Raymond Boyle, aged 51, pleaded guilty to three shop‑robberies in Finglas between August 2021 and March 2022. He used a hammer, a knife and a screwdriver to threaten workers and demand cash. The incidents included a robbery at Top Oil where he threatened to stab a staff member, an attempt at Food Junction where he warned of a gun, a theft at Proper 11 takeaway where he fled with €104, and a robbery at Daybreak shop where he demanded €260 from a safe. Boyle has 14 prior convictions, including two for robbery dating back to 2012. Judge Codd sentenced him to six years, with the final 12 months suspended on strict conditions, including probation supervision. The judge highlighted the severity of the threats and Boyle's addiction issues as aggravating factors, while noting his willingness to seek treatment.
Mark Rooney, aged 49, was jailed for seven years after a series of armed robberies. He first entered a chipper in Finglas on 18 November 2019 with a meat cleaver, demanding money from staff. On 19 January 2021 he entered a Burger King in Clearwater, Finglas armed with a small knife, held the knife to a young worker's neck, forced the till open, and fled. He left his mobile phone at the scene, which allowed Gardaí to identify him from a photograph on the phone's screen. Rooney had recently reported a burglary at his home and was on bail pending prosecution. He later attempted to rob a pharmacy in Dublin city centre on 13 July 2021, holding a knife to a security guard's throat; the guard seized the knife handle and forced Rooney out. Rooney was questioned by Gardaí, admitted to taking 20 Xanax tablets, and had a history of ten robbery convictions and thirteen drug offences. Mark Rooney pleaded guilty.
John Maughan, 35, of Cloghran, was jailed for six months after pleading guilty to possessing items for the theft of catalytic converters and driving without insurance on 10 February 2021. He admitted to driving a car with no registration plate, no licence, and no insurance, and was found with a trolley jack, a reciprocating saw, gloves and saw blades. Maughan, who has 119 previous convictions including 81 for road traffic offences, said he wanted to turn his life around and promised the judge he would never drive again. He was also found to have Covid‑19 at the time of the offence but did not inform Gardaí until his arrest. The judge noted his progress in custody, including education and addiction counselling, and imposed a 12‑month sentence with the final six months suspended.
Con Cowman, a 31‑year‑old Vodafone retail advisor, was found to have stolen €22,500 by issuing refunds to his own bank card after the till had been balanced each day. The thefts, all directed to the same card, were discovered because Cowman was the only staff member scheduled on the days the transactions occurred. He admitted the wrongdoing when questioned by HR and was immediately suspended. Cowman later cooperated with Gardaí, secured a bank loan to reimburse Vodafone, and pleaded guilty to ten counts of theft covering 50 incidents from 1 January 2020 to 12 March 2021. At the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Melanie Greally accepted his guilty pleas, lack of prior convictions, cooperation, and loan, and imposed a headline sentence of 42 months. She reduced this to 28 months, which she suspended in full on the condition that he repay the stolen amount.
John Balidoy, a 22‑year‑old art student, pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering in the State, with other counts considered. The offence took place between March and May 2021. Balidoy had no prior convictions. He was persuaded by a colleague to transfer money to the colleague's accounts after the colleague threatened him and his family. The money was used to defraud two women, stealing €18,000 and €14,000, and to obtain fraudulent Covid‑PUP payments in fake names. About €27,000 remains unaccounted for. Balidoy's accounts were controlled by others, and he was threatened. He received an 18‑month suspended sentence, with conditions, after the court accepted that he had no financial benefit, was psychologically vulnerable and had been threatened. The court noted that he had no custodial sentence because of his promising future and supportive family. The victims were fully reimbursed.
Christy Keogh, aged 70, was sentenced to three years in prison for social welfare fraud, with the final 12 months suspended. He pleaded guilty to 23 counts of stealing €185,622.48 in job seeker's and disability allowances between December 1996 and July 2018. Keogh claimed he was providing for his family and considered the crime victimless, a view noted by the Probation Service report. He had no prior convictions and had paid back only about €600 from his State pension, after which deductions stopped and were not reinstated. The judge highlighted the pre‑meditated, repetitive nature of the offences and the lack of insight into the impact on the exchequer. Keogh was arrested in July 2020 following a Garda investigation that uncovered the fraudulent claims while he was employed full‑time by a bus company. The case was prosecuted by Michael Hourigan BL, with defence counsel Luigi Rea BL acknowledging the client's circumstances and health issues.
