Marius Pughineanu, 42, was sentenced to ten months in prison after pleading guilty to possessing an ATM bank reader and criminal damage to an ATM on Main Street, Lucan, on 7 January 2008. He also admitted using two stolen credit cards to purchase PlayStation consoles worth about €1,200 at GameStop stores in September 2007. The court heard that he had absconded twice, including a seven‑year stay in Thailand after bench warrants were issued. Garda Stuart Gleeson presented evidence that the stolen cards were traced to U.S. owners who had not authorised the transactions. Pughineanu was arrested in January 2008 after tampering with a Bank of Ireland ATM, where CCTV showed him removing the front of the machine with a Stanley knife. He has three prior burglary convictions but claims to have reformed, working 45 hours a week as a fire‑proofer and paying taxes.
A 22‑year‑old Dublin man was jailed for six years after pleading guilty to six counts of assault causing harm and one count of assault, plus theft of the victim's car, bank cards, tablet and mobile phone. He also committed criminal damage to the victim's mother's home, threatened to burn it, and threatened to kill the victim and their unborn child between December 2017 and July 2019. The court noted seven separate assaults, including headbutting, strangulation attempts, biting, punching the pregnant victim in the stomach, dragging her down stairs, putting her head in a toilet, kicking her face, and threatening to cut the baby out of her. The judge imposed a total of eight years, suspending the final two years on strict conditions, including good behaviour for three years, cooperation with treatment programmes and attendance at a domestic violence intervention assessment.
A 30‑year‑old farm labourer was jailed for eight and a half years after sexually defiling his employer's 14‑year‑old daughter hundreds of times. The judge, Justice Karen O'Connor, described how the man groomed the child into believing they were in a romantic relationship, controlling and degrading her through coercion, forcing her to take intimate photographs and send them, and pressuring her to text him while at school. The victim, who began self‑harm and attempted overdose, admitted to kissing and later having sex with the man, who was aged 28 when first initiated contact. He pleaded guilty to three counts of defilement of a child under 15 and three counts of defilement of a child under 17, covering an eleven‑month period from August 2020 to July 2021.
Dean Kerrie, aged 21, was sentenced to four years and six months in prison for the manslaughter of Jack Power, who had intruded into Kerrie's home in Dunmore East on 26 July 2018. The judge, Mr Justice Paul McDermott, found that Kerrie was entitled to use force in defence of himself, his family and his home, but that the force used was "grossly" excessive because Power was unarmed. Kerrie was 17 at the time of the offence, showed genuine remorse, and did not instigate the violence. The sentence, back‑dated to 30 June, includes a final year suspended for two years. Kerrie has already spent time in custody and will be required to work with probation services and engage in anger and violence management after release.
The Special Criminal Court has viewed CCTV footage presented by the State, which allegedly shows Gerard 'The Monk' Hutch making two separate journeys to Northern Ireland with former Sinn Fein councillor Jonathan Dowdall shortly after the murder of Kinahan Cartel member David Byrne at the Regency Hotel. The footage also shows Patrick Hutch Senior in the same area of north Dublin as convicted IRA member Shane Rowan a month after the attack. Rowan was stopped with three assault rifles used in the Regency Hotel shooting. Jonathan Dowdall has been jailed by the Special Criminal Court for four years for facilitating the Hutch gang in the murder of David Byrne. Gerard Hutch has pleaded guilty to charges related to the murder of David Byrne, but the matter is still ongoing. County Donegal was jailed for seven and a half years for possession of assault rifles and ammunition and received a concurrent sentence of four years for IRA membership, backdated to March 9, 2016. The trial continues tomorrow before Ms Justice Tara Burns, presiding, sitting with Judge Sarah Berkeley and Judge Grainne Malone.
Charles Dwan, 66, of Coach House Square, Ballinteer, Dublin 16, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to possession of child sexual abuse material. The court heard that gardaí searched Dwan's home after an IP address was linked to accessing such images. Two devices were seized, containing a total of 28,342 images and 58 videos. Prosecution stated that Dwan admitted to downloading and viewing the material between September 4, 2014, and February 2, 2018. It was noted that a significant portion of the images were animations, and there was no suggestion of contact offending or payment for the material. Dwan has no prior convictions. Defence counsel submitted references from his family and a psychological report indicating low re-offending risk, alongside evidence of his mental health history and cardiac issues. Judge Martin Nolan acknowledged the volume of images and the duration of the downloads as aggravating factors but considered Dwan's cooperation, admissions, and lack of previous record as mitigating. The judge sentenced Dwan to 15 months in prison.
