In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, former Ireland rugby international Brendan Mullin, aged 60, denied 15 charges of theft and fraud involving over €570,000 from Bank of Ireland Private Bank. Mullin testified that he had always borne personal responsibility for his legal fees and that he had not indicated the bank would pay any portion. He argued that statements suggesting the bank would cover part of his costs were inaccurate and unfair. Mullin's solicitor, Roddy Bourke, confirmed that the bank had indeed provided assistance with legal fees, but Mullin maintained he had not authorized such arrangements. The court heard evidence of Mullin's meetings with Bourke in April 2013, his claims of not seeing the bank's memorandum, and the bank's subsequent inquiries into invoicing. The trial, presided over by Judge Martin Nolan, continues with a jury hearing the case.
John English, 47, of Dublin 2, was sentenced to 18 months in prison, with the final three months suspended for six months, after pleading guilty to brandishing a small knife at a shop worker on South Circular Road. The incident followed English's theft of a Pot Noodle earlier that day, when he was denied service. CCTV footage showed him shouting abuse at the male shop worker while holding the knife, and a female security guard was also engaged. English has about 130 convictions, including a rape conviction from 2004, and most of his offences since 2014 are public order crimes. He is homeless, an alcoholic, and has struggled with drug use. The judge noted his guilty plea, personal circumstances and addiction issues as mitigating factors, but imposed a headline sentence of two years to deter similar conduct. The suspended portion is subject to strict conditions, including supervision by Probation Services.
The trial of former Ireland rugby international Brendan Mullin and McCann Fitzgerald litigation partner Roddy Bourke continues at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court before Judge Martin Nolan and a jury. Both men, who have pleaded not guilty to all charges, face 15 counts each, including stealing over €570,000 from Bank of Ireland Private Bank, one count of deception, and five counts of false accounting. The prosecution alleges that Mullin, who was managing director of the bank at the time, authorised payments for personal legal and accounting work. Evidence presented includes emails and invoices where Mullin allegedly instructed that bills should not be sent to the office but to him personally. The court heard details regarding the manipulation of invoices for litigation costs, including handwritten alterations to change billing addresses and descriptions to facilitate payment by the bank. The matter is currently at the trial stage, with no findings, sentences, or finalisations recorded. The trial continues.
The Court of Appeal has dismissed the appeal by Damien Long, 44, of Ard Bhaile, Mayfield, Cork, against his sentence for the robbery of a 93-year-old woman on 9 November 2022. Long, who was on bail at the time of the offence, had previously pleaded guilty at Cork Circuit Court. He was sentenced to ten years in prison, with the final year suspended, for the robbery at Charlemont Terrace, Wellington Road, Cork. His co-accused, Damian Fitzgerald of Inniscarra Road, Fairhill, Cork, was sentenced to nine years in prison. The victim suffered life-changing injuries, including multiple pelvic fractures, after being dragged along the road while resisting the theft of her handbag. Mr Justice Michael McGrath, delivering the judgment, stated that the sentencing judge had acted within her discretion by placing the offence in the highest category. He noted that the attack was premeditated and targeted an elderly, isolated woman, making injury foreseeable. The court rejected defence arguments that Long's role was minor, noting he was on a suspended sentence for a previous robbery at the time. The judge also chose not to activate any portion of Long's suspended sentence for that other offence. The appeal was refused, and Long will continue to serve his nine-year effective jail term.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, former McCann Fitzgerald solicitor Rosie Freeman testified that she received a couriered invoice from Bank of Ireland Private Bank in March 2013 with handwritten amendments. Freeman, who was a PA to partner Roddy Bourke, described the invoice as unusually altered: the original home address of former rugby star Brendan Mullin was crossed out and replaced with the bank's address, the description of the work was changed to "Quantum Investment Strategies," and amounts were reduced to €18,792.65. Freeman said she was alarmed by the markings and could not comply because a partner's signature was required. She also recounted a voicemail from Mullin and a handwritten note instructing her to amend and issue the invoice. The testimony is part of the prosecution's case that Mullin authorised payments to McCann Fitzgerald, Grant Thornton and Beechwood Partners for work carried out for his company or personally. Brendan Mullin pleaded not guilty.
Michael Lynn, a former solicitor aged 55, faces a potential release from prison next month if his appeal against a five‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence for stealing over €18 million from six financial institutions succeeds. Lynn was jailed eight months ago and his appeal is scheduled for November 4, the same day his legal team believes he could be released if the appeal is successful. The Court of Appeal, presided over by Mr Justice John Edwards, clarified that grounds of appeal cannot be heard piecemeal and that the sentence appeal will be heard before the conviction appeal, an exception to usual practice. Lynn's legal team must submit their arguments by the end of next week, after which the State will reply. The judge noted that failure to comply with the timetable would halt the case. Lynn's original sentence, imposed by Judge Martin Nolan, was 13 years, reduced to 5½ years after credit for time served in Brazil.
