In the Central Criminal Court, Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring sentenced Mark Lee (44) and Anthony Delappe (19) to life imprisonment for the murder of Josip Strok (31) at Grangeview Way, Clondalkin, on April 3, 2024. Both defendants had pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. The judge stated that Lee acted on weak hearsay evidence that the deceased and his friend, David Druzinec (29), had assaulted a child. Lee was also sentenced to six years for assaulting Mr Druzinec causing him harm, while Delappe received three years for the same offence; these sentences will run concurrently with their life terms. The judge noted that Delappe's offence was not aggravated by hatred and that he was just past his 18th birthday. Connor Rafferty (21), who had pleaded guilty to assaulting Mr Druzinec, was found not guilty of murder by a jury last month. Ms Justice Ring will sentence Rafferty for the assault causing harm next week. The court heard that Lee and Delappe struck Mr Strok repeatedly, with Delappe using a plastic pickaxe handle, while Rafferty struck him with a half-crutch. Mr Strok suffered a catastrophic brain injury and never regained consciousness. Ms Justice Ring described the attack as brutal and noted that Lee had made discriminatory online statements prior to the incident.
A Carlow father and son, Michael Slater Senior (61) and Michael Slater Junior (36), have been sentenced for multiple assault charges. Both pleaded guilty to three charges of assault causing harm to three victims at Heatherhill Square on August 28, 2024. Slater Jnr further pleaded guilty to producing a wooden bat and issuing threats to his partner and her sister, and to assault causing harm to his partner on October 21, 2024. Slater Snr received a six-month suspended sentence for an earlier assault, which was backdated to when he was first remanded in custody last November. Judge Eugene O'Kelly imposed a three-year suspended sentence on Slater Snr, taking into account his guilty plea and troubled background. For Slater Jnr, Judge O'Kelly set a headline sentence of four and a half years and a concurrent term of three years and nine months, which was suspended on strict conditions. The sentence was backdated to when Slater Jnr was first remanded in custody last November. The matter was adjourned for the submission of victim impact statements, but none were provided. Both Slaters were described as having a history of violent tendencies, with Slater Jnr having previous convictions for assault causing harm and serious harm. The court heard that the assaults occurred during the wake of Slater Jnr's stillborn child, with the second assault involving the use of a weapon and resulting in the victim requiring surgery to repair a broken jaw. The sentences were described as consecutive, leading to a total of ten and a half years for Slater Jnr, with the final four years suspended on strict conditions.
A 37-year-old man from Castlefin, County Donegal, has been sentenced to five years imprisonment by the Central Criminal Court for the rape of an 18-year-old woman at an address in Convoy on 14 January 2018. Desmond Leitch was found guilty by jury following a trial in which evidence showed the victim was heavily intoxicated when she was taken to a spare bedroom and assaulted. The court heard that Leitch has previous convictions for rape and stalking. Mr Justice David Keane imposed the sentence taking into account Leitch's diagnosis of schizophrenia and mild intellectual dysfunction, though a probation report assessed him as posing a high risk of sexual reoffending. The judge backdated the sentence to October 2024 and imposed four years of post-release supervision with the Probation Service, requiring Leitch to comply with all directions issued.
On 3 January 2025, 37‑year‑old Scott Capper drove at high speed through Sutton, Howth and Baldoyle, forcing garda patrol cars to take evasive action. He eventually stopped on St Margaret's Avenue, Raheny, where he fled the vehicle and threw bags of white powder. Gardai pursued him to Kilbarrack Road, where they found him covered in cocaine. The cocaine, valued at €5,700, was intended for his own use. Capper pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and possession of drugs for sale or supply. He has 29 prior convictions, including public order and traffic offences. The court noted he was unfit for interview after arrest but later cooperated once sober. Judge Martin Nolan sentenced him to 27 months' imprisonment, effective from 4 January, and banned him from driving for four years.
In a case heard at the District Court, Amer Alhajj Ahmed, a 27‑year‑old Norwegian citizen of Syrian origin, was found in possession of €201,860 in cash at Dublin Airport on 2 April. He admitted that the money had been given to him by a Syrian man he met at a mosque and that he intended to transport it to Istanbul to purchase Bitcoin. Ahmed claimed he was in financial difficulty due to health problems and had agreed to the arrangement after being approached in Dublin. The court accepted his early guilty plea and remorse, noting his good work history and personal circumstances. Judge Martin Nolan sentenced Ahmed to three years and four months' imprisonment, emphasising that he must have known the money was illicit and that his decision was reckless. The judgment highlighted that the transporters of the money had chosen Ahmed as a low‑risk intermediary.
Ryan Carroll, 29, and two men broke into a man's Dublin home on 9 August 2022 after a littering dispute. They entered the house, shouted "chop his hand off," and used a blade to slash the victim's arm, chest, back, head and hand, cutting three fingers to the tendons. The victim suffered severe lacerations and required surgery. The attackers fled after a neighbour called Gardaí. Carroll, who had 37 prior convictions and was on bail for another offence, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm, criminal damage and trespass while armed. He was sentenced by Judge Sinead McMullen to three years' imprisonment, with the court noting the attack was savage, unplanned and grossly disproportionate to the initial altercation. The sentence was imposed today.