John Mangan, 54, escaped from Loughlan House open prison in October 2021 and was captured riding a motorcycle at high speed through the Dublin suburbs on a November afternoon. During the chase, which lasted about 20 minutes, he ignored Garda instructions, ran red lights, overtook vehicles, drove the wrong way around a roundabout, and nearly collided with several cars. The pursuit ended when Gardaí, with air support, blocked him on Carpenterstown Road. Mangan pleaded guilty to endangerment, dangerous driving and driving without insurance. He was sentenced to 15 months in prison, to be served consecutively to his existing term, and was disqualified from driving for two years. The case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court and is expected to be brought before the District Court for the escape charge.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Jakub Chrzanowsli, aged 45, was sentenced to four years' imprisonment, with the final year suspended, for stealing over €150,000 from Polish businessmen. He had met the investors through a Polish business community group and promised astronomical returns, claiming to act as a middle‑man for Dublin City Council in selling council properties. The court found that the properties were not for sale and that Chrzanowsli had fabricated contracts and meetings in cafés or fast‑food outlets. He pleaded guilty to theft from a company and an individual between May 2017 and May 2018, and had one prior conviction. The judge noted his guilty pleas, lack of relevant convictions, and potential for reform as mitigating factors, and ordered €9,000 he had brought to court to be divided among the victims. The court also set up a repayment plan of €500 monthly, with €40,000 still outstanding.
A former League of Ireland footballer, Edward Fitzpatrick, 39, and two other men, Jonathon Barton, 42, and Gary O'Neill, 40, pleaded guilty to money‑laundering offences involving almost €200,000 in criminal cash. The case was adjourned to February 23, 2023 for finalisation. Garda surveillance showed Barton driving a van to Fitzpatrick's home, where the men entered and later left with a heavy blue shopping bag. Barton then took the bag to a Circle K service station, handing it to O'Neill, who was arrested and found with the bag containing €199,505 in three packages and an additional €2,250. Searches recovered a vacuum packing machine, a mobile phone, and a phone from Barton. The three men admitted their roles; Fitzpatrick admitted packaging the cash, Barton said he moved the money to repay a drug debt, and O'Neill acted as a courier.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, 35‑year‑old Artiom Cerenkov pleaded guilty to possession of a realistic imitation firearm after a drunken incident on Abbey Street. Garda Ciaran Harford, on duty, confronted Cerenkov who was waving the imitation gun, restrained him, and secured the item. The armed support unit confirmed the firearm was an imitation. Cerenkov, who has 26 prior convictions mainly for shoplifting and has struggled with alcohol and homelessness, was found extremely intoxicated. Judge Martin Nolan, noting Cerenkov's guilty plea and his efforts at rehabilitation, sentenced him to two and a half years' imprisonment, suspended in full. The judge praised Garda Harford's bravery and sensible handling of the situation and acknowledged the defendant's desire for a second chance. The case concluded with the suspended sentence and no custodial term imposed.
Gavin Murphy, 31, is serving a life sentence for the murder of his former partner, Jennie Poole, and will not receive additional jail time for an earlier assault on two men. In January 2021, at a Clondalkin address, Murphy pleaded guilty to demanding money with menaces and two counts of assault. The incident involved Dwayne Jones and his father David, who answered a knock from a relative of Murphy. Murphy demanded €200, and during the confrontation he slashed Dwayne Jones's face with a blade, leaving permanent scarring, while David suffered a broken thumb. The court noted Murphy's remorse and imposed a four‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence, which cannot run consecutively to his life term. The sentence is to run from the date of the hearing.
The Special Criminal Court heard ballistics evidence in the ongoing trial of Gerard 'The Monk' Hutch, who denies the murder of David Byrne. Detective Garda David O'Leary testified that seven cartridge cases recovered from the Regency Hotel scene were discharged from three AK-47 variants seized from Shane Rowan in March 2016. Rowan was previously sentenced to seven and a half years for possession of the weapons and a concurrent four years for IRA membership. The court also examined CCTV footage regarding the movements of a taxi and a black BMW X5. The prosecution case alleges that co-accused Jason Bonney and Paul Murphy, both of whom have pleaded not guilty to participating in or contributing to the murder by providing access to motor vehicles on February 5, 2016, facilitated the escape of the assailants. Bonney is specifically alleged to have driven the BMW X5. Defence counsel for Bonney indicated that the identification evidence would be challenged as a legal issue. The trial continues before Ms Justice Tara Burns, sitting with Judges Sarah Berkeley and Grainne Malone.
Adrian Short, 45, of Corbetstown, Killucan, was given a 16‑month suspended sentence for possessing seven images and 14 videos of child pornography, including extreme content involving children as young as two years old. The videos showed sexual intercourse between children and adults. Judge Melanie Greally noted that no other material was found on Short's devices and that he had been fully forthright, cooperative and had voluntarily attended a Garda interview. The judge cited Short's early guilty plea, high level of cooperation, lack of prior convictions, personal history, and past trauma as mitigating factors. He was also noted to have a low risk of reoffending according to a probation report. Short must remain under probation supervision for 16 months, submit to monitoring and risk assessments, and continue counselling as directed.
