A Dublin man, Keith Connorton, aged 40, was found guilty of murder after stabbing his love rival, Graham McKeever, 32, to death. The incident occurred on 18 February 2017 at Connorton's home on Deerpark Avenue, Tallaght. Connorton lived with his long‑term partner, Claire McGrath, who had invited McKeever to stay the night. When Connorton returned at 4 a.m., he discovered McKeever and McGrath together and a fight ensued. McKeever suffered four stab wounds, one penetrating his heart, which caused his death. Connorton claimed he acted in self‑defence after McKeever punched him, breaking his eye socket, and then attacked him with a knife. The jury deliberated for 2 hours and 51 minutes, returning a guilty verdict by a 10‑to‑2 majority. Connorton will be sentenced to life imprisonment at a later hearing. The article reports no further details about the sentencing or the victim's family statement.
A 17‑year‑old, who cannot be named under the Children Act, was sentenced to two years' detention for firing a stolen Winchester Super Grade 12‑gauge double‑barrel shotgun into bushes along the Grand Canal in Dublin. The youth, who had pleaded guilty to possessing the stolen firearm and 39 cartridges on 31 August, admitted he fired the gun because he was "bored and 17 years of age." Gardaí had observed him raising the gun in front of CCTV cameras, pursued him, and seized the weapon and ammunition. The gun had been stolen from its owner's unlocked car a month earlier. The defendant has 40 prior convictions, including assault, robbery, drug misuse, theft and criminal damage. The judge, noting his young age, immaturity and difficult upbringing, set a headline sentence of six years but, under the Children Act, imposed a two‑year detention followed by two years of probation with conditions on addiction, training and employment.
A 62-year-old British man has been sentenced to four years imprisonment at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, with the final 12 months suspended, for possession of nearly 150,000 prescription sleeping tablets valued at approximately €298,000. Michael Hall, from Bedfordshire in England, pleaded guilty to possessing Zopiclone tablets for supply on August 16, 2014, at the Regency Hotel in Drumcondra. He was arrested following a garda surveillance operation in Dublin four years prior. The court heard that Hall and two co-accused were observed transferring boxes of tablets between vehicles in a carpark before leaving in convoy. Judge Melanie Greally imposed a headline sentence of six years but reduced it due to mitigating factors, including Hall's significant health issues. She also imposed a ten-year ban on his return to the Republic of Ireland following release. The judge noted that whilst Zopiclone was not a controlled substance at the time of the offence, it has since become controlled due to its appeal among people with drug addiction.
An English national, Simon Cummins, aged 49, was convicted in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for stabbing Thomas McCarthy in the neck with a Leatherman multi‑tool on 22 April 2018. Cummins claimed he had been robbed and was experiencing a psychotic episode while under the influence of alcohol and drugs. He pleaded guilty, citing a previous public‑order conviction in Ireland (2007) and 64 convictions in the UK, ten of which were assault‑related. The court noted that McCarthy was taken to hospital, sutured, and made no victim impact statement. Judge Martin Nolan, after considering Cummins' early guilty plea, remorse, and the need for treatment, imposed a three‑year sentence suspended in full. The sentence is conditional on Cummins leaving Ireland immediately and not returning for five years. Cummins' family, present in court, expressed a desire to take him back to England for community‑based care.
Brendan Heaney, a 51‑year‑old father of two from Kimmage, Dublin, was arrested after gardaí discovered a large quantity of drugs in his home, including 395 g of heroin and numerous pharmaceutical tablets. He claimed that the drugs were stored to protect his daughter, a recovering crack cocaine addict who had accrued €26,000 in debts to a Finglas‑based drug gang. According to Heaney, the gang threatened to kill his daughter and had previously threatened to slash her face. He said he had no intention of profiting from the drugs and that he had only stored them to prevent harm to his daughter. He pleaded guilty to possession of drugs for sale or supply at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 4 April 2017. Judge Martin Nolan accepted that Heaney's circumstances had forced him into the offence, noted his prior five‑year UK sentence, and imposed a 16‑month prison term.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 21 December 2018, a 29‑year‑old Latvian national, Olgerts Romanovs, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm outside a synagogue on Rathfarnham Road, Terenure, Dublin, on 1 September 2018. Romanovs, who had no fixed abode and was living in a tent in St Stephen's Green, had cycled down the footpath and spat at a security guard. After the guard challenged him verbally, Romanovs threw his bike, approached the guard aggressively, spat in his face, threatened to kill him with a spanner, and then pulled a silver kitchen fork from his bag and hurled it at the guard. The fork lodged in the side of the guard's head, causing a deep wound that required stitches. Garda Brian Greally later arrested Romanovs after witnesses were interviewed. The judge, Cormac Quinn, sentenced Romanovs to fourteen months' imprisonment, backdating the term to the day he first entered custody in September 2018.