Niall Ganley, a 33‑year‑old Dublin school teacher, was sentenced to two and a half years' imprisonment after a UK‑based vigilante group exposed his online grooming of children. In July 2023, the group reported that Ganley had initiated contact with a fake profile posing as a nine‑year‑old girl on Chat Avenue, sending sexualised messages, nude photos, and instructions for sexual acts. He also sent pornographic videos and a video of himself masturbating. Garda Lisa Finn presented evidence that Ganley had engaged in similar conduct with minors in 2016, including a 16‑year‑old and a 13‑year‑old, and had produced and possessed child sexual abuse material. Ganley pleaded guilty to inducing a child to participate in sexual activity, producing and possessing child sexual abuse material, and communicating with a child for sexual exploitation.
In a Dublin nightclub on 17 August 2019, Jason Aquino (29) smashed a pint glass into another man's face during a verbal dispute. The victim suffered serious eye injuries, requiring six days in hospital and ongoing treatment. Aquino was arrested, initially denied the incident, but accepted responsibility after CCTV evidence. He pleaded guilty to assault causing harm, violent disorder and production of an article. The court, hearing the victim's impact statement, imposed a headline sentence of eight years, reduced to four years, with the final 12 months suspended on strict conditions. Aquino was ordered to pay €20,000 to the victim within three months. The judge noted Aquino's lack of prior convictions and his remorse, but emphasised the reckless nature of his conduct and the lasting harm to the victim. The sentence reflects the seriousness of the assault and the victim's life‑changing injuries.
Josh McEnroe, 24, of Dublin 8, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for his role in a firearm discharge incident in Dublin 2 on November 15, 2022. McEnroe pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting another person in possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose. Judge Martin Nolan imposed a 32-month sentence, describing McEnroe's culpability as "in the middle" of the co-accused and towards the lower end. The court noted that McEnroe's two co-accused had already been sentenced in October 2023. Brandon Kelly, 21, pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm and ammunition for an unlawful purpose and received a global seven-year sentence. Jamie Byrne, 28, pleaded to aiding and abetting the reckless discharge of a firearm and was jailed for 27 months. Evidence indicated that following a verbal altercation with a juvenile, McEnroe dropped a jacket, which the boy later retrieved. Kelly and Byrne subsequently returned on a motorbike, with Kelly appearing to carry a firearm, which was then discharged. No injuries were reported. McEnroe, who has 48 previous convictions, apologized to the court, stating he had turned his life around and is now drug-free and working part-time.
Marcus Hannon, 29, of Carlow, pleaded guilty at Carlow Circuit Criminal Court to threatening to kill his sister Lauren Hannon and assaulting her partner Cian Comerford during a family row on 13 March 2024. He doused the three of them in petrol, causing Lauren to swallow some liquid; none sustained injuries. Hannon, previously convicted of violent disorder, criminal damage and production of an article, had been on remand since the offence. He had earlier been acquitted of the manslaughter of his father, Marcus "Murt" Brennan, after a 2018 trial. The court set a headline sentence of five years, reduced to three years and nine months, with the final 12 months suspended on strict conditions, including 18 months of Probation Service engagement upon release. The sentence was back‑dated to March 2024. The case highlighted the family's troubled background and ongoing psychological support for Hannon in custody.
A 25‑year‑old man, Ryan Craig, was sentenced to six years in prison, with the last twelve months suspended for two years, for dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm. He also received a four‑year sentence for endangerment, both running concurrently and back‑dated to October 2024. Craig drove a van onto a footpath in Clondalkin, dragging a 25‑year‑old nephew of convicted drug dealer John Gilligan, Dillon Gilligan, for up to 30 feet before leaving him on the roadside with a fractured skull and pelvis. Craig fled the scene without assisting the victim, an act described by the judge as a deliberate purposeful act of dangerous driving motivated by rage and hatred. The court disqualified Craig from driving for fifteen years. The sentencing hearing noted Craig's prior convictions for drug possession and public order offences, but the judge considered the current incident far more serious. The unnamed 25-year-old pleaded guilty.
Justin Doyle, 29, of Carlow, was on temporary release from a four‑year prison term when he repeatedly called the home of a woman he claimed owed him money for a drug debt. Over a two‑week period he threatened to "chop you up" if she did not pay, and made further harassing calls, including one in which he said she had only paid €4,650. The woman had already paid a total of €15,600 by November 2024. Doyle had previously been convicted of demanding money with menace at Kilkenny Circuit Criminal Court and had 110 prior convictions. At Carlow Circuit Criminal Court he pleaded guilty to four counts of demanding money with menace. Judge Eugene O'Kelly sentenced him to six years in prison, suspending the final two years on the condition of probation and compliance with the Probation Service for two years. The sentence was back‑dated to November 2024 when Doyle first entered custody.