At the Central Criminal Court, Justice Paul McDermott ordered the release of trial transcripts from the murder case of Aaron Brady to the legal team of Brendan Treanor. Treanor, 34, is charged with participating in the January 25, 2013, robbery at Lordship Credit Union in Bellurgan, County Louth, where Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe was killed. The transcripts are intended for use in Treanor's upcoming Special Criminal Court trial. The Director of Public Prosecutions did not oppose the application but emphasized that the documents must not be shared with anyone outside Treanor and his solicitors, citing witness intimidation concerns. James Flynn, 31, of Newry, Northern Ireland, is also accused of the same robbery and conspiracy to steal vehicle keys. Flynn was extradited from the UK last July to face charges in Ireland. He has not applied for the transcripts. In the related Brady case, the defendant pleaded not guilty to the capital murder of Garda Donohoe but was convicted by an 11-to-1 majority verdict in August 2020. He received a mandatory life sentence with a minimum term of 40 years, plus a concurrent 14-year sentence for the robbery.
Paul Timmons, 31, of Clondalkin, Dublin, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for a series of robberies committed during a five-day binge in January 2020. Timmons pleaded guilty to four robberies and one attempted robbery. Judge Pauline Codd sentenced him to six years in prison but suspended the final three years, citing his serious rehabilitation efforts and expressed remorse. The sentence was backdated by seven months to account for time already served. The judge ordered Timmons to continue engaging in treatment and relapse prevention as deemed appropriate by the Probation Service. His brother, Patrick Timmons, also pleaded guilty to the robberies and was sentenced to four and a half years in prison. The court heard that Timmons had 26 previous convictions, including five for robbery or attempted robbery. He successfully completed a residential rehabilitation course and is due to graduate from a construction training course. The judge praised Timmons' mother for her continued support. None of the stolen cash or dashcams were recovered.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, 20‑year‑old Andrew Hillick and his co‑accused Michael Matthews were found guilty of assault causing harm and robbery after they broke a glass partition in a taxi, punched the driver in the head, kicked him in the ribs, and stole €60 and a mobile phone. The driver suffered a broken nose and other injuries. Both men had no prior convictions. Judge Orla Crowe imposed a two‑year suspended sentence on Hillick, ordering him to engage with the Probation Service for two years, attend all appointments, and undergo a full mental health review. Matthews had previously received a similar suspended sentence. The court noted the teenagers' intoxication and the driver's role as a "blameless member of society" who was simply doing his job. The sentencing reflected concerns about the youths' drug use and the need for rehabilitation rather than custodial punishment.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Judge Martin Nolan imposed a consecutive four‑year sentence on 25‑year‑old Gerard Hughes of Tallaght for a robbery and endangerment that took place on Crumlin Road on 28 July 2019. Hughes left the passenger seat of a white car, seized a woman's handbag, and, after she resisted, dragged her alongside the vehicle for 30 metres. CCTV footage showed the incident, and a medical report recorded grazing scratches and a chipped tooth on the victim. Hughes pleaded guilty, was already serving a two‑and‑a‑half‑year term for earlier offences, and had a history of drug use. The court noted the seriousness of the robbery and the victim's bravery, and, after considering mitigating factors, ordered the four‑year term to run consecutively to his existing sentence.
Robert Terry, 42, of Bentley House, Dun Laoghaire, was caught trespassing on a building site where he attempted to steal copper. Gardaí stopped him in the hallway, found a knife in his pocket that he claimed was a fishing knife, and searched him. He had previously pleaded guilty to attempted burglary at Mellifont Avenue on 19 October 2019. Terry has 54 prior convictions, many for theft, and has been homeless since 2010. He has worked as a plasterer, butcher, barman and fisherman, but stopped after an injury in 2019. He has struggled with addiction since 2008, is on methadone, and is awaiting a residential treatment centre. Judge Martin Nolan, hearing the case at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, noted Terry's remorse and sentenced him to 12 months in prison.
A former solicitor from Claremorris, County Mayo, has been sentenced to 18 months imprisonment at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for stealing over €200,000 from four client families. David Doyle, aged 68, pleaded guilty to nine charges of theft totalling €218,579 committed between December 2008 and November 2016. Judge Martin Nolan heard that Doyle had misappropriated funds through a method known as "teeming and lading," transferring money between accounts to conceal the offences whilst addressing his personal debts. The court noted that Doyle eventually self-reported the fraud to his senior partner in October 2017 after 38 years of practice. He was subsequently struck off the register by the Law Society. Judge Nolan acknowledged that Doyle had sold his family home to repay clients in full and expressed remorse for breaching the trust of his clients and profession. Doyle cooperated with gardaí following his arrest in December 2020 and has no previous convictions.
