A 56-year-old mechanic from Castleblayney, Co. Monaghan, has been sentenced to four years imprisonment by the Special Criminal Court following his conviction for membership of an unlawful organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army. James Joseph Cassidy of Tullycollive was found guilty in March of the charge relating to September 21, 2016. He had denied the allegation. During the trial, gardaí gave evidence of discovering a booster tube in a shed on Cassidy's premises during a search. Detective Inspector William Hanrahan testified that the device was consistent with similar tubing found in relation to other IRA operations. Presiding judge Mr Justice Tony Hunt stated that Cassidy's membership had been persistent and active, and noted that no actual harm occurred due to timely intervention by gardaí. The defendant had no previous convictions. The sentence was backdated to February 14, 2019, when Cassidy entered custody.
In a non‑jury Special Criminal Court hearing, Joseph Kelly, aged 35, pleaded guilty to conspiring to murder Gary Hanley between 15 September and 6 November 2017, together with Alan Wilson, Liam Brannigan, Luke Wilson and others. He also admitted possession of a 9mm Beretta pistol with intent to endanger life on 6 November 2017 at Philipsburgh Avenue, Marino. The court, presided over by Justice Tony Hunt with Judges Patricia Ryan and Ann Ryan, read the indictment and Kelly answered "guilty" to both counts. A governor's report was ordered for Kelly. He was remanded in custody until 8 July, when sentencing will occur. Luke Wilson, aged 23, had earlier been sentenced to 11 years for unlawful possession of a Beretta and a six‑year concurrent term for the same conspiracy. Alan Wilson (39) and Liam Brannigan (37) face charges of conspiring to murder Hanley, with a trial set for 7 October.
Two Dublin men, Glen Thompson, 23, and Robert Browne, 35, pleaded guilty in the Special Criminal Court to unlawfully possessing four firearms with intent to endanger life. The weapons were found at Belmont Hall Apartments on March 10, 2018 and included a 9mm Rak sub‑machine gun, a .38 Special Rossi revolver, a 9mm Beretta 92 semi‑automatic pistol and a 9mm Makarov semi‑automatic pistol. The court remanded them in custody until July 15, when sentencing will occur.
A 26‑year‑old man was sentenced to six years' imprisonment for raping a 19‑year‑old woman in County Limerick in November 2015. He pleaded guilty to one count of rape, intimidation of a witness and an attempt to pervert the court. The victim had been invited to the defendant's house under the pretense of a party; when she arrived alone, he raped her. Two weeks later, the defendant sent a series of threatening Facebook messages from a fake profile to the victim's sister, urging her to drop the charges. The messages included threats such as "Tell your sis she dead" and "You'll be getting killed." The victim's impact statement described lasting fear, loss of trust and sleeplessness. The judge noted the defendant's low IQ and early guilty plea as mitigating factors, but considered the intimidation an aggravating factor. The sentence was imposed with conditions preventing contact with the victim or her family.
Damien Metcalfe (33) was sentenced to two years and six months imprisonment by the Special Criminal Court for membership of an unlawful organisation, the IRA. The non-jury court found him guilty earlier this month after he denied the charge on November 24, 2015. Mr Justice Tony Hunt stated that evidence, including audio and video from a Garda surveillance operation at Riverwood Park, Castleknock, indicated Metcalfe played a supporting and logistical role in IRA inquiries regarding leaks to gardai. The judge noted Metcalfe was willing and trusted by the IRA to assist in these inquiries, participating in one interview and transporting individuals to and from the site. Although the offence carries a maximum penalty of eight years, the judge determined a starting point of three years, reduced by six months for mitigating factors such as compliance with bail conditions and lack of adverse attention since the incident. The sentence was backdated to May 6, when Metcalfe entered custody. His younger brother, Conor Metcalfe (28), was separately found guilty of IRA membership by the three-judge court last December and jailed for four years and six months. Metcalfe had 15 previous convictions, including one for arson, but his defense counsel highlighted his lower level of involvement and employment history.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court case, 29‑year‑old Colm Delaney pleaded guilty to assaulting his 42‑year‑old sister, Sharon Delaney, at their shared home on 1 October 2018. The incident began after a dispute over Delaney cleaning the bathroom. Delaney stabbed Sharon in the back, then slapped her face, and later laughed that it was only a scratch. Sharon later discovered a single stab wound and a slash on her back, and she was covered in blood when she touched the wound. Delaney, who has no prior convictions, was remanded in custody. Judge Karen O'Connor, noting the unusual circumstances and the offence being out of character, imposed a two‑year sentence backdated to the offence date and suspended the balance of the term. He was ordered to undergo 12 months of probation supervision.
