At Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Ross Hanway and Patrick Lawlor pleaded guilty to possessing €412,000 on May 26, 2020, which was alleged to be the proceeds of crime. Detective Garda Ronan Dillon testified that ledgers seized from an international crime gang showed the group generated over €12 million in 2019 and paid Hanway an average of €4,000 monthly to move cash. Gardaí arrested both men after observing Lawlor enter a taxi driven by Hanway; the rucksack contained the seized cash. Lawlor, who also faces a separate drug possession charge, is scheduled for sentencing on May 9. Judge Melanie Greally adjourned Hanway's sentencing to October 6 and ordered a probation report. Defence counsel highlighted Hanway's lack of prior convictions, his subsequent departure from the taxi trade, and his current drug-free status. The court noted that Hanway's involvement was limited to money-laundering, distinct from the gang's drug operations. The matter was adjourned, and no final sentence was imposed at this stage.
Elaine Kelly, 49, of Donaghmede, pleaded guilty to driving away from an armed robbery at an off‑licence in Kilbarrack on 22 October 2018. The court heard she was a vulnerable woman struggling with drug addiction and that she drove the getaway vehicle after the raider abandoned a bicycle. Dashcam footage showed the raider and Kelly exiting a blue car that was later seen pulling into a driveway. Kelly had 13 prior convictions but had not been in contact with the Gardaí since the 2018 offence. Judge Martin Nolan suspended a two‑year prison term on the condition that Kelly keeps the peace and behaves well for two years. The judge noted that Kelly was in fear of the robber, who is serving a separate 14‑year sentence. The sentence was imposed without a custodial term.
Anthony Gannon, 34, of Huntstown Rise, Mulhuddart, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for assaulting Maria Lee O'Farrell. Gannon pleaded guilty to the charge of assaulting Ms Lee O'Farrell, causing her harm, at Aldi in Mulhuddart Village, Dublin, on February 14, 2017. The incident involved Gannon attempting to hijack Ms Lee O'Farrell's vehicle while her five-week-old son was inside. Judge Melanie Greally noted that Gannon's actions were driven by psychosis induced by drug consumption, acknowledging his history of mental health difficulties and substance addiction. Despite these mitigating factors, the judge emphasized the severity of the threat to the victim and her child. Gannon, who has 23 previous convictions, was sentenced to three years in prison. The final six months of this sentence were suspended on strict conditions, requiring him to engage with the Probation Service for 12 months upon release. The court accepted that Gannon has since made efforts to address his addiction and engage with psychiatric assessments, describing him as currently stable. The victim suffered physical injuries and ongoing anxiety as a result of the attack.
Two US army veterans, Ken Mayers (85) and Tarak Kauff (80), were fined €5,000 each after a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court jury found them guilty of interfering with the operation, safety or management of Shannon Airport. The men, who had cut a hole in the airport's perimeter fence with bolt cutters on St. Patrick's Day 2019, entered the runway area, causing the airport to close for about 40 minutes and delaying flights. They were acquitted of criminal damage to the fence and of trespassing with intent to commit an offence. The court noted their age, cooperation, lack of prior convictions and that they had already spent 13 days in Limerick prison. The fine was imposed as the penalty for the interference charge, with the men required to lodge an additional €2,500 each as a condition of bail. The case highlighted the men's anti‑war activism and their belief that their actions were justified to protect lives. Ken Mayers pleaded not guilty. Tarak Kauff pleaded not guilty.
Martin Cunningham, 27, struck Kenneth Fitzsimons, 41, with a machete during a gang feud near Finglas Garda Station. Fitzsimons suffered severe injuries, including exposed ribs and required four litres of blood. Cunningham had previously been charged with attempted murder but the DPP dropped that charge after he pleaded guilty to assault causing harm and producing a machete. Fitzsimons, who had a five‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence for firearm possession, declined to testify at trial, citing drug‑related memory loss. Cunningham, who has prior convictions for driving offences and drug possession, was fined for driving while on remand and had been convicted of assault and threats while in custody. The Central Criminal Court heard that the assault was Cunningham's reaction to attacks on his home, including a firearm discharge, and that he accepted responsibility for his actions. The court will sentence him next Monday.