Pat Salmon, 89, of Knock, Co Mayo, pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to five counts of sexual assault committed between January and June 1995. The offences, which allegedly took place at his home, involved a five-year-old child. Salmon has no previous convictions. The court heard that the injured party disclosed the abuse after contacting a crisis helpline, and Salmon subsequently wrote a letter expressing remorse. During his interviews, Salmon denied specific charges but admitted to other acts, stating that "the devil took over" for a period. Defence counsel highlighted Salmon's age, serious health conditions including congestive heart failure, and his background as a former mental health nurse and community volunteer. He requested the court consider his early guilty plea and the isolating nature of incarceration. The injured party's victim impact statement described the long-term trauma, stating that Salmon had taught her fear and that her power over her had ended. Ms Justice Caroline Biggs described the statement as "heartbreaking." The matter was adjourned until Monday of next week to allow the judge to review all materials and consider the sentence.
A 77‑year‑old former coffee shop owner, Giovanni Nardone, was given a four‑year suspended sentence for laundering €89,570 in cash and for possessing an encrypted mobile phone. The cash was found under his bed after a Garda search warrant was issued following confidential information. Nardone pleaded guilty to possession of the proceeds of crime and to possession of the encrypted phone, which was deemed to be used for a criminal offence. He was on bail throughout the proceedings and had no prior convictions. The judge, after a risk assessment by probation services, considered the amount of cash, the encrypted phone, a cash‑counting machine and a vacuum packing machine as aggravating factors, while his guilty plea, lack of previous convictions and family background were mitigating. The sentence was suspended in full for four years.
Reece O'Brien, aged 23, pleaded guilty to money laundering and having the proceeds of crime, and was sentenced to two years and six months' imprisonment, with the final 12 months suspended for two years on strict conditions. He was found to have €5,595 in cash, cannabis, weighing scales, bagging equipment, a Volkswagen Golf, high‑value clothing and a PlayStation 5 in his apartment, all seized during a Garda search. O'Brien also spat at a Garda and threatened to "bite their faces off and kill them." Stephanie Boylan, aged 24, pleaded guilty to money laundering and received an 18‑month sentence, suspended for three years on strict conditions. Boylan had no prior convictions and was found to have paid for the car with cash from the proceeds of crime. Both defendants' pleas and youth were considered by Judge Orla Crowe.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court sentenced three former soldiers to fully suspended terms for a violent attack outside The Living Room bar in February 2024. Jordan Kavanagh (24), Jerome Kavanagh (23), and Jason Keating (24) each pleaded guilty to one count of assault causing harm and one count of violent disorder. All three resigned from the army prior to entering their pleas. Judge Sinéad Ní Chúlacháin imposed a four-year sentence, suspended for five years, on Jordan Kavanagh and Jason Keating. Jerome Kavanagh received a two-year, eight-month sentence, suspended for three years. The court ordered the men to pay €6,666 each to the victim as an expression of remorse. The judge noted the defendants were suitable candidates for restorative justice and described the sentences as a "Sword of Damocles." The victim, who suffered a concussion, broken teeth, and scarring, stated the attack changed his life. The judge emphasized that while the men showed real remorse and had no previous convictions, their actions were "completely appalling" and they had thrown away their potential.
On 18 March, 31‑year‑old nurse Theophilus Annum Tetty, of Mulgrave Street, Dún Laoghaire, was arrested for a public order offence after becoming intoxicated on the N81 Tallaght Bypass. He was taken to Tallaght Garda Station where he became aggressive, spat at the Perspex screen of the public counter hatch and caused damage. The court heard that the incident led to two charges: criminal damage and violent behaviour in a garda station. Defence counsel said Tetty was experiencing an acute period of intense stress, which contributed to his conduct. He has no prior convictions and works as a nurse. The judge, Patricia McNamara, noted his clean record, cooperation and medical circumstances, and warned him to "stay out of trouble". She ordered him to engage with restorative justice services, to pay €150 compensation to the station, and to submit a full medical report. He remains on continuing bail until 16 January, when his progress will be reviewed.
David O'Sullivan, aged 22, was sentenced to nine years in prison for raping two girls aged 14 and 10 whom he groomed via Snapchat. He was also found in possession of 1,629 files of child sexual abuse material, including 915 videos and 714 images. Justice Melanie Greally imposed a headline sentence of 11½ years for the rapes and possession, suspending the final two and a half years on condition that O'Sullivan keep the peace, engage in sexual offence treatment and refrain from contacting either victim for 50 years. The court heard that O'Sullivan had met the first victim in June 2022, lied about his age, and had repeatedly attempted to groom and assault her, including a sexualised encounter in a shopping centre in February 2023. He also groomed a second 10‑year‑old in August 2024, sending explicit images and meeting her in secluded locations, where he orally and vaginally raped her. David O'Sullivan pleaded guilty.