A 24‑year‑old man charged with the murder of David Douglas in Dublin in 2016 was refused bail by the Central Criminal Court. Douglas, 55, was shot six times while taking a meal break in his partner's shop on Bridgefoot Street on 1 July 2016. The court described Freddie Thompson, 37, as the main organiser and noted he was already serving a life sentence. Nathan Foley, 20, admitted a lesser offence of facilitating the crime between 1 and 4 July 2016 and will be sentenced next month. Gareth Brophy, of no fixed abode, was charged with the murder, served a book of evidence on Thursday and was sent forward for trial to the Special Criminal Court. He applied for bail, but the State objected under the O'Callaghan rules, citing the gravity of the charge and the likelihood of a lengthy sentence. The court, citing the seriousness of the offence and the possibility of absconding, refused bail. Freddie Thompson was convicted.
Greg Walsh, 70, of Castleknock, pleaded guilty to 119 thefts totalling €998,476 from Carline Learning Centre and other parties between 2008 and 2016, and to four thefts totalling €150,000 from Bank of Ireland in 2015. He misappropriated charity funds to pay tax bills and used money from friends and relatives as a tax agent, failing to forward revenue payments. The court heard victims suffered losses of €10,000 and €14,138, and civil proceedings were initiated by two brothers over a €150,000 debt. Judge Pauline Codd sentenced him to four years' imprisonment, suspending the final two and a half years on the condition of good behaviour for two and a half years after release. The sentence reflected the multiplicity of offences, breach of trust, duration of conduct, and the amount stolen, while noting his guilty pleas, cooperation, and health issues as mitigating factors.
Paul Beatty, 31, pleaded guilty in the Special Criminal Court to unlawful possession of a .38 special calibre Smith & Wesson revolver found at Charlemont Parade, Dublin 3 on 2 June 2018. The offence contravenes Section 27A(1) of the Firearms Act 1964. Prosecutor Gareth Baker informed the court that Beatty could be arraigned on the first count, while defence counsel Bernard Condon noted Beatty's eagerness to enter an early plea. Judge Tony Hunt, with Judges Patricia Ryan and Ann Ryan, remanded Beatty in custody until 28 January when the case will be mentioned.
In a case heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, a vulnerable homeless man, Darren Larkin, 32, pleaded guilty to assaulting a motorist, Ms. January Russell, on the N11 Stillorgan on 8 March 2018. Larkin threw a large rock through her passenger window, shattering the glass and striking her arm, causing bruising and forcing her to pull over. He also pleaded guilty to assaulting Mark O'Donoghue on Old Dublin Road and Dan O'Donovan at a McDonald's outlet on the same day, and to damaging a glass window at the McDonald's. Larkin, who had been sleeping in a church car park and had been allowed to use the McDonald's washroom for months, also threw a full can of beer and a tray at O'Donovan, then attempted to pick up a till before being locked out. He later threw a brick through a parked car's window and punched O'Donoghue.
Daniel Wildes, aged 32, was found guilty of assault causing harm after attacking Natasha Cummins on 1 April 2018. He threatened to shave her head, kicked down a bathroom door, and choked her while she was locked in the bathroom. A jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict for assault causing harm and not guilty verdicts for threats to kill and false imprisonment. Judge Patricia Ryan sentenced Wildes to four years' imprisonment, suspending the final year on the condition that he keep the peace and be of good behaviour for three years post‑release. The suspended year was also conditioned on Wildes staying away from Ms Cummins, her property and place of employment for 30 years, and on him not contacting her or having anyone contact her on his behalf. The sentence was back‑dated to 12 April 2018, when Wildes entered custody.
Darren Mullarney, 41, of Fortlawn Park, Blanchardstown, was sentenced by Judge Melanie Greally at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to five years' imprisonment for unlawful possession of a sawn‑off shotgun. The gun, loaded with two cartridges, was found in his bedroom wardrobe during a Garda search on 25 May 2018. Mullarney pleaded guilty and claimed he kept the weapon because of a "real threat to his life" from a serious member of the criminal fraternity, citing a prior shooting on 8 May in which he was wounded. The judge accepted the prosecution's statement of threat, set a headline sentence of seven years, but suspended the final 18 months, citing mitigating factors such as Mullarney's cooperation, early plea and insight into the seriousness of his offence. The sentence was back‑dated to 25 May 2018, when he entered custody.
A 35‑year‑old man was sentenced to nine years in prison, with the final two years suspended, for raping his 14‑year‑old step‑daughter while he was babysitting her and her younger brother. He had given the girl alcohol and later admitted buying it. The court heard that the girl woke to find the man on top of her, that she resisted by scratching his face, and that he forced her to perform oral sex before raping her. He pleaded guilty to rape and oral rape. The judge noted the pre‑calculation and the man's "disgraceful behaviour" in procuring drink, and described the suffocating nature of the assault. The suspended portion of the sentence was conditioned on the man attending the Better Lives Programme, remaining alcohol‑free, and not living in a house with a child under 18 or having unsupervised contact with any child without prior approval.
