In 2021, a man convicted of eight sexual assault and four rape offences against a child aged six to eleven between 2003 and 2008 lost an appeal. The Central Criminal Court had sentenced him to 12 years in prison in 2014. The victim, the daughter of the defendant's partner, had reported the abuse to social services in 2008 and was interviewed by specialists in 2010; the recordings were used as evidence. She claimed the perpetrator warned her that if she disclosed the abuse she would be "going ten feet under." The defence argued that the death of the victim's grandmother, who had testified in a prior trial, damaged the defence, and that the trial judge erred by allowing the interview DVDs and video‑link testimony.
Patrick Shiels, aged 64, was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment by the Central Criminal Court for sexually assaulting and orally raping his daughter, Marlene Prakash‑Shiels, who was between four and eight years old during the offences. Shiels pleaded not guilty to all charges, including four counts of sexual assault, oral rape, child cruelty, forced alcohol consumption and forced viewing of pornography. He had no prior convictions. The trial, held in Croke Park, included a victim impact statement in which Ms Prakash‑Shiels described the lasting trauma and lack of remorse from her father. Justice David Keane noted aggravating factors such as abuse of trust, age disparity and the pattern of assault, and imposed a ten‑year sentence with no credit for a guilty plea. He also ordered three years of post‑release supervision by the Probation Service. The court heard that the victim was in foster care during the period of the offences.
Michael Talbot, 34, was sentenced to five years' imprisonment after a violent incident on 21 May 2020. He stabbed a woman in her cousin's apartment on Parnell Street, cutting her chest, side, arms and legs with a kitchen knife, then kicked her in the head and stomach. The victim, who had refused to kiss him, was left with eight open wounds and was taken to hospital. Talbot, who was on bail, later damaged vehicles in the underground car‑park, slashing tyres and puncturing a motorbike's airbox. He was arrested, taken to Mountjoy Garda Station, where he threatened to rape and kill officers. He pleaded guilty to assault causing harm, possession of a knife and three counts of criminal damage. Judge Martin Nolan, noting Talbot's 82‑count record and intoxication, imposed the maximum five‑year term for the assault causing harm charge. The sentence was delivered on 19 May 2021.
A man has been sentenced to nine years in prison by the Central Criminal Court for the rape of a woman in her Donegal home on August 9, 2017. The 38-year-old pleaded guilty to oral rape during an attack lasting approximately ninety minutes. Additional charges of attempted rape, two counts of sexual assault and criminal damage were taken into consideration. Mr Justice Michael White described the offence as falling into the most serious category, citing the breach of trust between long-standing friends, the level of violence employed and the extended duration of the assault. The court noted a second man was present during the incident. The woman provided a victim impact statement detailing the psychological harm she has sustained. The defendant was also imposed a one-year post-release supervision order.
Richard O'Mara, 31, of Tallaght, Dublin, appealed his conviction to the Court of Appeal regarding two counts of rape committed in Co Clare in 2015. O'Mara had previously pleaded not guilty but was found guilty by a Central Criminal Court jury. He was sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment, with the final two years suspended on strict conditions, resulting in an effective custody period of 12 years. The appeal, argued by Michael Delaney SC, contended that the trial should have been halted because Gardaí failed to examine the crime scene at Ballymulcashel, Kilmurry, Sixmilebridge. Defence counsel cited a forensic report suggesting semen could have been detected on a sofa nine months after the incident, arguing this missing evidence deprived O'Mara of a realistic defence. The DPP, represented by Maurice Coffey SC, countered that the appellant had not met the necessary legal test for the absence of evidence to warrant a stay. The court, presided over by President George Birmingham, reserved its judgement. The matter was adjourned pending the decision.
In May 2021, Oliver Kane, 41, who was homeless and suffering from mental health issues, voluntarily appeared at a Garda station to confess that he had attempted to rape a 21‑year‑old woman in Ardee on 16 November 2020. Kane explained that he had approached the woman with the intention of forcing her into a secluded area, but she resisted and escaped. He admitted the assault and expressed regret. The victim, who has suffered ongoing mental health problems, stated that the incident had caused nightmares, sleep difficulties, and depression, and that she had taken time off work and begun counselling. Kane has a prior conviction for a public order offence. At the Central Criminal Court, the case was adjourned to 14 June to allow for a psychiatric assessment, and Kane was remanded in continuing custody. The prosecution noted that the victim's anonymity was maintained, while the defence highlighted Kane's untreated depression and psychosis. Oliver Kane pleaded guilty.