A member of a cross-border organised crime gang has failed in his appeal against a custodial sentence imposed for attempted ATM theft. Gerard Duffy, 32, of County Monaghan, was convicted at the Special Criminal Court in 2021 following a guilty plea to attempting to steal an ATM from the Riverfront Bar Restaurant in Virginia, County Cavan, in August 2019. He received eight years and nine months' imprisonment with the final year suspended. His legal team argued the headline sentence of eleven years was excessive and that a greater reduction for his guilty plea was warranted, given he had no serious prior convictions. The Court of Appeal dismissed the challenge, with Mr Justice George Birmingham finding the original sentence appropriate and the trial court had correctly assessed the offending as being in the lower range of the highest tier of criminality. The gang stole an estimated €790,000 from multiple ATM locations across Cavan, Meath and Monaghan between 2018 and 2019 using stolen plant machinery and vehicles.
In the retrial of a teenage boy convicted of murdering Urantsetseg Tserendorj, Mr Justice Tony Hunt allowed evidence from a prior attempted robbery to be presented to the jury. The evidence, excluded in the original trial by Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring, involved the teenager's interaction with Tayo Odelade, who was attacked after a robbery attempt. The judge deemed the testimony relevant to the accused's intention and behaviour, noting its proximity in time and distance to the fatal incident. The court also discussed pathology findings from Dr Heidi Okkers, who described the stab wound and surgical intervention, and addressed cross‑examination questions about wound depth. The judge upheld the admissibility of the evidence, stating it was not speculative and was pertinent to establishing the accused's intent. No new verdict or sentencing was announced in this article. The unnamed accused pleaded guilty.
The jury in the murder trial of the teenager who stabbed Mongolian national Urantsetseg Tserendorj will continue deliberations for a fourth day. The panel now has 11 jurors after one was excused for medical reasons. Mr Justice Tony Hunt considered postponing the case to allow a 12‑person jury but the excused juror declined to return the next day. He told the jury that a guilty verdict should be returned if they were satisfied the prosecution proved the accused intended to kill or cause serious injury, or if the act was likely to result in death or serious injury. Ms Tserendorj, 49, was stabbed in the neck on 20 January 2021 after the accused attempted to rob her. The accused, a minor, pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter, to producing a knife and to attempting robbery.
Odinas Dziugas, 22, was sentenced to one year in jail at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for 11 counts of fuel theft from petrol stations on the M1 motorway between 6 and 21 August last year. He drove a grey Toyota Corolla, changing its registration number on several occasions, to fill up at Circle K in Dunshaughlin, Applegreen in Balbriggan and Applegreen in Castlebellingham, Co Louth, and also removed containers from his boot. The total value of the stolen diesel was €1,636. Dziugas pleaded guilty and had six prior minor theft convictions. Judge Martin Nolan, citing the defendant's desire for a "free journey", backdated the sentence to 9 May, when Dziugas entered custody. His defence lawyer noted an apology letter and family support, hoping the jail term will change his behaviour.
Anthony O'Hanlon, 27, of Walkinstown, pleaded guilty on 2 March 2020 to assault, making threats to kill and theft. He was sentenced by Judge Orla Crowe at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to 14 months' imprisonment, with the final six months suspended on strict conditions. The offence occurred in a car when an argument over alleged infidelity escalated. O'Hanlon punched, choked, threatened to kill, attempted to bite and stole the victim's phone and bank card, which were later returned. The victim suffered soft‑tissue injuries to her neck and cheekbone. O'Hanlon had seven prior convictions, including assault and criminal damage. The court noted his guilty plea, steps taken to address substance abuse and a moderate risk of re‑offending. No apology was made directly to the victim, though a letter to the court was sent. The sentence runs concurrently for all three counts.
Two men have been sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for their roles in a violent robbery at a hotel in Swords in November 2019. Ioan Galben, aged 40, and Samuel Pop, aged 28, both pleaded guilty to robbery and false imprisonment. The court heard that over €6,000 was taken from a sex worker, along with personal items including phones and jewellery. A third man, now deceased, entered the room during the incident and threatened the victim with a blade. Gardaí identified the suspects through CCTV footage relating to a similar incident in Roscommon in October 2019. Judge Martin Nolan noted a pattern of similar crimes and described the victim as left terrified by the incident. He imposed a sentence of five and a half years on Galben and three years on Pop, finding both men equally culpable despite their different roles.
