Paul Rooney, 30, who suffered an acquired brain injury in 2003 after a hit‑and‑run, pleaded guilty to assaulting Garda Patrick Barker on 19 January 2019. The incident occurred when Rooney was caught dragging a bike still attached to a rack down a busy Dublin city centre street. Rooney had 37 prior convictions, including criminal damage, theft and handling stolen property. Judge Martin Nolan, who had previously adjourned the case and ordered immediate return to court if Rooney committed further offences, sentenced him to two‑and‑a‑half years' imprisonment but suspended the entire term on strict conditions, citing Rooney's medical history. The judge noted Rooney's behaviour had improved since the previous hearing and that he had been extremely apologetic after the assault, when his medication had taken effect. Rooney's mother and brothers were present at the scene and attempted to calm him.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Peter Finnegan, 37, was found guilty of possession of heroin for sale or supply after moving drugs in his car in June 2018 to help his step‑son, Jordan Davis, 22, who had a drug debt of €150,000. Finnegan, who has a severe intellectual disability and no prior convictions, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four years imprisonment, the entire term suspended on strict conditions. The court noted that Davis was shot dead on 22 May 2019 while wheeling his four‑month‑old baby in a buggy. Garda evidence showed a red bag containing heroin worth €68,600 was found in Finnegan's car, though he denied knowledge of the bag. The judge described Finnegan's culpability as very low and accepted the defence's claim that he was compelled to transport the drugs to aid his step‑son's debt. The case highlighted the repeated attacks on the family home due to the debt.
Jonathan Collopy, 34, of St Mary's Park, Limerick, faces extradition to Bulgaria to serve an 18‑month sentence for drink driving. He has a prior conviction for serious drug offences in the early 2000s. Collopy's counsel, Katherine McGillicuddy BL, argued that extradition would expose him to inadequate medical care for his severe back and disc problems, citing Bulgarian prison conditions as substandard. She highlighted concerns about bed‑bug infestations, lack of pillows, and a single doctor for 600 inmates, arguing these factors could worsen Collopy's health. The Minister's counsel, Grainne Mullan BL, countered that Bulgarian authorities had provided information on living space (not less than four square metres), private bathrooms, daylight, ventilation, and active treatment in a specialised hospital in Sofia. She also noted assurances of inpatient and outpatient care and that prisoners can apply to the court if rights are breached.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Dale Lawlor, aged 25, was sentenced to a suspended 18‑month prison term for assault causing harm after he used a shop worker as a human shield during an altercation at a Centra convenience shop in Tallaght. Lawlor and another man entered the shop and were chased by five men. Craig Courtney, also 25, swung a hurley at both men. Courtney cornered Lawlor, who then hid behind the female shop worker, Roberta Rodriguez Brasil, and used her as a shield. The woman fell, sustaining a sprained wrist and a concussion when Courtney struck her head with the hurley. Lawlor pleaded guilty to the assault, admitted he had been heavily using cocaine, and offered an apology. He brought €2,000 to court as a gesture of remorse, which the judge required him to pay to the victim.
Prince Joseph Ncube, aged 24, worked for a financial services firm when he discovered a glitch in Bank of Ireland's online banking system in April 2017. He opened four deposit accounts and used a sequencing and timing anomaly to create notional credits, transferring €48 between accounts to generate a credit that did not exist. Repeating the process, he built a notional balance exceeding €24,500, withdrawing €14,500 in cash before the bank froze the account. A senior fraud investigator recovered €10,000, and the bank provided documentation that led to Ncube's arrest. He pleaded guilty to theft at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Judge Martin Nolan sentenced him to three years, suspended in full, with a condition to pay €14,500 to the Gardaí for onward transmission to the bank within six months. Ncube's defence highlighted his youth, family background, and ongoing studies, while the prosecution noted the sophisticated nature of the fraud.