An ex‑Ireland rugby international, Brendan Mullin, 60, is accused of stealing more than €570,000 from the Bank of Ireland Private Bank between July 2011 and March 2013. He denies all 15 charges, which include theft, deception and false accounting. The prosecution alleges he authorised payments to solicitors McCann Fitzgerald, accounting firm Grant Thornton and accountants Beechwood Partners for work carried out for his company, Quantum Investment Strategies, or for himself. Evidence shows that a former BOI business assurance head, Schira Donnelly, testified that Mullin suggested his PA may have "swept" an invoice into a bundle of paperwork. The trial, presided over by Judge Martin Nolan, continues with the prosecution presenting bank records, invoices and internal emails to support the allegations. Mullin has pleaded not guilty to each count. The case remains in court.
The court heard that CCTV footage captured a man, Sean O'Neill, 22, lying injured on the ground in Dublin City Centre after an assault. The footage showed several people standing over him and stealing his belongings, including a watch valued at €9,000. O'Neill had previously pleaded guilty to violent disorder on 4 October 2023 and robbery on 19 September 2023. He was arrested the following day after a warrant was issued. During interrogation he claimed he could not remember the incident and said he was "strung out," but he identified himself on the footage. The court noted his 39 prior convictions, including drug offences, and his history of homelessness. The judge, Martin Nolan, accepted his guilty plea and admissions, and imposed a four‑year prison sentence, back‑dated to the time he entered custody, with the final year suspended for one year. The victim and the injured man declined to give victim impact statements.
The Court of Appeal was told by the Director of Public Prosecutions that the sentences imposed on Adam Murphy, aged 22, and Keith McCormick Smith, aged 23, for a crime spree that left businessman Ian McDonnell dead were too lenient. Murphy had been sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment for manslaughter, with the final two and a half years suspended on strict conditions, and also pleaded guilty to multiple vehicle‑theft offences. McCormick Smith received a sentence of three years and two months' imprisonment, with the final twelve months suspended. The DPP argued that the suspended portions should not have been fully suspended and that the headline sentences should have been higher, citing the seriousness of the offences and the fact that McDonnell was left to die while the offenders continued their crime spree. The court reserved judgment on the matter.
The trial of Brendan Mullin, a former Bank of Ireland senior executive and ex‑Ireland rugby international, is ongoing. Mullin, aged 60, denies 15 charges of theft, deception and false accounting alleged to have occurred between July 2011 and March 2013. Prosecutors claim he authorised payments to solicitors and accounting firms for work by his company Quantum Investment Strategies or for himself, and that he stole €500,000 from the bank during a miscommunication about a payout to life‑assurance customers. They also allege he authorised a payment of €500,000 to Spice Holdings, a company registered in the British Virgin Islands, and that the money was later repaid to the bank in July 2015. Mullin pleaded not guilty to one count of stealing €500,000 and eight other counts totalling about €73,000, plus one count of deception and five counts of false accounting. The case is before Judge Martin Nolan at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The trial continues.
Stephen Kavanagh, 50, a former businessman now in debt, pleaded guilty to stealing alcohol worth €21,000 from a drinks company on 20 September 2023 while on bail for a similar offence. He placed the order under the alias "Mark O'Reilly," prompting the company's suspicion and a Garda surveillance operation that intercepted the delivery. Kavanagh was arrested, the alcohol was returned, and no victim impact statement was filed. He has 29 prior convictions, including a 2022 theft of the same nature. In court, his defence highlighted financial necessity, health issues, and threats from creditors, arguing for community service. Judge Orla Crowe accepted the plea, set a headline sentence of two years, reduced it to 18 months, and adjourned the case to February 2025 to decide on a 240‑hour community service order in lieu of prison.
The trial of Brendan Mullin, a former Ireland rugby international and former managing director of Bank of Ireland Private Bank, began in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Mullin, aged 60, denies all 15 charges, which cover alleged theft, deception and false accounting between July 2011 and March 2013. He is accused of stealing €500,000 from the bank on 16 December 2011, along with eight other theft counts involving various sums, and of false accounting and deception. Prosecutor Dominic McGinn outlined that the alleged thefts involved payments to McCann Fitzgerald Solicitors and Beechwood Partners, where invoices were altered to be paid by the bank instead of Mullin or his companies. A further three theft charges relate to invoices from Grant Thornton for work by Mullin's company Quantum. The prosecution also alleges a €500,000 transfer to Spice Holdings, a British Virgin Islands entity, which was later repaid through Quantum.