Dean Boland, 33, pleaded guilty to attempted robbery at a Centra shop in Santry on 7 November 2021. He entered the shop with another man, demanded cash from staff, but the staff refused and a supervisor told them to leave. Boland then removed his mask, took a bottle of Lucozade, and waited for Gardaí. When asked why he had committed the robbery, he replied, "So I could go into custody," and added that he feared for his life. He has a history of chronic drug use and 30 prior convictions. The judge described the incident as "somewhat bizarre" and noted that Boland had removed his mask in front of CCTV. He was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, backdated to his November 2021 arrest. The judge urged that medical help could be sought through other means such as a doctor.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Suzanne Shannon, aged 37, pleaded guilty to possessing €69,608 worth of heroin at her Avondale House home on North Cumberland Street. She admitted warehousing the drug for Darren Nolan, 50, who was also found guilty of possession for sale or supply at his Lower Oriel Street address. Garda surveillance and an armed support unit raid on 23 June 2017 uncovered cash, heroin wrapped in socks, and other evidence at both locations. Shannon, with 46 prior convictions mainly for theft, claimed her involvement was at Nolan's behest and that she had been given small amounts of heroin for personal use. She has a daughter and two sons, one of whom wrote a letter to the court. The judge adjourned her sentencing to 25 July, with a request for remand to assess her drug use and a probation report.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, 37‑year‑old Owen Dempsey, a homeless man, pleaded guilty to four counts of assault, possession of a knife and threatening to kill. The offences stem from three separate incidents on 28 August 2020. Garda Orla Cashell, patrolling Talbot Street, was alerted to a knife‑wielding man threatening staff at Isaacs Hostel. She confronted Dempsey, who refused to drop the knife and fled. After a chase, she successfully pepper‑sprayed him, subdued him, and arrested him. Earlier that day, Dempsey had entered the hostel, demanded a single room, and when denied, struck staff member Paul Fermoyle, kicked at a door and window, and threatened to kill them. He returned with a blue‑handled knife. CCTV captured the incidents. Dempsey was taken to Store Street Station, decontaminated, and examined by a doctor.
A Polish man has been sentenced to four years' imprisonment at the Central Criminal Court after pleading guilty to rape. Rafal Stojanowski, aged 36, admitted raping a woman on 27 October 2018 at a house in County Monaghan where he was staying during a visit to Ireland for a birthday celebration. He pleaded guilty on the basis that he was reckless as to whether the woman consented. The victim stated she had fallen asleep and awoke to find him sexually assaulting her. She told him to stop and attempted to resist, but he did not cease until he ejaculated. Mr Justice Paul McDermott imposed the sentence, backdating it by 12 months to account for time already spent in custody. The judge acknowledged the significant impact on the victim and considered mitigating factors including Stojanowski's guilty plea, expression of remorse, absence of prior convictions, and low assessed risk of reoffending. The court heard evidence that no violence or threats were employed during the offence.
A man has been convicted and sentenced at the Central Criminal Court for the rape of a teenage girl at a rural gathering in County Leitrim in July 2020. The 27-year-old, whose identity is protected to safeguard the victim, was found guilty by jury verdict following trial in February 2022 of rape and oral rape charges dating to between 11 and 12 July 2020. He had pleaded not guilty to both counts. The court heard the girl, then 16 years old, was asleep in a tent when the accused carried her to another location where the offences occurred. She was examined at a sexual assault treatment unit and found to have extensive injuries. Mr Justice Michael MacGrath imposed a sentence of six and a half years, with the final fifteen months suspended on conditions including that the accused have no contact with the victim through any means.
At the Special Criminal Court, the State applied for the forfeiture of a 2018 Mercedes S-Class registered to Thomas Rooney (52), a Betaghstown resident described as a mid-to-high level gang member. Rooney pleaded guilty in July 2023 to possessing €289,770 and £65,000 in crime cash at a Drogheda car park, along with two further charges involving €254,840 and €7,650, all under the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing) Act 2010. He was sentenced to six years' imprisonment in January 2024. His then-partner, Catherine Dawson (44), received a fully suspended sentence of three years and nine months in May 2023 for her role in moving the gang's money, suspended on condition of good behaviour for five years. The State argued the vehicle, held by Rooney's company EBT Executive Travel Ltd, was integral to the offence, citing texts sent from a phone plugged into the car to coordinate the transfer of cash. Defence counsel John D Fitzgerald SC argued the car was used for legitimate business and that forfeiture would cause undue hardship. Presiding judge Mr Justice Hunt remarked that Rooney would have been better off with a cheaper vehicle. The matter was adjourned to June 2 for a decision on the forfeiture.