A 33‑year‑old Chinese national, Xianxing Lu, pleaded guilty in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to providing false documentation when applying for an Irish passport after his visa expired. He claimed he paid €20,000 to an Irish man who said he worked for the government and that the passport was legal. The man supplied Lu with a false naturalisation certificate, which Lu used to submit a passport application in October 2015. The passport was issued in November 2015. Lu had no prior convictions. Judge Pauline Codd found the operation unlawful and, noting the circumstances, sentenced him to three years' imprisonment but suspended the entire sentence on strict conditions. The case highlights the court's stance on protecting the integrity of Irish passports.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Judge Martin Nolan sentenced Joseph O'Connor, 41, to three‑and‑a‑half years for setting fire to his council house at Primrose Grove, Darndale, in an attempt to end his life. O'Connor had lit the fire early on March 31, 2020, and after failing to pass out, he alerted neighbours and was later found by Gardaí in a dispute. Garda Colin O'Shea entered the burning building, pulled O'Connor to safety, and the court noted the damage to the property was €24,660. O'Connor pleaded guilty to one count of arson; an obstruction count was considered. He had 34 prior convictions and had been in custody since the fire. Judge Nolan praised Garda O'Shea's courage, highlighted the reckless nature of the arson, and imposed a five‑year sentence with the final 18 months suspended, back‑dated to the time O'Connor first entered custody.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing on 24 March 2021, a 17‑year‑old boy admitted murdering 39‑year‑old Claudiu Robu in a Kilmainham laneway on 14 September 2020. The boy, who could not be named because he is a minor, pleaded guilty while wearing a black jacket, white shirt and trousers. Defence counsel Brendan Grehan SC noted the boy is subject to an interim care order, his father is deceased and his mother lives outside the jurisdiction, and that a Tusla solicitor and a social worker were present. The Director of Public Prosecutions, Dean Kelly SC, requested a 28‑day remand and a probation service report, and the trial was set for 19 April. Judge Michael White directed the boy to be detained at Oberstown Children Detention Centre until the sentence hearing, and instructed cooperation with probation services. The mandatory life sentence for murder does not apply to a minor.
During the pandemic lockdown, a 44‑year‑old care worker, Catherine Dawson, was used by criminals to transport more than €600,000 in cash. She had a clean record and was following instructions from another person when she allowed the money to be placed in her car. The Special Criminal Court heard that a search of Dawson's home uncovered luxury watches, fake high‑end handbags and a receipt for an €8,845 holiday to America, though the Gardaí do not believe these items were connected to her. Dawson was arrested as part of a Garda investigation targeting serious organised criminals. In January she pleaded guilty to possessing two bags of cash, one containing €289,770 and £65,025 (€70,207) and the other €254,840, knowing or believing the money was the proceeds of criminal conduct. The court adjourned sentencing until 17 May.
In a robbery of a bookies on South Circular Road, Rialto, Dublin, a 66‑year‑old pensioner was attacked by one of the two men who forced a teller to hand over cash. The attacker grabbed her by the neck, pushed her against the glass and held her until the money was given. The victim, who has epilepsy and a heart murmur, was shaken and suffered soft‑tissue damage. CCTV footage identified the raiders, who were later arrested at Carmens Hostel/Hall on Francis Street. David O'Brien, 43, pleaded guilty to robbery; he was not the man who held the woman but was part of the pair. O'Brien, who has prior convictions for theft, drug and public‑order offences, was sentenced to four and a half years' imprisonment, with the final 18 months suspended to encourage rehabilitation. The victim, unable to return to the bookies, now plans to leave the neighbourhood where she has lived her whole life.
In a cash‑box robbery at Aldi in Clonee on 6 January 2020, Graham Doyle, 34, served as the getaway driver. He drove a Toyota Auris that later contained a "tool kit" with hacksaws, a hammer, a chisel, bleach bottles, rags and gloves, all designed to breach the security box and destroy evidence. Doyle pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to the robbery of €27,800. He received a four‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence, with the final two‑and‑a‑half years suspended under strict conditions. The court noted Doyle's 23 prior convictions, including theft, public‑order and traffic offences. His co‑accused, James Tracey, 32, was already serving a seven‑year term with the last two years suspended. The robbery involved an imitation firearm aimed at security guard Nicholas Murphy, who was forced to drop the cash box, which Tracey then seized before fleeing.
Sean Marsh, aged 20, and a juvenile accomplice carried out a series of car thefts and attempted hijackings in Dublin during June and July 2019 and again in July 2020. They tried to take a woman's car as she left her driveway in Malahide, forced a second woman to swerve and threw a bottle that smashed the rear window of her vehicle, and entered a third woman's house before being told to leave. Marsh pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to take a car without permission, one count of damaging a car window, one count of trespass likely to cause fear, three counts of using a car without consent, and one count of stealing diesel from an Applegreen service station. He has 23 prior convictions. The Dublin Circuit Criminal Court sentenced him to four years, suspended the final year and backdated it to his custody start, and adjourned the case to April 13 for victim impact statements.
Albaraa Turkistani, 27, was sentenced to 16 months in prison for possessing 272 images and 159 videos of children and babies being sexually abused. The Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that he had repeatedly searched for and downloaded material described as "of the most depraved nature," including videos of babies being molested. Turkistani pleaded guilty to one count of possession under the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act. He admitted downloading the material and claimed he had not viewed all of it, though the judge said he had seen a substantial amount. He apologized in a letter to the court, stating he had committed a terrible act, and said he sought therapy after his arrest. The judge noted his lack of prior convictions and his efforts to change, but imposed a custodial sentence of 16 months, with the final two years and two months suspended under conditions.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, a 36‑year‑old mother and her 38‑year‑old partner faced charges of wilful neglect and assault after a baby sustained extensive bruising while staying overnight at a semi‑derelict house. The mother claimed the child had fallen from a mattress, but doctors found the injuries inconsistent with such a fall. The baby was observed in hospital but required no treatment. The judge directed not‑guilty verdicts for the partner on assault charges and for the mother on allowing harm, but the jury found the mother guilty of wilful neglect. Sentencing was adjourned to June to allow updated reports, and the child remains in foster care. The couple are still in a relationship and in secure accommodation.