Alan McDonagh, 33, was caught driving a stolen Europcar that had a tracking device. He pleaded guilty to burglary and unauthorised taking of a car on Camden Street Upper on 8 September 2017 and to robbing a young woman of her purse at Stephen's Green East on 3 November 2017. The court noted he became addicted to heroin at 16, has spent over half his life in custody, and has 173 previous convictions, 13 for Circuit Court offences. He is on bail for other offences. The court adjourned sentencing to 7 February to allow him to finish methadone treatment. He has requested to serve his sentence at Midlands prison to stay near family and avoid influences at Mountjoy. He has written apology letters to both victims. The sentencing will occur on 7 February.
Alan Ellis, 26, of Rathmines, pleaded guilty in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to threatening to kill or seriously harm a prison officer and to producing a blade during a dispute at Mountjoy Prison on 28 June 2016. He attempted to slice the officer's wrist with a blade moulded into a toothbrush handle while the officer was handing him toilet paper. Ellis claimed he had decided to "get" the officer because he was disrespectful and intended to slice his wrist, but later expressed guilt. He has 35 prior convictions, including assault on a peace officer, false imprisonment, burglary, theft, trespass and possession of knives. Judge Patricia Ryan sentenced him to four years' imprisonment, suspending the final year on the condition that he keep the peace and be of good behaviour for three years after release. The sentence was back‑dated to 21 July 2017, the date he entered custody for this matter.
A 21‑year‑old Dublin man was sentenced to two and a half years' imprisonment for having sex with a 14‑year‑old neighbour. The offence occurred between 1 and 24 July 2014. The man pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. He has 47 prior convictions for assault, drug offences, false imprisonment, criminal damage and road traffic matters. Judge Martina Baxter sentenced him to two and a half years, suspending the final six months on strict conditions. He must engage with the Probation Service for two years after release, keep the service informed of his address, and participate in any sex‑offender treatment programmes and addiction counselling recommended. The victim, aged 14, reported the incident to her school chaplain, who notified her family and Gardaí. She suffered depression, attempted suicide, and had to give up school, but her condition has improved with treatment.
In a 2016 incident at Concord Pub, three men—Joseph Crabbe (33), Dean McDonnell (29), and Thomas Smith (36)—were charged with violent disorder after a bar fight that involved throwing stools, snooker balls, and glasses. All pleaded guilty. Judge Patricia Ryan sentenced each to two and a half years' imprisonment, suspending the full terms on the condition that they keep the peace and behave well for two years. Crabbe had 26 prior convictions, McDonnell nine, and Smith five. Garda Kevin Farrell presented CCTV footage showing each man's involvement: Crabbe lifting a table and throwing objects, McDonnell throwing a pint glass and a stool before using a pool cue, and Smith striking someone with a stool and tossing a snooker ball. The judge praised the bar manager for preventing the situation from worsening. No further police action has been taken against the men since the incident.
Eoin Berkley, 25, of Finglas, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for abducting and raping an 18‑year‑old Spanish student at the Irish Glass Bottle Company site on Pigeon House Road between 15 and 16 July 2017. The judge described the offences as "most horrific" and particularly degrading, noting the victim's profound shame. In addition to the custodial term, the judge imposed a three‑year post‑release supervision order, requiring Berkley to undergo assessment for the Safer Lives programme, comply with mental health providers, attend all Probation Service appointments, complete a victim awareness programme, and notify authorities of any address change. Berkley requested transfer to the Central Mental Hospital; the judge explained that such places are scarce and that non‑compliance could lead to a 12‑month sentence in the District Court.
Brian Rattigan, a 38‑year‑old Dubliner who has spent most of his adult life in prison, pleaded guilty to manslaughter for the 2001 stabbing death of his former friend Declan Gavin, a 21‑year‑old. Gavin was killed outside an Abrakebabra on Crumlin Road when Rattigan stabbed him twice, one wound to the heart. Rattigan had been tried twice in 2009, the first jury being hung and the second convicting him; that conviction was later quashed by the Supreme Court in 2017. In October 2019, at arraignment, the Director of Public Prosecutions accepted a plea to manslaughter, citing the case's exceptional features and the complex litigation history. Rattigan had previously served sentences for assault, firearms, violent disorder and drug offences, the longest being 17 years for drug dealing while in jail. He had written a letter of apology to Gavin's widowed mother, which she declined to read.
A 44‑year‑old former Croatian café worker, Mario Hanzic Broz, was found homeless after his work hours were cut, leading to a court hearing in Dublin. Broz attempted to rob two post offices in May 2018, carrying a 6mm air pistol. In the first incident at Botanic Road Post Office, he entered the building, shouted for money, but left without taking any cash. The elderly postmaster, aware of firearms from past robberies, could not see him on CCTV and later discovered he was gone. Two days later, at Berkeley Road Post Office, Broz approached a cashier, produced the pistol from a plastic bag, demanded money, then turned around and fled. Gardaí arrived after the panic button was pressed, and Broz was arrested at Blessington Street Basin. He pleaded guilty to attempted robbery and possession of an air pistol at both locations, with no prior convictions in Ireland.