Shane Brown, a 35‑year‑old former postman, was sentenced to a suspended two‑year term after pleading guilty to 36 counts of stealing stamped addressed envelopes and one count of stealing €90 from An Post on 1 November 2023. He was caught with 39 stolen greeting‑card envelopes, including three 'test' cards each containing €30, during a sting operation triggered by suspicious mail found on a Dublin street on 27 October 2023. Brown had worked as a postman for four years but lost his job following the arrest. He has no prior convictions, had an online gambling debt that he has since paid, and is in a long‑term relationship with three children. The judge, Orla Crowe, noted his community involvement and new employment as a delivery driver, and ordered that €500 be handed over to An Post as a token of remorse. The sentence was suspended in full on a number of conditions.
Kacper Koszarski, aged 23, was sentenced to four and a half years' imprisonment for a series of burglaries and dangerous driving incidents in Leinster. He pleaded guilty to 17 charges, including four counts of dangerous driving, four of trespass, one of endangerment, four of criminal damage, two of burglary, one of knife production and one of unauthorised vehicle taking, committed between 2020 and 2022. Judge Elva Duffy imposed consecutive sentences totalling five and a half years, suspending the final year on strict conditions. Koszarski was ordered to engage with the Probation Service for two years after release and was disqualified from driving for ten years. The court noted his history of 39 prior convictions, including seven for theft, and his statements of remorse and desire for rehabilitation. The sentence reflects the seriousness of his offences and the potential benefit of rehabilitation to society.
The jury for Brendan Mullin's trial, where he faces 15 charges including stealing over €500,000 from Bank of Ireland Private Bank and related deception and false invoicing claims, was discharged after a juror disclosed a familial connection to Mullin. Mullin, 60, has pleaded not guilty to all counts. Judge Martin Nolan adjourned the case until a new jury is empanelled tomorrow morning. The trial was scheduled to open in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on the day of the discharge.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Liam McGrane, aged 59, pleaded guilty to two robbery offences committed at separate hotels in December 2018 and August 2019. McGrane, who had prior convictions for traffic offences and similar robberies, used a knife to threaten escort workers who had booked meetings through Escorts.ie. In the first incident, he stole €1,500 and attempted to extort more from a neighbouring room. In the second, he took €1,800 and fled in a blue car, which was traced to his residence. Gardaí obtained CCTV evidence and recovered the stolen sums. McGrane admitted the robberies, expressed remorse, and offered apologies to the victims. The judge acknowledged the seriousness of the knife crimes, noted McGrane's counselling, and adjourned sentencing to January 2025, ordering a probation report.
A former solicitor, Herbert Kilcline, 62, and two other men, Matthew Murphy, 52, and Philip Marley, 53, are on trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for alleged fraudulent procurement of two Dublin City properties. Kilcline pleaded not guilty to eight counts, including failing to apply required measures as a designated person, using a false instrument and fraudulent procurement of entry to the land registry between September 2016 and June 2018. Murphy pleaded not guilty to four counts, including money laundering, theft and failing to keep records between April 2017 and April 2018. Marley pleaded not guilty to ten counts, including procuring the registration of a false deed, fraudulent procurement of an entry into the land registry and theft. The charges relate to a building on Phibsborough Road and a second property on St Mary's Road. The trial, opened before Ms Justice Sinead Ni Chulachain, is expected to last five weeks.
Gerard Jordan, 54, was sentenced to 12 months in jail for setting a fire outside the front door of an acquaintance's third‑floor apartment in Rosemount Court, Dundrum, on 2 July 2022. The blaze caused €14,000 of damage to the common area. Jordan pleaded guilty to arson and was a resident of a second apartment block at the same address. The court noted that no physical harm was caused and that Jordan had previously been assaulted by the victim. He had 12 prior convictions, mainly for public order, criminal damage and theft. The judge, Elma Sheahan, considered Jordan's guilty plea, cooperation with Gardaí, personal circumstances and mental health difficulties, and imposed a three‑year sentence with the final two years suspended on strict conditions. No injuries were reported, and the fire was extinguished by the Dublin Fire Brigade. The victim declined to give a victim impact statement. The case was heard in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
A former Irish rugby international, Brendan Mullin, aged 60, appeared before the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 8 October 2024. He pleaded not guilty to 15 charges, including one count of stealing €500,000 from Bank of Ireland Private Bank on 16 December 2011 and eight other counts of theft of various amounts between July 2011 and March 2013. Mullin also pleaded not guilty to one count of deception and five counts of furnishing false or misleading information to the bank to authorise payment of invoices. The alleged offences all took place at the bank's Mespil Road premises. Judge Patricia Ryan empanelled the jury, instructing that no one connected with the bank should serve and warning against independent investigations. The trial, to be presided over by Judge Martin Nolan, is scheduled to last four to five weeks, with the jury being sent home until Friday at the earliest to allow other matters to be dealt with.