Christopher Moran, 52, was sentenced at the Central Criminal Court for impeding the apprehension of an offender in connection with the 2019 murder of Wayne Whelan. Moran pleaded guilty to acting as a getaway driver, a charge proven by the court. Mr Justice David Keane described the killing as a "cold-blooded assassination" and noted that Moran's actions successfully impeded the prosecution of the shooter, as no one has yet been convicted of the murder. The judge set a headline sentence of eight years, reduced to six years due to Moran's guilty plea, cooperation with gardai, and lack of recent convictions. The final 18 months of the sentence were suspended for three years. The sentence was backdated to December 12, 2019. Moran's co-accused, Anthony Casserly, 25, previously pleaded guilty to participating in or contributing to the murder. Last January, Casserly was sentenced to nine years in prison with the final two years suspended. Both defendants had initially pleaded not guilty to murder before the jury was discharged and lesser pleas were accepted by the DPP.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, 23‑year‑old Denis Condron pleaded guilty to harassing his former girlfriend, Elva Duffy, between December 2019 and March 2020. Condron, who had been dating Duffy for several months, claimed that a car crash had altered his personality, making him paranoid, obsessive and possessive. He allegedly called her up to 15 times a day, demanded photographs to prove her identity, video‑called her while she slept, and threatened to kill himself and to send intimate photographs to her parents. After the relationship ended, he continued to contact her, sometimes following her to public places and her college. Judge Martin Nolan found the cumulative behaviour amounted to harassment, imposed a two‑year sentence suspended in full for two years, and ordered Condron no contact with Duffy for 30 years. No custodial sentence was imposed. The court noted that the harassment lasted three months and that both parties had since gone their separate ways.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Alan Joyce, aged 27, was sentenced to two and a half years' imprisonment for an unprovoked assault on a woman outside St Patrick's Mental Health Hospital. Joyce approached the victim on Stephen's Lane, Kilmainham, demanding she be his girlfriend, forcibly embraced her, and after she refused, knocked her to the ground, exposing her breasts. He attempted to mount her, she resisted, kicked him, and shouted for help. Joyce fled, calling her a prostitute and a whore. The victim sustained minor cuts to her breasts, forehead and wrist. Joyce pleaded guilty to assault causing harm, had ten prior convictions, and had been remanded in custody since a bench warrant was executed. The judge described the attack as insidious and unprovoked, noting Joyce's intoxication but rejecting it as an excuse. The sentence was back‑dated to his January custody entry.
In 2022, the Central Criminal Court sentenced Ian Ryan to three years' imprisonment for raping a 13‑year‑old girl in 1986. The case was brought to court after a 2021 anonymous letter prompted a Garda investigation. Ryan, then 18, had begun a relationship with the girl, who was 13, after meeting her at a disco in a rugby club. The court heard that the couple met at the victim's family home while her parents were away, and that Ryan asked her to use a condom, which she declined. He then forced sexual intercourse, which she described as painful and non‑consensual. The victim later became pregnant in December 1986. Ryan pleaded guilty in December 2021 to a separate rape charge. The judge, citing Ryan's age and background, imposed a four‑year sentence with the final year suspended, requiring participation in alcohol and violence‑prevention programmes and no contact with the victim. The victim, aged 50, waived her anonymity.
Jack Murphy, aged 23, was sentenced to five years in prison after a series of violent offences. On 11 April 2021, while at his partner's home, he became agitated during a playdate, shouted at a child, and assaulted the mother, who was pregnant. He threatened to "kick that baby out of you" and later called her twice, threatening her and her child. Murphy also assaulted the mother's partner with a metal pole. Two days after his release from prison, he robbed an Iceland supermarket in Coolock, shouting at the till and taking money, and then robbed a Tesco in Artane, taking vodka bottles and leaving without paying. He pleaded guilty to robbery, theft, assault and a threat to kill.
Kevin Brazil, aged 52, was sentenced by the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to five and a half years' imprisonment for sexual assault and related offences committed between January 2019 and August 2020. The court found that Brazil had driven a 13‑year‑old boy in his car, given the boy money, cigarettes and alcohol, and on occasions invited him to stay at his home. Brazil also pleaded guilty to communicating by technology with a child to facilitate sexual exploitation. The judge re‑activated two years of a previously suspended three‑year term and imposed a consecutive term of three and a half years, making the total term five and a half years. Brazil is currently serving a term that is due to expire on 24 November. The case was brought by the prosecution after Garda investigations revealed Brazil's extensive history of child sexual assault, including 33 prior convictions. The judge praised the Gardaí for their work in apprehending Brazil.
Rebecca Mukoko, a 21‑year‑old nursing student, was charged with one count of money laundering for acting as a money mule in a fraud that cost an international energy company €6,541. She supplied her bank card, PIN and online banking details to a "friend of a friend," who used her account to transfer the money. Mukoko claimed she was pressured and received no financial benefit. She had no prior convictions. Judge Martin Nolan accepted her "bad error of judgment," noted her good future prospects, and, after a six‑month period of good behaviour, discharged her from the indictment, imposing a €400 fine. The judge warned that similar cases would likely result in custodial sentences, stressing that this discharge is not a precedent. The court heard that the fraudulent transfer involved a Kuwaiti energy company and that the money was withdrawn via an ATM and online transfer. Rebecca Mukoko pleaded guilty.
Dean McCarthy, aged 33, was sentenced to 16 years in prison with the final year suspended for two years, after pleading guilty to attempted murder of neighbour Sinead Connolly, 34, on 6 March 2021. He also received concurrent sentences of eight years for possession of a firearm and six years for possession of ammunition. The court heard that McCarthy burst into Connolly's flat with a loaded G9A Grand Power handgun, shot her five times, and that the incident occurred while her eight‑year‑old daughter was hidden under a kitchen table. Connolly sustained a burst fracture of the T3 vertebra, became paraplegic, and remains in a rehabilitation hospital. McCarthy had a history of abuse toward Connolly, including verbal insults and physical aggression, and had previously been convicted of knife possession, criminal damage and traffic offences.