Fine Gael TD Jennifer Carroll MacNeill urged women who receive unwanted sexual messages to contact Gardaí after a man sent her explicit videos during the 2020 election campaign. Gerard Culhane, 43, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to harassing the TD at unknown locations between 13 January and 26 March 2020. He was given a suspended one‑year prison sentence and ordered to stay away from the TD and her workplace. Carroll MacNeill, who has no previous convictions, highlighted that her position as an elected representative added extra interest to the case and that other women also face unwanted advances. She thanked the court, the DPP, Detective Sergeant Rachel Kilpatrick and her Fine Gael colleagues for their support, and stressed that the criminal justice system is there to help victims. The TD's remarks were made outside the court on the day of the sentencing.
Gerard Culhane, 43, pleaded guilty to harassing Fine Gael TD Jennifer Carroll MacNeill with 13 messages, including three sexually explicit videos, between 13 January and 26 March 2020. The court found the harassment particularly disturbing because it occurred during the general election campaign when the TD was meeting the public. Judge Patricia Ryan imposed a one‑year custodial sentence suspended for 12 months on strict conditions and ordered Culhane to have no contact with the TD in person, by social media or through a third party for five years. He was also directed to stay away from the TD's workplace at Leinster House, her constituency offices and her residence. The sentence reflected mitigating factors such as the guilty plea, lack of prior convictions and cooperation with Gardaí, while aggravating factors included the volume of messages and the impact on the TD's safety and election activities.
Lee McMullen, aged 22, pleaded guilty on 31 July 2019 to two counts of endangerment and two counts of dangerous driving after driving a car on the wrong side of a motorway at high speed with its lights off. The incident, which lasted eight to ten minutes, involved McMullen driving at speeds up to 160 km/h, crossing road dividers, and continuing onto the motorway in the outbound lane. Garda Michael Martin chased the vehicle, which eventually broke violently at the Leixlip junction and was abandoned. McMullen was apprehended nearby; passengers were later found in a taxi. Judge Martin Nolan imposed a sentence of 21 months for the endangerment count, with the remaining two years and three months suspended on strict conditions. The sentence reflects McMullen's eight prior convictions and the serious nature of the offence.
Mantas Sankalas, aged 33, was jailed for 16 months after stealing more than €10,000 worth of designer clothes from Deja Vu, a Dublin shop. He was arrested days after the burglary when Gardaí stopped him cycling the wrong way on a one-way street. Sankalas was found carrying two designer bags, one containing items stolen from the shop, with a total value of €10,807. He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to the burglary that occurred between 8 and 13 September 2018. Judge Melanie Greally noted the crime was opportunistic and that Sankalas had originally intended to seek shelter for the night. She sentenced him to 24 months imprisonment, suspending the final eight months on the condition that he engage with drug treatment programmes and keep the peace for eight months after release. The burglary caused the owner to close the business. The case also involved a second person, as DNA evidence suggested.
Niall Smyth, aged 30, was sentenced to 240 hours of community service for his role in a 2019 incident of "wanton thuggery" in Tallaght. He was one of six men who entered a garden on Dromcarra Avenue, smashed the windows of a Mini car parked in the driveway, and then smashed the downstairs window of a house. Smyth was the only member whose face was visible on CCTV, which identified him. He pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal damage. The incident stemmed from an altercation between Smyth's family and another family. The victims did not cooperate with Gardaí and did not give a victim impact statement. Smyth had no prior convictions except two old road traffic offences in 2011, and he was described as extremely remorseful. Judge Melanie Greally noted his lack of previous convictions, his work ethic, and employment history before ordering the community service.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 20 October 2022, Judge Martin Nolan sentenced 26‑year‑old Martin Collins to a 21‑month prison term suspended on strict conditions after Collins pleaded guilty to assault causing harm for punching a Tesco security guard in Santry on 5 July 2019. Collins entered the store with his partner, bought groceries and cigarettes but did not pay for the groceries. When a security guard asked him to pay, Collins, who identified himself as a boxer, punched the guard in the face. The guard fell, sustained a swollen right eye and thumb injury, and was later assisted by other guards. CCTV showed Collins raised his fist and threw three punches, two of which connected. Collins attempted a third blow but was blocked.