A man has pleaded guilty to rape and oral rape following a violent assault on a woman at her Dublin home in January 2018. Peter Loughran, aged 36, of Glasnevin Downs, Ballygall, Dublin, met the victim through the dating application Tinder before arriving at her apartment. During the attack, Loughran assaulted the woman, filmed her without consent, and subjected her to sustained sexual violence. The victim, who feared the incident would continue indefinitely, eventually escaped by feigning illness and summoning gardaí. Medical examination confirmed injuries to multiple areas of her body. Loughran initially denied the allegations to gardaí, claiming the contact was consensual. The Central Criminal Court has adjourned sentencing to April 30th, when victim impact evidence and mitigation will be heard. Loughran has four previous convictions including drugs possession, drink-driving, and public order offences.
Alan Cox, 31, from Ashwood Park, Clondalkin, was found guilty of possession of cannabis and diamorphine after a search of his home revealed almost €115,000 worth of heroin stashed in a Henry Hoover vacuum cleaner. Gardaí discovered 69.984 g of cannabis and 817.17 g of diamorphine, along with drug paraphernalia, plastic bags, a pink grinder, €900 in cash, a tick list, plastic cut‑offs, weighing scales and latex gloves. Cox's DNA was on the gloves. He had three prior convictions, including misuse of drugs and threatening behaviour. The court heard that he was battling benzodiazepine and cannabis addiction and that he had stored the drugs to cancel a debt. Judge Pauline Codd sentenced him to six years' imprisonment, with the final two years suspended on strict conditions, including engagement with the Probation Service for two years upon release.
The trial of Lee Canavan (31), who has pleaded not guilty to the murder of David Douglas (55) and criminal damage, continues before the Special Criminal Court. Mr Douglas was shot six times at Shoestown, Bridgefoot Street, Dublin 1, on July 1, 2016. The State alleges Canavan was the triggerman in a meticulously planned assassination involving four vehicles. Prosecution counsel Sean Gillane SC stated that evidence would link Canavan to two cars via fingerprints and DNA. Forensic scientist Sarah Fleming testified that a DNA profile from a cigarette butt in a Ford Fiesta matched Canavan. Amanda Lennon provided evidence supporting a collision between a Mitsubishi Mirage and a Suzuki Swift. Detective Garda Raymond Kane testified that two fingermarks from Canavan's left thumb were found on the rearview mirror of the Ford Fiesta. Canavan also denies damaging a Suzuki Swift at Strand Road, Sandymount, on July 4, 2016. Previously, Frederick 'Fat Freddie' Thompson (41) was jailed for life for the murder. Nathan Foley (22) pleaded guilty to assisting a criminal organisation and was jailed for six years. Gareth Brophy (26) was jailed for ten years for acting as a getaway driver. The case is adjourned to Monday afternoon before Mr Justice Michael MacGrath, Ms Justice Sinead Ní Chúlacháin, and Mr Justice Dermot Dempsey.
Gary Nolan, 39, was stopped at a Covid checkpoint in Clondalkin on 18 May 2020 while driving a van that contained €95,000 of cocaine. He admitted to the Gardaí that the drugs were part of a debt he owed and that he had been threatened repeatedly. Nolan pleaded guilty to possession of the cocaine at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. He had no prior convictions and had been attending counselling regularly, providing clean urine samples. The judge, Martin Nolan, noted his early guilty plea, lack of a record, good work history and family support. The court departed from the mandatory ten‑year minimum and imposed a five‑year sentence, which was suspended in full. The decision was based on the evidence of rehabilitation and the exceptional circumstances presented by the case.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court sentenced Dubliner Gareth McCarton to two years' imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to assault causing harm. The offence occurred at his address in Tallaght on April 13, 2020. Prosecution evidence alleged that McCarton dragged his partner, Shannon Mahon, from bed, threatened to kill her, and subjected her to a sustained episode of violence involving punching, choking, and biting. Gardaí intervened after receiving reports of screaming; Ms Mahon was later diagnosed with a fractured nasal bone and extensive bruising. McCarton, a father of three, admitted the charge. His defence counsel noted that McCarton claimed he had taken crack cocaine for the first time prior to the incident and expressed remorse, stating the act was out of character. The judge acknowledged his previous convictions, including possession of a realistic firearm, and noted that his bail had been revoked for failing to stay away from his partner. Judge Melanie Greally described the incident as a vicious and extreme breach of trust. She emphasised the need for McCarton to address his drug difficulties while recognising his desire to maintain family responsibilities. The court imposed a custodial sentence of two years imprisonment.