Paul Beggs, 49, of Brookfield Park, Rush, was found guilty of four counts of theft after diverting €26,785.53 from Eventhouse's bank account to his own. He admitted the fraud, citing a gambling addiction, and accepted responsibility. Beggs has paid €1,000 in 2020 and raised an additional €10,000, but the total restitution remains incomplete. He has no further theft convictions and has not been involved with Gardaí since the incident. Beggs has expressed remorse, is drug‑free, attends Alcoholics Anonymous and Gamblers Anonymous, and has re‑entered employment after a period of unemployment. The court, acknowledging his early plea and low re‑offending risk, imposed a suspended sentence of two years and three months, with the full term suspended. He must repay the remaining amount within the next week. The case was heard by Judge Dara Hayes in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Wayne Higgins, 27, was convicted of raping a woman in Cork city on 28 August 2019. The victim, who was intoxicated, had asked Higgins to escort her to a bus stop after drinking with him. While stopped in a laneway, Higgins raped her in broad daylight. Neighbours shouted at him and threatened to call the Gardaí, but he replied, "It's just sex," and fled. The victim later testified that she could not identify him at the time and that DNA evidence linked him to the assault. Higgins, who had a history of drug, robbery, stalking, harassment and breach of a barring order convictions, was sentenced by Mr Justice Paul Burns to ten years' imprisonment. The final year was suspended for three years on the condition that he engages with the Probation Service and has no contact with the victim. The court noted his moderate risk of re‑offending and his significant alcohol addiction. Wayne Higgins pleaded guilty.
An 18-year-old man from Rathmullan, County Donegal, has been sentenced to four years imprisonment, with the final year suspended, at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court following a dangerous high-speed pursuit through the capital in November 2021. Aaron Donnelly pleaded guilty to two counts of endangerment and one count of unlawful use of a vehicle without consent. During the incident, Donnelly drove a stolen car at speeds exceeding 160km/h whilst evading gardaí, travelling the wrong way down Dame Street at 100km/h and through multiple red lights. The pursuit, which began after gardaí spotted three youths acting suspiciously, saw other road users forced to take evasive action to avoid collision. Judge Martin Nolan placed the offence in the "middle to high" range of endangerment, disqualifying Donnelly from driving for six years. The sentence was backdated to January, with the court noting Donnelly's age at the time of the offence, his cooperation with authorities, and positive progress in custody.
A French national, Yanis Soudani, aged 21, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for a smishing offence that involved the theft of luxury items worth over €52,000 from high‑end shops in Dublin city centre. The crime was carried out over five dates in January, using three victims' credit card details obtained through fraudulent text messages. The stolen goods included Cartier watches, a Dior shirt and trousers, a Louis Vuitton keepall, and a Gucci top, among other items. Garda David Dunne explained that the victims had received smishing messages asking for financial details, leading to withdrawals of more than €70,000 from one account and smaller amounts from the others. Soudani was arrested on January 22 after Brown Thomas staff recognised him on CCTV. He pleaded guilty, cooperated with investigators, and has no prior convictions.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, James Hawkins, 24, pleaded guilty to robbing an American student studying at Trinity College after she withdrew €200 from an ATM on College Green. The victim, in her early 30s, was forced to surrender her purse, which contained cash, identification cards and credit cards. Hawkins, who has 76 prior convictions, was identified via CCTV, arrested, and admitted the offence. He apologized, claiming the robbery was unplanned and that he was homeless and struggling with drug addiction at the time. The court noted his cooperation, early guilty plea and desire to re‑engage with family and work upon release. No victim impact statement was available, and the case was adjourned to 21 November for further evidence and a governor's report. The court considered a custodial sentence with possible partial suspension.
Trevor Byrne, a 43‑year‑old from Finglas West, will continue to serve a 17.5‑year jail term after the Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal. Byrne, who has 44 prior convictions, was convicted in 2021 by the Special Criminal Court on five charges stemming from an armed robbery of Boylesports in Swords on 19 March 2010. The charges were robbery, possession of a firearm, false imprisonment, threat to kill and unlawful seizure of a vehicle. He was found guilty after a mobile phone dropped at the scene was identified as his and after a Garda recognised him in CCTV footage. Byrne's counsel argued the identification evidence was unsafe due to lack of contemporaneous notes, but the court upheld the evidence as admissible and the appeal was rejected. The 17.5‑year sentence, which runs concurrently with other convictions, remains in force. Trevor Byrne pleaded not guilty.
