga's desperation and low position in the drug‑transport network. The sentence was back‑dated to March 2014. Arteaga had no prior convictions in Ireland or Bolivia. The case was prosecuted by Gerardine Small BL, with defence counsel Caroline Biggs SC arguing that Arteaga acted to support his ailing mother and was fully cooperative.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, 33‑year‑old Marcin Jakubiec and his 55‑year‑old father Boguslaw Jakubiec pleaded guilty to burglaries committed between 24 June 2011 and 22 April 2013. Marcin admitted carrying out a dozen break‑ins, while Boguslaw, acting as driver, admitted involvement in three. The pair broke into empty homes mid‑morning, stealing jewellery, laptops, cameras and bikes, then sold the goods at the Ilac Centre on Moore Street. Judge Mary Ellen Ring sentenced Marcin to five years and Boguslaw to three years, both back‑dated to May 2013, and suspended the remaining terms. Both were ordered to work with the Probation Service for 12 months. The court noted their charitable work while in custody and the minimal recovery of stolen items. The defendants' backgrounds, including prior convictions and drug use, were also discussed by their counsel.
Christopher Coakley, a 23‑year‑old heroin addict, pleaded guilty to unlawfully seizing a woman's car with her child in the back seat on 5 August 2012. He was sentenced to three years' imprisonment by Judge Desmond Hogan on 25 February 2013. The Director of Public Prosecutions appealed, arguing that the judge had not fully considered Coakley's 92 prior convictions and his previously suspended five‑year sentence. The Court of Appeal heard that Coakley had been a heroin addict since age 13 and had spent most of his life in custody since age 14. His mother said he had become drug‑free in September 2012. The court adjourned sentencing to 20 July, remanding him in custody with the condition that he attend the Coolmine Alcohol and Drugs Service Community. If he left Coolmine, the court warned that authorities would be notified and a stricter view would be taken. The court offered him a chance to engage in drug rehabilitation.
Eugene Byrne, 21, pleaded guilty to an attempted robbery of Clonsilla Post Office on 16 December 2013. He and accomplice Ian Mansfield fled on a motorbike, leading Gardaí on a chase from Dublin to Mullingar, Westmeath. Byrne was arrested in Trinidad and Tobago the previous year for attempting to export cocaine, receiving a two‑year hard‑labour sentence and a fine of about €4,000, of which he paid after six months in jail. He returned to Ireland in January. In Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Byrne was sentenced to five years, four of which were suspended. The court noted his prior dangerous‑driving conviction and his claim of being "out of kilter" after his father's death. The sentence credited the six months he served abroad. Mansfield received a suspended five‑year sentence. The case ended with Byrne's conviction and the specified custodial term.
Darren Snee, a 25‑year‑old boxing coach from Palmerstown, pleaded guilty to possessing ecstasy, cannabis and cocaine. A Court of Appeal ruling declared ecstasy and other drugs unconstitutionally banned, leading the Director of Public Prosecutions to withdraw the ecstasy charge. Judge Martin Nolan imposed a two‑and‑a‑half‑year suspended sentence for the remaining cannabis (worth €819) and cocaine (valued €399) offences. Snee had previously been convicted of burglary. At the sentencing hearing, Garda John McWeeney presented evidence of Snee's drug dealings, including six bags of cocaine, a bag of rock cocaine hidden in a can of Coors Light, 24 deals of cannabis, €2,260 in cash, a digital weighing scale, and a black drum containing 19 bags of MDMA. Snee claimed he was holding the drugs for others and that the cash was personal gifts. His defence, led by Pieter Le Vert BL, highlighted his reduced cannabis use and future aspirations in architecture and sports.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court case, Robert Harrison, 50, was convicted of possessing drugs for sale or supply in 2001 and sentenced to five years imprisonment in 2002. In 2009, a confiscation order under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1994 removed €6,455 from him. Harrison appealed the confiscation in the Court of Appeal, seeking to add an additional ground of appeal. The Court of Appeal refused leave to add this ground and dismissed the appeal. The court noted that the confiscation order had been based on a Garda's affidavit claiming Harrison sold €350,000 worth of drugs, whereas Harrison admitted €181,000. The judge found no reason to believe the court acted on inadmissible evidence and that the judge's reasoning was terse but adequate. The appeal was therefore dismissed. The case highlighted the admissibility of opinion evidence in confiscation proceedings. Robert Harrison pleaded guilty.