In December 2019, a 13‑year‑old boy attacked a couple on the Luas in Dublin. He spat a sweet at the woman, made racist remarks, stole the man's rucksack and repeatedly struck him with an 18‑cm iron bar, causing severe bruising and a hospital visit. The boy, now 15, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm and to producing an article at St James's Luas stop; a theft charge was considered. He has seven prior convictions. Judge Karen O'Connor, noting the couple had fled Iraq for safety, imposed a deferred 18‑month detention, to be suspended for six months pending review. She set strict conditions, including a nightly curfew, and highlighted the boy's family support. The case will return to court on 8 October. The incident was captured on CCTV and the boy was arrested the following month. The court emphasized the racial element of the attack.
John McElroy, a 60‑year‑old former soldier, was sentenced to 12 months in jail after he was found with a 1.1‑kg block of cocaine worth €70,840 in his car in Cabra, Dublin. He claimed he had only accepted the package an hour earlier and was holding it to pay €200 toward his son's €50,000 drug debt. McElroy pleaded guilty to possessing cocaine for sale or supply at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Judge Melanie Greally described his decision as "very ill‑advised" and noted he was assessed as a low risk of reoffending. She sentenced him to three‑and‑a‑half years, suspending the final two and a half years on strict conditions. McElroy is undergoing cancer treatment, and his son requires surgery, which the court said has been a source of ongoing worry for the family.
Former publican Charles Coyle (59), of Bough, Cootehill, was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to possession of cocaine for sale or supply in Lusk on April 24, 2020. Judge Martin Nolan imposed the sentence, declining to depart from the mandatory minimum of ten years despite defense counsel John Peart SC's submissions that Coyle had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and made full admissions regarding his role. The court found that Coyle acted as a transporter at the directions of others, rather than as the owner of the drugs. Coyle was caught after gardai, acting on confidential information, observed him take three boxes from a truck driven by Dmitrijs Venskovics (45) at a Dublin service station. Venskovics, who was convicted last November, was also jailed for eight years. During the search of Coyle's van, gardai seized one kilogram of cocaine under the front passenger seat and a further 35kg in a rear security compartment. Coyle, who has 20 previous convictions, claimed he was paid €2,000 to transport the items, which he described as vegetables and hand sanitisers. The judge noted that Coyle's actions represented a grievous error of judgement, particularly given his age and experience.
Paul Meehan, 45, was jailed for a burglary at the Mater Hospital on 5 May 2020. He entered through an open side door during lockdown, disguised himself in a doctor's coat and a phlebotomist's name tag, and filled a trolley with personal belongings from staff lockers. The items taken included an Apple computer, CD player, doctors' coats, bed clothes, Chanel perfume, glasses, keys and Fit Bits. Security stopped him near the entrance, and he fled with one bag before being caught. At the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court he pleaded guilty. Judge Martin Nolan noted Meehan's long criminal record of 22 prior burglaries and his mental‑health difficulties. He was sentenced to two‑and‑a‑half years, with the final year suspended on conditions.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Kai Zhu, 39, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to his wife, Meihan Meng, after an incident on May 13 at their Sandymount Avenue home. Meng, who had just finished a long night shift, asked Zhu to bring their three‑year‑old daughter out to play so she could sleep. When he refused, a quarrel escalated. Meng reported that Zhu slapped and punched her face five to six times, then used one hand to choke her against the kitchen floor while continuing to strike her with the other. She described losing consciousness, hearing loss, and a sense of impending death. Zhu denied choking, claiming he only slapped, and blamed stress and lack of sleep. He was remanded on bail pending sentencing. Meng was on sick leave for 46 days following the assault.
Ciaran Moore, 63, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to knowingly possessing child pornography for five years. He admitted to viewing the material online, never printing or acting on it, and claimed he had been a child sexual abuse victim himself. The court noted his diagnosis of Motor Neurone Disease and his stable condition, as well as his charitable donations. Judge Melanie Greally imposed a two‑and‑a‑half‑year custodial sentence but fully suspended it, subject to strict conditions: no unsupervised access to children and continued monitoring of his electronic device use by his daughter. The judge highlighted the volume of images (536) and videos (35) found, depicting children aged one to fourteen, and acknowledged the mitigating factors of his health and abuse history. The case remains a suspended sentence with conditions rather than custodial imprisonment.