A Special Criminal Court in Dublin heard evidence on 20 October 2022 regarding three AK-47 assault rifles recovered in County Meath approximately one month after David Byrne was fatally shot at the Regency Hotel in Dublin on 5 February 2016. Inspector Padraig Boyce testified that a vehicle was intercepted near Slane on 9 March 2016 and the weapons were discovered in its boot, wrapped in a rug and white shirts. Ballistics evidence later matched cartridge cases recovered from the Regency Hotel to the seized rifles. The trial concerns Gerard Hutch, aged 59, from Clontarf, Dublin, who denies murdering Mr Byrne during a boxing weigh-in. Two co-accused, Paul Murphy and Jason Bonney, deny participating in or contributing to the murder by providing vehicle access. Detective gardaí provided CCTV evidence tracing movements of vehicles on the day of the incident. The trial, presided over by Ms Justice Tara Burns with two other judges, is expected to continue for approximately 12 weeks. Paul Murphy pleaded not guilty. Jason Bonney pleaded not guilty.
John Kane, a 52‑year‑old former administrator for a family‑owned heating and plumbing business, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for stealing nearly €180,000 from his employer, Gerard Fox. Between 10 April 2017 and 4 June 2019, Kane stole amounts ranging from a few hundred euros to over €3,000 on 18 occasions, with the indictment comprising 66 theft charges and a total taken of €176,914. He admitted to spending up to €1,300 a day on gambling, claiming VIP treatment from bookies. During an audit in 2019, missing funds were discovered, and further investigation revealed that Kane had increased his own wages, paid himself twice weekly, under‑declared for tax, and made unauthorized payments, including €4,000 holiday pay. He had 37 prior convictions, including a 2012 three‑year sentence for similar thefts. John Kane pleaded guilty.
A 48‑year‑old man was sentenced to eight years in prison for raping his partner's seven‑year‑old son in the shower between 1 May and 30 September 2016. The court found him guilty of one count of rape and one count of sexual assault. The boy was showering when the man entered, claiming his mother had told him to shower with him, and then sexually assaulted and raped him. The man had been in a relationship with the boy's mother and sometimes stayed overnight. The offence was discovered when the boy, then ten, told his teacher he had been abused; the teacher and school leadership were praised for listening. The judge noted the man's position of trust and the boy's vulnerability, and imposed the eight‑year sentence for rape and a concurrent three‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence for assault. The judge also ordered two years of post‑release supervision and prohibited contact with the victim.
In a Central Criminal Court sentencing hearing, Loretta Power, mother of the 25‑year‑old victim, expressed that her son Jack Power's death has left her "tortured" and that the family endures a "life sentence" daily. Jack was stabbed to death on 26 July 2018 after breaking into Dean Kerrie's home in Dunmore East, Waterford. Kerrie, 21, was tried twice for the murder; the first trial ended with a jury verdict of manslaughter, the second with a conviction for manslaughter. The prosecution described a scuffle in the bedroom, with Kerrie allegedly stabbing Jack once in the chest after Jack had attacked Kerrie's mother. Kerrie's defence argued the act was a single defensive movement. The court has adjourned sentencing to 26 October 2022, with the possibility of a suspended portion of the sentence pending probation conditions. The maximum sentence for manslaughter is life imprisonment.
The Special Criminal Court heard evidence in the trial of Gerard 'The Monk' Hutch, 59, who denies the murder of David Byrne at the Regency Hotel on February 5, 2016. Co-accused Paul Murphy, 59, and Jason Bonney, 50, also pleaded not guilty to charges of participating in or contributing to the murder by providing access to motor vehicles. Witness Colin O'Riordan testified that he feared for his life when gunmen dressed as Emergency Response Unit members walked past him. He reported hearing approximately 12 shots and seeing individuals with weapons. Another witness, Ernie Leslie, described seeing a machine gun in a van. James McGettigan, the hotel director, stated masked individuals entered the bar aggressively. Retired Deputy State Pathologist Dr Michael Curtis confirmed Byrne died from six high-velocity gunshots. CCTV footage showed the shooting and the suspects' escape. Patrick Dowdall, 65, who pleaded guilty to facilitating the gang by making a hotel room available, was sentenced to two years imprisonment. The trial continues with further evidence expected.