Peter Loughran, 36, was sentenced at the Central Criminal Court for rape and oral rape committed at a Dublin address on January 5, 2018. Loughran pleaded guilty to the charges, which involved an assault on a woman he met via Tinder. Justice Paul McDermott sentenced Loughran to nine years imprisonment, but suspended the final 18 months on strict conditions. These conditions require him to refrain from using any online dating apps and to not contact the victim or her family in any way. The court noted that Loughran had expressed genuine regret and remorse, and was assessed as a low to moderate risk of sexual reoffending. Aggravating factors included the offences being committed in the victim's home by a trusted guest, the degrading manner of the assault, and the fact that Loughran recorded part of the attack. The victim, who suffered physical injuries and a new genital herpes infection, stated in her impact statement that the incident drastically changed her future. Loughran, originally from Co Monaghan, has four previous convictions for unrelated offences including possession of drugs and drink driving. He had previously denied the offences to gardaí, claiming the contact was consensual, but later apologized in a letter read by his counsel.
A serving Garda, aged 56, was acquitted by a jury of three counts of indecent assault on a boy aged 6 or 7 between 1979 and 1982. The complainant, now 46, alleged the Garda had assaulted him in a Dublin address and in a green area, including touching his penis and a third incident involving a bike ride and chocolate. The Garda denied all allegations, claiming they never occurred. The defence highlighted inconsistencies, such as the bedroom layout and the presence of childminders, and argued that memory could have faded over the decades. The prosecution presented the complainant's testimony as clear and compelling. After a two‑week trial at Croke Park, the jury returned not‑guilty verdicts on all three counts following a four‑hour deliberation. Judge Karen O'Connor thanked the jury for their service. The unnamed 56-year-old pleaded not guilty.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, a 40‑year‑old man pleaded guilty to 15 of 74 charges of repeated rape, sexual assault and harassment of a boy between 2004 and 2010. The offences include oral and anal rape, attempted anal rape, sexual assault, assault causing harm and harassment, beginning at a sports facility and continuing at hotels and restaurants in Ireland. Seventy‑one of the original sample charges will be considered for sentencing, while three overseas incidents are excluded. The judge remanded the defendant in custody, with sentencing scheduled for 12 July.
Anthony Wills, 63, was arrested after Gardaí found a 10‑minute video of him molesting a young boy. The footage, recorded on a camcorder seized during a search of his home in Tallaght, shows Wills naked, fondling the child and briefly performing oral sex before masturbating in front of the boy. The search also uncovered 34 images of children exposing themselves and 21 images of sexual activity, plus graphic text messages. Wills pleaded guilty to sexual assault of a male child, two counts of knowingly producing child pornography, and possession of child pornography from 2004 to 2019. He had no prior convictions. The court, acknowledging his cooperation, remorse and lack of previous offences, sentenced him to a four‑year term, suspended 18 months, with strict conditions including probation engagement for 18 months after release. The sentence reflects the seriousness of the video production and the depraved nature of the acts.
A 15‑year‑old boy was convicted by a jury of two counts of defiling a 14‑year‑old girl in Co Meath. The relationship began in summer 2018 and ended in January 2019, during which the boy and girl had sexual intercourse. The boy pleaded not guilty to the defilement charges and to a rape charge, the latter of which the jury could not decide. He had no prior convictions. The court heard that the victim did not wish to give a victim impact statement and that she felt pressured to remain in contact after the relationship ended. The judge, Justice Paul McDermott, found that the boy had significant issues accepting the end of the relationship and that protective factors existed. He ordered the boy to undergo two years of supervision by the Probation Service, but did not impose detention or imprisonment. The case was heard in the Central Criminal Court.
In 2021 the Court of Appeal upheld the conviction of a 71‑year‑old father who had repeatedly raped his 12‑year‑old son. The father was found guilty of anally raping the child on nine occasions and of child cruelty for locking the boy in a box; he was acquitted of a separate charge of raping the boy with a poker. The appeal was dismissed after the court considered the lengthy nine‑day testimony of the victim, the use of video‑link evidence, and the admission of evidence of the father's prior convictions for theft and drink‑driving. The judge imposed a 15‑year sentence, suspended the final year, and ordered a four‑year supervision period upon release. The decision was made after the court noted the impact of the trial on the child, who had been removed from the family home in 2011 and had suffered severe emotional distress.