Ahmad Majeed, 26, was jailed for his role in a violent mob that attempted to force entry into Lost Lane nightclub on 7 July 2019. He pleaded guilty to violent disorder and possession of weapons intended to cause injury. The mob, about 20 men, carried hatchets, a hammer, a wheel brace, a towing eye, and two petrol bombs made from a beer bottle and a brandy bottle. A doorman was punched and kicked, and the incident caused the victim to leave security work due to flashbacks and panic attacks. Majeed was arrested at his home and denied knowledge of the bombs. The court, after considering his low risk assessment, imposed a three‑year, four‑month prison term, suspending the final year on the condition of good behaviour and peacekeeping.
A man accused of perverting the course of justice in connection with a dissident republican murder has been remanded on bail pending judgment. The Special Criminal Court hearing concerns Ray Kennedy, who is charged with deliberately destroying a mobile telephone SIM card on the day Peter Butterly was shot dead at Gormanston, County Meath in March 2013. The prosecution contends the SIM card would have been of significant evidential value to the murder investigation. Mr Kennedy's defence counsel argued his client had plausible reason to panic after arranging to meet Mr Butterly that afternoon about an illicit matter, and that the State has failed to prove the charge beyond reasonable doubt. The three-judge court, presiding Justice Tony Hunt with Judges Gerard Griffin and Flann Brennan, will deliver judgment on May 17th. Four men have already received life sentences for Mr Butterly's murder, with two others jailed for roles in the killing. The unnamed accused pleaded not guilty.
In March 2021 the High Court reserved judgment on Charlotte Mulhall's application to challenge her transfer from Limerick Prison to the Dochas Centre in Dublin. Mulhall, a convicted murderer, argues she was moved to Limerick on 24 December 2018 after an alleged incident involving a female prison officer. She disputes claims that any inappropriate conduct occurred and says she was never given a chance to explain the situation to prison authorities. Mulhall claims the transfer has prevented her Dublin‑based family from visiting, causing her distress. She seeks orders to return her to Dublin and to quash the transfer decision. The prison service and respondents argue the application is untimely and that Mulhall had expressed satisfaction with Limerick. The case was heard by Mr Justice Anthony Barr, who reserved his decision after submissions from both sides. The matter remains pending.
In November 2019, Sarah Dunne, a 29‑year‑old homeless woman, attacked a man outside a shop on North Portland Street, Dublin. She demanded a cigarette, threw her bike, and when the man declined, she punched him twice in the rear end. She then stabbed him with a suspected syringe, leaving a puncture mark. The victim, who was with his girlfriend, was taken to Mountjoy Garda Station and hospital, where doctors confirmed the syringe injury and prescribed treatments for hepatitis and HIV prevention. Dunne pleaded guilty to assault causing harm. She was sentenced to two and a half years' imprisonment, backdated to May 2020, after the court noted the victim's fear and the use of a sharp object. The case also involved her earlier convictions for trespass and theft. The sentence reflects the seriousness of the assault and the potential health risks to the victim.
Franck Lamour, 53, of Bird Avenue, Clonskeagh, was arrested after threatening his partner with a knife on 7 April 2020. He has bipolar depression diagnosed 15 years ago and had no access to his medication during the Covid‑19 lockdown. Lamour pleaded guilty to producing a knife and threatening to kill or seriously harm. He has no prior convictions. The Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard the incident was isolated, stemming from his mental disorder and pandemic restrictions. Judge Pauline Codd adjourned the case for finalisation on 2 June, ordering a Probation Service report and a psychiatric report, and requested assurance that Lamour is under appropriate medical care. Barry Ward, the defence lawyer, noted Lamour's difficulty finding a French‑speaking GP in Ireland and that he has two months of medication, with further supplies to be sent by post from France.
In 2021, a 77‑year‑old man was sentenced to 11 years in prison for sexually abusing three of his granddaughters in County Tipperary between 2010 and 2014. The victims, aged between four and eight, were abused at the grandfather's home, their own homes and on holiday. One girl, who was abused after school, described how the grandfather bribed her with sweets and forced her to do inappropriate acts. She feared that revealing the abuse would break up her family. The man pleaded guilty to 16 counts of oral rape and 19 counts of sexual assault involving a third granddaughter, and to 13 counts of sexual assault involving the eldest. He also admitted to showing pornographic videos to a four‑year‑old. The court noted the seriousness of the breach of trust, the ages of the victims, the frequency and duration of the abuse, and the man's remorse and medical issues.
Gareth White, 33, was jailed for three years after a series of fraud offences. He advertised on Gumtree for a €5,500 loan, claiming he would repay €8,000 in four months, and posed as a Tusla social worker. He provided forged documents and a phone bill to a victim who had saved for his daughter's college fund. White also set up a fake taxi company account, claiming to be a homeless charity contact, and sent invoices for rides that were never paid, costing the company €11,221. In February 2020 he created a bogus mobile phone company account, ordering 115 phones and broadband devices worth €36,729, which were delivered but never paid for. White pleaded guilty to theft and deception offences between March 2017 and April 2020, had 13 prior convictions, and was sentenced by Judge Martin Nolan to a four‑year consecutive term with the final 12 months suspended on strict conditions.