In a case heard at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Stuart Martin, aged 50, was found guilty of stealing 11 mobile phones from Three Ireland, valued at €5,399, and attempting to steal an additional 68 phones worth €31,457. Martin had the phones sent to his home and failed to pay for them. He pleaded guilty to three counts of phone theft and one count of attempted theft between March and May 2020. With 30 prior convictions, including theft, robbery and property damage, the judge noted Martin's cooperation with Gardaí and expressed remorse. He was sentenced to a three‑year prison term, fully suspended under strict conditions, and ordered to pay €4,350 in cash to compensate the company. The court heard that Gardaí had recovered two phones from Martin's home, leaving a total loss of €4,359 to Three Ireland.
James Flynn, 31, of Newry, Northern Ireland, was granted legal aid by the Special Criminal Court despite previously offering over £1 million in bail sureties in the UK. Ms Justice Tara Burns noted the 'odd position' of Flynn claiming to have 'absolutely nothing' after offering £185,000 in cash and a £965,000 surety to Westminster Magistrates' Court. Flynn is accused of robbing Lordship Credit Union in Bellurgan, Co Louth, in January 2013, during which Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe was murdered. He is also accused of conspiring with Aaron Brady and Brendan Treanor to steal vehicle keys. Flynn was refused bail last week due to flight risk concerns, including evidence that his father told gardai in Boston, 'the boys are gone, you will never get them.' His trial is scheduled for January. Co-accused Brendan Treanor, 34, of Dundalk, is also charged with the robbery and was refused bail in June 2022. Aaron Brady, 31, of Crossmaglen, Co Armagh, was convicted of murdering Det Gda Donohoe by an 11-to-1 jury verdict in August 2020. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 40 years, plus 14 years for the robbery, running concurrently. The matter regarding Flynn's legal aid was finalised, but his trial remains pending.
James O'Driscoll, aged 51, was sentenced to 40 months in prison for a savage attack on a stranger on O'Connell Street in Dublin in March 2020. O'Driscoll claimed he had mistaken the victim for a man who had entered his niece's bedroom. The victim, who had spent the night at a "crack house" in the inner city, suffered a large stab wound to the leg and head injuries. The assault was captured on CCTV, showing O'Driscoll repeatedly kicking the man in the head as he cowered in a hotel doorway. O'Driscoll pleaded guilty to assault causing harm. He has 100 previous convictions, including assault, threats to kill, robbery and theft. Judge Martin Nolan described the attack as "a savage attack" and noted O'Driscoll's criminal record before handing down the sentence. The victim was taken to hospital and treated for his injuries. O'Driscoll was arrested after gardaí recognised him from the footage.
A blind homeless woman, aged 39 and known as Rosemarie Fearsaor or Maria Rosita Apacha Marchega, pleaded guilty last year to five counts of stealing about €40,000 in welfare benefits between 2011 and 2015. She later claimed a wish to change her plea to not guilty, but the DPP was not notified. In court she represented herself, refusing a solicitor or barrister. Judge Martin Nolan, after noting the case had been adjourned 14 times and the accused's uncooperative behaviour, imposed a fully suspended three‑year sentence on strict conditions, including a bond to keep the peace. The judge warned that refusal to accept the bond would lead to custody. The woman interrupted the judge during sentencing, initially refusing the bond but later agreeing to abide by it. The State alleged she also claimed over £50,000 in UK benefits under false identities, and that she had used multiple names and false documents.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Donal Hayes, a 64‑year‑old former business manager of an insolvent investment company, was sentenced to three years' imprisonment for theft and inducing investors to invest under false premises. Hayes claimed he was unaware the company operated as a pyramid scheme, yet he persuaded investors to give him money for a "rescue fund" that would secure their initial investment. Instead, he transferred the money to his own company account and invested it in apartments in Bulgaria and a hotel in Brazil, taking €550,000 for these purchases. When the company liquidator discovered the misuse, Hayes sold the properties and returned most of the money, leaving the company a loss of €65,000. Investors suffered a combined loss of €101,000. Hayes pleaded guilty to three counts of theft and one count of inducing investment under false premises between 2008 and 2011.