A jury at Croke Park convicted a 64‑year‑old man of oral rape and sexual assault of his daughter between 2000 and 2004, when she was aged four to eleven. The man pleaded not guilty to the rape and assault charges and denied two child‑neglect charges involving alcohol and pornography. He was alleged to have forced the child to drink cider, watch pornography while he masturbated, and perform oral sex on him. The victim, now in her 20s, testified that she spent most of her childhood in foster care but had access visits with her father, who was often drunk. The trial lasted just under three hours, and the judge remanded the man into custody for sentencing on 17 May. The case was the first criminal trial held at the GAA headquarters in Dublin. The jury heard the victim's civil claims against the HSE and her former foster parents.
A man has pleaded guilty to orally raping a woman in her Donegal home on August 9, 2017, during an attack lasting approximately 90 minutes. The Central Criminal Court heard that the 38-year-old defendant, who had known the victim for seven years, called her that evening requesting to visit for drinks. He arrived with another man whose case remains before the courts. During the evening, the defendant attempted to ply the woman with alcohol before sexually assaulting her and dragging her into the bedroom. The woman screamed throughout the ordeal and was in considerable pain. Both men eventually left, and she contacted gardaí. A charge of attempted rape, two counts of sexual assault, and criminal damage were taken into consideration. The victim read a statement describing how the defendant exploited her vulnerable circumstances, noting she has since achieved over three years of sobriety. The defendant initially denied being present but later maintained he had no memory of the night after viewing CCTV footage. His DNA was recovered as evidence.
A Belfast man, aged 70, lost an appeal against his conviction and six‑and‑a‑half‑year jail sentence for sexual assault. The Court of Appeal found no error in the trial judge's conduct or sentencing. The man had been convicted in October 2018 of five counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault, committed between 1989 and 1996 when the victims were aged seven to 14. Four of the assaults involved his godson's cousin, the other two involved his godson, the son of a neighbour. Lawyers argued the judge erred by treating a 2010 statement to the victim's wife as the first reasonable opportunity for complaint and by allowing the prosecution to link the victim's reporting delay to long‑term mental health issues. The Court rejected these arguments, concluding the 2010 statement was sufficiently close to the formal complaint to not alter the case dynamics.
A jury convicted a 54‑year‑old man of sexually assaulting a woman who had come to Ireland seeking asylum, but could not reach a verdict on four other counts of rape and attempted rape. The man pleaded not guilty to three counts of rape, one of sexual assault and one of attempted rape for incidents that occurred in his Dublin home between 1 and 3 December 2017. After eight and a half hours of deliberation on day 10 of the trial at the Central Criminal Court, the jury delivered a majority verdict on the sexual assault charge. Judge Alex Owens accepted the verdict, discharged the jury, and remanded the man in custody, revoking his bail and postponing sentencing to 12 July 2021. He was ordered to submit a victim impact statement and a Probation Service report before being certified as a sex offender.
In 2018, a 54‑year‑old man pleaded guilty to 21 charges, including rape, attempted rape and sexual assault, against his daughter aged 5 to 17 over a 12‑year period. He also pleaded guilty to three counts of assault causing harm. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison, with the final three years suspended. He appealed the severity of the sentence, arguing the judge erred by imposing a life sentence as the headline term and that mitigating factors such as his early guilty plea and cooperation with Gardaí warranted a headline sentence of 10 to 15 years. The Court of Appeal, presided over by Mr Justice George Birmingham, found the appeal ground surprising given the seriousness of the offences and reserved its ruling for a later date. The DPP maintained that the life sentence was appropriate due to the aggravating factors.
In the trial of a 54‑year‑old man accused of raping a 36‑year‑old asylum seeker, a jury was informed that it could reach a majority verdict. The complainant, who fled an arranged marriage in her home country, claimed that after a ceremony at a local mosque the accused took her to his flat and raped her repeatedly over three days. He denied the allegations, calling them lies, and said the ceremony, a Nikah, was not a legally binding marriage but a blessing for a sexual relationship. He asserted that they had sex during that weekend and that the complainant sometimes initiated it. He also suggested that her accusation might be motivated by a desire to remain in Ireland while the case was investigated. The accused has pleaded not guilty to three counts of rape, one of sexual assault and one of attempted rape.