In a court hearing on 18 October 2022, the judge considered the case of Myles Howe, aged 49, who on 22 August 2020 broke into the Garda roads policing office at Dublin Castle through an emergency exit. Howe stole handcuffs, a radio, pepper spray and items of Garda uniform. CCTV footage later showed him attempting to conceal the stolen items in grass and a bin, after which the radio and handcuffs were recovered by Gardaí. The stolen uniform items were found at Howe's home in Dublin 8. Howe pleaded guilty to trespass and theft at Dublin Castle and also pleaded guilty to a burglary of a flat on Dawson Street in October 2021. He had previously been convicted of burglary, theft, assault and criminal damage. The case was initially before Dublin District Court, where the Director of Public Prosecutions had consented to summary disposal, but Judge Brian O'Shea refused jurisdiction and referred it to the Circuit Court.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 18 October 2022, Christopher Carthy, aged 25, pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a young woman who was unconscious near a LUAS stop on 1 April 2021. The victim, a vulnerable person in her 20s, had been drinking since about 10 am and was taken home by friends. She later told Gardaí she remembered nothing between sitting at the LUAS stop and speaking to a female Garda. A witness saw Carthy approaching her, speaking to her, and later returning to find him on top of her, touching her groin. Gardaí dragged Carthy away. Carthy claimed he was so drunk he was oblivious to his behaviour. The court found his actions "gravely reprehensible" and sentenced him to four years' imprisonment, noting he had no prior convictions for sexual violence and was unlikely to reoffend. The victim's impact statement described feeling down and struggling to sleep, blaming herself for the assault.
The Special Criminal Court heard the opening of the trial of Gerry Hutch, 59, Paul Murphy, 59, and Jason Bonney, 50, who were arraigned today. Hutch pleaded not guilty to the alleged murder of Kinahan gang member David Byrne, 33, during a boxing weigh-in at the Regency Hotel in Dublin 9 on February 5, 2016. Murphy and Bonney also pleaded not guilty to charges of facilitating a serious offence by providing access to motor vehicles to a criminal organisation. Prosecution counsel Sean Gillane SC alleged that Hutch told former Sinn Fein councillor Jonathan Dowdall he was "one of the team" responsible for the killing. The state contends the attack was "performative, targeted," and "macabre," involving men disguised as gardaí. Evidence includes a recorded conversation where Hutch discussed the incident and the Kinahan feud. While Patrick Dowdall and Jonathan Dowdall are not defendants in this specific trial, the report notes that both Dowdalls admitted to making a room available at the Regency Hotel on February 4, 2016, to facilitate the offence. The trial is underway before a non-jury court, with significant security presence at the Criminal Courts of Justice.
Shane McDonnell damaged a glass panel on a front door belonging to John Kearns at a christening party on October 17, 2021, when he had consumed too much alcohol. The defendant paid compensation of €500 into court for the €200 damage, with total payments reaching €750. Judge Sandra Murphy convicted him and applied a conditional discharge with a 12-month good behaviour bond.
Niall McCarthy, aged 43, was sentenced to three years in prison for possessing €379,400, the proceeds of a drug gang's crime. He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 24 May 2021. McCarthy admitted a cocaine addiction and a €25,000 drug debt. He had no prior convictions. The court noted that he had packaged, stored and handed the money to a co‑accused, Derek Murray, who was also jailed for three years. Judge Martin Nolan highlighted the seriousness of handling such a large sum and praised McCarthy's cooperation, lack of prior convictions, work history and community contributions as mitigating factors. Garda investigations recovered the cash from a van and from McCarthy's home, where items used for packaging were found. The sentence reflects the court's view that McCarthy was a useful intermediary for the gang's financial operations.
A man from Cavan has been sentenced to two years in prison at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for possessing 117 stolen bicycles valued at approximately €50,000. Dinas Bimbiras, aged 47, of Maple Drive, Drumgola Wood, Cavan, pleaded guilty to possession of 116 bicycles found in a container at an allotment in south County Dublin in December 2019, and one bicycle discovered at his home in May 2020. Bimbiras claimed he had purchased the bicycles at Dublin markets to establish a business repairing and reselling them. Gardaí recovered 34 bicycles and returned them to owners following a media campaign; the remaining bicycles were sold at auction. Judge Martin Nolan described the defendant's recklessness in acquiring the bicycles as demonstrating "almost wilful blindness" and noted that handlers of stolen property must be deterred. Despite acknowledging Bimbiras's cooperation, work history, and family circumstances, the judge imposed the custodial sentence.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, a man was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment for raping his ex‑partner after threatening to cut her fingers with garden secateurs. The victim, a Cork woman, had endured an 18‑year toxic relationship for her children's sake. On 2 August 2019, the man showed her the secateurs, threatened to sever her fingers, forced her into the bedroom, and demanded oral and vaginal sex. He raped her again until a child returned home. The woman fled, staying in hotels and with friends before securing rental accommodation. The man later returned, brandishing a modified nail file he claimed was a knife, and threatened her again. The judge noted the crime's severity, imposed a headline sentence of ten years for the rape, and added concurrent sentences totalling nine years for related offences, with a consecutive three‑year term and a two‑year suspension for interference with a witness. The unnamed accused pleaded guilty.