A 27‑year‑old man, whose identity is protected, was convicted of a single count of rape on 15 November 2021 after being charged on 7 November 2018. He pleaded not guilty but accepted the jury verdict. At his sentencing hearing, he maintained he was unaware the victim had not consented. The victim, aged 21 at the time, described the man as a close friend and protector in a victim impact statement read by Eilis Brennan SC. She said the rape shattered her, turning her from a confident, outgoing person into a cautious one, and caused psychological damage, though no physical injury occurred. The incident took place in her bedroom after the man had returned from a pub and was making food. The man stopped when she said "No, I don't want that", and they both fell asleep. The victim later told a friend, and the man admitted the act in text exchanges.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Emilio Flynn, aged 27, pleaded guilty to robbery, false imprisonment and extortion after robbing Dr Patrick Duffy on Buckingham Street in 2015. Flynn demanded money, took cash from an ATM, and threatened future extortion, giving his phone number and demanding payment later. He claimed his judgment was affected by medication and that he was homeless. Flynn had 29 prior convictions. The court noted that the victim moved and stopped walking home after the incident. Judge Elma Sheahan had previously placed Flynn on a 12‑month probation bond with conditions of drug and alcohol abstinence and counseling. Flynn failed to comply, travelled to the UK, and was later arrested in April 2022. The judge sentenced him to three years in prison for each robbery, to run concurrently, citing mid‑range offending. The sentence reflects the court's view that Flynn had been given a second chance.
In October 2019, a 28‑year‑old man named James Brady, together with an unnamed accomplice, attacked and killed 53‑year‑old Timothy 'Timmy' Hourihane, a former chef, at a homeless camp in Cork city centre. The assault was unprovoked, brutal and fueled by alcohol and drugs. Witnesses testified that Brady repeatedly stamped on Hourihane's head and body and kicked him in the groin, leading to a collapsed lung, severe facial and head trauma, and death by inhalation of blood and cardiac arrest. After a four‑week trial, Brady was convicted of manslaughter, not murder, and sentenced to 13 years' imprisonment, with the final two years suspended. The judge noted Brady's prior convictions and the impact of the crime on Hourihane's family, including his son Elliot and brother Denis, who expressed profound grief and a desire for justice. The case highlighted the dangers faced by homeless individuals in the area. The unnamed 28-year-old pleaded not guilty.
Anthony Kennedy, a tile‑shop employee, successfully challenged his dismissal from Total Tiles Ltd (Italian Tile and Stone) under the Unfair Dismissals Act and the Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Act. The company, owned by Luke Sweeney, closed its shops on 14 March 2020 due to the pandemic, kept staff on full salaries, and required them to work from home. Kennedy's complaints centred on the lack of proper dismissal procedures: no disciplinary interview, no right of representation, and no opportunity to appeal. Sweeney's emails, which Kennedy described as stressful and dismissive, included a refusal to pay a mileage claim and a threat to terminate his employment if he did not comply with new company plans. The adjudicating officer, Jim Dolan, found no procedures were followed, upheld the unfair dismissal claim, and awarded Kennedy four weeks' pay in compensation (€2,258.76) plus two weeks' pay in lieu of notice (€1,129).
Thomas Larkin, a 70‑year‑old pensioner from Ardee, Co. Louth, was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment for sexually abusing a 15‑year‑old boy between January 1999 and June 2000. Larkin, who was 47 at the time of the offences, pleaded guilty to four counts of gross indecency. The victim, whose name is withheld for anonymity, came forward after the Jimmy Savile case prompted him to recall the abuse. Larkin had groomed the boy, giving him cigarettes and sweets, and performed acts of sexual abuse including masturbation and one instance of oral sex. He had instructed the boy not to disclose the abuse. The judge noted the victim's life, relationships and work had been severely affected, and imposed the custodial sentence to reflect the seriousness of the exploitative conduct. The sentence was handed down by Judge Melanie Greally.
A 34-year-old mother, Sinead Connolly, described how her neighbor Dean McCarthy, 33, shot her three times in her home, leaving her permanently paralysed. McCarthy, who had a history of abusive behavior towards her and her daughter, entered her home with a gun and fired multiple shots. The court heard that McCarthy had previously called Ms Connolly a 'whore' and threatened to leave her in a 'body bag'. CCTV footage showed four masked men outside McCarthy's flat before the shooting. McCarthy was accidentally shot during the incident and later pleaded guilty to attempted murder and possession of a firearm. Ms Connolly's victim impact statement detailed the severe physical and emotional consequences of the attack, including her reliance on medical care and the impact on her daughter. McCarthy's defense argued that the incident was not premeditated and that he had no intention to harm Ms Connolly, but the court noted the severity of her injuries and the long-term impact on her life.