Wayne Duffy (46) and Darren Coughlan (46) were sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for possessing cocaine for sale or supply. Both men admitted to the offence, which involved transporting 49kg of cocaine with a street value of €3,435,000. Judge Patricia Ryan described the incident as a planned and premeditated operation. Duffy, of Clonee, Dublin 15, was sentenced to nine years' imprisonment, while Coughlan, of Dunboyne, Co Meath, received a six-year sentence. Both sentences were backdated to December 6, the date they first went into custody. A third man, Bernadus Jozef Scherrenberg (47), was sentenced earlier this year to seven years' imprisonment for the same offence after pleading guilty in the District Court. The court heard that the drugs were concealed in plastic tubs within a Peugeot with a hidden hydraulic compartment. During a search of Coughlan's home, €45,250 in cash was found in a shed. Judge Ryan noted Duffy's 11 previous convictions, including three for drug offences, while acknowledging his cooperation with gardaí. For Coughlan, the judge considered his lack of significant prior convictions and his role as the least involved participant in the enterprise. Both defendants had pleaded guilty early in the process.
A man who began raping his daughter when she was nine years old later claimed to gardai that the child had initiated the sex. The unnamed father, a Dublin resident originally from Nigeria, pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to nine counts of rape committed between October 2011 and April 2017. In a victim impact statement read in court, the 14‑year‑old victim said she was controlled and too scared to report the attacks, and that she did not understand sex was wrong until she was older. She described the rapes as occurring twice a week until she was 14, saying she was used to it and that it was part of her week. She said her father was controlling, the boss of the house, and threatened her when she tried to refuse or report. The father told gardai that his daughter had initiated the sexual activity by tickling him and that he did not enjoy it.
Patrick Hand, 38, with 100 prior convictions, was captured on CCTV attempting to rob a man at an Abbey Street LUAS stop on 15 July 2017. Hand approached the victim, asked for the price of a vodka bottle, and after the victim refused, followed him to the stop, demanding money and then trying to take his bag. He struck the victim in the chest and face. Hand, heavily intoxicated with cocaine and alcohol, was restrained by LUAS security until Gardaí arrived. During a Garda interview, Hand admitted the incident, acknowledged wrongdoing, and claimed he might have been hallucinating and had a blackout. He believed the bag was his. He pleaded guilty to attempted robbery. The court adjourned sentencing to 31 July to allow a probation report and a full plea in mitigation.
Michael Doherty, a 39‑year‑old former wine and school‑lunch delivery businessman, was sentenced in October for an armed robbery of a Maxol petrol station in Lucan. On 31 March 2017 he entered the station, threatened staff with a claw hammer, demanded the till be opened, struck it when it did not, and stole about €400. He fled in a black car that Gardaí linked to him, leading to his arrest. Doherty pleaded guilty to the robbery of Kim Heffernan. Prosecutor Diana Stuart noted his 24 prior convictions were mainly traffic offences, while defence counsel Sarah‑Jane O'Callaghan argued the robbery was out of character, citing the collapse of his marriage, drug abuse, and business failure as contributing factors. Judge Melanie Greally ordered a Probation Service report, adjourned sentencing to 16 October, and remanded Doherty on continuing bail until that date.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 22 May 2019, Eoin Comerford, aged 33, was found guilty of producing an article capable of inflicting serious harm after a series of incidents at two Dublin shops on 10 August 2018. The first incident occurred at the Gala shop on East Wall Road, where Comerford was caught tampering with sweets and, after being asked to stop, threatened the shopkeeper with a screwdriver and called her a "fucking prostitute." He spat at her and, when her husband tried to escort him out, he threatened to burn the shop down. In a second incident at a premises on Amiens Street, he threatened a security guard with the screwdriver, saying he would "stick this in your neck" if the guard tried to hold him again. The court noted that Comerford had 169 prior convictions, including burglary, robbery, drug dealing and assault, and that he had a history of heroin and crack cocaine addiction.
A man has been sentenced to nine years imprisonment at the Central Criminal Court for sexually abusing two teenage girls over an extended period. The 35-year-old defendant, who lived at various locations in County Mayo during the offences, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of defilement and assault. The abuse occurred between 2011 and 2013, when he was in his late twenties. He manipulated and controlled both victims, isolating them from family and friends, and introduced them to heroin. He also removed a contraceptive implant from one girl's arm using a Stanley knife. Justice Michael White described the case as particularly disturbing, noting the defendant was twice the victims' age. The judge imposed an eleven-year sentence with the final two years suspended, conditional on the defendant undergoing assessment for a sex offenders treatment programme. Both victims provided impact statements, describing the profound harm caused. The defendant was returned to Ireland on a European Arrest Warrant from the United Kingdom.
Two men, Martin Lumsden (35) and John Finn (32), were remanded in custody after pleading guilty to trespass and theft at Gaelscoil Cholmcille, a primary school, on 18 April 2018. They stole €880.78 from Trócaire charity boxes, which were found ripped open and almost empty. Lumsden also pleaded guilty to robbery and possession of a firearm at Mace, All Saints Park, on 7 May 2018, where he stole about €500 from two tills and was armed with a gun. Lumsden has 110 previous convictions, including hijacking, false imprisonment, robbery and burglary; Finn has 17 previous convictions, including burglary, theft, criminal damage and drug misuse. Judge Melanie Greally remanded Lumsden in custody with a condition to attend Coolmine Therapeutic Community until the completion of a treatment programme. She proposed a two‑year sentence for Finn with the final 12 months suspended, pending confirmation of his drug‑free status.