Donal Kelly, 60, was sentenced to 18 months in jail, with the final six months suspended, for possessing 120 videos and 303 images of child sexual abuse. The court heard that Kelly claimed the material showed a "loving interaction" between children and abusers, a claim met with disbelief by Judge Elma Sheahan. She noted the material's depravity, describing it as grotesque and offensive, and highlighted aggravating factors such as a video of an abused infant being force‑fed urine. Kelly admitted guilt, cooperated with Gardaí, and has begun therapy. He lost his taxi licence, will be placed on the sex offender register, and has no prior convictions. The sentencing reflected the seriousness of the offences and the court's view of Kelly's limited insight into his wrongdoing. Donal Kelly pleaded guilty.
A former schools rugby player, Buti Sashi, aged 26, was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment for a series of violent attacks on transgender sex workers in Dublin. On 26 May 2017 he entered the victim's city‑centre apartment armed with a large knife, struck her face and body, cut her, demanded sex, sexually assaulted her and stole her mobile phone and laptop. The victim suffered a fractured jaw and an eye socket injury. A month later, on 28 June, Sashi and another man broke into the flat of a second transgender sex worker, beat her, stole two mobile phones and attacked a house‑mate, breaking his jaw and cutting him twice, taking his phone, laptop and €300. Sashi pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery, two of assault causing harm, one of sexual assault and one of weapon production. He was found to have a history of violent offences, including a 2014 robbery of a taxi driver.
A 21-year-old student from Dublin has received a suspended sentence after pleading guilty to handling criminal proceeds and money laundering offences. Michael Fakinle, with an address in Rathfarnham, allowed his Bank of Ireland account to be used by unknown individuals operating a fraud scheme targeting multiple victims across Ireland. Between 2020 and 2021, the account received funds obtained through email hacking, including a retirement fund of €71,892.41 belonging to a recently retired woman in the southwest, which was recovered before being removed. Other victims, including business owners in Donegal, Cork, and the midlands, lost sums ranging from €1,100 to €5,000 that were never recovered. At Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Pauline Codd imposed concurrent sentences totalling three and a half years, suspended for four years on strict conditions. She noted Fakinle operated at a low level within the conspiracy but acknowledged his recklessness in engaging with criminal associates. The court ordered €1,000 compensation be distributed among injured parties.
A 30-year-old man from Donegal has been sentenced to five years imprisonment, with the final 18 months suspended, for the rape and sexual abuse of his niece when he was a teenager. The man pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to two counts of oral rape and five counts of sexual assault of a child between January 2005 and January 2009. He was aged between 12 and 16 when committing the offences. Justice Karen O'Connor found the abuse had a considerable and continuous impact on the victim and noted the defendant's attempts to normalise the conduct by describing it as a boyfriend and girlfriend relationship. In mitigation, the judge considered that he was a minor at the time, had fully accepted the victim's account, and demonstrated remorse. The suspended portion is conditional on supervision by the Probation Service for two years post-release and participation in sex offender programmes. The victim, now in her twenties and living abroad, did not attend sentencing.
A father of five was jailed for four years after a jury found him guilty of two counts of child cruelty for attacking his partner's toddler, who was left with extensive bruising and required two days of hospital treatment. The toddler, aged two and a half at the time, suffered injuries to his face, ears, back, buttocks, thighs and genital area, and was described by his grandmother as looking like a child from an ISPCC ad. The man, who had 43 prior convictions including assault, was seen threatening the child on four occasions. He maintains his innocence. The mother, aged 21 when the assault occurred, received a three‑year suspended sentence in 2020 for allowing the abuse. The judge noted the child's vulnerability and the man's criminal record, and gave credit for time already served. The sentence runs concurrently on both counts.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, Patrick Dunne, aged 29 and autistic, admitted killing his mother Susan Dunne, 62, with a hatchet, inflicting five fatal blows to her head while she lay in bed. The prosecution and defence psychiatrists agreed he was insane as defined by law at the time of the murder. The trial, described as unusual, will focus on evidence of the assault, the hatchet found in the kitchen with Dunne's DNA, and the circumstances leading to the killing. The case also involves testimony about Dunne's routine of collecting her son's disability allowance and his unaccompanied driving. The jury will consider whether Dunne was not guilty by reason of insanity based on the psychiatric assessments. The trial will resume on Tuesday before Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring and a jury of five men and seven women.
A Dublin man, James O'Beirne, aged 32, was sentenced to 33 months in prison for possession of drugs worth €125,211. Garda Kieran O'Neill presented evidence that a search warrant was executed on a Clondalkin property on 15 February 2021. Gardai found O'Beirne and a woman sleeping on the couch, a bag of white powder on the coffee table, a shopping bag containing a block of brown powder, two plastic tubs of white powder and four weighing scales. The drugs were identified as cocaine, heroin and morphine. O'Beirne, who had eight prior convictions, claimed he was holding the drugs to pay a debt and was unaware of the heroin or its value. He admitted responsibility, cited chronic kidney disease, anxiety and depression, and noted he was a father of two. The court heard he was now drug‑free, had completed a treatment programme, and was undertaking education and training as a trainee support worker for troubled youths. The unnamed accused pleaded guilty.