A 36‑year‑old Dublin man was found guilty by a jury of repeatedly assaulting and orally raping his younger brother, who was 11 at the time of the first offence. The jury, after deliberating for three hours and 39 minutes, returned unanimous guilty verdicts on all counts of assault causing harm and on two sample counts of oral rape dated between 28 March 2001 and 27 March 2002. The jury found the accused not guilty on the remaining eight counts of oral rape and on the charge of producing an article to unlawfully intimidate, which involved an alleged attempt to place a loaded shotgun barrel in the brother's mouth. The accused was remanded in custody and the case was adjourned to 24 May for sentencing. The trial included testimony from the complainant describing daily beatings, forced sexual acts, and intimidation with weapons, as well as the accused's own admissions during police questioning.
In a closed trial at Croke Park, a 64‑year‑old man pleaded not guilty to allegations of oral rape and sexual assault against his daughter between 2000 and 2007, when she was aged four to eleven. He also faced two child‑neglect charges for forcing her to drink alcohol and watch pornography. The daughter, now in her 20s, testified that she spent most of her childhood in foster care but had visits with her father, who was often drunk and allegedly forced her to watch pornography while masturbating, and sexually molested her, demanding oral sex. During the second day of the trial, the defendant denied all accusations, telling Gardaí he loved his daughter and would not harm her. He confirmed he was circumcised, a fact the daughter had claimed he had told her. The case is proceeding in camera before Justice David Keane.
A 18‑year‑old man, who was 15 when he committed a sexual offence against a girl aged 15‑17 at a party, has had his appeal against an 18‑month sentence dismissed. The Court of Appeal, hearing the case on 15 April 2021, noted that a delay in the investigation—caused by a Garda repeatedly calling the wrong address—meant the defendant would serve most of his sentence in an adult prison once he turns 18 and six months. The judge had originally set a headline sentence of five years, reduced to 18 months after considering mitigating factors, including the defendant's age at the time of the offence. The defendant pleaded guilty on 27 July 2020 to defilement under the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2006. The appeal was dismissed, and the defendant will be transferred to an adult prison in the coming weeks.
The Central Criminal Court is now in the final stages of a trial involving a 54‑year‑old man accused of raping a 36‑year‑old woman who had sought asylum in Ireland to escape an arranged marriage. The complainant testified that after a ceremony between them, the accused took her to his flat and raped her repeatedly over three days. He denied the allegations, claiming they were lies, and said they had performed a Nikah ceremony, which he described as a blessing for a sexual relationship but not a legally binding marriage. He also alleged that the complainant had initiated sex on several occasions and that she had told him she came to Ireland because immigration laws were weak. The accused pleaded not guilty to three counts of rape, one count of sexual assault and one count of attempted rape. The jury, addressed by barristers for both sides, is expected to retire tomorrow to consider their verdict.
In a Dublin case, a 36‑year‑old man accused of orally raping his 11‑year‑old brother and repeatedly beating him until the brother left the home at 16 has pleaded not guilty to ten counts of oral rape, seven counts of assault causing harm and one count of unlawful intimidation. During Garda interviews, the accused admitted it was "a possibility" he had forced his brother to give him oral sex and claimed he was "out of his head" or drunk at the time. He also said his brother "probably gave me a bit of head." The prosecution argues these admissions confirm the complainant's allegations, while the defence highlights the lack of explanation for the long delay in reporting and the accused's prior false statements to Gardaí. The trial is set to continue before Mr Justice Michael White with jury deliberations expected to begin tomorrow.
In a Central Criminal Court trial, a 54‑year‑old man accused of raping a 36‑year‑old woman, who had sought asylum in Ireland to escape an arranged marriage, pleaded not guilty to three counts of rape, one of sexual assault and one of attempted rape. The accused claimed the woman had lied about her motives, suggesting she alleged rape to remain in Ireland while the case was investigated. He argued that a ceremony called Nikah, which he described as a non‑binding religious agreement, had taken place before any sexual activity. The woman testified that after a ceremony the accused took her to his flat and raped her repeatedly over three days. The trial is in its closing stages, with the judge and jury hearing final arguments from both sides.
In the Central Criminal Court, a 36‑year‑old man accused of orally raping his 11‑year‑old brother and assaulting him daily until the brother left the family home at 16 pleaded not guilty to ten counts of oral rape, seven counts of assault causing harm and one count of unlawful intimidation. He admitted during a 2018 Garda interview that he had hit his brother and that their father had also inflicted violence. The accused claimed he might have forced his brother to give him oral sex, stating it was a possibility and that he was "out of his head" or drunk at the time. He denied that the act occurred in the upstairs bedroom and said it happened only once or twice. The trial, presided over by Justice Michael White, continues tomorrow before a jury.