Terence 'Terry' Connors, aged 49, was convicted of manslaughter for stabbing Peter Conroy to death during a brawl at Palmerstown Lodge B&B on 9 June 2015. In 2017, a jury found him guilty of manslaughter and he received a seven‑year sentence with the final two years suspended. He was released in July 2019, but in May 2023 he was re‑sentenced to three years after being found in possession of stolen goods. The possession offence triggered the suspended portion of his 2017 sentence, and the court activated the full two‑year suspension, which will run after his current term for the possession conviction. The case was heard by Mr Justice Paul McDermott at the Central Criminal Court, with counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions and for Connors present. Evidence at the 2017 hearing described a chaotic scene at the B&B, with Connors claiming he feared for his children's safety and subsequently stabbed Conroy.
Dermot O'Callaghan, 58, a serial armed robber, had his original eight‑year sentence quashed and resentenced to seven years with six months suspended after the Court of Appeal found the judge had set an inappropriate headline sentence. The appeal was prompted by the fact that O'Callaghan was on bail when he participated in a 2017 raid on Ulster Bank's Stillorgan branch, during which a bank employee was threatened with a gun and forced to hand over €13,200 and £800. O'Callaghan pleaded guilty to possession of an imitation firearm with intent to rob. He had 22 prior convictions, including armed robbery and firearms offences. The Court of Appeal ruled that the headline sentence should have been 11 years, reduced to nine years after mitigation, and imposed a consecutive seven‑and‑a‑half‑year term with the final year suspended.
Aaron Brady, aged 33, admits that his attempt to pervert the course of justice during his trial was wrong but maintains that witnesses gave untrue evidence against him. He was convicted in 2013 of murdering Garda Adrian Donohoe during a robbery and is serving a life sentence with a minimum of 40 years. In 2020 he pleaded guilty to recording a witness interview and sending photographs to a prison colleague in an effort to influence testimony. Brady's counsel, Michael O'Higgins SC, argued that the witnesses were under pressure during the COVID lockdowns and that Brady's actions were a serious error of judgment, not a justification. The court was asked to consider leniency and to allow the maximum benefit for Brady's guilty plea. Brady's perverting‑justice sentence cannot run consecutively to his life sentence, but the DPP seeks it to run consecutively to his 14‑year robbery sentence.
During a Central Criminal Court hearing, Gerard Ward, aged 48, was sentenced to five and a half years' imprisonment for an aggravated sexual assault committed on August 25, 2020, at Raheen Business Park, Limerick. The assault involved a threat of rape, forced kissing, and the victim biting down on Ward's tongue, removing a significant portion. Ward also pulled the victim's hair, leaving a bald patch, and inflicted bite marks and scratches. He had previously been convicted of robbery, road traffic, and drug offences, receiving sentences of six and seven years in 2016 and 2001 respectively. The judge, Mr Justice Michael MacGrath, set a headline sentence of seven years, reduced by 18 months, and suspended the final six months, citing Ward's remorse and acceptance of the jury verdict. The court noted Ward's injuries required relearning how to speak. The victim, who had called emergency services, was praised for her bravery.
Nathan Roche, 28, admitted to gardaí that he had supplied his bank details to a person who claimed it was a tax‑back scheme, and that he was not the "brightest star" in the operation. He pleaded guilty to possessing €1,550 as proceeds of crime in June 2021. The court heard that Roche's account was used to move €1,550 into his account, a figure among the lowest in the investigation. Between January 2020 and September 2021, 308 electronic payments were made from Trinity College's hardship fund to accounts of people who had never attended the university. A staff member at Trinity was involved in the theft of a large amount of the money. Roche's defence lawyer, Kevin Roche BL, said his client had no connection to the person who stole the money. The case was adjourned to the end of July, with the judge asking for more information from the defence.
Two men, one named Jason Kelly (53) with 160 prior convictions, broke into a Ray‑Ban shop on Grafton Street at 1:30 a.m. using a steel stanchion to smash the reinforced glass door. They stole 170 pairs of designer sunglasses and eyeglasses, worth €27,089, and packed them into a sleeping bag before leaving. The robbery was captured on CCTV. Kelly pleaded guilty to the burglary and was sentenced to three years' imprisonment by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The judge noted the shop was empty, Kelly was under the influence, and the pair caused over €4,000 of damage to the door. Kelly is already serving a separate sentence and has a long history of offending, mostly in the District Court. The court heard he has a heroin addiction, a brain injury, and several health problems, and that he intends to seek treatment and study while in custody. The case was heard at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
In a 363‑page Court of Appeal judgment, Mr Justice John Edwards dismissed nearly 50 grounds of appeal submitted by Aaron Brady, who remains convicted of the 2013 murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe. The court found no error in the trial judge's decision to proceed during the Covid‑19 pandemic and rejected arguments that jurors were coerced or that the trial was unfair. Brady's appeals concerning the admissibility of video‑link testimony from Daniel Cahill and Molly Staunton, and allegations of inducement by U.S. authorities, were also rejected. The court upheld Brady's life sentence with a minimum term of 40 years, allowing parole application in February 2048 after 30 years of imprisonment. Brady, aged 33 at conviction, was found guilty of shooting Donohoe during a credit‑union robbery in Louth on 25 January 2013.