Mark Duffy, aged 44, was convicted of burglary under section 12(1b)(3) of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001 and of trespassing, possession of stolen property and possession of certain articles. He was sentenced to nine months imprisonment for burglary and six months consecutive for trespassing, with the final three months suspended, for a total of 12 months in custody. Duffy appealed against the severity of the sentence. Judge Deirdre Browne, hearing the appeal, noted that Duffy had "been around the block" and was "well aware of what he was doing". She affirmed the original sentence, stating that the District Court had "considered matters very thoroughly" and that the order was "carefully thought through and structured". The appeal was dismissed and the original 12‑month custodial sentence was upheld. Mark Duffy pleaded not guilty.
Richard Walsh, 32, of Lisminton, Ballintra, Co Donegal, pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to sexually assaulting his partner's best friend while she slept on a sofa in his home on December 13, 2020. The victim, in her 20s, reported waking with pain and later told gardai she was tampered with. DNA evidence from Walsh's underwear matched the victim. Walsh initially denied contact but later admitted the offence. Justice Tony Hunt noted Walsh's previous conviction for defilement of a child under 17, for which he pleaded guilty and received a custodial sentence of one year and eight months in January 2023. Walsh was on bail for that unrelated offence at the time of the current incident. The court heard a victim impact statement detailing long-term trauma, depression, and loss of relationships. Walsh read a letter apologising for the harm caused, though the victim did not accept it. Justice Hunt commended the victim's strength and stated the guilty plea vindicated her. The judge adjourned the case to January 19, 2026, for sentencing. Walsh, who had been on bail, was remanded into custody to appear on that date. Counsel noted Walsh is a father of two and warned of community shunning upon release.
Michael Connor, aged 50, was sentenced to one year in jail for his role in a scheme that defrauded the Trinity College Hardship Fund of over €500,000. Connor admitted to providing his bank account details to a third party and to recruiting others to do the same, resulting in €9,950 being deposited into his account across four transactions between October 2020 and January 2021. He pleaded guilty to four counts of possession of the proceeds of criminal conduct. Connor received €1,650 for his involvement. He has 22 prior convictions, mainly traffic offences, and is a security guard and carer for his mother. The court found no evidence that he applied for hardship assistance himself and imposed a custodial sentence, rejecting the defence's request for a non‑custodial outcome.
Michael Daly, 27, of Knockmore Grove, Tallaght, was jailed for three years and nine months after a high‑speed chase on the N81. He drove a stolen Ford Transit van without a licence or insurance, swerved onto the wrong side of the road at up to 140 km/h, and attempted to hit Garda patrol cars. The chase caused €10,000 of damage to a patrol car and forced a Garda to run into a garden to avoid being struck. Daly pleaded guilty to endangerment, unlawful use of a vehicle, driving without insurance and two counts of criminal damage. He had been disqualified from driving since 2022 and had previous convictions for drugs and public order offences. The judge, after considering his guilty pleas and mitigating factors, imposed the sentence and a four‑year driving disqualification.
The Central Criminal Court heard evidence in the trial concerning the 2014 disappearances of Eoin O'Connor and Anthony Keegan. The prosecution alleged that the pair went to Ballyjamesduff, Co Cavan, to collect a debt of approximately €70,000 owed by Jason Symes and South African national Neville van der Westhuizen. Testimony from the O'Connor brothers described attempts to locate the missing men at the homes of Symes and his son, Sean, who reported being threatened by a group of men. The court heard that van der Westhuizen was in a relationship with Ruth Lawrence, with whom he lived in Patrick's Cottage near Lough Sheelin. The prosecution described their relationship as symbiotic and alleged a plan was formed in 2013 to rob drugs from O'Connor's house. While the source text details the trial proceedings and witness accounts, it does not contain the final verdict or sentencing for Ruth Lawrence or Neville van der Westhuizen in this specific instance. However, factual records indicate that Neville van der Westhuizen is currently serving a 15-year sentence in Westville Prison in Durban, having been convicted in 2020 on six counts of kidnapping, attempted murder, and murder. The report does not specify a plea, finding, or sentence for Ruth Lawrence, nor does it detail any adjournments or suspended portions of the sentence.
Darragh Carroll, 27, was jailed for stealing a Renault Fluence and reckless endangerment after a drunken garda pursuit in Balbriggan. Carroll, who had no driving licence and was disqualified from driving, ran red lights, overtook a stopped vehicle, drove through stop signs, onto a footpath and in the wrong direction on busy residential streets. He swerved past a pedestrian and crashed into a wooden pillar, then fled the scene, jumping over a house wall before being arrested. Carroll pleaded guilty to the theft, endangerment, two criminal damage charges and driving without a licence. The judge set a headline sentence of seven and a half years, reduced to three years, with concurrent two‑year terms for theft and criminal damage. The final 18 months were suspended on probation, and Carroll was disqualified from driving for five years. He is engaged in rehabilitation in custody. Darragh Carroll was convicted.