A 53‑year‑old Dubliner, whose name is withheld to protect his victim, has asked the Court of Appeal to quash a conviction for indecent assault of his male cousin. The appeal argues that the trial was unfair because the jury heard two separate allegations – one against a young girl and one against the cousin – in the same hearing. The appellant's lawyers claim no legal basis existed for a joint trial and that the prosecution failed to establish any cross‑corroboration between the allegations. They contend that the judge's refusal to allow the cases to be tried separately created a risk of prejudice. The Court of Appeal has reserved judgment on the appeal.
During a rape trial, a witness testified that the accused, a 54‑year‑old man, told her he could not have raped the complainant because "there is no rape within marriage." The 36‑year‑old complainant had already testified that after a ceremony in a mosque, the accused took her to his flat and raped her over three days. The witness explained that she had introduced the complainant and the accused through a mosque, and that the complainant had emailed her in December 2017 asking whether the ceremony had constituted a legal marriage. She told the jury that the accused had insisted he could not rape her because she was his wife, and that she had warned him that Irish law allows rape within marriage. The trial is ongoing before Mr Justice Alex Owens. The unnamed 36-year-old pleaded not guilty.
In 2021 the Central Criminal Court heard that a 55‑year‑old father raped and sexually abused his daughter over a period of seven and a half years. He blackmailed her by threatening to expose her online chatroom activity to his employer, demanding that she have sex with men while he threatened her job security. The abuse began after she turned 18, when she received anonymous text messages that later proved to be from her father. He forced her to give him oral sex and to engage in sexual acts with other men while she was blindfolded and wearing earphones. The daughter discovered a DVD of the first incident in 2010, confronted her father, who denied responsibility and claimed he was being blackmailed. The abuse ended in June 2014 when she informed her mother and authorities. The unnamed man pleaded guilty.
The Court of Appeal rejected former Ros na Rún actor Garrett Phillips' appeal against his conviction for raping a 20‑year‑old woman in Galway on 5 November 2015. Phillips, 48, was found guilty by an 11‑1 majority after a four‑day trial at the Central Circuit Criminal Court and sentenced to six years' imprisonment. He had pleaded not guilty, claiming the act was consensual. His lawyers argued that the trial judge had erred by refusing to allow cross‑examination of the victim about an oral sex act she had had with her boyfriend a week before the offence. The appeal was dismissed on the basis that the alleged prior act was not relevant to the rape charge. Phillips will now appeal the length of his sentence on 30 April.
A 24‑year‑old man, who was mentally ill and experiencing psychotic symptoms, was jailed for three and a half years after attempting to rape a seven‑year‑old girl who was in his mother's care. He took the child by the hand, brought her to a bedroom, and exposed himself. The child's mother, who was watching her children, ran in, saw the man with his penis out, and called the Gardaí. The man later admitted to the Gardaí that he intended to rape the child and that he was not in his right mind. He pleaded guilty before the Central Criminal Court. The judge, noting the child's age, the man's previous convictions and his psychiatric condition, imposed the sentence and ordered post‑release supervision. The victim's parents described the lasting trauma and expressed guilt for leaving the child alone that day.
In a Dublin court, a 36‑year‑old asylum seeker testified that she did not consent to any sexual activity with a man accused of rape. She explained that she had come to Ireland in November 2017 to avoid an arranged marriage in her home country and had applied for asylum at the International Protection Office. She was introduced to the accused through a mosque that facilitated meetings for the Muslim community. After a ceremony in a smaller mosque, the accused allegedly took her to his flat and raped her over three days. During cross‑examination, the defense lawyer questioned her about alleged sexual contact, to which she denied any initiation or consent, stating she had never touched him and that she was a virgin who was forced. The trial is ongoing before Mr Justice Alex Owens. The unnamed accused pleaded not guilty.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, a 36‑year‑old asylum seeker accused of rape, sexual assault and attempted rape of a woman in her Dublin home over the weekend of 1–3 December 2017 has pleaded not guilty. The woman, who arrived in Ireland in November 2017 to attend a conference and later sought asylum to escape an arranged marriage, testified that she met the defendant through a mosque that offered a Muslim community service arranging meetings for those interested in marriage. She denied that her asylum application was a "string to your bow" to secure residency, and insisted she had no knowledge of a Nikah ceremony in her culture. The defendant's counsel suggested her objective was to obtain residency, a claim the woman rejected. The court heard that after the alleged assaults the defendant drove her back to her accommodation, and that they continued to communicate via text and phone.