An African man aged 54 was sentenced to 13 years' imprisonment for raping and sexually abusing the intellectually disabled daughter of his former partner. The victim, aged 11 to 12 at the time of the offences, was raped and subjected to anal rape and sexual assault at the defendant's Dublin home between April 2015 and September 2016. The trial heard that the man had watched television with the child, pulled her trousers down, raped her and repeatedly told her "I love you". The mother of the child, who had been a reluctant witness, expressed a wish that the accused not go to prison and declined to submit a victim impact statement. The judge noted the defendant's lack of remorse, the vulnerability of the victim, the gross abuse of trust and the high risk of re‑offending. The unnamed 54-year-old was convicted.
Bernard Ward, 71, a former meditation teacher at the Transcendental Meditation Centre in Dublin, was jailed for three years for sexual assaults on a child during the 1970s. The victim, a ten‑year‑old who attended the centre on weekends, was abused in a shower room while Ward was teaching. Ward pleaded not guilty to three counts of indecent assault between 1 January 1974 and 31 December 1977, but was convicted by a majority verdict. He was acquitted of a separate indecent assault charge at another location in Dublin city centre. Judge Elma Sheahan imposed consecutive sentences totalling three and a half years, suspending the last six months, citing Ward's lack of remorse and the abuse of trust inherent in his teaching role. Ward has no prior convictions, is married with three adult children, and suffers from medical ailments. The victim's impact statement highlighted the lasting harm caused by the abuse. The case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Three men – Michael Maughan (23), Martin Maughan (30) and John Reilly (30) – pleaded guilty to discharging a shotgun at Edenmore Crescent, Raheny, on 12 June 2016. The offence stemmed from a dispute over a €30,000 insurance payout following a traffic accident involving Michael Maughan. Judge Melanie Greally sentenced Michael and Martin to four and a half years' imprisonment, suspending the final two years on strict conditions and requiring 12 months' supervision by the Probation Service. John Reilly received a three and a half year sentence, suspended in full, reflecting his lesser role and fewer serious prior convictions. The judge noted the men's remorse, positive changes since the offence, and the absence of further hostilities, but emphasised that a custodial sentence was unavoidable given their previous offending histories. The case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Mansoor Uddin, a 41‑year‑old taxi driver from Castleway, Adamstown, Lucan, pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault committed in January and February 2016. He was sentenced by Judge Sinéad Ní Chulacháin to three years' imprisonment for each count, with the last two sentences running concurrently but consecutive to the first. The final year of the two later sentences was suspended for two years under strict conditions, giving an effective custodial term of six years with one year suspended. Uddin was credited for time already spent in custody. The court heard that he sexually assaulted three young women, all under 21, during two weeks, using his position as a taxi driver to exploit their vulnerability.
Glen Kavanagh, 43, was sentenced to ten years imprisonment for the 2016 raid on Woodbine Park Post Office, Blackrock, where he fired eight shots from a semi‑automatic Makarov pistol. He held a customer's head to the gun, leapt over the counter, and was tackled by an ESB repairman who forced the gun out of his hand, injuring a colleague. Kavanagh pleaded guilty to robbery and unlawful possession of a firearm. The judge, citing his guilty plea, cooperation with investigators, drug‑related background, and rehabilitation efforts, imposed a ten‑year term back‑dated to January 2018. He was also found guilty of robbery, for which sentencing was adjourned to July 31 pending a probation report. The raid resulted in €455 stolen, the gun recovered, and Kavanagh's DNA found on a bag and a bloodstain outside the post office. The case highlighted his long‑standing drug problems and 46 prior convictions.
Eamon Roche, 28, of Ballymorrough, was sentenced to six years in prison for raping his ex‑girlfriend after a high‑speed chase with Gardaí. Roche texted the victim hours after the rape, saying, "Sorry for being a bollocks." He denied the rape charge in a rural Cork court on 21 March 2015. The victim, who was in Roche's car, described a chase where Roche drove at "crazy, ridiculous" speeds, refusing to stop for a patrol. She was forced to climb onto a lay‑by, where Roche climbed on top of her and raped her. The case had gone to trial three times; a jury found him guilty. The judge set a headline sentence of seven years, reduced to six because of mitigating letters, and imposed no suspended portion. Roche was ordered never to contact the complainant and to remain under probation supervision for two years upon release.