The High Court has ruled that €17,000 in cash seized from the apartment of Jeremy Skerritt constitutes proceeds of crime. Ms Carmel Stewart appointed a receiver over the monies after Skerritt, who did not contest the Criminal Assets Bureau's application under the 1996 Proceeds of Crime Act, failed to claim ownership or provide an explanation for the funds. The cash was discovered wrapped in tinfoil under a mattress during an April 2016 search of his North Circular Road flat, part of Operation Thistle targeting the Kinahan organised crime gang. CAB argued the money derived from drug sales, noting Skerritt's lack of legitimate income and 22 previous convictions. The court heard Skerritt is described as a low to mid-ranking member of the Kinahan organisation and a childhood friend of Daniel Kinahan, who was a named party on Skerritt's motorbike insurance policy. That policy was found in the home of Skerritt's girlfriend, where keys to a Lower Baggot Street apartment were also recovered. A subsequent search of that address revealed Naoufal Fassi, cannabis, a false Belgian ID, cash, and documents linking the location to the Kinahan gang. Fassi was later extradited to the Netherlands, where he was jailed for 18 years for organised crime and attempted murder. The High Court's decision finalised the civil forfeiture of the seized cash.
Paddy McCarthy, 35, pleaded guilty to assaulting former cabin crew member Glen Verdun on 30 July 2016 at a Subway store in Dublin. McCarthy, intoxicated, entered the store early in the morning, shouted at Verdun when the latter asked for space, was escorted out, returned, and punched Verdun on the right side of his face. The blow caused Verdun to fall and sustain a broken eye socket, leading to permanent vision impairment, double vision, and the loss of his pilot career. McCarthy had no prior convictions. Judge Sinéad Ní Chúlacháin, noting the single punch and McCarthy's remorse, imposed 240 hours of community service instead of a prison term. Verdun suffered surgery, an eight‑month sick leave from Ryanair, and a €9,000 financial loss. McCarthy had raised €15,000 in compensation for Verdun. The court heard McCarthy's father had been a disciplinarian and that McCarthy had been caring for him at the time of the incident.
A Dublin man has been found guilty of IRA membership by the non-jury Special Criminal Court. Conor Metcalfe (28), of Monastery Park, Clondalkin, Dublin 22, was found guilty of membership of an unlawful organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army on November 24, 2015. The three-judge Special Criminal Court entered a not guilty on Metcalfe's behalf, as he had made no reply when the membership charge was put to him at the start of his trial. The prosecution's case was based on the belief evidence of Detective Chief Superintendent Anthony Howard, who stated he believed Metcalfe was a member of the IRA on November 24, 2015, based on material he had reviewed. This belief evidence was supported by inferences drawn from Metcalfe's failure to answer material questions at interview after gardai had invoked Section 2 of the Offences Against the State Act. Presiding judge Mr Justice Tony Hunt said the 'combined weight of evidence' was sufficient to establish Metcalfe's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. He noted the 'heavy weight' attached to Metcalfe's failure to answer numerous material questions. Mr Justice Hunt, who sat with Judge Sinéad Ní Chúlacháin and Judge Cormac Dunne, remanded Metcalfe in custody to January 25 when he will be sentenced. During the trial, Det Sgt Padraig Boyce gave evidence that he observed Patrick Brennan walking out of Metcalfe's house following his arrest. Brennan was jailed for four years for IRA membership in 2005. The court also heard that Metcalfe was asked material questions about his meeting with David Nooney in Blanchardstown on August 7, 2015, and about his fingerprint being on a document found at David Murray's home in March 2015. Murray was convicted of IRA membership in 2017 and jailed for four and a half years. The matter was adjourned for sentencing on January 25.
Tony Walsh, aged 64, was sentenced by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to five years' imprisonment for indecently assaulting a teenage boy in 1983. The sentence was partially suspended: the final 18 months were suspended for two years on the condition that Walsh keep the peace, behave well and engage with probation services after release. Walsh, a former "Singing Priest" from North Circular Road, Dublin, has 14 prior sex‑related convictions from the mid‑1970s to the mid‑1980s, including a seven‑and‑a‑half‑year term for raping another boy three times in the 1980s. He pleaded guilty, and the judge noted aggravating factors such as the seriousness of the offence, the victim's age and the breach of trust, while mitigating factors included his guilty plea, age, apology and prior 13‑year imprisonment. The sentence was back‑dated to 17 July, the day Walsh entered his plea.