During a Central Criminal Court trial, a 36‑year‑old Dublin man, whose name is withheld, pleaded not guilty to ten counts of oral rape and seven counts of assault against his younger brother, who was 11 at the time of the alleged abuse. The accused is also charged with one count of intimidation. Witnesses testified that the accused repeatedly beat his brother, used a shotgun barrel in his mouth, and forced him to play "dartboard" with his body, leaving blackened feet. Another brother recounted seeing the accused in a bedroom with a blanket over him, laughing, and later pulling a pillow over the complainant's face. A sister described the accused using a stick with nails and glass to beat her brother, and a handgun to hit him in the eye. The accused denied all allegations, claiming the sexual abuse never occurred. The trial is set to continue before Mr Justice Michael White and a jury.
In a trial at the Central Criminal Court, a 36‑year‑old woman seeking asylum in Ireland testified that a man raped her in his Dublin flat between 1 and 3 December 2017. She said she had come to Ireland in November 2017 to attend a conference, then sought asylum and was introduced to the accused through a mosque. The man allegedly arranged a "ceremony" at a mosque, asked her how much money she wanted for a marriage, and gave her €20, claiming he would pay the rest. She denied any marriage and later travelled to the man's flat where he allegedly tried to kiss her, pushed her into a bedroom, and attempted to take her clothes off. She said he forced his penis into her vagina, used a pillow on her face, and told her to stay quiet. The man pleaded not guilty to three counts of rape, one count of sexual assault and one of attempted rape.
A 36‑year‑old Dublin man is on trial for ten counts of oral rape and seven counts of assault with a baton or other weapons, all alleged to have occurred at a family home between 2001 and 2006. The complainant, who was 11 to 15 during the incidents, says he was repeatedly beaten with baseball bats, a nail‑laden baton, and darts, and that the accused forced him to perform sexual acts, including oral rape, on two occasions. He also claims the accused placed a loaded shotgun barrel in his mouth and threatened him with robbery. The accused pleaded not guilty to all charges. The trial is proceeding before Justice Michael White and a jury of five women and seven men, with the prosecution presenting the allegations as occurring while the brothers lived together after their parents separated and their father left the home.
A 36‑year‑old woman who sought asylum in Ireland after her family tried to force her into marriage is on trial for rape. She was introduced to the accused through a mosque in Dublin. The accused, who pleaded not guilty, is charged with three counts of rape, one of sexual assault and one of attempted rape, all alleged to have occurred at his Dublin home between 1 and 3 December 2017. The woman gave evidence via video link, describing how she met the accused, how he pressured her about marriage, and how he allegedly forced sexual acts on her, including an attempted rape that she resisted. The trial is being heard at the Central Criminal Court, with the prosecution presenting evidence of the accused's contact with the mosque's Imam and the alleged sexual conduct. The case is scheduled to continue before Mr Justice Alexander Owens and a jury.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, a 46‑year‑old man was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment, with the final year suspended, for sexually abusing his 12‑year‑old stepdaughter. He pleaded guilty to 25 counts of sexual assault, eight counts of oral rape and one count of rape using an object between May 2017 and December 2018. The abuse began while he was still in a relationship with the girl's mother and continued after that relationship ended, with the girl visiting him on weekends. He groomed her into believing they were in a relationship, presenting himself as a father figure and boyfriend. A paramilitary organisation discovered he possessed naked images of the girl and shot him in the legs. The judge noted the high degree of manipulation and control, ordered three years of post‑release supervision, and highlighted the traumatic impact on the victim, who now reports PTSD and anxiety.
In a Dublin house‑party case, a 27‑year‑old man pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a woman who was intoxicated and asleep on 28 October 2018. He admitted to carrying her to bed after she fell asleep and to having sex with her while she was unconscious. After the assault he texted the victim's sister, acknowledging the act. The court heard that the man had a mild intellectual disability and limited insight into consent. He was sentenced to four and a half years' imprisonment, with the final year suspended on conditions that he must not contact the victim or her family. The victim's impact statement described her vulnerability, loss of self‑esteem, and ongoing counselling. The judge noted the man's remorse but also his difficulty grasping the gravity of his offence. The case was heard at the Central Criminal Court.