A Dublin man was sentenced to 11 years' imprisonment for repeatedly sexually abusing his four‑year‑old niece between 1982 and 1988. The abuse involved the man dressing as the child's mother or pretending to be a baby, and he would assault the child while naked, using a doll or a baby's back. He also used a poker and a fire‑tongs in later attacks, and once raped the child in a shed. The victim, aged 11 when the abuse ended, suffered an eating disorder and attempted suicide at 15. The court noted the offender's increasing moral culpability as he aged. Judge Karen O'Connor imposed an 11‑year sentence, suspending the final year for two years on conditions including probation, sex‑offender treatment and addiction counselling. The offender was required to keep the peace and engage with the Probation Service. The victim's impact statement highlighted the lasting psychological harm and her determination to survive. The unnamed man pleaded guilty.
A Dublin man, now 52, was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment after a jury convicted him of 56 charges of sexual assault against his cousin, a toddler aged two and a half to five, between January 1982 and August 1986. The assaults involved forcing his penis into the child's mouth while she was placed on a toilet seat, and the man was under 18 for most of the incidents. He denies the offences. The victim, who could not be named, gave a victim impact statement describing lifelong terror, a loss of the ability to love, and an attempt to kill herself at 15. She was shocked by the accused's denial at the trial. The judge, Patricia Ryan, considered the severity of the abuse, the age gap, the prolonged period of offending, and the victim's suffering, while noting the accused's prior good character, employment, voluntary work and family hardship, before imposing the ten‑year sentence.
Damien Metcalfe, 35, of Clondalkin, Dublin, was found guilty of membership of the IRA by the Special Criminal Court. The defendant had denied membership of the unlawful organisation on November 24, 2015. Presiding Judge Tony Hunt, sitting with Judges Martin Nolan and Ann Ryan, accepted the belief evidence of Chief Superintendent Anthony Howard, who stated he believed Metcalfe was an IRA member based on reviewed material. The court noted that while the belief evidence was not the strongest, it was supported by audio and video footage from a Garda surveillance operation at Riverwood Park, Castleknock, in August 2015. The recordings showed Metcalfe visiting the premises on four occasions and participating in an interrogation, which the judge described as demonstrating a close connection to IRA activities. The court also drew inferences from Metcalfe's failure to answer material questions after Section 2 of the Offences Against the State Act was invoked. The judge stated the corroboration was strong and unequivocal, eliminating doubts regarding the belief evidence. In a related matter mentioned during the proceedings, Conor Metcalfe, 28, was found guilty of IRA membership by the Special Criminal Court last December and jailed for four years and six months. Following today's verdict, Damien Metcalfe was remanded in custody until May 24, when he will be sentenced.
In a 2019 Dublin Circuit Criminal Court case, Paul Evans, 36, was sentenced to six years' imprisonment, with the final three years suspended, for an attempted robbery of taxi driver Frank Rowan on Marigold Avenue, Darndale, on 13 November 2016. Evans pointed a 6 mm BB gun at Rowan's head, demanding money and threatening to shoot. Rowan resisted, overpowered Evans, and seized the firearm, striking Evans on the head with the gun. A passer‑by called Gardaí, who later arrested Evans after he claimed the incident was a joke. Evans admitted to unlawful possession of a realistic imitation firearm and pleaded guilty. The judge noted Evans had no prior violent convictions, was heavily intoxicated, and described the offence as out of character, yet deemed the behaviour too serious for a suspended sentence, citing the broader issue of menacing behaviour faced by taxi drivers.
A 32‑year‑old Dublin man, Gary Watson, was sentenced to three years' imprisonment for assaulting Philip Woodcock and for producing a knife on 16 January 2010. Watson was acquitted of the murder of former soldier Warren O'Connor, who died from a stab wound that night. The Central Criminal Court heard that a noisy house party in Donaghmede led to a fight between two groups of men. Watson, who had a knife and was "prepared to use it", stabbed Woodcock in the shoulder after Woodcock had earlier punched him. The judge noted Watson had been subjected to "extreme provocation" and that Woodcock had acted "very badly". Watson's sentence of three years for each offence runs concurrently and was back‑dated to 18 December 2017. The court also directed compensation to Woodcock for the assault. The case was heard by Mr Justice Michael White. Gary Watson pleaded not guilty and was convicted.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 15 May 2019, 29‑year‑old Colm Delaney pleaded guilty to assaulting his 42‑year‑old sister, Sharon Delaney, at their shared home on 1 October 2018. The incident began after a dispute over Delaney's cleaning of the bathroom. Delaney struck Sharon, who turned away and felt a sharp pain in her back. He then slapped her face and laughed, later claiming it was only a scratch. Sharon later discovered a stab wound on her back when she touched it, and a neighbour described a slash‑like mark. Delaney admitted a love/hate relationship with his sister and described her as a "Jekyll and Hyde" type. He has been remanded in custody, has no prior convictions, and is in a long‑term relationship. The case was adjourned for sentencing on 24 May.