The Special Criminal Court has refused bail to James Flynn, who is accused of the 2013 Lordship Credit Union robbery in which Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe was murdered. Ms Justice Tara Burns, delivering the ruling of a three-judge court, determined that Flynn is a significant flight risk, noting he left the jurisdiction shortly after the alleged crime and has resided in the US, UK, and Northern Ireland since. The court cited "very concerning evidence" regarding an incident where gardai travelled to Boston for an interview with Flynn, only to be met by his father, who allegedly stated, "the boys are gone, you will never get them." The judge emphasized that while the case against Flynn is circumstantial, the prosecution's evidence is strong enough to suggest a potential for conviction. Flynn, who holds US and UK passports, was extradited from the UK after his appeal against extradition was dismissed. He faces charges of robbery and conspiracy to steal vehicle keys. Aaron Brady, who was convicted of murdering Det Gda Donohoe by an 11-to-1 jury verdict in August 2020, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 40 years, plus a concurrent 14-year sentence for the robbery. Flynn's trial is scheduled for January next year, alongside co-accused Brendan Treanor, who was also refused bail in 2022.
A Dublin man, Ashley Medina, 33, was given a suspended two‑year sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for stealing over €10,000 from his stepfather to fund a cocaine habit. Medina pleaded guilty to 54 theft charges covering the period from December 2020 to February 2021. He withdrew about €250 at a time from various ATMs using his stepfather's bank card while in the throes of addiction. The stepfather has since died, but Medina had made amends before his death and expressed remorse. The judge, Martin Nolan, described the offence as a "huge betrayal of trust" and noted the stepfather's character. Medina's sentence was suspended on the condition of good behaviour for two years and payment of €5,000 to his step‑sister as compensation. The case was brought to light when the step‑sister attempted to pay a hospital bill and discovered the account was empty. CCTV footage and bank statements confirmed the withdrawals.
Alan Brody, 52, of Clondalkin, was arrested in June 2020 after Garda Brendan Murphy spotted him cycling with a bag of cocaine. The police found 249 g of cocaine in his jacket, worth €17,430, and later discovered an additional €1,907 of cocaine in his home, along with scales and a press. Brody pleaded guilty to possession and claimed he was paid to deliver the drugs, citing a debt of about €20,000. He has four prior convictions, the latest in 1995 for robbery. The court noted his addiction, a 2013 assault that left him with facial scars and anxiety, and his clean record for the last six months. Judge Martin Nolan sentenced him to three years' imprisonment, suspended in full, on the condition of good behaviour for three years.
Karl Brown, 45, of Belgard Heights, Tallaght, pleaded guilty to stealing more than €6,000 worth of DJ equipment from a van parked outside DjBox in Coolock Industrial Estate on 22 February 2018. CCTV showed him opening the van's rear doors before 6 a.m., using a trolley to unload cases, and carrying the items out of sight. The stolen items included 24 sets of lights (€3,600), 15 laptop stands, and two amplifiers, with a total value of €6,675. Brown was arrested months later and admitted the theft. All equipment was recovered except the two amps worth €1,700. He has 22 prior convictions. In court, his counsel noted his long heroin addiction and recent progress in recovery, as well as his caregiving responsibilities for his mother and father. Brown brought €500 in compensation. Judge Martin Nolan sentenced him to two years, suspended in full.
Iancu Nicola, 31, was jailed for three years after he followed a 73‑year‑old woman from a city centre casino to her home and stole €23,000 she had just won. Nicola, who had previously lived in The Boulevard, Mount Garret, Tyrrelstown, pleaded guilty to robbery outside her home in Templeogue on 7 October 2016. He had six prior convictions for road traffic offences and absconded the day after the attack, only being arrested in Romania five years later and returned to Ireland under a European Arrest Warrant in October 2021. He was sentenced by Judge Melanie Greally, who suspended the final 18 months of a four‑and‑a‑half‑year term on the condition that he keep the peace and engage with the Probation Service. Nicola's accomplices, Declan Connolly (41) and Brian English (32), received five‑year and three‑year suspended sentences respectively. Connolly pleaded guilty to the robbery and had 11 prior minor convictions.
Sven Spollen Behrens, 54, a former lobbyist, pleaded guilty to stealing €10,250 from Dun Laoghaire Business Improvement District on 16 June 2017 and another €10,250 from Sandyford Business Improvement District in August 2017. The court, hearing at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, struck out the remaining counts and will consider sentencing on a full facts basis. Judge Patricia Ryan adjourned the sentencing to 16 January next year, when the evidence will be heard.
Stephen Butler, aged 30, was jailed for burglary and criminal damage after breaking into a Canada Goose shop on Grafton Street while it was closed for Covid‑19. CCTV showed him smashing the front door and stealing ten jackets and jumpers worth €7,100, causing €5,600 in damage. Butler had a history of 54 convictions and was serving a suspended sentence of two and a half years at the time of the theft. He suffered a brain injury from a 2016 car accident, which left him with a learning disability, and had a drug addiction. Judge Martin Nolan, noting Butler's vulnerability and drug issues, imposed a sentence of two years and nine months, recognising his lesser culpability compared to his co‑accused and not reactivating the previous suspended sentence. Butler pleaded guilty, admitted his role, and expressed remorse. The court considered his medical background and early admission of guilt.