Noel Gleeson, 37, of Ballymount Road Lower, Walkinstown, Dublin, was sentenced to three years' imprisonment, with the final 12 months suspended for two years, after pleading guilty to possession for sale or supply of drugs. He was found with a sports bag of cannabis worth just over €13,000 in a car parked outside his home, following a search warrant issued on 3 August 2020. Gleeson claimed he had travelled to the UK to collect drugs after being threatened over a €10,000 crack cocaine debt. He has three prior convictions for drug dealing, the most recent in 2017, and was deemed a high‑risk reoffender by the Probation Service. The court noted his participation in a community employment program with an addiction response clinic after his 2019 release, but that he had reoffended. The suspended portion of the sentence is subject to conditions including cooperation with a drug rehabilitation service.
In a Central Criminal Court trial, a 38‑year‑old man was found guilty by a majority jury of sexually assaulting a woman while she slept. The defendant had pleaded not guilty to sexual assault at a south Dublin location on the early morning of 13 May 2018. The complainant, who was with a roommate, met the defendant at a city centre pub on 12 May 2018 and later at his home. After initial kissing and a conversation, they moved to his bedroom where the defendant digitally penetrated her and performed oral sex. She refused to perform oral sex on him and he demanded ejaculation inside her. She fell asleep, woke to find him on top of her and groping her breasts, and told him to stop. She stated she had not consented to any activity while asleep. The jury deliberated for just under eight and a half hours before returning a guilty verdict.
Nalavan Samy, 42, a former manager at Quinn's Centra in Ballymun, stole €9,349.78 over a nine‑month period from September 2019 to June 2020. He did this by creating false refunds on the till, taking cash up to four times a week. The theft was discovered when an employee noticed a discrepancy in stock levels for a product that had zero sales but seven refunds recorded. Samy admitted the theft to the operations manager and later to Gardaí, citing financial hardship and a gambling problem. He had no prior convictions. The court, considering his role as sole provider for his wife and non‑verbal daughter, imposed a 20‑month prison sentence that was fully suspended on strict conditions. He was ordered to pay €1,000 to the Simon Community over eighteen months and to donate the €4,000 he had saved to the former business owners. The business has since been sold. Nalavan Samy pleaded guilty.
Joseph Curran, aged 22, was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years' imprisonment for a series of robberies targeting elderly women in Crumlin, Walkinstown and Beechwood in 2021. He stole bags from four women, including a 76‑year‑old, a 67‑year‑old, an eight‑year‑old and a 72‑year‑old, causing injuries to the 76‑year‑old who was pushed to the ground. The robberies were aggravated by the victims' age and vulnerability. Curran pleaded guilty to robbery and theft at three locations and had a prior burglary conviction in 2019. He has 65 previous convictions. Judge Melanie Greally imposed a suspended two‑and‑a‑half‑year portion of the sentence, subject to strict conditions, after noting his negative drug test and a probation report indicating motivation to cease offending. The case was prosecuted by Aideen Collard BL and defended by Marc Thompson BL. The court considered the impact on the victims and Curran's addiction history.
James Murphy, 48, a care worker with no prior drug‑dealing history, was sentenced to five years in prison after Gardaí discovered nearly €30,000 worth of cocaine, a machine gun and a handgun in his Ballymun home. The Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that following his parents' deaths, Murphy began abusing cocaine, accrued a drug debt and was compelled to store the drugs and firearms for the people who supplied them. He pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine, heroin and cannabis, and to unlawful possession of a submachine gun and a Smith and Wesson revolver. Garda Conor Garland reported that Murphy cooperated with the search, which uncovered the loaded revolver under the floorboards and the machine gun, as well as the drugs. Murphy's only previous convictions were for traffic offences in 2007. The judge noted his good work history, personal challenges and community involvement, and imposed the five‑year sentence.
Joseph O'Brien, aged 35, was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment, with the final two years suspended, for a series of robberies and violent assaults committed while serving a suspended sentence. On 21 January 2019, he struck a robbery victim on the back of the head with a glass bottle, then repeatedly kicked the man 20–30 times before stealing his phone. The victim suffered a laceration, facial bruising, black eyes and a broken tooth. O'Brien had previously robbed the same pharmacy on 19 January and again on 23 April 2019, using a knife and a screwdriver to threaten staff and steal cash. His 56 prior convictions include robbery, burglary, theft, assault of a peace officer and drug‑related offences. The judge noted the offences were aggravated by his suspended sentence and his drug difficulties, and he must comply with strict probation conditions for 12 months after release. Joseph O'Brien pleaded guilty.