John Power, 55, an Irish engineer living in the Netherlands, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to providing false information to the passport office twice, in February 2015 and between January and February 2016. He had obtained a fake Irish passport in 2006 by using the birth certificate of a Tipperary man named John Power, and later tried to secure another fake passport in his brother's name. Power claimed he sought the passports to avoid a 1998 drink‑driving conviction that might surface while he travelled across Europe. He was arrested at Dublin Airport while travelling to the US on a legitimate passport. Judge Pauline Codd, noting medical evidence of a past stroke and memory loss, imposed a suspended three‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence, citing the high level of planning and the fact that the fake passports were used to circumvent the law regarding the drink‑driving offence. The sentence was suspended on a number of conditions.
In a 2021 Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Myles Connors, aged 24, was sentenced for a 2020 false imprisonment and assault of Edward Babos, and a 2018 robbery. Connors and another man entered Babos's friend's home, partially stripped him, and used scissors to cut his hair while threatening him. They forced Babos into a car, drove at dangerous speeds, and attempted to extract money from an ATM. The assault lasted about an hour and involved threats to jam scissors in Babos's eyes. Connors also pleaded guilty to robbing a phone and €150 cash from a victim in 2018, where he pointed a knife at the victim's stomach. Judge Pauline Codd imposed a four‑year sentence for the false imprisonment and assault, a three‑year sentence for the robbery, to run consecutively, with the final two years suspended on conditions. The sentence was back‑dated to May 2020 when Connors first entered custody.
Ricardo Da Silva, a 28‑year‑old Brazilian from Teresina Piazia, was sentenced to three years' imprisonment in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for possession of cocaine for sale or supply. He was caught with over €80,000 worth of cocaine, which he had hidden in his underwear after being lured into a non‑existent job offer that created a debt. Da Silva was instructed to ingest the drugs but instead taped 120 pellets to his underwear. He pleaded guilty on 20 September 2020 at Terminal 1, Dublin Airport. The court noted he had no prior convictions and that he was a "desperate man" who believed carrying drugs was his only way to clear the debt. Judge Martin Nolan imposed the sentence without a suspended portion, citing Da Silva's good behaviour in custody and low likelihood of reoffending. The case also involved co‑accused Raynessa De Sousa, who received a two‑year sentence for a similar offence.
In March 2021, a 30‑year‑old man named Mark Byrne was sentenced to a suspended four‑year term for child exploitation. Byrne used fake Facebook accounts impersonating actors Killian Scott and Robert Sheehan to lure a 14‑year‑old girl into sending him nude photographs over eight months. He threatened to post the images on her Facebook if she did not comply. The victim, obsessed with the TV series, initially sent a clothed photo and later a nude one after Byrne claimed he was depressed and would kill himself otherwise. Byrne also sent a generic image of an erect penis, claiming it was his. The case was uncovered when the girl's mother saw the messages and reported them to Gardaí. Byrne pleaded guilty to one count of child exploitation and admitted the offence. The judge highlighted the role of social media in facilitating such crimes and noted Byrne's lack of maturity and prior lack of convictions.
Jason Collins, aged 19, was sentenced to 16 months in prison for attempting to rob a taxi driver when he was 16. The offence, committed on Bluebell Avenue, Dublin, on 15 May 2018, involved Collins and two teenage girls who flagged down a taxi on Cork Street at about 4 a.m. Collins brandished a flick knife, threatened the driver, and then punched and kicked him after the driver fled. The driver suffered facial cuts and a broken tooth and was taken to hospital. Collins, who had blood on his clothes, was also hospitalized for a hand injury. He had previously been convicted of a similar attack with his brother. The court, noting his juvenile status and personal hardships, imposed a two‑year, four‑month sentence with the final 12 months suspended under conditions. The unnamed man pleaded guilty.
Dubliner Ross Crea (18) has been sentenced to two years imprisonment, with the final 14 months suspended on strict conditions, for assault causing harm at Cope Street, Dublin 2 on April 18, 2019. Crea, who was aged 16 at the time of the incident, pleaded guilty to the charge at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The incident occurred in the early hours of the morning when the accused, along with another person, approached the victim and asked for a cigarette. When the victim refused, Crea stabbed him in the shoulder with a screwdriver before fleeing the scene. The victim sustained a puncture wound to his shoulder, which did not require inpatient hospital treatment. Crea was extremely intoxicated upon his arrest and was unable to get to his feet in a garda station. His previous convictions include robbery, attempted robbery, and criminal damage. The court heard that Crea had been living with his grandmother prior to moving back to the city centre to live with his mother and step-father after a period of homelessness. Counsel for Crea stated that her client has little recollection of the offence but accepts full responsibility and is remorseful. Judge Martin Nolan noted that the injury was not serious and that the custodial sentence was lessened on the basis of Crea's youth and the hope for rehabilitation.