Patrick Cawley, aged 30, was sentenced to three years in prison for stealing six bottles of gin and several Yankee Candles from Marks & Spencer and Dealz. On 16 January, he entered the Dealz shop through a fire exit, began filling his bag with candles, and when confronted by staff he became verbally aggressive, threatening to stab them and to burn their cars. He pulled a knife from his jacket and made further threats, causing staff to flee. Gardaí later arrested him and found the stolen gin in his bag. Cawley admitted the thefts and has 97 prior convictions, including robbery, burglary and drug offences. The judge, Martin Nolan, noted Cawley's cooperation in custody and his reduced methadone intake, and suspended the final 15 months of the sentence, backdating it to 16 January. Patrick Cawley pleaded guilty.
Kerrie O'Byrne, 46, of Monalea Grove, Firhouse, Dublin, was found guilty of over 30 counts of theft between 2013 and 2019, having taken €34,250 from her former engineering company. She used a company credit card to purchase petrol, clothes, flowers and gifts for others. O'Byrne pleaded guilty, admitted the thefts, and apologised. She had no prior convictions. The court noted that she had been able to repay the full amount, as her husband had sold property, and that she had taken steps to address the root causes of her offending. Judge Martin Nolan imposed a two‑and‑a‑half‑year prison sentence, suspended on strict conditions, and ordered O'Byrne to repay the company within a month. The sentence was given in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 27 October 2022.
Marius Pughineanu, 42, was sentenced to ten months in prison after pleading guilty to possessing an ATM bank reader and criminal damage to an ATM on Main Street, Lucan, on 7 January 2008. He also admitted using two stolen credit cards to purchase PlayStation consoles worth about €1,200 at GameStop stores in September 2007. The court heard that he had absconded twice, including a seven‑year stay in Thailand after bench warrants were issued. Garda Stuart Gleeson presented evidence that the stolen cards were traced to U.S. owners who had not authorised the transactions. Pughineanu was arrested in January 2008 after tampering with a Bank of Ireland ATM, where CCTV showed him removing the front of the machine with a Stanley knife. He has three prior burglary convictions but claims to have reformed, working 45 hours a week as a fire‑proofer and paying taxes.
A 22‑year‑old Dublin man was jailed for six years after pleading guilty to six counts of assault causing harm and one count of assault, plus theft of the victim's car, bank cards, tablet and mobile phone. He also committed criminal damage to the victim's mother's home, threatened to burn it, and threatened to kill the victim and their unborn child between December 2017 and July 2019. The court noted seven separate assaults, including headbutting, strangulation attempts, biting, punching the pregnant victim in the stomach, dragging her down stairs, putting her head in a toilet, kicking her face, and threatening to cut the baby out of her. The judge imposed a total of eight years, suspending the final two years on strict conditions, including good behaviour for three years, cooperation with treatment programmes and attendance at a domestic violence intervention assessment.
In a rape trial at the Central Criminal Court, a man accused of repeatedly raping his wife with household objects claimed the relationship was consensual and described it as a dominant‑submissive dynamic. He denied that he had taken advantage of her when she was unconscious, stating he had full consent. The prosecution alleged 15 counts of rape between 2005 and 2014, involving penetration with items such as a knife, cheese grater, bottle, carrot, banana, cucumber, tulip, wooden spatula, decanter stopper, part of a shoe, bicycle pump, deodorant bottle and his finger, plus anal rape and thumb penetration. The accused, who pleaded not guilty, said he took photographs of the acts, claiming they were consensual and part of a fetish. He also claimed to have destroyed a hard drive containing evidence, but said it was stolen. The trial is in its closing stages before a jury and Mr Justice Paul Burns.