Aaron Brady, aged 33, failed to overturn his conviction for the capital murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe. The Court of Appeal rejected nearly 50 grounds of appeal presented over a seven‑day hearing in October. The judges dismissed all arguments, including a claim that the trial's integrity was breached when key witness Molly Staunton was interrupted by an unseen man during a video link from New York. The Court found the interruptions did not pose a real risk of an unfair trial. Brady's conviction remains, and he will continue serving a life sentence with a 40‑year minimum, plus a concurrent 14‑year sentence for robbery. The case, the longest murder trial in Irish history, concluded with an 11‑to‑1 jury verdict in August 2020. The Court noted the hearing was the longest in its ten‑year history.
Joseph Joyce, 31, with 110 prior convictions, was sentenced to four years in jail for stealing €16,000 from a woman after overhearing her conversation with a bank teller. The theft occurred on August 26, 2019, when Joyce and a co‑accused followed the woman to her home, smashed her car window, and stole her handbag containing cash, an iPhone, dollars, vouchers and jewellery. Joyce pleaded guilty to one count of theft, and the initial robbery charge was reduced. At the sentencing hearing, Judge Martin Nolan set a headline sentence of five to six years but reduced it to four years due to Joyce's rehabilitation efforts and family circumstances. Joyce is currently serving the sentence, which is due to expire in January 2026. The victim's losses remain substantial.
Joseph French, 33, of Neilstown Park, Clondalkin, was sentenced to five years in prison, with the final two years suspended on strict conditions, after pleading guilty to attempted robbery on 18 July 2021 and a robbery on 21 July 2021. The attempted robbery took place at Centra, Kingswood Shopping Centre, where French, armed with a large knife, demanded money from a staff member and was stopped by a customer. CCTV captured him leaving a Tesco plastic bag, which later yielded his DNA. The robbery at Applegreen, Clondalkin, involved a black rubber mallet; French forced a staff member to open the till and took just over €350 before leaving a plastic bag that again provided DNA evidence. French had 139 prior convictions, including a four‑year sentence for a 2020 robbery and a consecutive four‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence for the 18 July 2021 robbery.
Sean Keenan, 28, of Rosse Court Heights, Balgaddy, was sentenced to 27 months in prison for stealing a Peugeot 206 and its keys from a home in Holywell View, Swords, on 17 September 2022. He used a fishhook to snatch the keys from the hallway. Keenan has 118 prior convictions covering theft, assault, and other offences. Garda Brian Murphy presented CCTV footage and evidence from a search of Keenan's house. Keenan pleaded guilty, admitting intoxication and drug influence at the time of the crime. The judge, Martin Nolan, noted his early guilty plea and cooperation as mitigating factors, suspended the final 12 months of the sentence for 12 months, and ordered probation supervision for one year after release. Keenan is currently serving a three‑year sentence and is due for release in May 2025.
In a Dublin post office robbery on 11 November 2023, Mark O'Grady (35) and Paul Bradley (43) were jailed for six years each. Both pleaded guilty to robbery and to possessing an imitation firearm that resembled a handgun. O'Grady held the imitation gun at the entrance, preventing entry and exit, while Bradley entered with a third man, Lee Conlon (44), who drove the gang in a stolen car. Conlon smashed the protective glass with a scaffolding pole, stole €20,000 from the counter, and fled. The robbery was quickly stopped; the getaway car was identified and the money recovered. A customer with a three‑year‑old grandchild had to dive on her grandson to protect him when a bang was heard. All three men were arrested within minutes and received six‑year sentences for the robbery, with five years concurrent on the firearms charge. Conlon had previously been jailed for six years for a separate burglary.
James Flynn, a 32‑year‑old former member of a cross‑border crime gang, was granted legal aid to appeal his conviction and eight‑year sentence for conspiring to steal the getaway car used in the 2013 Lordship Credit Union robbery that killed Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe. Flynn had previously been acquitted of the robbery itself but was found guilty of conspiracy to steal a Volkswagen Passat from a house in Clogherhead, Co. Louth. The Special Criminal Court convicted him of conspiracy, noting that the burglary was part of an organised plan to secure a vehicle for the robbery. Flynn fled Ireland after the crime, was extradited from the UK in 2022, and holds UK and US passports but no Irish passport. Court President Mr Justice George Birmingham approved legal aid for his appeal, following the same basis as the trial court. The case was one of 16 legal‑aid applications heard that day.