A 37‑year‑old Dublin man was convicted at the Central Criminal Court of 33 counts of rape and 15 counts of sexual assault against his younger sister between 1999 and 2005, when she was aged ten to sixteen. He was sentenced on 15 March 2016 to 11 years' imprisonment for rape and three and a half years for sexual assault, the sentences running concurrently. The man appealed to the Court of Appeal against both conviction and sentence. On 15 March 2021 Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy dismissed the conviction appeal, finding no grounds to overturn the verdict. The appeal centred on a prosecution question about "experimenting" that the defence argued breached evidence rules, but the judge held the question did not justify a jury discharge. The court noted the sister's testimony of abuse, including the use of a screwdriver, and her lasting psychological harm, but upheld the original conviction and sentence.
Ibrahim Gharib, 42, an Egyptian national, was convicted in November 2017 of rape, sexual assault and threatening to kill or seriously injure a 27‑year‑old visiting student on 7 and 8 July 2016. The assault began on a bus when Gharib groped the student, who resisted and later texted for help. He followed her home, forced entry, masturbated in front of her, threatened her, and raped her on a carpeted stairway. Witness testimony, the victim's injuries, her text messages, and semen evidence supported the conviction. Gharib's appeal argued the doctor's testimony about carpet debris was unreliable, but the Court of Appeal found the evidence overwhelming and dismissed the appeal. The case was heard at the Central Criminal Court, with the judge noting the victim's clear recollection and the presence of an eyewitness to the rape.
Conor Quaid, 26, received an eight‑year prison sentence with 18 months suspended for raping a young woman while she slept in her own bedroom. The Central Criminal Court heard that Quaid, a trusted family friend from Monaree, Dingle, had entered the victim's home after a night out drinking in a nearby town. He raped her while she was asleep, and she later reported the assault to Gardaí. Quaid denied sexual intercourse but claimed consent to "a certain level of sexual activity." The prosecution, led by Tom Rice SC, argued that Quaid had no express permission to enter the home and had abused the trust placed in him. The court noted that Quaid had not shown remorse and imposed the sentence, suspending 18 months on the condition of good behaviour for three years and permanent distance from the victim. The victim's impact statement described lasting psychological harm, including panic attacks, guilt, shame, and difficulty returning to studies. The unnamed man pleaded not guilty and was found guilty.
A 71‑year‑old man, who was the step‑father of a girl, was convicted in 2019 of 72 counts of indecent assault for sexually abusing her from age seven to twelve between 1973 and 1979. The abuse included oral penetration, genital rubbing, oral sex and forcing the girl to rub his penis while naked at a Dublin address. He appealed in September 2020, arguing that the trial judge's charge to the jury was unbalanced and that a 42‑year delay in prosecution and new evidence presented during the trial were unfair. The Court of Appeal found the judge's charge fair, that no defence objection was made to the new evidence, and dismissed all grounds of appeal. The judge noted the severe fear and anxiety inflicted on the victim, who fled Dublin at 16 and described the abuse as permanently scarred her life.
A man has pleaded guilty to rape and oral rape following a violent assault on a woman at her Dublin home in January 2018. Peter Loughran, aged 36, of Glasnevin Downs, Ballygall, Dublin, met the victim through the dating application Tinder before arriving at her apartment. During the attack, Loughran assaulted the woman, filmed her without consent, and subjected her to sustained sexual violence. The victim, who feared the incident would continue indefinitely, eventually escaped by feigning illness and summoning gardaí. Medical examination confirmed injuries to multiple areas of her body. Loughran initially denied the allegations to gardaí, claiming the contact was consensual. The Central Criminal Court has adjourned sentencing to April 30th, when victim impact evidence and mitigation will be heard. Loughran has four previous convictions including drugs possession, drink-driving, and public order offences.
Ciaran Moore, 63, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to knowingly possessing child pornography for five years. He admitted to viewing the material online, never printing or acting on it, and claimed he had been a child sexual abuse victim himself. The court noted his diagnosis of Motor Neurone Disease and his stable condition, as well as his charitable donations. Judge Melanie Greally imposed a two‑and‑a‑half‑year custodial sentence but fully suspended it, subject to strict conditions: no unsupervised access to children and continued monitoring of his electronic device use by his daughter. The judge highlighted the volume of images (536) and videos (35) found, depicting children aged one to fourteen, and acknowledged the mitigating factors of his health and abuse history. The case remains a suspended sentence with conditions rather than custodial imprisonment.