Two Dublin men, Stephen Tynan (41) and Raymond Fitzgerald (37), were sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Andrew Guerrine, Tynan's cousin, who was stabbed 20 times and left on a roadside in Rathcoole. The murder occurred between 22 and 23 May 2015. The defendants pleaded not guilty, but a jury found them guilty by majority verdict. At sentencing, the victim's sister, Edel Guerrine, delivered a victim impact statement describing the brutality of the crime and the profound grief it caused her family. Judge Michael White imposed a mandatory life sentence on both men, noting the severity of the offence and the lack of remorse shown by the defendants during the trial. The sentence was delivered in the Central Criminal Court, with no mention of any future release or parole. The case concluded with the men being led away to begin their sentences.
A Dublin man has been remanded in custody pending sentencing at the Central Criminal Court following his guilty plea to attempting to murder his ex-girlfriend in County Roscommon. Gerard Mooney, aged 39, admitted to the attempted murder of a woman on 12th February 2017 at Cartron, near Carrick-on-Shannon. He also pleaded guilty to charges including burglary, assault causing harm, possession of a shotgun, threats to kill, harassment, and criminal damage. Evidence heard at the court revealed that Mooney attended the victim's home in Cartron where he fired a shot through a glass door and confronted her with a sawn-off shotgun in the kitchen. He repeatedly pulled the trigger but the weapon repeatedly jammed. The victim provided a statement describing the ordeal and its ongoing psychological impact. Mooney, with previous addresses in Castlerea, was arrested later that evening. Justice Michael White remanded him in custody until 18th January for sentence.
Alice Byrne, 44, of Ashtown, Dublin, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to four years in prison for assault causing harm. She pleaded guilty to attacking Sandra Comer outside James Connolly Hospital on August 13, 2017. Judge Pauline Codd suspended the final 12 months of the sentence. Byrne also pleaded guilty to trespass and criminal damage at Clonshaugh Road, Coolock, on October 1, 2015, for which she received a nine-month prison sentence backdated to December. The court heard that Byrne directed her son, Josh Byrne, and two other men to smash windows and contents at the Halligan household in Coolock on the same date. Josh Byrne, 23, pleaded guilty to burglary and criminal damage. He received a two-year fully suspended sentence on the condition that he engage with the Probation Service. The victim, Ms. Comer, suffered nerve damage, facial disfigurement, and psychological trauma, describing the attacker as having "Incredible Hulk" strength. The court noted that Byrne had previously been involved in an argument with the Halligan family prior to the property damage incident.
Patrick Sherry, 32, of Ventry Park, Cabra, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to attempting to obtain a €171,000 mortgage by submitting false documentation between 8 June and 8 August 2015. He had paid a €19,000 deposit when contracts were exchanged, but the mortgage did not materialise and the sale fell through, leaving him with a financial loss. The court considered additional charges of possessing and using false documents to support the application. Judge Melanie Greally, after hearing evidence, imposed 240 hours of community service within 12 months instead of a two‑year prison term, noting Sherry's remorse and the lack of loss to the bank. The case was adjourned last October and concluded with the community service order.
Alan Kenny, 26, of Islandbridge, Dublin, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to being in possession of €106,950 believed to be the proceeds of criminal conduct on January 12, 2017. Judge Melanie Greally ordered Kenny to carry out 240 hours of community service within 12 months in lieu of a four-year prison sentence. The court heard that Kenny, who has no previous convictions, claimed he was coerced into holding the cash after being threatened that he would be murdered like his cousin, James Kenny McDonagh, whose body was found in the Dublin Mountains in 2012. Prosecution evidence indicated that Gardaí found the cash, a weighing scale, and a taser-type firearm in Kenny's bedroom during a search. Defence counsel Matthias Kelly SC argued that Kenny was holding the money for another person and that the firearm belonged to his late cousin. Judge Greally noted a probation report stating Kenny had tackled his risk factors, addressed drug addictions, and secured stable employment and relationships. She described his circumstances as an "extremely significant turnaround," resulting in the suspended prison term being replaced by the community service order.
Owen McKeever, 63, of Crumlin, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to fraudulently claiming over €40,000 of Jobseeker's Allowance in his brother Brendan's name between 2009 and 2013. He was also making a legitimate claim in his own name at the time. The court, after receiving signed guilty pleas for 50 counts of social welfare fraud, imposed 200 hours of community service to be completed over 12 months, instead of a prison sentence of two years and three months. The fraud was uncovered through facial imaging technology introduced in 2013, which matched McKeever's photograph with one purporting to be his brother's. McKeever admitted the fraud, stating "I put my hands up," and accepted the €41,871 loss to the Exchequer. He had already paid €4,700 to revenue and an additional €3,500 to his solicitor for repayment.