Michael Lynn, a 55‑year‑old former solicitor from Millbrook Court, Redcross, Co Wicklow, has been granted legal aid to appeal both his conviction and sentence for stealing over €18 million from six financial institutions. The Court of Appeal, presided over by Mr Justice George Birmingham, agreed to provide aid on the same terms as the trial court after Lynn presented a statement declaring he had no means. The judge noted that should new information arise making legal aid inappropriate, the State could return the matter to the Court of Appeal. Lynn, found guilty of 10 of 21 theft counts in a second Dublin Circuit Criminal Court trial after a hung jury in 2022, is currently serving a five‑and‑a‑half‑year prison term. He intends to appeal the conviction and the sentence, with the appeal focusing on the construction of the sentence and release date issues. Michael Lynn pleaded not guilty.
Ronnie Wilde, aged 23, was sentenced to three and a half years' imprisonment for a series of unprovoked assaults and a robbery. On 1 September 2023 he robbed a Dublin 8 shop of €40 worth of groceries while armed with a possible knife. The following day he assaulted a delivery driver at his home, punching him several times. On 26 September 2023 he punched a woman twice in the face in the A&E department of St James's Hospital, causing her to fall and sustaining extensive facial injuries. Wilde pleaded guilty to all three counts. He has 52 prior convictions, most from his juvenile years, and was highly intoxicated and under the influence of drugs at the time of the attacks. The judge, citing his long history of offending, set a headline sentence of five years, reduced to three and a half years after mitigating factors, and backdated it to his October 2023 arrest.
Shem Maher, 26, was sentenced to three years in prison for a violent robbery at Usher Street, Dublin 8, on 27 October 2021. He attacked a young woman, knocking her to the ground, punching and kicking her, ripping her bra and grabbing her breasts while shouting "Where's my drugs?" Forensic DNA evidence linked him to the bra. Maher denied the offences but pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery. He had seven prior convictions and had been in custody since March. The court noted the victim's fear of rape and her attempt to flee, as well as the presence of a second injured party who was also frightened. Judge Jonathan Dunphy imposed a headline sentence of six years, reduced to four years concurrent sentences, suspended the final year, and credited Maher for time served. The case involved a robbery with invasive search and physical assault, with no evidence that either victim had drugs.
Joseph Doyle, 42, of Queen Street, Dublin 7, was sentenced to five years in prison for robbery and assault causing harm after attacking a 39‑year‑old man in Haymarket, Smithfield. The victim was left unconscious with a skull fracture and facial fractures. CCTV showed Doyle punching the victim, stealing his phone and wallet, and leaving him on the ground. Doyle pleaded guilty in the District Court and later admitted the attack to Gardaí, though he had no memory of it. The victim suffered significant physical and psychological injuries, including loss of hearing, blurred vision, headaches, depression, and anxiety. Judge Pauline Codd imposed a six‑year sentence, suspended one year on strict conditions, and noted Doyle's cooperation and remorse. Doyle has been in custody since the incident.
Victoria Dalton, 28, pleaded guilty to theft at a Circle K petrol station in Dundrum on 24 March 2020. She entered the shop at about 9:15 pm, asked for children's medicine, and was then approached by a man who held a knife to her throat and demanded €120 from the till. The staff, fearing for their safety, complied. Dalton later claimed she had been acting as a victim and denied participation in the robbery. Judge Orla Crowe sentenced her to 18 months' imprisonment, suspending the final nine months, and directed her to probation supervision for two years. The sentence was back‑dated to 30 March 2020, when she entered custody. Dalton has a history of drug addiction and a prior conviction for possession of drugs for personal use in March 2022. She is currently receiving treatment and intends to attend a residential drug programme after release.
Jonathan Kenny, 40, was found guilty of a 'psychic assault' after he pointed to his eyes and flexed his biceps in Courtroom 4 at the Criminal Courts of Justice, Dublin, during a hearing where a witness gave evidence. The judge described the gesture as a form of intimidation that caused the witness to feel fear and distress. Kenny had previously been charged with witness intimidation but pleaded guilty to assault, a plea accepted by the Director of Public Prosecutions. He has 108 prior convictions, including robbery, assault and theft, and is serving a custodial sentence for other offences with an earliest release date in February 2027. The judge imposed a four‑month sentence, suspended in full for two years, to commence after the expiry of his current custodial term, and ordered him to stay away from the victim, their home and family during the suspension. The victim's impact statement was submitted but not read aloud. Jonathan Kenny was acquitted.