Peter Ward, aged 33, was given a two‑and‑a‑half‑year suspended sentence after pleading guilty to possession of cannabis and threatening to assault a Garda while being transported to prison. Gardaí discovered €60 of cannabis in his Dublin home and found a warrant for his arrest because he had failed to pay a €500 fine. Detective Garda Michael Parry Jones offered Ward the choice of paying the fine or serving 15 days in Midlands Prison; Ward chose prison. While en route, he verbally abused the detective, threatened to leave the country, and lunged at him with his head in an attempt to head‑butt. The officer restrained Ward, who then fled to Blanchardstown Garda Station where he paid the fine. Judge Martin Nolan, describing Ward as a "menace to society," suspended the sentence on strict conditions, noting Ward's remorse, his willingness to donate €500 to a charity, and his progress in overcoming a crack cocaine addiction.
Kathleen Kiely, 31, of London, pleaded guilty to handling stolen property at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after attempting to sell €90,000 of stolen gold jewellery to a cash‑for‑gold shop in Tallaght. Garda surveillance had been placed on the shop following tips that two men would call. Kiely entered the shop the day before the offence, asking the owner how much he would pay for 18‑carat gold, claiming her husband had some to sell. She was stopped by Gardaí who found a second bag containing badly damaged gold jewellery, originally valued at €90,000 but reduced to €37,000 due to damage. The jewellery was traced to a burglary in Lucan. Kiely had no prior convictions and was influenced by her former partner, Michael Maughan, 25, who also pleaded guilty to handling stolen jewellery. Maughan was sentenced to four years' imprisonment, with the final two years suspended, and a probation report was ordered.
Michael O'Sullivan, 34, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to cultivating 36 cannabis plants at his Artane home on 28 June 2017. Gardaí found the plants at various maturity stages, lights, extraction equipment and a total value of €28,800. O'Sullivan said he grew the plants to produce cannabis oil for his mother, who was suffering from cancer and unaware of the cultivation. His mother died in April 2017, two months before the discovery. He had no prior convictions and was the father of a young child. Judge Melanie Greally sentenced him to two years' imprisonment, suspending the entire term on the condition of good behaviour and keeping the peace for two years. The court noted the plants' value would normally warrant custodial time but accepted the mitigating factors of his plea, cooperation, lack of convictions, remorse, shame and family circumstances.
Patrick Nevin, 37, will be sentenced next month after a Probation report is completed. He attacked three women in eleven days after meeting them on Tinder. Nevin met the first victim at her home, drove to a secluded spot in north Dublin, and after kissing her, forced sex when she refused. He verbally abused her and threatened her. The second victim, raped in Bellewstown, Co Meath, described terror and fear of being killed. Nevin pleaded guilty in July 2018 to rape and sexual assault. He is already serving a five‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence for a 2014 sexual assault of another Tinder‑met woman, which he denies. The court noted his guilty pleas and apologies, and he remains in custody awaiting final sentencing by Ms Justice Eileen Creedon on 24 June. The case highlights the pattern of Tinder‑based attacks and the court's consideration of mitigation based on his pleas.
Mark Knight, 43, was sentenced to three and a half years in prison for defrauding six customers out of almost €60,000 by taking payments for minibuses he never delivered. He ran a business that sourced minibuses from the UK, imported them to Ireland, and advertised under Versatile Vehicles and Minibus World. Knight secured deposits or full payments between September 2009 and July 2011 but used excuses such as destroyed log books, snow‑delayed transport, or required repairs to avoid delivery. He pleaded guilty after a Garda investigation, fled to England, and was returned to Ireland on a European Arrest Warrant. The court accepted victim impact reports, ordered compensation of €58,505 from his employer and an additional €9,885 within 12 months, and suspended the final 12 months of his sentence on strict conditions, including leaving Ireland within seven days of release and not returning for ten years.
In 1979, Dan Flynn, then 36, raped a six‑year‑old girl in his home in County Tipperary. The victim, now a married mother, described the assault as brutal, noting Flynn's forceful entry of his penis into her mouth and vagina, spitting into her face, and stepping over her as she lay on the ground. She recalled being terrified and feeling that Flynn treated her as nothing. Flynn pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court. Judge Michael White set a headline sentence of nine years, then imposed six years with four years suspended, citing Flynn's lack of prior convictions, his guilty plea, and his serious health problems, including Parkinson's disease. The sentence was adjourned until 19 June to allow prison authorities to assess a suitable facility for Flynn. The court praised the victim's courage for coming forward. The judge noted the cruelty of the offence and the difficulty of imagining the brutality involved.
Noel Ryan, 42, of Charleville Mall, Dublin, pleaded guilty to handling a stolen Toyota Land Cruiser and deception on 27 June 2016 and to unauthorized taking of a Ford Fiesta on 24 March 2017. He sold the stolen Land Cruiser on DoneDeal, arranging a meeting at Woodie's car park in Lucan where the buyer paid €11,600 after noticing marks on the car. The victim later learned the log book was false and that the vehicle had been stolen from Drogheda. Ryan also advertised the Fiesta on DoneDeal, met the buyer at Northside Shopping Centre, and stole the car after a test drive, taking the driver's licence and superimposing his own photo on it. He had 16 prior convictions, including aggravated burglary and robbery, and was on bail at the time of the offences. The case is pending sentencing at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, with a probation report to be prepared before the hearing on 21 June.