Matthew Ellis, 38, was sentenced to three and a half years in prison, with the final 12 months suspended, after pleading guilty to threatening to kill a shop security guard. The incident occurred on 26 October 2017 at Spa Road, Inchicore, when Ellis, holding five bullets between his teeth, told the guard he would return after finishing his pizza to kill him. He also called the guard a "garda informer" and claimed ownership of Inchicore. Gardaí intervened, confiscated the bullets, and Ellis was taken into custody. He had 71 prior convictions, including assault, burglary, knife possession, drug dealing and robbery. Ellis's defence cited his intoxication, a perceived slight over shop entry, and his history of drug addiction. The judge noted his guilty plea, remorse, poor physical and fragile mental health, and previous drug‑treatment efforts, and accepted a €5,000 compensation from his family.
In a tragic incident on 28 July 2017, a six‑year‑old boy, Cian Marren, was struck and killed by a van driven by James O'Brien, who was later jailed for four years after pleading guilty to dangerous driving causing death. The case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, where Cian's father, Liam Marren, read a victim impact statement expressing profound grief yet offering forgiveness to O'Brien. He described the moment Cian stepped onto the road, the van's red‑light violation, and the fatal head injuries sustained. O'Brien, who had 32 prior convictions, was found to have been driving 10 km/h over the limit and had not seen the red light. The judge noted the severity of the offence, the child's innocence, and the family's extraordinary generosity of spirit, and sentenced O'Brien to four years in prison. The article focuses on the sentencing hearing and the family's response, without mentioning any subsequent legal developments.
The High Court has ruled that a Limerick apartment linked to Brazilian-born Aulicete Walsh and her son, Maicon Morelli, was acquired with the proceeds of crime. Ms Justice Carmel Stewart granted orders in favour of the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) under Section 3 of the 1996 Proceeds of Crime Act. The court found that the property, purchased in 2014 for approximately €34,000 and registered in Mr Morelli's name, was bought using criminal funds. The judge noted that Mrs Walsh had previously been convicted of brothel keeping in Ennis and Limerick in May 2015, resulting in an eight-month prison sentence in 2017. She had also been convicted of brothel keeping in 2012 at Newcastle West District Court and fined €750. Dismissing the respondents' claims that over €20,000 of the purchase price came from legitimate income, the judge cited inconsistencies in Mrs Walsh's evidence and a failure to provide financial documentation. The court determined that the lifestyle maintained by the family, including holidays and new cars, was funded by criminal activity exploiting vulnerable women. Consequently, the matter was finalised with the court granting the CAB's application to deem the apartment proceeds of crime.
In a December 2017 incident, Lithuanian man Arturas Bulksas (55) stabbed his housemate in the torso, neck and ear during a domestic dispute at his Santry home. Bulksas, who had no prior convictions, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. He admitted using a kitchen knife after drinking a bottle of vodka. The victim spent two days in hospital but declined a victim impact statement or medical report. Bulksas claimed he was leaving the country and wanted no further involvement. The court noted the injuries were not life‑threatening and that Bulksas had a good record and no family in Ireland. Judge Melanie Greally adjourned sentencing to February next year, ordering community service and probation reports, and highlighted the case's peculiarities and the likelihood of a custodial sentence given the injuries.
Patrick Nevin, 37, will be sentenced in May for a series of sexual offences that occurred over eleven days after meeting victims on Tinder. He attacked three women, one of whom he raped in Bellewstown, Co. Meath, and another whom he sexually assaulted in an unknown location in Co. Meath. Nevin also received a five‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence for the sexual assault of a Brazilian woman he met on Tinder in 2014. The court adjourned sentencing to May 13, pending a pre‑sentence probation report, a prison governor's report and a forensic psychiatric report. Nevin pleaded guilty to the rape and assault charges, citing remorse and apologising to the victims. He is remanded in custody awaiting the May hearing. The judge noted that the public may attend the sentencing hearing. The case is currently delayed until the required reports are obtained.
Paul Wells Junior, aged 33, has been charged with impeding the apprehension or prosecution of his father, Paul Wells Senior, by disposing of the chainsaw used in the 2016 dismemberment of Kenneth O'Brien. Wells Senior was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment in 2017. Wells Junior was brought before the Central Criminal Court on 17 December 2018, where a trial date was set for 4 November 2019. His barrister, Damien Colgan SC, noted that this would be the fourth attempt to set a trial date, with the case having been postponed on three previous occasions over a span of three years. The court acknowledged the ongoing pressure on Wells Junior and indicated that the case would remain on the docket until a suitable date could be secured, with the possibility of an additional judge in the new year. The proceedings remain at the impeding charge stage.