Graham Keating, 23, pleaded guilty to affray after a fight that spilled into the lobby of the Clayton Hotel, Santry, on 1 January 2020. He was sentenced to nine months' imprisonment by Judge Martin Nolan, who noted Keating's history of 18 prior convictions, mainly for minor public‑order offences, and his severe difficulty with alcohol. Garda Jessica Hardington reported that Keating moved from a bus shelter outside the hotel toward a group of four men, then followed them, pushing, shoving and punching. The altercation escalated to eight men, and Keating entered the crowded lobby, where he shouted threats and attempted to grab a stick. He fled before Gardaí arrived, was arrested, and admitted to being intoxicated. Keating claimed he had gone to the hotel for safety and was remorseful, with his defence citing intoxication as a mitigating factor. The sentence reflects the seriousness of the offence and Keating's prior record.
Noel Colvin, 45, a homeless man, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm and production of an article at Harbour Court, Dublin, on 14 August 2020. He attacked a homeless woman, Natasha Smith, who was standing on a lane‑way off Lower Abbey Street. Colvin approached her, offered cider, then, after she asked him to step back, pulled out a blade and cut her face. She was taken to hospital and received 20 stitches, leaving considerable scarring. Colvin had a history of assault convictions and was suffering from an alcohol addiction. He apologized and a letter of apology was submitted to the court. Judge Martin Nolan sentenced him to three years' imprisonment for the assault, taking the production of an article into account. The sentence was imposed at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The case remains at the sentencing stage.
The High Court granted the Criminal Assets Bureau a Section 3 order to seize a five‑bedroom luxury mansion in Saggart, west Dublin, which the court deemed to be proceeds of crime linked to cartel boss Daniel Kinahan, 45. The property, valued at €750,000 in 2013 and likely worth more now, was described as "effectively owned" by Kinahan. In an affidavit, Detective Chief Superintendent Seamus Boland alleged that Kinahan sanctioned several murders in the Hutch/Kinahan feud and was involved in drug trafficking, weapons importation and money laundering. CAB presented evidence that Kinahan had lived in the house, including a passport and a Ryanair boarding pass in his name, and that €3,850 in cash was found in a hidden compartment. The court was satisfied that Kinahan and Thomas "Bomber" Kavanagh were in control of the property and the cash, that they had been duly served, and that no evidence of a contrary claim was presented.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court sentenced Patrick Lawlor (56) and Ross Hanway (32) for their roles in an organised crime gang's money laundering operation. Both pleaded guilty to possessing €412,000 in proceeds of crime on May 26, 2020. Lawlor, of Collins Avenue West, also pleaded guilty to possessing €477,370 in cash, foreign currency, and an encrypted mobile phone. Hanway, of Ashbourne, Co Meath, was found to have acted as a courier. Judge Melanie Greally imposed a sentence of eight years on Lawlor, with the final 12 months suspended on strict conditions. Hanway received a four-year sentence, with the final two years suspended on strict conditions. The court noted the gang had an income of nearly €12 million in 2019. Ian Lawlor (24), also of Collins Avenue West, pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine, ketamine, MDMA, and €12,000 in cash found in his bedroom. Judge Greally stated his offending was a separate enterprise. He was sentenced to three years, with the final 12 months suspended on strict conditions. All three defendants had no previous convictions and entered early guilty pleas.
Patryk Kazimianiec, 40, was found with €43,390 worth of drugs and €33,265 in cash in his Dublin home. Gardaí seized cannabis, amphetamines and MDMA tablets during a search authorised by a warrant. He pleaded guilty to possession for sale or supply and money laundering on 22 June 2021. Judge Martin Nolan, noting Kazimianiec's intent to sell and the profit indicated by the cash, described him as "into drug dealing in a pretty serious way" and sentenced him to four and a half years' imprisonment. The judge highlighted Kazimianiec's remorse letter and his wife's supportive letter, and noted his good character and family devotion, but concluded that owning and dealing the drugs warranted a harsher sentence than mere transport. The case was heard in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
George Finglas, 46, of North Circular Road, Dublin, was sentenced to nine years' imprisonment for transporting over €2.5 million worth of cannabis. On 2 February 2021, Revenue officials and a sniffer dog discovered two pallets of cannabis herb, concealed under portable gas heaters, at Dublin Port. Gardai set up a surveillance operation and carried out a controlled delivery to an industrial estate in west Dublin. Finglas, acting as a transporter, was directed by an unidentified "Suspect B" to unload the pallets into a rented van. He later drove the van to a commercial premises in Baldongan, Lusk, where he was arrested. Mobile phones recovered from the van contained encrypted messages referencing the drugs and payments. Finglas admitted moving the drugs under direction, citing a €25 000 gambling debt and fear of creditors. He had previously pleaded guilty to possession for sale or supply of drugs and had earlier suspended sentences for assault and a drunk‑driving conviction.