James Slattery, a 33‑year‑old disc jockey from Carrig Court, Citywest, was sentenced to five years in prison for his role in trafficking €1.5 million worth of cannabis into Ireland. He met a lorry driver, Istvan Bogdan, in Blanchardstown, Dublin, who had just brought 78 kg of cannabis from the Netherlands. While Slattery was transferring a third of the drugs into his car, Gardaí conducting a surveillance operation moved in. Slattery pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of cannabis for sale or supply on 5 May 2014. Judge Martin Nolan, noting Slattery's guilty plea and his long history of charity work, imposed the jail term. Bogdan, a 42‑year‑old Hungarian, received a six‑year sentence. Slattery, who has 14 prior convictions, admitted he was paid €1,000 and claimed he was not a drug addict but merely collecting the drugs for delivery to another person.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 12 December 2013, Ronald Emmett, aged 36, pleaded guilty to robbery and possession of a realistic imitation firearm after a raid on an EBS in Killiney. Garda Martin Egan chased and tackled Emmett, who was carrying a gun wrapped in a newspaper; the gun was later found to be an imitation. Emmett had previously been convicted of 39 offences including hi‑jacking and possession of forged prescriptions, and was on bail for earlier robbery offences. He claimed he was "practically set up" and that he needed money for his addiction, stating he was now on methadone. Judge Mary Ellen Ring praised Garda Egan and manager Barry O'Brien for their actions, imposed a four‑year sentence to run consecutively with a five‑year term already served, and suspended the final two years, noting Emmett's intention to become drug‑free.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Judge Patrick McCartan sentenced 25‑year‑old Slovakian Peter Mikulik to five years' imprisonment for smuggling nearly €50,000 of cocaine from Brazil into Ireland, with two years suspended. The judge ordered Mikulik to leave Ireland immediately upon release and to remain outside the country for five years, stating that the court could direct an EU citizen to depart. Prosecutor counsel argued that the court could not impose such a directive, but the judge rejected this view, insisting on the instruction. Mikulik pleaded guilty to importation of cocaine at Dublin Airport on 15 May 2014. He had been recruited by a man named "Tony" via an untraceable website, swallowed 72 pellets of cocaine in São Paulo, and was intercepted by Irish customs after returning via Rome. He admitted possession of the drug and was taken to hospital for stomach pains.
In March 2015, a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that 20‑year‑old Jason Flaherty, who was on bail for an earlier robbery and firearm charge, committed six additional armed robberies in a single month. The robberies, all in west Dublin between 21 August and 19 September 2013, involved threatening shop staff with a knife or an imitation gun. Flaherty pleaded guilty to three counts of robbery of cash from shops. Judge Mary Ellen Ring had previously sentenced him to four years with 18 months suspended for the earlier offence. At the hearing she imposed a new four‑year sentence, suspending the final two years on the condition that he engage in drug treatment and education programmes. The suspended portion is separate from the effective custodial term, which will run consecutively to his current sentence. The court considered other robbery charges and his seven prior convictions, including five for road traffic offences.
In March 2015, Ivan Tihon, a 32‑year‑old Moldovan national with no fixed abode, was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for facilitating the storage and distribution of drugs, firearms and ammunition worth €1.6 million. Tihon had previously pleaded guilty to possession of ecstasy valued at €1.8 million, a plea later vacated by the State following the Court of Appeal's "Bederev Judgement." He pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine and cannabis for sale or supply at Finglas Business Park and other Dublin locations on 17 April 2014, and to possession and control of various 9 mm and .22 calibre pistols, a 9 mm Steyr submachine gun, 96 rounds of 9 mm ammunition and 50 rounds of .22 ammunition. Eight men were arrested in a Garda operation that seized 82.76 kg of cannabis (valued at €1,674,518) and cocaine (valued at €6,300), along with the firearms and ammunition.
In a mobile‑phone mugging on the North Strand, Dublin, on 21 January 2014, 27‑year‑old Blaine Coakley attempted to steal Daire Cagney's phone after a failed drug‑deal. Coakley followed Cagney to a flats complex, threatened him with a syringe, and when Cagney pulled out his phone to check the time, Coakley grabbed it and shoved it into his pocket. Cagney chased the attacker, pulled him by the hood and tackled him to the ground. While on the ground, Coakley covered his face and Cagney noticed the phone on the floor, pocketed it, and later viewed videos on it that identified Coakley. Gardaí used these videos to confirm his identity. Coakley, who had 93 prior convictions, pleaded guilty to theft of a mobile phone and was sentenced to two years' imprisonment, to run concurrently with a previous sentence, with release scheduled for 2017.
Cornelius Van Gent, a 73-year-old Dutch national, was sentenced to seven years in prison at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for his involvement in a large-scale drug operation. Judge Martin Nolan accepted that Van Gent, who had no prior criminal record, was not at the upper echelons of the group and allowed him to depart from the mandatory minimum sentence due to his age, plea, and cooperation. Van Gent pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis resin for sale or supply at North City Business Park, Finglas, on May 16, 2014, and possession of cannabis herb at Ikea on May 2, 2014. His co-accused, Sean Mahony and Peng Cheng, also pleaded guilty to possession of drugs for sale or supply at locations in North Dublin on May 16, 2014. Mahony, who gardaí accepted acted as a courier to pay off a drug debt, was jailed for six years earlier this month. Cheng, who claimed he was involved to pay a gambling debt, was jailed for nine years. The court heard that gardaí intercepted 72.7 kg of cannabis in a van and discovered a further 137 kg of herbal cannabis and 88 kg of resin in a warehouse, with a total estimated value of nearly €4.7 million. The drugs were concealed within boxes of Basmati rice.