A 35‑year‑old chronic drug abuser with 153 prior convictions was sentenced to four years in prison, with the final year suspended for three years, for a degrading sexual assault and robbery at a Luas stop in Dublin 12 on 26 January 2023. The court heard that the victim was forced to undress, had her legs held open, and was searched inside her vagina by a female co‑accused while the defendant held her down. The victim's €200 was taken, she suffered injuries, and a local man intervened with a golf club. The defendant, who has no prior sexual convictions, was described as having mental health problems and schizophrenia. The judge noted the assault was part of a robbery and set the headline sentence at six years, but ultimately imposed the suspended term. The victim remains in treatment and has experienced severe trauma and relapse into drug use. The unnamed 35-year-old pleaded guilty.
The Court of Appeal has resentenced a serial burglar to five years imprisonment after finding his original sentence inadequate. Wayne O'Callaghan, aged 35, of Brooklodge Grove, Glanmire, Cork, had pleaded guilty to burglary and unauthorised taking of a motor vehicle. Justice Tara Burns determined that the original headline sentence of three years for burglary was "simply too low" and represented an error in principle. The court heard that O'Callaghan entered a property in Glanmire and stole car keys from a bedside locker whilst a 21-year-old woman slept in the room. He subsequently took her vehicle, which contained a laptop valued at €3,000. On the same occasion, CCTV footage showed him entering three neighbouring properties. Later that night, he entered another residential address where three family members were sleeping, stealing items including Apple watches, iPhones, and a purse containing €100. O'Callaghan, who has 68 previous convictions including 15 for burglary, was released from custody one week prior to today's hearing. The new sentence comprises two years for unauthorised taking, running concurrently.
Paul Lynch, 56, was jailed after a sting operation revealed he had tried to meet an 11‑year‑old girl but was confronted by an adult decoy livestreaming to Facebook. Lynch had sent a picture of his genitals to the decoy and had asked for a naked photo, which the decoy refused, claiming her camera was broken. He had also offered to give her a phone. The court heard Lynch had previously pleaded guilty to attempted meeting of a child for sexual exploitation in 2018, had a 2019 conviction in Northern Ireland for sexual communication with a child, and a 2023 breach of a sex offences prevention order. He also had seven older convictions for theft and fraud. Judge Orla Crowe described the offence as the "most serious kind" and, after taking mitigation into account, imposed a sentence of two years and three months, back‑dated to his first custody in February.
Jason Fogarty, a 48‑year‑old with 27 years in prison, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to a further six years' imprisonment. He pleaded guilty to robbery at a post office on Merrion Row in November 2019 and to an attempted robbery of a B&B on Gardiner Place in May 2023. The judge imposed four years for the 2019 post office robbery, during which Fogarty threatened a cashier with a grenade, and a consecutive three‑year term for the 2023 B&B attempt, of which one year was suspended. The final effective custodial term is five years. Fogarty had been on bail for the first offence when he committed the second. The court noted his extensive criminal record, addiction history and the injuries sustained by the B&B staff member during the attempted robbery. The sentence reflects the seriousness of both offences and the lack of deterrence from prior imprisonment.
Leanne Kelly, 32, was jailed for two and a half years after assaulting a 63‑year‑old hospital worker on her way home from the Mater Hospital on 28 April 2022. Kelly pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to a woman outside the hospital. The victim, who had finished her shift and was collecting her bicycle, was struck on the side of her head by Kelly, who shouted abusive remarks before punching her. The blow caused the victim to fall onto the road, lose her sunglasses, and suffer bruising to her jaw and back of her head. She was taken to Mountjoy Garda Station and then to the Mater Hospital for treatment and overnight observation. Kelly had 64 prior convictions, including assault, robbery, theft and public order offences. She had previously been sentenced to two years' imprisonment with the final six months suspended in 2017. The court noted Kelly's extensive addiction history and trauma background.
A 40-year-old man from Leitrim Street, Cork City, has had his prison sentence increased by two years following an appeal by the Director of Public Prosecutions. David Long pleaded guilty to assault causing harm, burglary, and producing a hatchet during an attack on Middle Glanmire Road on January 18th, 2022. The Court of Appeal found the original six-year sentence, with the final year suspended, to be unduly lenient. Long's victim sustained a fractured skull, broken teeth, and facial fractures during the assault. The appellate court, presided over by Mr Justice George Birmingham, noted Long's significant criminal history, including previous convictions for aggravated burglary and robbery. The court determined that excessive mitigation had been granted at first instance. Long has been re-sentenced to eight years' imprisonment with the final twelve months suspended. His then-girlfriend received a three-year sentence with the final six months suspended for her involvement in the targeted attack.