On 18 November 2022, Nicola Smart, 42, pleaded guilty to possession of drugs for sale or supply and to possessing €3,725 of proceeds of crime in her Prospect Hill home. Gardaí found €24,000 worth of cocaine, €1,160 of cannabis and zopiclone tablets in a garden shed, and a small amount of cannabis in her bedroom. The court heard that Smart's home was being used by criminals to store drugs, and that the drugs were on a top shelf in the shed, a location difficult for her to access because she is in a wheelchair. Smart has two prior convictions for minor traffic offences. She is a paraplegic, a former heroin and cocaine user who suffered a stroke in 2017, and her adult daughter is her carer. The judge, recognising her low culpability and health issues, imposed a three‑year sentence suspended in full under a number of conditions.
A van driver, Colin Radburn, 37, was jailed for four and a half years after a routine Garda checkpoint on St Luke's Road, Dublin 8, revealed €350,000 worth of cocaine and £15,520 in cash hidden in the van's air filter cabinet. Radburn, who had been driving the van at the time, panicked and attempted to abandon it when Gardaí stopped him. He pleaded guilty to one count of possessing drugs for sale or supply under Section 15A of the Misuse of Drugs Act. The court noted his prior convictions for road traffic offences and that he had been out of work since an injury in 2022, which contributed to a drug habit. Judge Martin Nolan accepted that Radburn's role was that of transporter and holder, and set the sentence at four and a half years, backdated to his arrest.
Sandra Moneme, a 27‑year‑old South African woman, created a false name in 2019 to avoid a deportation order and used that alias to claim €6,775 in social welfare benefits. She pleaded guilty to one count of providing a false instrument at an Intreo centre in Dublin 1 on 26 November 2019. Garda Brian Giblin reported that Moneme applied for a PPS number under the false name and then claimed welfare benefits. She was arrested after a facial‑recognition check by the Department of Social Protection. Moneme has no prior convictions and cooperated with Gardaí. She is now entitled to stay in Ireland and is repaying the money to the department. Judge Martin Nolan sentenced her to 20 months, fully suspended on conditions, noting her cooperation and lack of prior convictions.
Mary Hall, 70, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to two theft counts for taking €26,562 in Carer's and Disability Allowances in her deceased son's name between 25 May 2022 and 30 November 2023. The son had leukemia and died in 2022; Hall continued to collect his disability allowance after the Department of Social Protection was notified of his death. She admitted she was not entitled to the payments and used the money for bills, rent and funeral costs. Hall has no prior convictions. Judge Sinead McMullan imposed a suspended sentence of two and a half years, suspended in full on strict conditions, including continued weekly repayments. The court noted Hall's remorse and consistent repayments as mitigating factors. The sentence reflects theft from the State, not premeditated in the normal sense, but Hall was aware of the wrongdoing. The condition requires Hall to maintain the weekly repayments.
On 11 November 2025, a woman in her 30s pleaded guilty to murdering her four‑year‑old stepson at her home in March 2021. The trial, held at the Central Criminal Court, had begun with the defendant pleading not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. After a child witness's evidence was read, the accused's barrister requested time with his client. The jury returned at 3.03 pm, and the defendant was arraigned on the single charge of murder. She pleaded guilty to that charge. Mr Justice Paul McDermott thanked the jury and adjourned the case to 1 December, when the defendant will face the mandatory life sentence for murder. The child's mother will give a statement before sentencing. The defendant's identity is withheld to protect the child witness whose evidence was read into the record.
A 25‑year‑old Dublin man was jailed for four years after stabbing two neighbours during a cocaine‑induced paranoid episode. He pleaded guilty to two counts of assault causing harm and one count of producing a knife capable of serious harm. The victims were a father in his 50s and his son in his 20s, who had no prior issues with the defendant. He entered their garden, claimed he was looking for a football, and used a hunting knife to stab the older man in the back three times and cut his thumb. He then stabbed the son to the right side of the head. Both victims were taken to hospital; the father suffered three stab wounds to the back and cuts to the neck and thumb, while the son had a head cut requiring five staples. The court heard victim impact statements describing lasting physical and psychological effects.
Gintaras Jankevicius, 53, was sentenced to 12 years in prison, with the final year suspended, for raping and sexually assaulting a woman over several hours. He threatened to keep her in his home until she became pregnant and gave her a knife, telling her to use it if she wanted him to stop. The victim, who was terrified, did not stab him and later reported the assault to gardaí. Jankevicius pleaded guilty to rape, sexual assault and false imprisonment. He is already serving a three‑year sentence for drug possession and has been in custody since March 2025. The judge imposed strict conditions on the suspended year, including no contact with the victim, abstinence from alcohol and drugs, and offence‑focused work, and ordered five years of post‑release supervision. The court noted Jankevicius showed little remorse and was considered a high risk of reoffending. The victim's impact statement described lasting trauma, nightmares and anxiety.