Three victims of sexual abuse by Iosach O Riain, aged 62, testified that the assaults, which occurred in their beds while they slept, had devastating effects on their lives. O Riain pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault, including an attack on a seven‑year‑old girl in 1978‑79, an assault on a six‑year‑old boy in 1978, and a molestation of a 15‑year‑old boy in 1995 after a family funeral. The victims described feelings of suffocation, fear, and shame, and reported long‑term impacts such as difficulty with intimacy, substance use, and self‑destructive behaviour. The judge set a headline sentence of 18 months for each offence but imposed a 12‑month custodial sentence, suspending the final three months on strict conditions, and registered O Riain as a sex offender. The victims did not wish to receive his letters of remorse.
Anthony Dunne, 61, was sentenced to one year in prison for secretly recording a female colleague while she showered at his workplace and for capturing intimate images of his partner's daughter‑in‑law in her home. The court heard that Dunne attached a camera to his phone and hid it behind boxes at the factory, recording the colleague on March 23 2021, and that he had also filmed the daughter‑in‑law between February and April 2020. He pleaded guilty to both offences, had no prior convictions, and was ordered to have no contact with the victim for two years after release. The judge highlighted the premeditated nature of the acts and the breach of trust, noting the victims' ongoing distress and the impact on their sense of safety. The case was prosecuted by Mark Lynam BL and heard by Judge Orla Crowe in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
In a court hearing on 5 April 2022, a 22‑year‑old man pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the sexual assault of a child and to producing child pornography. He was 18 at the time of the offences, which involved a 15‑year‑old boy who was rendered unconscious by a pain‑relief drug (Penthrox) that the accused had stolen. The drug was administered through a modified "green whistle" and an oxygen mask, after which the accused sexually assaulted the boy. The accused also filmed the assault and the drug administration. A 31‑year‑old co‑accused pleaded guilty to oral rape of a boy, sexual exploitation, and the production of child pornography. He admitted stealing a vial of Penthrox and a carbon dioxide chamber from Naas Racecourse.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, a 41‑year‑old man was sentenced to 27 months' imprisonment, with the final 12 months suspended, for sexually assaulting his best friend at his Wicklow home on 20 November 2020. The victim, who had trusted the man and described the assault as a severe violation of trust, was taken to a sexual assault treatment unit after the incident. The man pleaded guilty, admitted the wrongdoing, and expressed regret, shame and remorse. Judge Melanie Greally noted his early guilty plea and cooperation, his status as a registered sex offender, and the aggravating factors, and imposed a two‑year probation supervision order and required participation in the Safer Lives programme. The court also considered the victim's impact statement and the defendant's lack of prior convictions. The sentencing reflected principles of rehabilitation, personal deterrence and general deterrence. The man's conviction was the first in his criminal record.
Dubliner James Maughan (36) was given a four-year suspended sentence for endangerment, dangerous driving and driving without insurance at locations around Blanchardstown and Mulhuddart on February 27, 2020. The matter was heard at the sentence stage in court. Maughan pleaded guilty to the charges. Judge Pauline Codd noted that Maughan had already served time in custody on this matter and imposed a four-year sentence suspended in full for four years from today. The sentence is subject to two years of probation supervision. Maughan was also banned from driving for life. His defence highlighted that he suffers from paranoid schizophrenia and that his 20-year-old nephew was in the car and allegedly threatened him with a Taser during the chase. The court heard that gardai abandoned the high-speed chase due to the danger it posed. Judge Codd acknowledged Maughan's background, vulnerabilities and the support he has from his family and the probation service. The case was finalised at the sentence stage with no adjournment. Maughan has a history of road traffic offences, including 10 for dangerous driving, 23 for driving without insurance and 21 for driving without a licence. His defence also noted that his nephew was a ringleader in many of these offences and has a history of convictions dating back to his juvenile years.
Gavin Forde, 21, was caught by a garda in broad daylight with a bundle of €16,235 in cash protruding from his pocket. He fled but was apprehended minutes later. The Dublin Circuit Criminal Court accepted that Forde was obtaining the money to transfer it elsewhere, though its origin was not explained. Forde pleaded guilty to possession of the proceeds of criminal conduct. He had two prior convictions for possession of drugs and obstruction of justice. Judge Karen O'Connor sentenced him to 150 hours of community service in lieu of 15 months' imprisonment, citing his youth, lack of prior serious offending, addiction issues and early admission of guilt. She warned that failure to complete the community service could lead to reinstatement of the sentence. The other man involved was not charged. The cash was deemed proceeds of criminal conduct.