In March 2019, Joseph McGrane, a 59‑year‑old Dublin fruit and veg wholesaler, was convicted by a jury of 11 counts of indecent assault and seven counts of sexual assault against three boys and a young woman, committed between 1985 and 1993. The court, hearing that McGrane abused his employer position and used alcohol to facilitate the offences, sentenced him to 13 years in prison, with the final year suspended. Judge Elma Sheahan set headline sentences of eight and six years for the first two victims and four years each for the other complainants, citing the seriousness and intensity of the abuse. McGrane had no prior convictions, had worked as a productive member of society, and was now on the Sex Offenders' Register. The sentence was back‑dated to 22 March, the day he entered custody.
Michelle McCullough, 40, of Regina Coeli Hostel, was found guilty of assaulting a prison officer at Dóchas Centre on 25 July 2015. On that day she had received medication, then refused to return to her cell, claiming she had "heard her dead child in the walls." While walking through the prison yard, she became agitated; officers attempted to restrain her, and she pulled the hair of a female officer and kicked her in the stomach. The officer suffered breathing difficulties and was out of work for about eight weeks, later recovering fully. McCullough has 177 prior convictions, mainly for theft, and five for assault. She had spent 18 months in a psychiatric unit after her child's death and had a history of drug addiction, though she was reportedly heroin‑free. The court, noting the aggravated nature of the assault on a staff member and the victim's impact, sentenced her to four and a half months' imprisonment.
Gheorghe Goidan, 46, was convicted of raping two Czech women who were working as prostitutes in Ireland. He had contacted them through the website "escortsireland.ie" and met each separately in hotel rooms. In each encounter he pulled a knife, threatened the women, and then sexually assaulted and raped them. Goidan had previously pleaded not guilty to rape and sexual assault at a hotel in Portlaoise on 7 September 2017, and had denied rape, oral rape and anal rape of a second woman at the Maldron Hotel in Galway on the same day. A jury at the Central Criminal Court found him guilty on all counts, including robbery. The trial revealed that the women had not known one another and had booked themselves into the hotel rooms via the website. Goidan's actions were traced through CCTV footage and the vehicle he used was linked to him.
Angela Walsh, 44, a home carer who had worked for Thomas Armstrong for years, stole about €9,000 from him between October 2016 and March 2017. She admitted the theft, explaining she needed the money to pay a drug debt owed by one of her daughters. Walsh pleaded guilty to three counts of stealing cash from Armstrong's Bank of Ireland account in Coolock Village. She had taken his bank card and the PIN written on a paper beside it. None of the cash was reimbursed by the bank. After the offence was discovered, Walsh lost her job with the home care service and now works as a cleaner for Air B&B lettings. At Dublin Circuit Criminal Court Judge Martin Nolan imposed a two‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence, suspended in full, and ordered Walsh to repay the remaining €4,000 within six months, noting she had already brought €5,000 to court for restitution.
Paul Maguire, aged 32, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to two counts of assault causing harm after an unprovoked attack on two tourists at the Generator Hostel on Smithfield Square on 1 June 2016. The victims, an English tourist and a Finnish woman, were struck with a pool cue, leaving deep scars on the English man's chin and the Finnish woman's forehead. Both were taken to Mater Hospital; the English man required stitches and suffered pain for days. Judge Melanie Greally condemned the assault as an "outrageous outburst of impatience and anger" and noted that neither victim accepted the €5,000 offered by Maguire as a gesture of remorse. She ordered the money to be paid to Temple Street Children's Hospital. After considering a probation report that highlighted Maguire's employment prospects and a pro‑social partner, the judge imposed a three‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence, suspending the final year on strict conditions.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Thomas McMahon, 35, pleaded guilty to exposure on a Dublin bus in Crumlin on 28 June 2017. He claimed he had been urinating when the bus jerked forward, pushing him toward a female passenger. Judge Melanie Greally noted the offence appeared not to be for sexual gratification but occurred while McMahon was inebriated and in need of "relieving himself." She considered his long‑standing drug and alcohol addictions, mental health history, and his remorse. The judge imposed a one‑year sentence, suspended for 12 months on strict conditions. McMahon was identified by CCTV, arrested, and cooperated with the investigation. He has ten previous convictions for District Court offences such as public order and assault. The victim described the incident as "the scariest thing that had happened me on a bus" and took two days off work, with no lasting impact reported.
Keith O'Reilly, aged 28, was convicted in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for possession of four handguns, a submachine gun and ammunition, endangerment, and four counts of dangerous driving. The trial followed a high‑speed Garda pursuit that ended when his car hit a curb and spun near a bus stop. O'Reilly escaped, retrieved a bag containing the weapons and ammunition, and was later arrested. The firearms were found to be in working order, with the machine gun loaded and ready, and three handguns, including a Glock, also loaded. Judge Karen O'Connor sentenced him to eight and a half years for possession, suspending the final 12 months on strict conditions, and to four years for endangerment and three months for each dangerous driving count, all concurrent. The sentence reflected the multiple loaded firearms, the significant ammunition, and the risk posed to the public during the incident.