A man from County Monaghan has been sentenced to four years imprisonment following his conviction for sexual assault. James Rafferty, aged 21 and from Gola, Scotstown, pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to sexually assaulting a female acquaintance on 14 August 2022. The assault occurred as the victim walked home after socialising. Justice Eileen Creedon described the offence as extremely serious and persistent, noting that Rafferty repeatedly assaulted the woman despite her resistance and explicit refusals. The court heard he initially denied the allegations to gardaí before later accepting the incident occurred. A Probation Service report indicated Rafferty has accepted the victim's account and acknowledged his behaviour was inappropriate. The final year of his sentence has been suspended on condition he engages with probation services for offence awareness work. Rafferty has no previous convictions.
A Cavan man previously imprisoned for handling 117 stolen bicycles has received a suspended sentence for money laundering linked to the same offence. Dinas Bimbiras, aged 50, of Maple Drive, Drumgola Wood, Cavan, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possessing the proceeds of crime. Following his earlier conviction in October 2022, when he was sentenced to two years' imprisonment, gardaí examined his bank accounts under warrant. Analysis revealed a discrepancy of €71,141 between his legitimate income and lodgements, which prosecutors contend represents proceeds from the bicycle operation. Judge Martin Nolan imposed a two-year custodial sentence but suspended it in full, determining that a further jail term would be unjust given Bimbiras's conduct since his release in February 2024 and his return to full-time employment. The judge noted the money laundering charge could have been heard concurrently with the original handling matter. He ordered forfeiture of the €71,141 to the State. Bimbiras, a Lithuanian resident in Ireland since 2001, maintains he purchased bicycles at Dublin markets intending to refurbish and resell them.
A 25‑year‑old Brazilian national, Gilson Da Costa Santos, was sentenced to four years' imprisonment for importing nearly €200,000 worth of cocaine into Ireland. He pleaded guilty to the offence at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after being stopped at Dublin Airport on 7 May 2025, where 2.85 kg of cocaine was found in his suitcase. Da Costa Santos admitted the importation and claimed he had swallowed drugs, but no evidence of ingestion was found in a hospital scan. He said he was acting under threat and that his family had been threatened, prompting his travel to Ireland with the drugs. The judge accepted his signed pleas and his role as a transporter, and backdated the sentence to the date he entered prison in May. The case was prosecuted by Fergal Foley BL and defended by Marc Thompson SC.
A 17‑year‑old juvenile was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for assault causing serious harm and production of a knife after a chase on e‑scooters on the River Liffey boardwalk. The victim, an 18‑year‑old, was travelling on an e‑scooter when the defendant's co‑accused followed and kicked him off. The victim fell, was punched, and then stabbed twice in the back by the defendant, who used a large knife described as "dirty." The victim suffered a deflated lung, was hospitalized for four days, and has since fully recovered. The court heard CCTV footage, the defendant's guilty plea, and the defendant's 20 prior convictions. The judge noted the seriousness of the wounds and the defendant's propensity for violence, and imposed a 12‑month suspended portion of the sentence on strict conditions, including probation engagement for a year. The remaining term will be served in prison when the defendant turns 18.
An on‑bail offender aged 21 was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment, with the final year suspended, for stabbing a woman multiple times in the vagina in a misogynistic attack that caused her to lose 25% of her blood. The offence occurred on 6 March 2024 at an apartment in Dublin, where the man, who had 15 prior convictions, was arrested immediately after the assault. Garda Colm Carroll and a colleague stopped the defendant and three other men who fled the scene. CCTV footage and a Snapchat voice note were presented to the court, showing the defendant's intent and the brutality of the attack. The victim, who suffered severe lacerations and a large hematoma, was treated at St James' Hospital and later warned that she may have difficulty giving birth vaginally. The judge noted the defendant's mental health issues and the misogynistic nature of the crime before imposing the sentence. The unnamed woman pleaded guilty.
A 30‑year‑old Dublin man was sentenced to five years in prison, with the final 18 months suspended, for a series of domestic violence offences spanning 2016‑2022. He pleaded guilty to six counts of criminal damage, three counts of assault causing harm and two counts of threatening to kill the woman and her family. The court heard he physically abused his partner, punched her, threw a lamp, smashed her phone and forced her into a bath, and threatened her with murder‑suicide. He also threatened to kill her mother, sister and herself. The judge noted the psychological impact of his jealousy and control, ordering him to attend intimate partner violence programmes and to have no contact with the victim during custody and for five years thereafter. The victim's impact statement described feeling worthless and fearful, and she praised the judge's recognition of her bravery.
A Castlebar man has pleaded guilty to three thefts totalling over €34,000 from a Lidl supermarket in Westport during the Christmas and New Year period of 2023. Mantas Kerusauska, aged 39, admitted to stealing €11,250 on Christmas Eve, €10,700 on December 29th, and €12,300 on New Year's Eve. Appearing at Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court, the court heard that a gambling addiction described as particularly egregious had contributed to the offences. Defence counsel submitted that his client's criminal conduct could be attributed in whole or in part to this addiction. Kerusauska was remanded on bail pending sentencing, which is scheduled for March 3rd next.