Robert Traynor, 54, a former IT worker, pleaded guilty to possessing 1,938 images and 183 videos of child pornography and to producing 1,650 computer‑generated images that violated the 1998 child trafficking pornography act. He claimed the material depicted adults posing as children, but the court found the images showed girls aged six to twelve in sexual situations. Traynor's possession was discovered during a Garda operation that linked his home to a peer‑to‑peer network. Judge Pauline Codd described the material as "gross exploitation" and "abhorrent", noting Traynor had undergone counselling and shown low risk of re‑offending. She imposed a two‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence, fully suspended, with conditions including three years of probation supervision and continued sex‑offender therapy. The sentence was handed down on 12 March 2021 at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
The getaway driver, Alan Graham, 49, was sentenced to 11 years' imprisonment with the final year suspended, after pleading guilty to facilitating an attempted murder of 26‑year‑old Lee Boylan. Boylan was shot three times at close range in a highly populated area of west Dublin on 6 March 2019, sustaining life‑changing injuries. The judge described the attack as well‑planned, involving sophisticated surveillance and a stakeout of a car wash. Graham's role was to drive the BMW that carried the gunman, who fired the shots. He had 20 prior convictions, mainly for drug offences, and was believed to have been under pressure to repay a drug debt. The sentence was set at 14 years, reduced to 11 with one year suspended, backdated to 17 June 2019. The prosecution sought to drop the attempted murder charge. Boylan survived due to a rare arteriovenous fistula that prevented fatal bleeding.
A 32‑year‑old man, Sean Ruth of Anamcara, Warrington Lane, Co Kilkenny, pleaded guilty before the Special Criminal Court to two counts of crime cash laundering under the Criminal Justice Money Laundering & Terrorist Financing Act 2010. He admitted, on various dates in 2016, to concealing or disguising the true nature or source of money credited to an Allied Irish Bank account in his name, and to converting, transferring, handling, acquiring, possessing or using that money, knowing or believing it was the proceeds of criminal conduct. Ruth had originally faced eight offences but pleaded guilty to these two. The court remanded him on continuing bail until March 26 for a sentence hearing.
A judge sentenced Leon Griffin, 30, to three years imprisonment and a five‑year driving ban after he drove recklessly through red lights and on the wrong side of the road in Dublin's city centre. Garda Gavin Keenan testified that Griffin suddenly pulled out of traffic and began a six‑minute high‑speed chase, reacting to Keenan's patrol car while under a five‑year ban. Griffin's defence barrister Keith Spencer said the driver was aware of Keenan's knowledge and drove erratically, nearly colliding with traffic, breaking two sets of red lights, rear‑ending a vehicle on Thomas Street, and crashing into a bike stand. Griffin pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment and criminal damage on 23 February 2019. The judge noted his prior convictions, including careless driving in 2015, and imposed the sentence and ban. The court heard that no one was physically hurt.
A 35‑year‑old Polish‑born man, Tomasz Krzysztof Piotrowski, was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Central Criminal Court after pleading guilty to the murder of his 57‑year‑old mother, Elzbieta Piotrowska, on 8 January 2019 in Ardee, Louth. The court heard that Piotrowski had decapitated his mother, leaving her body in the hallway of her home, and that an axe and several Stanley knives were found near the scene. He had previously been deemed unfit to stand trial but was considered fit after psychiatric assessment. The judge noted the case was the second in a short period where drug‑induced psychosis had led to a "horrific tragedy". Piotrowski had also lied to psychiatrists to obtain a diagnosis of schizophrenia and a lesser sentence. The sentencing was described as the "most tragic of cases" and the judge ordered monitoring of his psychiatric condition in prison. The judge also expressed sympathy for the victim's husband, daughter and grandmother.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court sentenced Dubliner Derek Ennis to four and a half years imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to attempted robbery at Paddy Power, Seafort Avenue, Sandymount, south Dublin, on February 26, 2020. Judge Martin Nolan noted that the firearm used was likely an imitation due to the "sheer incompetence" of the crime, stating it seemed unlikely a man behaving in such a manner could acquire a real firearm. Prosecution evidence indicated Ennis entered the bookmakers with his hood up but removed it when asked by an employee, making him easily identifiable on CCTV. He pointed a gun at the employee, who fled and activated a panic button; Ennis left without stealing any money. Ennis, of Strandmill Road, Portmarnock, has six previous convictions for robbery, along with other offenses including theft, assault, and drug possession. Defense counsel Emmet Nolan BL described the incident as a "completely incompetent act" and highlighted Ennis's lifelong drug addiction, which he claimed drove the crime. The judge accepted that the enterprise was poorly executed but imposed the custodial sentence. The matter was finalized with this sentence.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Graham Shields, aged 34, received a fully suspended 18‑month sentence for assault causing harm after punching his then partner in the face at Mulvey Park, Dundrum, on 1 July 2018. The court noted the attack followed a verbal exchange after a wedding celebration involving alcohol. Shields, diagnosed with an anti‑social personality disorder and experiencing high anxiety, pleaded guilty. The victim suffered significant injury, including swelling and bruising that took about three weeks to heal, blurred vision, and required two years of weekly counselling. Shields has no prior convictions, is on cordial terms with the victim, contributes financially to their son, and is under Probation Service supervision for 18 months. The judge suspended the entire sentence on strict conditions, citing Shields' mental health history, lack of previous convictions, and remorse.