Michelle Ruth, 40, was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment for assaulting a shop worker at Londis, O'Connell Street, Dublin on 8 November 2015. She pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The offence involved Ruth throwing boiling water and a jar of powdered chocolate at the female staff member, causing her severe facial injury and shock. Ruth has 158 prior convictions, mainly shoplifting and public order offences, and several for assault, robbery, criminal damage and knife possession. Judge Melanie Greally imposed a three‑year sentence but suspended the final 18 months, conditional on Ruth keeping the peace, behaving well and following Probation Service directions for 18 months after release. The judge described the act as an "extremely serious offence of wanton violence" and noted Ruth's remorse and engagement with drug services. The victim's impact statement was not read in court. The case was prosecuted by Elva Duffy BL and defended by Luigi Rea BL.
Patrick Dignam, 45, threatened a staff member with a rusty knife and stole €170 from a Centra shop on Harold's Cross Road on 15 April 2018. Gardaí tracked him from the robbery scene to his home using CCTV footage from the shop and surrounding street cameras, locating his distinctive tracksuit bottoms at his residence. He pleaded guilty to robbery at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Judge Melanie Greally sentenced him to four and a half years' imprisonment, suspending the entire term for four and a half years on the condition that he keep the peace, behave well and engage with the Probation Service for 18 months. Dignam has 47 prior convictions, mainly for public order and road traffic offences, and was previously jailed for robbery in 1992. No cash was recovered and the staff member suffered no injuries. The judge noted the offence was "isolated" and "out of character" for Dignam.
Stephen Weafer, 32, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to three years and three months in prison for assaulting two women on December 27, 2016. Judge Karen O'Connor suspended the final 15 months of the sentence on strict conditions, requiring Weafer to engage with the Probation Service for that duration. Weafer pleaded guilty to assaulting both victims, causing them harm. The incident occurred outside the Greyhound Pub in Blanchardstown, where Weafer allegedly head-butted Rebecca Burke and kicked her sister, Rachel Burke, during a melee. Rachel Burke suffered a broken nose with permanent cosmetic damage, while Rebecca Burke broke a finger. Although Weafer admitted to the head-butt, he initially denied kicking Rachel Burke, claiming he was defending himself. The court accepted that the women were unprovoked victims. Weafer, who has 49 previous convictions for road traffic offences, provided €3,500 as a token of remorse. Judge O'Connor noted that Weafer's behaviour was out of character and acknowledged he was also a victim of an unprovoked attack during the fracas. The judge accepted that alcohol was a factor, noting Weafer was on epilepsy medication and should not have been drinking. The matter was finalised with this sentence.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Susan Redmond, aged 50, was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment for stealing up to €395,000 from Larkhill and District Credit Union over a decade. Redmond, who had worked at the credit union for 20 years, began forging loan applications in 2003, signing them and issuing cheques that she cashed. She pleaded guilty to ten sample theft charges covering July 2003 to April 2013, representing 102 thefts. Judge Melanie Greally imposed a three‑year sentence on each count but suspended the final 18 months of each, ordering all sentences to run concurrently. The court noted that the 40 affected account holders were friends and family, all reimbursed by the credit union, and that Redmond had no significant purchases recorded. The judge highlighted mitigating factors including her guilty pleas, cooperation, mental health history, and a €20,000 contribution toward the loss. The case was also subject to civil proceedings by Liberty Insurance.
Mansoor Uddin, a 41‑year‑old taxi driver from Castleway, Adamstown, Lucan, pleaded guilty in February 2019 to sexual assault on three young women who had ridden in his taxi between January and February 2016. The court heard that a psychological report required for his bail conditions had not been completed, leading to a second adjournment. Uddin's licence was revoked after his guilty plea, and he was not permitted to work as a taxi driver since November of the previous year. His bail conditions included a curfew and a rule that any single passenger must sit in the back of the vehicle. The judge remanded him on continuing bail until 20 May to allow for the psychological assessment. The case remains at the hearing stage, with no sentencing or further legal outcome reported in the article.
Leon O Brien, 22, was sentenced to three years and nine months for dangerous driving, endangerment and possession of 240 g of cannabis, with the final nine months suspended on strict conditions. He drove a black Skoda Octavia, pulled a handbrake turn near a Garda checkpoint, and crashed into a Fingal County Council van on Hearse Road. Garda Neil Cotter reported that O Brien fled the vehicle, was found under his father's mobile home in a caravan park with a hand injury from broken glass, and possessed over €1,400 of cannabis. O Brien claimed he was speeding because his girlfriend was in labour, a claim accepted by the court. The van driver, Philip Daly, suffered severe back pain and a spinal collar was applied. Judge Melanie Greally noted O Brien's remorse, limited violence history and the impact on Daly's life, and imposed supervision by the Probation Service for 12 months. The unnamed man pleaded guilty.