An arrest warrant has been issued for Eric Shorthall after he failed to comply with the conditions of his release. Shorthall was convicted in November 2020 as a getaway driver in the gang‑style murder of Alan O'Neill, who was shot dead on 27 May 2015 in the driveway of his home on Kiltalown Road, Tallaght. Shorthall, aged 28, was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison, with the final nine months suspended for two years. The suspension was conditional on Shorthall keeping the peace and attending all appointments set by the Probation Service. Mr Justice Paul McDermott, who imposed the sentence, learned that Shorthall had not adhered to these conditions and that his probation officer could not contact him. Consequently, the judge issued an arrest warrant for Shorthall. The warrant follows the earlier conviction of Warren Nolan, who was convicted of O'Neill's murder and is serving a life sentence.
Ellysom Ojba, 25, of Fana Glas, Ballybane, Galway, was found guilty of possession of drugs for sale or supply and money laundering after a Garda investigation in Eyre Square and his home. He was discovered with two socks hidden in his underwear, each containing sixteen deal bags of suspected cocaine and ketamine, a weighing scale, and €1,030 in cash. A search of his bedroom revealed additional drugs and €525. Ojba, a first‑time offender with no prior convictions, pleaded guilty and expressed remorse. Judge Brian O'Callaghan described his conduct as "blatant greed" and, considering mitigating factors such as his signed plea, positive probation report, and lack of prior criminal history, sentenced him to two years' imprisonment suspended in full for three years. He was ordered to pay €1,500 each to Jigsaw and Cluine Mhuire within a month, with €500 to each within four weeks.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 7 November 2025, Eugene Tolan, aged 47, pleaded guilty to three burglaries committed on 10 October 2024 and 15 December 2024. He admitted stealing a laptop that contained a draft thesis, preventing the victim from completing her master's degree. Tolan, who has 23 prior burglary convictions, claimed he had a baby on the way and needed a pram. Judge Martin Nolan, noting Tolan's remorse and that he fled when encountering a resident, sentenced him to a cumulative term of three and a half years, backdated to his custody entry. The judge highlighted the victim's loss of peace of mind and the significant trauma caused by the loss of her thesis. No further sentences or appeals were mentioned in the article.
Shane Cowzer, 31, of Lower Gardiner Street, Dublin, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for assault causing harm. The defendant pleaded guilty to the charge, which relates to an incident on January 28, 2023. Judge Martin Nolan imposed a 15-month custodial sentence. The judge noted that Cowzer threw a phone at the victim, grabbed her by the neck twice, and bit her on the face. Prosecution evidence indicated Cowzer had threatened the victim and later threatened to visit her workplace via Instagram after she ended their relationship. The victim stated she felt unsafe and required counselling and medication. Defence counsel Luke O'Higgins BL submitted that Cowzer had been homeless and abusing substances at the time but has since become employed, engaged in drug treatment, and entered a committed relationship. He offered a €1,000 compensation payment, contingent on a non-custodial outcome, which was not accepted. The court rejected the mitigation, finding that a custodial term was appropriate for the misbehaviour. The matter was finalised with the imposition of the 15-month sentence.
Marius Mihai Popa, 41, pleaded guilty to careless driving causing the death of Darren Brodigan, 35, on Poppintree Park Lane, Ballymun, on 27 November 2022. Popa was driving at 62 km/h on a 50 km/h road that was dark due to overhanging trees. He called emergency services and flagged an ambulance, but Brodigan died from massive brain injuries. The court heard no CCTV footage; investigators confirmed the speed. Popa cooperated fully, tested negative for alcohol and drugs, and was not distracted. He expressed remorse, apologised to the Brodigan family, and noted he had no previous convictions. Judge Martin Nolan imposed an eight‑month suspended sentence, disqualified Popa from driving for one year, and extended sympathies to the Brodigan family. The case highlighted the darkness of the road and the subsequent upgrade of street lighting. The sentencing was conducted in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Christopher Oshodin, 48, pleaded guilty in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to theft and dishonestly inducing a Department of Social Protection employee to act for a gain. He had claimed over €145,000 in social welfare payments while pretending for 21 years to be Zimbabwean, using the alias "Christopher Umar." The offence spanned from 2001 to 2022. Oshodin, the sole carer of three children, admitted the fraud and sought to regularise his status. Judge Martin Nolan, noting the seriousness of the theft and the impact on the children, imposed a four‑year sentence fully suspended. He acknowledged Oshodin's cooperation, admissions, lack of prior convictions and the fact that he was paying back small amounts weekly. The court considered the effect on the children and the need to avoid depriving them of their guardian, leading to the non‑custodial outcome. The case was heard on 7 November 2025.