James McDermott, a 55‑year‑old from Buttercup Avenue, Darndale, was arrested after he locked his wife and later his son in a bedroom while holding two pairs of scissors. He pleaded guilty to possession of the scissors during a dispute on 2 March 2020. McDermott has 32 prior convictions, including drug‑related offences and traffic violations. Judge Patricia Ryan sentenced him to 12 months' imprisonment, suspended the balance of the sentence, and credited him for time already served. The court noted he had the full support of his family and that the incident was an out‑of‑character episode. McDermott had previously been remanded for about four months and was released on bail after his arrest. The judge accepted that he had complied with bail conditions and that the incident was influenced by drug use. The case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
In a Central Criminal Court sentencing hearing on 1 April 2022, Trevor Rowe, a 30‑year‑old drug addict, was given a mandatory life sentence for the murder of 70‑year‑old Anne Butler on 20 March 2020. Butler was stabbed, beaten, had her throat slit and was found with a large piece of cardboard in her mouth and a strip of her ear in the living room. Rowe, who remained unmoving and head‑bowed during the hearing, admitted to killing Butler, saying he had "slit her throat and stuck a knife in her head". He had 31 prior convictions, including drug offences and assault. The judge, Ms Justice Karen O'Connor, imposed the life sentence, noting the "unimaginable grief" caused to Butler's family. The hearing included victim impact statements from Butler's daughter Elayne and sister Paula, describing Butler as brave, kind and devoted.
A 61‑year‑old man, whose name is withheld to protect his daughter's anonymity, pleaded guilty to one count of sexually assaulting his daughter at their Wexford home between 1994 and 1996, when she was aged 10 to 12. He is already serving an 11‑year sentence for 20 counts of raping his sister‑in‑law in the 1970s and 1980s. At his sentencing hearing, the daughter read a victim impact statement in which she forgave her father, thanked him for confessing his crimes, and asked that he receive no further jail time. Judge Paul McDermott noted her compassion and the man's remorse, and sentenced him to two years' imprisonment with the final eighteen months suspended. The sentence runs consecutively to the current 11‑year term, and the man is subject to probation supervision for three years, must keep the peace, and may not contact the victim or her family unless the victim requests it. The unnamed 61-year-old was found guilty.
Ian Moore, 31, was sentenced to two years' imprisonment for the unlawful killing of Jason Kearney, 25, who had broken into Moore's home on 12 September 2020. Moore claimed he had heard noises, entered the house, and punched Kearney once after a brief confrontation. Kearney fell, hit his head, and died ten days later in a coma after the ventilator was turned off. Moore said he had no intention to use a knife he had been given by his pregnant partner and that he had returned to the scene to call emergency services and assist Kearney until an ambulance arrived. The court noted Moore's lack of prior convictions, his guilty plea, remorse, and cooperation with investigators as mitigating factors. The judge emphasised that Moore had taken the law into his own hands and that the act was impulsive, emotional and violent, but not pre‑meditated.
In a High Court judicial review, Mr Justice Barr ruled that Charlotte Mulhall is entitled to a majority of her legal costs in proceedings against the Irish Prison Service and the Governor of Limerick Prison. Mulhall, who was convicted of murder in 2006 for the killing of Farah Swaleh Noor, challenged her transfer to Limerick Prison, alleging it disproportionately interfered with her family visitation rights. Although the judge struck out the proceedings, noting that Mulhall was not entirely successful as permission to challenge the 2018 transfer was denied due to time limits, he awarded her 50% of the costs for the leave application and 66% for the full hearing. The judge stated it was just and equitable for Mulhall to receive some costs because she secured a change in the visitation regime, allowing family visits at neutral venues. The respondents, who opposed the costs claim, argued they had made bona fide efforts to treat Mulhall fairly. The judge placed a 28-day stay on the costs order pending any appeal. Background details note that Mulhall's sister, Linda Mulhall, was found guilty of manslaughter in the same case and sentenced to 15 years in prison, a sentence she has since completed.
A man convicted of robbing a university student on the Dublin City University campus in February 2021 has received a fully suspended sentence from Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Alex Cullen, aged 27, and Alan Giles, aged 30, both of Finglas, pleaded guilty to robbery following a vicious attack on the first-year student as he returned to his accommodation. The victim was punched and kicked during the incident and had his phone and cards stolen. Two other students intervened and the men left the scene. Judge Melanie Greally noted the assault was "highly vicious and violent" and appeared drug-fuelled. She sentenced Cullen to five years imprisonment, suspended entirely on condition he comply with Probation Service directions for one year. Giles was remanded on continuing bail pending finalisation of his case on 1 July. Both men were ordered to pay €1,000 compensation to the victim. The victim, from Donegal, has since returned to his studies.
Lorcan Merriman, aged 25, was sentenced to two‑and‑a‑half years in prison for disposing of the gun used in the murder of Thomas Farnan, 37, on 25 April 2016. Merriman pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court last year to the offence of disposing of a murder weapon. He had previously been convicted of possession of a firearm and was serving a five‑year sentence for that offence. The judge noted that Merriman had not been found to have any remorse and that the gun was never recovered, thereby hindering the apprehension of the killer. The sentence was imposed with the final 18 months suspended, to be served after the completion of his current custodial term. The court expressed condolences to Farnan's family, who described the victim as a "big friendly giant" and lamented the brutality of the killing.