John Roe, 38, of Ballyfermot, Dublin, was sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to possession for sale or supply of cocaine, cannabis and MDMA tablets at his home on 16 November 2016. Gardaí seized drugs with an estimated street value of €42,645, along with weighing scales, plastic bagging and two mobile phones. Roe admitted he had been holding the drugs for criminals to whom he owed a €2,500 debt, and that he had forgotten about cannabis stored in a garden shed for nearly a year. He claimed the arrest was the worst and best thing that had happened to him, and that the chance of reoffending was very slim. Judge Martin Nolan, considering Roe's employment history and lack of prior convictions, suspended the last two and a half years of a four‑year sentence, leaving an 18‑month custodial term. The case was heard in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Joseph Dillon, 32, of Ballymun, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm at his home on 9 February 2018 after his girlfriend was "poked" on Facebook by another man. Dillon told her to delete the man and threatened her, then struck her, knocking her to the ground, kicking her in the face and ribs, punching her repeatedly, spitting at her and calling her a tramp. He had previously hit her once, prompting her to leave for a day before returning. In court she described fractured ribs, soft‑tissue damage to her right eye and bruises all over her body, saying the assault lasted hours and she feared for her life. Dillon had no prior convictions, had sole custody of his son, and the child's mother had died in 2009. Judge Elma Sheahan sentenced him to two and a half years, suspended the final six months, and back‑dated the sentence to 27 November, the date he first entered custody.
A 43-year-old man has been jailed for three years for the repeated rape of his sister in the early 1990s. The man, who cannot be named to protect his sister's anonymity, was around 16 at the time of the offences and was in charge of babysitting his younger sister, then aged 10 or 11. At a trial at the Central Criminal Court in March, the man denied four charges of anal rape, one of oral rape, and one of sexual assault at the family home on dates between May 1991 and June 1993. He was convicted on all charges by unanimous verdict of the jury. Michael O'Higgins SC, defending, stated that the man accepted the jury's verdict but made no admissions to the crimes. The court heard that the victim secretly recorded a family meeting at which she confronted her brother about raping her when they were children. Excerpts of her phone recording were played to the jury during the trial, in which he expressed apologies to his sister but did not make specific admissions. Ms Justice Tara Burns noted that the accused man had 'accepted wrongdoing of some sexual nature' but did not follow through with an admission of guilt. She set a headline sentence of nine years for the anal rapes and eight years for the oral rape. Taking into account the fact that the accused was aged 16 at the time of the offences, she reduced the headline sentences to five years for the anal rapes, four years for the oral rape, and two years for the sexual assault charge. Ms Justice Burns then suspended the final two years of each sentence, outlining further mitigating factors including the man's strong work history, his significant involvement with the GAA, and his 'impressive' character references. The judge remarked that it was 'heart-breaking' to watch the mother of both the accused and the complainant 'literally crumble' as she gave her evidence. The victim described how she had tried to resolve the issue within the family for nearly three years before going to gardaí. She said all she had wanted was an acknowledgment from her brother of his wrongdoing, but that he had chosen to put his family on the witness stand in court. The woman thanked her husband, family, gardaí, the prosecution team, and judge and jury for believing in her and helping her find the strength to get through the trial. She paid special tribute to the Victim Support at Court team for providing a 'haven' where 'nobody judges you.'
Damien Reilly, 36, of Camden Street, Dublin, pleaded guilty to two robberies in Stoneybatter on 24 February and 7 April 2017. In the April incident, he threatened a nurse with a syringe needle, grabbed her PIN, and forced her into a headlock before fleeing. He also assaulted another woman after a yoga class, stealing €575 and injuring her. Reilly's victims reported significant emotional distress and loss of personal items. The court noted Reilly's 17 prior convictions, including robbery, burglary, firearm possession, and syringe threats, and his history of drug abuse. Judge Pauline Codd sentenced him to five years' imprisonment, suspending the final two years, and imposed a two‑year supervised release with probation, drug treatment, and employment directives. The sentence was back‑dated to 7 May 2018.
Dylan Mooney, 23, from Blanchardstown, was sentenced to a 12‑month probation bond after pleading guilty to possession of a semi‑automatic pistol, cannabis resin and herb, and two charges of handling stolen property. Mooney admitted that he had become addicted to gambling while hospitalized for cystic fibrosis, accruing a €15,000 debt. To settle the debt he offered the gun, ammunition, €20,600 worth of cannabis and two motorbikes. Judge Melanie Greally, after considering his medical condition and the risk of infection in prison, imposed the probation bond and required him to engage with the Probation Service and gambling‑addiction services. The case was adjourned to May 7, 2020, with Mooney remanded on continuing bail. The police recovered the gun, ammunition, a shotgun cartridge, 619 g of cannabis herb and 1.3 kg of cannabis resin from a safe in his grandfather's attic, and the two motorbikes, each valued at about €1,750.