A 37‑year‑old man was sentenced by a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court jury to four years' imprisonment, with the final 18 months suspended, for sexually assaulting his 15‑year‑old daughter while she was napping in a bed he shared with his partner. The court heard that the man had pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual assault at an address in Dublin on 26 July 2015, and that this was the second time the case had gone to trial. He had told Gardaí he was "groggy" when he went to bed with the two girls and had mistaken his daughter for his partner. The victim's impact report, read by Karl Finnegan BL, described how the girl had looked up to her father as a child, felt jealous of her friends' relationships with their fathers, and after the abuse felt dirty, could not sleep and found it hard to trust others. The unnamed 37-year-old was convicted.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Corrie Grimes, 22, was found to have threatened a female Garda with violence at Ferrymans Crossing on 28 February 2017. Grimes, who initially denied the threat, later pleaded guilty and apologized. The incident involved Grimes approaching a patrol car with a clenched fist, shouting that he would "slit her throat" and "smash her face." The Garda, who had been on duty with a colleague, was present with her grandmother, Anne Grimes. Grimes had previously been convicted 11 times, nine for drug offences, and was in recovery from addiction. The court noted his lack of contact with the Garda since the incident and ordered a probation report to assess his rehabilitation efforts. He is scheduled for sentencing on 12 March 2025.
An apprentice electrician from Donaghmede has received a non-custodial sentence after pleading guilty to causing serious harm to a schoolmate at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Adam Clarke (20) punched the victim at a nightclub on Francis Street, Dublin 8, on 3 July 2016, in an incident motivated by jealousy. The assault left the injured party permanently deaf in one ear and hospitalised for five days with a complex head fracture. Judge Melanie Greally imposed 240 hours of community service in lieu of a three-year prison term and ordered Clarke to pay €10,000 compensation. The judge noted the victim's hearing loss has significantly impacted his academic progress, sporting ability, and career prospects. Clarke, who initially showed no remorse during garda interview, later visited the victim in hospital and expressed contrition. The court considered his youth, early guilty plea, lack of prior convictions, and a probation report indicating low re-offending risk when determining the sentence.
Sean O'Kelly, aged 24, admitted to endangering three generations of a family when he set two cars on fire in their driveway, forcing an 80‑year‑old woman, her granddaughter and a ten‑week‑old great‑grandson to seek refuge in the back garden. The heat from the blazing cars melted the front door shut, and the family feared they would have to choose between saving the infant or the grandmother if the house caught fire. O'Kelly also vandalised six other cars and stole items from them on the same night. He pleaded guilty to one count of endangerment, one count of robbery, two counts of burglary and six counts of criminal damage. Separately, he admitted arson of two cars in an underground carpark, causing an estimated €90,000 of damage, for which an insurance settlement of over €76,000 was later made. The court noted O'Kelly's 24 previous convictions, his rehabilitation from drug addiction, and his apology letters.
In a hearing at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Alan Ellis, 26, pleaded guilty to threatening to kill a prison officer and producing a blade during a dispute at Mountjoy Prison on 28 June 2016. Ellis used a blade moulded into a toothbrush handle to strike the officer's wrist while the officer was delivering toilet paper. Ellis admitted he intended to slice the officer's wrist, saying "Fuck you, I'll chop you up," and later expressed guilt. The officer's victim impact statement described the assault as unnerving and left him shaken. Ellis has 35 prior convictions, including assault on a peace officer, false imprisonment, burglary, theft, trespass and possession of knives. He had been in solitary confinement for most of the last four years and was serving a sentence for false imprisonment at the time of the attack.
David Marcinkiewicz, a 34‑year‑old Polish man, was sentenced to six years in prison in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for a hit‑and‑run that left former kick‑boxing champion Padraic O'Hennraich with a fractured skull, severe lacerations and a life‑changing injury. The incident occurred on 19 June 2007 on the N4 Palmerstown Bypass when Marcinkiewicz, after an unprovoked fight at a petrol station, drove his car into a group of three men, causing a metal fragment to act as a scalpel and inflict serious wounds. Marcinkiewicz pleaded guilty to assaulting O'Hennraich and to two counts of endangerment involving Eoin Walsh and Daniel Byrne. He had previously fled Ireland in 2008, changed his identity in Poland in 2016, and was later tracked down and arrested in July of the current year. The judge imposed concurrent sentences of six years for the endangerment charges and four years for the assault, noting the severity of the offences.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, the partner of a father-of-six who was stabbed by a lifelong friend recounted the traumatic impact on her children, who witnessed their father lying in a garden covered in blood as emergency services attempted to save him. The partner, aged 50, described her life being shattered, her anxiety, panic attacks, and nightmares after the incident. She noted that her children, aged three to ten at the time, no longer feel the same bright, bubbly energy they had before, having seen their father's death. The court heard that the victim, Mark Richardson, was stabbed in the chest by Paul Keating, who was found not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter. Keating was remanded in custody until his sentencing. The partner's testimony highlighted the profound emotional damage to her family and the loss of a male role model for her children.
A Dublin man, Robert Ward, aged 24, was sentenced to three years in prison for fraud after he altered a €11,321 cheque taken from a flooring company and attempted to lodge it at AIB on Swords Road, Santry, on 13 June 2014. He also admitted using a €5,221 cheque as a false instrument at an AIB branch on St Brigid's Road, Artane, on 12 May 2014. Gardaí arrested eight people in connection with the fraud offences. Judge Melanie Greally sentenced Ward to four years, suspended the final 12 months, and credited him for seven months already spent in custody. Ward had previously pleaded guilty to stealing a safe containing €500 from Teo's Takeaway in Coolock on 27 March 2017. He has 106 prior convictions, including 18 for theft and three for Circuit Court offences.