A 32‑year‑old transgender woman was convicted by a Circuit Criminal Court jury of ten counts of sexual assault under the Criminal Law (Rape) Act 1990 and one count of child cruelty. The offences took place between September 2011 and September 2013 when the child was five and six years old. A Circuit Court judge sentenced her to six years and six months in prison, suspending the final six months for one year. In a Court of Appeal hearing, the appellant argued that the judge had not given sufficient regard to the difficulties she would face as a transgender woman in prison and that a larger portion of the sentence should have been suspended to encourage rehabilitation. Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy dismissed the appeal, noting the seriousness of the repeated sexual assault, the abuse of a position of trust, and the severe impact on the child.
In 2021, a 77‑year‑old man was sentenced to 11 years in prison for sexually abusing three of his granddaughters in County Tipperary between 2010 and 2014. The victims, aged between four and eight, were abused at the grandfather's home, their own homes and on holiday. One girl, who was abused after school, described how the grandfather bribed her with sweets and forced her to do inappropriate acts. She feared that revealing the abuse would break up her family. The man pleaded guilty to 16 counts of oral rape and 19 counts of sexual assault involving a third granddaughter, and to 13 counts of sexual assault involving the eldest. He also admitted to showing pornographic videos to a four‑year‑old. The court noted the seriousness of the breach of trust, the ages of the victims, the frequency and duration of the abuse, and the man's remorse and medical issues.
In March 2021 the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal of a 34‑year‑old married man convicted of sexual assault. The appellant's lawyers argued that the conviction was "perverse" and that the complainant's evidence was inconsistent, but the three‑judge panel found no basis for overturning the verdict. The complainant, who had known the accused and his partner for years and had lived with them, was at a Dublin house party on 21 June 2015. She later slept in a spare room at the couple's home and claimed the accused lifted the duvet, lay beside her, and inserted his hand and finger under her skirt. He denied wrongdoing, saying he had mistakenly entered the wrong bed. A jury found him guilty in November 2018, and he was sentenced to two‑and‑a‑half years, with the final eighteen months suspended. The appeal on sentence severity remains pending.
The Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal by an 81-year-old man against his convictions for raping his wife's sister and indecently assaulting another. The appellant, who cannot be named to protect victims' identities, argued that the passage of time prevented him from mounting a proper defence. He was convicted in 2015 of eight counts of indecent assault against his partner's youngest sister, aged 10 to 13, between 1971 and 1974. In a separate trial, he was convicted of ten counts of indecent assault and three counts of rape against another of his wife's sisters, aged 11 at the start, from 1969 to 1974. In December 2015, he was sentenced to two years for indecent assault and 13 years for rape, with the final three years of the rape sentence suspended. The sentences run concurrently. Defence counsel Michael Bowman SC argued the trial judge should have directed a not guilty verdict due to the inability to counter the complainant's assertions after such a delay. He also contended that amendments to the complainant's interview memo unfairly prevented the appellant from highlighting inconsistencies. The Director of Public Prosecutions, represented by Kerida Naidoo, countered that the delay did not prejudice the appellant and that the memo amendment corrected a garda error without causing unfairness. Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy, sitting with Mr Justice Seamus Woulfe and President Mr Justice George Birmingham, dismissed the appeal in an ex tempore judgment. The appellant had denied all accusations, which were proven by unanimous jury verdicts at the Central and Circuit Criminal Courts.
A 60‑year‑old Scottish man living in Ireland is wanted for six sexual offence charges covering a period from 1975 to 2020. He was arrested in Ireland on 16 December and brought before the High Court where a European Arrest Warrant issued by Scottish authorities was endorsed. Mr Justice Paul Burns heard that the man's lawyers are awaiting a decision by Mr Justice Paul Coffey in another UK extradition case, which could influence this case, and therefore requested an adjournment. Mr Justice Paul Burns said he expects a judgement within two weeks and adjourned the matter until 22 March.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Judge Melanie Greally announced her intention to sentence former security guard Owen Shannon, aged 53, to imprisonment after he admitted downloading approximately 3,500 images and videos of child sexual abuse. The material, seized from two laptops, a computer and a hard drive, included children as young as five and some as young as three, with many classified as Category 1. Shannon, who had no prior convictions, pleaded guilty in December 2016 to possessing child pornography. The judge deferred sentencing until after Shannon's father, who is in his 80s, is vaccinated against Covid‑19, and will impose a partly suspended sentence with an 18‑month custodial period. Shannon has lived a solitary life, caring for his ill mother and father, and has expressed remorse for his actions. The case highlights the seriousness of child sexual exploitation offenses.