Charlotte Mulhall, known as the 'Scissor sister', ended a High Court judicial review that she had brought against the Irish Prison Service, the Governor of Limerick Prison, the Minister for Justice & Equality and the Attorney General. The action, launched two years earlier, claimed that her transfer to Limerick had prevented close family in Dublin from visiting her and sought a mandatory order to transfer her back to a Dublin facility. Mulhall's lawyers informed Mr Justice Anthony Barr that she had since received several visits at neutral venues and that the court's intervention had achieved the desired outcome. The court therefore dismissed the action, and the matter was adjourned to decide on costs. The case highlighted the difficulties of prison visitation during the Covid‑19 pandemic and the limits of judicial intervention in prison management. The proceedings did not address any criminal convictions or sentencing of Mulhall, who was previously convicted of murder in 2006.
Cian White, 21, of Corduff Park, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to stealing a car in Northwood, Dublin 9, on June 26, 2020. He also admitted to dangerous driving and endangerment by ramming train barriers at Ashtown Level Crossing on the Navan Road while a train was imminent. Additionally, White pleaded guilty to allowing himself to be carried in a stolen car and possessing vice grips on August 8, 2021. Judge Melanie Greally imposed consecutive sentences totalling five years. She suspended the final 18 months of the term on strict conditions, requiring White to engage with alcohol and drug treatment for 18 months upon his release from prison. Consequently, he faces three and a half years of effective custody. The judge also disqualified White from driving for six years. The court noted White had 74 previous convictions and was already disqualified at the time of the offences. Judge Greally acknowledged his young age, expressed remorse, and difficult early life in foster care, while describing the driving as prolonged and intensely dangerous. The matter was finalised with this sentencing.
A 35‑year‑old Dublin man was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment for a violent, degrading rape of his girlfriend, following a prior conviction for assaulting her. He had pleaded guilty to assault and was convicted on all charges of anal, oral, and two other rapes, plus sexual assault. The judge imposed a concurrent 13‑year sentence, with the final three years suspended, and a seven‑year post‑release supervision order. The court described the man's behaviour as "entrenched distorted" and "controlling", noting his willingness to engage in prison courses and his lack of alcohol abuse. The judge highlighted the severity of the physical assault and the victim's ongoing trauma, and expressed concerns about the offender's capacity for empathy. The sentence was back‑dated to the end of his earlier two‑year term for assaulting his former partner. The unnamed 35-year-old pleaded not guilty.
A 42‑year‑old man was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment for offences committed when he was a teenager. He was convicted at the Central Criminal Court of four counts of oral rape and eight counts of sexual assault against a boy in foster care, aged 11‑14, and four counts of sexual assault against the boy's older brother, aged 12‑13. The crimes occurred in the defendant's family home in Offaly between May 1995 and December 1998. The judge, Justice Deirdre Murphy, sentenced him as a juvenile, noting his low intellectual functioning and the fact that he was 15‑17 at the time of the offences. She also considered his acknowledgement of guilt, his productive life since the offences, and the authorities' failure to act on a 2001 complaint. The sentence was four years for each rape count and 18 months for the assault counts, with the final two and a half years suspended on strict conditions.
Kevin Brazil, 52, was caught driving a 13‑year‑old boy in his car four days after a suspended sentence for sexually abusing another child. The boy was given money, cigarettes, alcohol and was invited to stay at Brazil's home, where Brazil offered the boy money for sexual acts. Brazil had previously received a three‑year suspended sentence in July 2020 for sexual assault offences dating back to 2002, and in 2021 was sentenced to two‑and‑a‑half years' imprisonment for the sexual assault of a 12‑year‑old child in Dublin. He also pleaded guilty to sexual assault and communication with a child for sexual exploitation between 2019 and 2020. The court heard that the boy's mother reported the abuse three days after the incident. No victim impact statements were presented. Judge Elma Sheahan remanded Brazil in custody and adjourned the case for finalisation on 26 April.
Mary Bridget McCann, aged 19, was a resident at a Dublin 2 hostel when a fight erupted between her and another woman. A porter tried to intervene as McCann brandished a steak knife; she bit the porter's finger and held it for ten seconds. A cleaner later assisted the porter and was stabbed in the thigh by McCann. The cleaner suffered significant blood loss and a possible arterial rupture, while the porter sustained a 2 cm thigh cut. McCann, who has 23 prior convictions including nine for assault causing harm, pleaded guilty to two assault‑causing‑harm charges. Judge Melanie Greally, noting McCann's youth, vulnerability and engagement with services, imposed concurrent two‑year sentences, suspended for two years on strict conditions. No further Garda attention has been recorded since the offence. The cleaner forgave McCann and urged her to consider the impact of her actions. The porter, anxious about the incident, has not returned to hostel work.