Sean Keyes, a 34‑year‑old Paddy Power employee, stole €67,554 from the company after discovering a glitch in its gambling machines. He pleaded guilty to six counts of theft and six counts of producing a false instrument at various Paddy Power stores in Dublin between October 2019 and March 2020. Keyes admitted the theft to his employer and to Gardaí, and he immediately gambled the stolen money back into the company, so Paddy Power did not suffer a financial loss. The court noted that Keyes had a gambling addiction that began at age 14 and that he had taken out high‑interest loans to try to pay them off. He was a father of three, played soccer at a high level, and had a consistent employment history. Judge Martin Nolan sentenced him to two and a half years, suspended on a number of conditions, citing the unique fact that the company did not lose any money.
John Hanley, a 45‑year‑old tile shop co‑owner in Coolock, was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to knowingly permitting the importation of drugs. On 10 October 2020 a pallet containing €1.94 million worth of cannabis was delivered to his shop on Malahide Road and signed for by a shop worker. Gardaí raided the premises and seized the drugs. Hanley told the court that he had accepted the delivery because he believed he was targeted due to his legitimate business and that he did so out of fear for his safety and that of his family. He claimed no other shop staff were aware of the drugs and that he had been threatened by individuals to hold them. Hanley had two prior convictions for minor offences.
Donal Carroll, aged 43, was convicted of possessing and distributing extreme child abuse material. He was found with nearly 1,500 images and videos, including a disturbing video that appeared to show a mother and child being raped and murdered, though the exact content of that video was not confirmed. Carroll pleaded guilty to one count of possession and two counts of distribution. He had no prior convictions. The material was discovered after a 2016 online activity alert by Norwegian authorities, leading to a search of his home and seizure of his laptop, which was analyzed in 2019. Carroll shared 11 images with a Norwegian contact. He has admitted to mental health issues and past suicide attempts. Judge Martin Nolan, considering the delayed seizure and distribution, imposed a one‑year custodial sentence.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Jake Merriman, aged 31, was sentenced to 20 months in prison for endangering a garda during an anti‑lockdown protest on Grafton Street on 27 February 2021. Merriman threw a firework, which was lit by a juvenile, into the crowd, perforating Garda Mark Walsh's right eardrum. He also punched a garda in the face and kicked another in the testicles. The court noted Merriman's violent conduct and his admission that he had been drinking the night before and intended only to cause a disturbance. Judge Martin Nolan imposed a custodial sentence, acknowledging Merriman's remorse and his payment of €10,000 as a token of regret. The garda's hearing has since recovered, though he suffered temporary loss of hearing. The case highlighted the serious impact of Merriman's actions on the garda and the protest environment.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 11 October 2022, taxi driver Dermott Reynolds, aged 51, was sentenced to an 18‑month suspended term for deliberately colliding with a cyclist on North Strand Road on 20 September 2018. Reynolds admitted to one count of endangerment and had two prior minor traffic convictions. Video evidence showed him accelerating and veering into the cyclist's path twice, causing the cyclist to fall heavily. The cyclist, who was on his way to work just after 6 am, managed to brake and later confronted Reynolds, who claimed the incident was accidental. The judge, citing mitigating circumstances such as the driver's recent bereavement and caring responsibilities, imposed the suspended sentence and ordered Reynolds to pay €2,000 to the victim within six months, or to a charity if the victim declined the payment. No custodial term was imposed. The case remains at the sentencing stage. Dermott Reynolds pleaded guilty.
Marcus Wynne, 41, principal of Grace Park Educate Together National School in Drumcondra, was found guilty of stealing €44,370 from the school between August 2016 and January 2019. He used the school bank card to withdraw cash and purchase items such as groceries, fuel, hotels, jewellery, clothing, taxis, holidays and restaurants, and forged invoices to cover the missing money. He pleaded guilty to nine counts of theft and eight counts of producing a false instrument. Judge Martin Nolan sentenced him to a suspended three‑year term, ordering him to repay €30,000 immediately and to save the remaining €14,370 over two years. The court noted his addiction problems and that he had no prior convictions. He has since worked in a factory and is likely to be struck off the teachers' register.