Dubliner Kevin Murphy (30) was sentenced to four years imprisonment at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for robbery at Aston Place, Temple Bar, Dublin city centre, on June 29, 2020. Murphy pleaded guilty to the charge. The incident involved Murphy attacking a man, punching and kicking him while he was on the ground. The victim was found bleeding, surrounded by people, and his phone was missing. A security guard from a nearby restaurant observed the incident and saw Murphy beating the victim. Murphy fled the scene and was apprehended by an off-duty garda who recovered the victim's stolen phone from his hand. Murphy had previous convictions for possession of drugs for sale or supply, possession of stolen property, and violent behaviour in a garda station. Defence counsel, Carol Doherty BL, stated that Murphy was heavily intoxicated at the time of apprehension and had a history of drug use, including crack and heroin, since the age of 28. She noted that Murphy is homeless and has two children, and asked the court to give him the opportunity to prove he can remain intoxicant free and be a family man. Judge Martin Nolan described the robbery as 'nasty enough' and noted that the property was recovered and that Murphy wants to reform. The matter was finalised at the sentence stage.
A 21-year-old man has pleaded guilty to manslaughter at the Central Criminal Court for the death of a 61-year-old Monaghan man whose house was deliberately set alight in Carrickmacross in March 2016. Aaron McDonagh, of no fixed abode, initially faced a murder charge but entered a guilty plea to manslaughter and arson without lawful excuse. The prosecution counsel confirmed the Director of Public Prosecutions accepted the plea on a full facts basis. The court heard the accused was 16 years old at the time of the incident. A psychiatric assessment led to arrangements for support during his court appearance. Mr Justice Michael White ordered preparation of a probation service report examining the accused's family background and directed a victim impact statement be prepared. McDonagh was remanded in custody pending a sentence hearing scheduled for June 14. The unnamed 21-year-old pleaded not guilty.
A 21‑year‑old man, Martin Gallagher, was sentenced to six years' imprisonment for assault causing harm and false imprisonment after he attacked a 70‑year‑old pensioner on a Dublin street. The victim, a former swimming teacher, was grabbed from behind, thrown into the open boot of Gallagher's parked car, and repeatedly forced into the boot. She resisted, was thrown against a wall, and sustained injuries. Gallagher later claimed the attack was a joke, mistaking the woman for a friend named Alex, and said he had been intoxicated. He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The judge described the incident as a "terrifying experience" and found Gallagher's explanation implausible, sentencing him to six years. The victim's statement detailed her injuries, ongoing trauma, and the impact on her daily life.
Bernard Norton, 49, from Newrath View, Kells, Co Meath, was sentenced at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to a fully suspended two‑year imprisonment for fraudulently claiming €15,854.70 in Jobseekers Allowance in his own name and in his brother Robert's name between 2013 and 2015. He also pleaded guilty to six counts of theft at Killinard Post Office and deception at the same address. The fraud was uncovered when a photograph taken during a Public Services Card application matched a photo of Robert Norton, who had been working in the UK the whole time. Norton had previously been convicted of stealing over €200,000 from a financial institution in 2001‑2002 and of stealing about €35,000 from another employer in 2016, for which he received a two‑year custodial sentence.
In January 2020 a 21‑year‑old man, Martin Gallagher, grabbed a 69‑year‑old woman from behind on a Dublin street, threw her into the boot of his parked car and attempted to close the boot on her shins. The woman fought, was thrown against a wall, and sustained bruising and a head injury. Gallagher later told police it was a "joke that went wrong", claiming he had mistaken the woman for a friend named Alex and was intoxicated. He pleaded guilty to assault causing harm and false imprisonment. The court remanded him in custody pending sentencing. The victim, a former swimming teacher and carer, gave a victim impact statement describing lasting physical and psychological harm, including scars, nightmares and flashbacks. The case is scheduled for sentencing the following morning.