A 35‑year‑old Dublin man, Francis Whelan of Cushlawn Park, Tallaght, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of a pipe bomb found in his tracksuit pants on 13 October 2012 in the Killinarden Heights area. He claimed he was set up by an acquaintance that day and did not know the item was a pipe bomb, saying he carried it for a €100 reward of cannabis. Prosecutor John Quirke BL described the bomb as a viable explosive with serious potential consequences, while defence lawyer Dean Kelly BL noted Whelan's positive participation in the St Dominic's community‑based project and lack of further police attention. Judge Melanie Greally warned of the extreme and horrifying results of pipe bombs, described Whelan as somewhat apathetic, and urged him to change his life. She imposed a two‑year suspended jail sentence, conditioned on engagement with addiction support services and regular drug testing.
David Towell, 36, of Tallaght, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to attempted robbery and possession of an air pistol at Paddy Power bookmakers in Saggart on 6 July 2013. He had 20 prior convictions and had planned the robbery with an accomplice he met only the night before. Towell rode a moped driven by the accomplice, but an off‑duty Garda and his father intervened, knocking him off the scooter and preventing the robbery. He struck the cash desk, left with nothing, and was arrested on the spot. Judge Catherine Murphy sentenced him to four years, with the last year suspended, citing the seriousness of the offence and his drug‑addiction history. He was ordered to remain under Probation Services supervision, attend addiction services, and engage in victim‑awareness work.
In a 2015 Dublin Circuit Criminal Court case, Suzanne O'Connell (42) and Daniel McMahon (23) pleaded guilty to the armed robbery of an Applegreen petrol station in Clonsilla on 19 September 2013. O'Connell, acting as getaway driver, had met McMahon that night and picked him up with a third man. The trio entered the shop wearing balaclavas; McMahon brandished a pellet gun that was a convincing replica of a 6mm Colt handgun, while the other man held a knife. They demanded cash, filled a plastic bag with about €800, and fled. Gardaí, who had followed O'Connell's car, arrested all three. McMahon claimed he did not know O'Connell prior to the robbery. Both defendants had no prior convictions, and O'Connell's past offences were traffic and a 2002 drug‑dealing charge. Judge Martin Nolan imposed a suspended five‑year prison term on each, contingent on maintaining peace for that period, citing their personal circumstances, guilty pleas, and cooperation with police.
Gary Hanley, 26, of North Great Clarence Street, Dublin 1, was convicted of possessing five bars of cannabis resin for sale or supply at the Alfie Byrne apartment complex on 10 April 2009. A jury found him guilty at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court and he was sentenced to six years' imprisonment, with the final two years suspended by Judge Patricia Ryan on 16 March 2013. Hanley appealed the conviction, arguing that the case should have been withdrawn from the jury and that there was no case to answer. Judge Garrett Sheehan rejected the appeal, noting that a Garda had searched a large wheelie bin at the complex, where a blue hold‑all bag and a yellow Dunnes Stores bag were found. Inside the plastic bag were five bars of cannabis resin, and a partial forefinger mark matching Hanley's fingerprints was on the tear of the bag. Gary Hanley pleaded not guilty.
Keith Willis, a Dublin man currently incarcerated at Wheatfield Prison, has brought an application under Article 40 of the Constitution seeking an inquiry into the legality of his continued detention. This follows a recent Court of Appeal judgment that struck down a government regulation declaring possession of certain drugs an offence, ruling that Section 2(2) of the 1977 Misuse of Drugs Act was unconstitutional because it vested law-making powers in the Government rather than the Oireachtas. Willis argues that the Misuse of Drugs Act provision making possession of ecstasy an offence was invalid when he received his custodial sentence. In 2013, Willis pleaded guilty to possessing ecstasy tablets, valued at €31,250, for sale or supply at Sligo Garda Station. Judge Anthony Hunt sentenced him to five years in prison, with the last two years suspended. Although the source text mentions a three-year jail term in the introduction, the specific sentencing detail provided is five years with two suspended. Today, High Court President Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns directed that an inquiry into Willis' detention be heard. The matter was adjourned to next week. This application arises from the Court of Appeal ruling in an action brought by Stanislav Bederev, which temporarily made psychoactive drugs legal before emergency legislation was introduced.
Glen Hogan, aged 25, was sentenced to three years in prison for driving a stolen Mitsubishi Pajero through red lights and onto footpaths during a high‑speed chase in Dublin. He pleaded guilty to one count of driving a stolen car, two counts of dangerous driving and one count of driving under the influence. Judge Patrick McCartan suspended the final year of a four‑year term on the condition that Hogan remains drug‑free and keeps the peace, and banned him from driving for ten years. The judge also back‑dated the sentence to start in August 2014. Hogan has eight prior convictions for car theft, 71 total convictions including drug offences, and a previous six‑year sentence for assault. The court noted his drug addiction and offered him a residential treatment programme through the Peter McVerry Trust.