In a High Court appeal-stage matter, Davy Fitzgerald, represented by Ronnie Hudson BL and solicitor Max Mooney, contested proceedings brought by Pepper Finance and receiver James Anderson against him and his sister Helen Fitzgerald. The plaintiffs sought possession of a property in Sixmilebridge, Co Clare, where Helen resides. Fitzgerald claimed he was a victim of fraud by former ACC Bank official Kevin Jarlath Mitchell, who was jailed in April 2013 after pleading guilty to theft, obtaining cash and a cheque under false pretences, and falsifying a DIRT compliance certificate between January 1993 and February 2012. Mitchell's four-year sentence was later halved on appeal. Fitzgerald alleged Mitchell falsely added his name to Portuguese mortgage documents and that €45,000 in deposits is unaccounted for. He argued that Pepper Finance, described as a vulture fund, was preventing him from redeeming a €200,000 mortgage by demanding an unjustified €25,000 interest surcharge. Deputy Master John Glennon initially struck out the case due to the plaintiffs' non-appearance. However, after the plaintiffs requested reinstatement, citing a brief delay, and Fitzgerald's counsel opposed, Glennon stated he lacked the power to reverse the decision without party consent. He noted the matter would likely be reinstated on appeal or re-issued, effectively leaving the case unresolved and subject to further procedural steps.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Jakub Chrzanowsli, aged 45, was sentenced to four years' imprisonment, with the final year suspended, for stealing over €150,000 from Polish businessmen. He had met the investors through a Polish business community group and promised astronomical returns, claiming to act as a middle‑man for Dublin City Council in selling council properties. The court found that the properties were not for sale and that Chrzanowsli had fabricated contracts and meetings in cafés or fast‑food outlets. He pleaded guilty to theft from a company and an individual between May 2017 and May 2018, and had one prior conviction. The judge noted his guilty pleas, lack of relevant convictions, and potential for reform as mitigating factors, and ordered €9,000 he had brought to court to be divided among the victims. The court also set up a repayment plan of €500 monthly, with €40,000 still outstanding.
Mantas Sankalas, aged 33, was jailed for 16 months after stealing more than €10,000 worth of designer clothes from Deja Vu, a Dublin shop. He was arrested days after the burglary when Gardaí stopped him cycling the wrong way on a one-way street. Sankalas was found carrying two designer bags, one containing items stolen from the shop, with a total value of €10,807. He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to the burglary that occurred between 8 and 13 September 2018. Judge Melanie Greally noted the crime was opportunistic and that Sankalas had originally intended to seek shelter for the night. She sentenced him to 24 months imprisonment, suspending the final eight months on the condition that he engage with drug treatment programmes and keep the peace for eight months after release. The burglary caused the owner to close the business. The case also involved a second person, as DNA evidence suggested.
John Kane, a 52‑year‑old former administrator for a family‑owned heating and plumbing business, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for stealing nearly €180,000 from his employer, Gerard Fox. Between 10 April 2017 and 4 June 2019, Kane stole amounts ranging from a few hundred euros to over €3,000 on 18 occasions, with the indictment comprising 66 theft charges and a total taken of €176,914. He admitted to spending up to €1,300 a day on gambling, claiming VIP treatment from bookies. During an audit in 2019, missing funds were discovered, and further investigation revealed that Kane had increased his own wages, paid himself twice weekly, under‑declared for tax, and made unauthorized payments, including €4,000 holiday pay. He had 37 prior convictions, including a 2012 three‑year sentence for similar thefts. John Kane pleaded guilty.
Ruth Ennis, 46, of Clondalkin, was sentenced to 18 months in prison after she attacked her neighbour Daniel Casey with a screwdriver during a dispute over a borrowed Dyson vacuum cleaner. The incident occurred on 19 September 2021 when Ennis, who had charged the vacuum's battery and wanted to use it, confronted Casey at his home. Ennis swiped at him with a screwdriver, inflicted wounds on his arm and elbow, and later struck him with a steel trim from the kitchen floor. She was intoxicated during the attack. Ennis pleaded guilty to assault causing harm, property damage and possession of a screwdriver in a dispute. She had 11 prior convictions, including theft and robbery, and had completed an "alternatives to violence" course while in custody. The judge, citing her guilty pleas and apology, backdated the sentence to the day of the assault.
In a court hearing on 18 October 2022, the judge considered the case of Myles Howe, aged 49, who on 22 August 2020 broke into the Garda roads policing office at Dublin Castle through an emergency exit. Howe stole handcuffs, a radio, pepper spray and items of Garda uniform. CCTV footage later showed him attempting to conceal the stolen items in grass and a bin, after which the radio and handcuffs were recovered by Gardaí. The stolen uniform items were found at Howe's home in Dublin 8. Howe pleaded guilty to trespass and theft at Dublin Castle and also pleaded guilty to a burglary of a flat on Dawson Street in October 2021. He had previously been convicted of burglary, theft, assault and criminal damage. The case was initially before Dublin District Court, where the Director of Public Prosecutions had consented to summary disposal, but Judge Brian O'Shea refused jurisdiction and referred it to the Circuit Court.