In a case heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, William Butler, aged 52, was sentenced to three years' custody for stealing €19,380 from the pension fund of a widow, Kathleen Carroll, who had let him stay at her home. Butler admitted taking the money over three months between November 2013 and January 2014, using her banking details to withdraw the funds from the Bank of Ireland. He had no prior convictions. Judge Karen O'Connor described Carroll's husband as having died months earlier and noted that Carroll was a vulnerable person who was preyed upon by Butler's regular withdrawals. Butler was given a full admission of guilt, pleaded guilty, and was ordered to undergo treatment programmes for gambling and alcohol if required. The judge suspended the final 12 months of the sentence and commended Carroll for her dignified conduct in court. The sentence was imposed with consideration of Butler's personal difficulties and the impact on his family and reputation.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Daniel Wildes, aged 32, was found guilty of assault causing harm after attacking former partner Natasha Cummins on 1 April 2018. The assault involved kicking down a bathroom door, grabbing Cummins' hair, throwing her around, kicking her back of the spine, and threatening to shave her head with an electric razor. Cummins suffered extensive bruising and reported possible concussion, flashbacks and nightmares. Wildes pleaded not guilty to additional charges of threats to kill and false imprisonment, and the jury returned not‑guilty verdicts on those charges. Wildes has 40 prior convictions, including two for assault causing harm. The judge adjourned the case to 20 December for finalisation. The court heard that Wildes had been babysitting their four children and had previously suggested Cummins get some sleep. The prosecution noted that Cummins found empty beer cans in her house after a night out.
Two Dublin men wanted in Northern Ireland for the alleged attempted murder of a police officer have challenged their arrest and detention in Co Donegal through judicial review proceedings in the High Court. Ciaran Maguire, aged 29, and Sean Paul Farrell, aged 32, face charges of attempted murder and possession of explosives with intent to endanger life, offences carrying potential life sentences. A European Arrest Warrant relates to an improvised explosive device discovered beneath a serving PSNI officer's vehicle in Co Derry in June 2015. Their legal representatives sought disclosure of custody records, statements, and sample details from their detention at Letterkenny Garda Station in 2015, arguing such information was necessary to oppose their extradition. Counsel for the Minister for Justice contended the applications were speculative and that no duty existed to provide the requested material. Ms Justice Aileen Donnelly reserved judgment, adjourning proceedings to February 2019.
An Estonian hitman, Imre Arakas, aged 60, was convicted by the Special Criminal Court for conspiring to murder James Gately in Northern Ireland between 3 and 4 April last year. The court found that Arakas had agreed to pull the trigger and had supplied details on how the murder would be carried out, including the use of a silencer. He had been recruited from abroad and had travelled to Ireland for the purpose of the hit. Gardaí prevented the execution of the murder. Arakas pleaded guilty, and the judge noted his cooperation, health difficulties and lack of support in Ireland as mitigating factors. He was sentenced to six years' imprisonment, back‑dated to 4 April 2017, with a combined discount of three years for the mitigating factors. The sentence was imposed by Mr Justice Tony Hunt, with Judges Sinéad Ní Chúlacháin and Cormac Dunne presiding. The conviction was part of a broader effort to disrupt organised crime conspiracies.
Jason Keating, 27, was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment by the Special Criminal Court for facilitating a criminal organisation in the execution‑style murder of Noel "Duck Egg" Kirwan, 62, who was shot six times in his Ford Mondeo on 22 December 2016. Keating admitted in October 2018 to participating in or contributing to the commission of the murder, a serious offence under Section 72 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006, and pleaded guilty to facilitating a criminal organisation in committing murder. The court entered a nolle prosequi on the original murder charge. Keating's role included monitoring a tracking device (Gotek7) placed on Kirwan's car, providing the information to the gunman, and transporting the gunman to and from the scene. He was sentenced to ten years, back‑dated to 2 May 2017, after a mitigating discount of three and a half years for his guilty plea and other factors.
In December 2018, a 35‑year‑old man was jailed for four years after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting his partner while she slept. The assault occurred on 14 April 2016 at a Dublin house, following earlier admissions of rape and attempted anal rape in 2010 and 2011. The victim, who has a nine‑year‑old child with the man, reported that the man had tried to initiate sex when she was unwell, but she resisted and later discovered her leggings had been pulled down and she was being assaulted. She had previously been raped by the same man and had learned that the safest response was "nothing." The court noted her vulnerability and past abusive relationships. The judge imposed a four‑year sentence, with the final 18 months suspended on conditions including probation, a sex‑offender treatment programme, and addressing alcohol and addiction issues. The victim is receiving treatment for post‑traumatic stress and social reclusion.