The 51‑year‑old Offaly man was jailed for 12 years after a Central Criminal Court trial found him guilty of raping his daughter on five occasions between 2012 and 2020. The victim, now 19, was aged between five and 13 when the offences occurred. The court heard that the man abused her physically and sexually during visits when he was drunk, often slapping her face and repeatedly telling her she was "just like her mother." He threatened to kill her and abuse her younger sister if she told anyone. The man denied wrongdoing, and his partner gave evidence on his behalf. The judge set a headline sentence of 13 years, reduced to 12, and imposed a three‑year probation period with no contact with the daughters or their mother. The victim's impact statement described lifelong pain, suicidal thoughts, and fear stemming from the abuse.
Two men have been sentenced at the Central Criminal Court following a serious assault arising from a feud between Traveller families in Mullingar, Co Westmeath. Michael Nevin, aged 41, of Grange Heights, Mullingar, was sentenced to ten years imprisonment with the final two years suspended. Christopher Nevin, aged 31, of Grange Crescent, Mullingar, received five-and-a-half years with the final eighteen months suspended. The assault occurred on 2 August 2024 on Austin Friars Street during a busy Friday afternoon. The victim sustained multiple stab wounds, including a perforated liver requiring emergency surgery and blood transfusions. Michael Nevin pleaded guilty to causing serious harm whilst Christopher Nevin pleaded guilty to violent disorder. Mr Justice David Keane described the attack as particularly severe and vicious. He noted the assault was deliberately planned rather than impulsive and occurred against a background of ongoing incidents between the families. Both men's sentences included credit for early guilty pleas. The families have since engaged the Traveller Mediation Service to resolve their differences.
Leighton Morrison, 49, of Woodfield, Galway Road, Tuam, Co Galway, was sentenced to eight years in prison at Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court, with the final year suspended. He pleaded guilty to six sample charges from a total of 13 offences committed between January 2023 and June 2024. The charges include sexual assault against two girls, aged eight and nine, exploitation of a child, and possession and production of child pornography. Judge Eoin Garavan stated that Morrison remains a paedophile at high risk of recidivism and a grave danger to children. The court noted that Morrison videoed the assaults for his own gratification and can never have unsupervised access to children again. His sentence was backdated to July 2, 2024, when he entered custody. Upon release, he is ordered to undergo one year of probation supervision, during which he must complete counselling and a sex offenders' programme. The judge ordered the destruction of seized videos. Morrison's defence counsel noted his public apology and difficult childhood, while the judge described him as a talented dancer who caused significant destruction. The parents of the victims, who retained their children's anonymity, delivered victim impact statements detailing the severe trauma suffered by their daughters.
Olga Pegasoua, a 46-year-old woman from Lucan, was convicted at Tallaght District Court of refusing to provide a specimen under the Road Traffic Act. The case concerned an incident on 27 March 2021, where Garda Shauna Higgins observed Pegasoua driving a swerving silver Nissan with a dented bumper. After arresting her for suspected intoxication, Pegasoua arrived at Tallaght Garda Station. Although she initially opted to provide a urine sample, she poured it down the toilet and subsequently refused to provide a blood sample. Judge Karen Dowling rejected the defence argument that the prosecution could not rely on interpreter testimony, finding a case to answer based on the garda's observations and Pegasoua's conduct. Pegasoua, who did not appear in court, was found guilty. The judge stated she had no choice but to impose the mandatory four-year driving disqualification. Pegasoua was fined €500, with five months granted to pay, and a €200 recognisance was set. The judge agreed to defer the start of the driving ban by four weeks to allow Pegasoua to make necessary arrangements. The court noted Pegasoua is a single mother with no previous convictions, who works as a cleaner and suffers from anxiety and kidney issues.
Daniel O'Neill, 30, of Dublin 17, was already serving a 3‑year‑9‑month sentence for drug offences since October 2023. He pleaded guilty in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to money laundering and obtaining insurance by deception between 8 January 2021 and 4 January 2023. A Garda investigation, triggered by his drug‑dealing conviction, analysed several bank accounts and found €290,000 in cash lodgements in his name and a second person's name, plus further cash through a Revolut account. The money was used to buy cars, take holidays and shop online. O'Neill also secured three insurance policies for the cars using a false date of birth while he was disqualified from driving. The court imposed a seven‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence, back‑dated to his initial custody in October 2023.
A 22-year-old UK national has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for importing cannabis from Thailand destined for Donegal. Jamie Kearns of Coventry entered signed pleas to possession of drugs and drug importation following his arrest at Dublin Airport on 12 February 2025. Gardaí recovered 24.472 kilograms of cannabis, valued at €489,440, from vacuum-packed bags in his luggage. The court heard Kearns had been approached whilst backpacking in Thailand and asked to transport the drugs to settle a personal drug debt of €4,551.46. Judge Martin Nolan noted the defendant's early guilty plea, lack of previous convictions, and youth at the time of the offence as mitigating factors, departing from the mandatory ten-year minimum sentence. The sentence was backdated to his date of custody.