A man from Cavan has been sentenced to two years in prison at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for possessing 117 stolen bicycles valued at approximately €50,000. Dinas Bimbiras, aged 47, of Maple Drive, Drumgola Wood, Cavan, pleaded guilty to possession of 116 bicycles found in a container at an allotment in south County Dublin in December 2019, and one bicycle discovered at his home in May 2020. Bimbiras claimed he had purchased the bicycles at Dublin markets to establish a business repairing and reselling them. Gardaí recovered 34 bicycles and returned them to owners following a media campaign; the remaining bicycles were sold at auction. Judge Martin Nolan described the defendant's recklessness in acquiring the bicycles as demonstrating "almost wilful blindness" and noted that handlers of stolen property must be deterred. Despite acknowledging Bimbiras's cooperation, work history, and family circumstances, the judge imposed the custodial sentence.
Mervyn Tanner, a 47‑year‑old former financial advisor from Mallow, was found guilty of defrauding five people of €209,900 between November 2010 and March 2016. He pleaded guilty to seven charges of using a false instrument under Section 26 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act and theft under Section 4 of the same act. The Court of Appeal, hearing the appeal before Mr Justice John Edwards, Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy and Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy, dismissed Tanner's appeal. Mr Justice Edwards noted that the breach of trust was aggravated by the vulnerability of some victims, including a woman who had recently lost her brother, and by Tanner's continued fraudulent activity after his licence was revoked in 2014. The appeal was dismissed, confirming the five‑year sentence imposed by the Cork Circuit Court.
A former schools rugby player, Buti Sashi, aged 26, was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment for a series of violent attacks on transgender sex workers in Dublin. On 26 May 2017 he entered the victim's city‑centre apartment armed with a large knife, struck her face and body, cut her, demanded sex, sexually assaulted her and stole her mobile phone and laptop. The victim suffered a fractured jaw and an eye socket injury. A month later, on 28 June, Sashi and another man broke into the flat of a second transgender sex worker, beat her, stole two mobile phones and attacked a house‑mate, breaking his jaw and cutting him twice, taking his phone, laptop and €300. Sashi pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery, two of assault causing harm, one of sexual assault and one of weapon production. He was found to have a history of violent offences, including a 2014 robbery of a taxi driver.
Jonathan O'Driscoll, aged 33, was sentenced to 13 years in prison for a 14‑minute assault on 73‑year‑old Christy O'Callaghan in Macroom on 21 March 2019. The attack, captured on CCTV, involved O'Driscoll repeatedly stamping on O'Callaghan's head, kicking and stealing his watch, jacket and wallet. O'Callaghan suffered severe injuries, including a scalp laceration, facial fractures, broken ribs, a collapsed lung and a subdural haematoma, and later required life‑saving treatment at Cork University Hospital. He was subsequently moved to a long‑term care facility where he died. O'Driscoll appealed the 15‑year headline sentence as "excessive"; the Court of Appeal upheld the 13‑year post‑mitigation term but suspended the final two years for two years, requiring engagement with probation and addiction services. The court noted the assault was "prolonged, vicious and unprovoked" and that O'Callaghan's life had been ruined by the attack. Jonathan O'Driscoll pleaded guilty.
In a case heard at the Court of Appeal, Martina Rooney, aged 40, was found not to have successfully overturned an eight‑year jail sentence for a violent assault that took place in Temple Bar, Dublin, on 13 June 2020. The assault involved Rooney repeatedly stabbing a woman over a missing €50 note, with the attack described as "barbarous" and aggravated by a sexual element that "humiliated intimate body parts." Medical reports noted extensive facial bruising and lacerations to the back, buttock and thigh, and the victim was also stabbed in the eye. Rooney had pleaded guilty to assault causing serious harm and robbery, and the Court of Appeal upheld the original sentence, noting the seriousness of the offence and the mitigating factors presented by her drug‑addiction background. Her co‑accused, Karl Fishe, 36, received a two‑year sentence for his role in the assault.
Paschal Kelly, a convicted criminal with 60 previous convictions, opened an appeal at the Court of Appeal against his 2018 conviction and 18-year sentence for a 2014 post office robbery in Sutton, Dublin. Kelly was convicted of trespass, false imprisonment, robbery, threatening to kill, and possession of a stolen vehicle. The charges relate to the abduction of postmistress Susan Lawlor, her daughter Emma Carter, and student Gabriella Saisa, who were bound and held overnight before being taken to the Bayside Post Office. Kelly denied all charges. His counsel, Martin O'Rourke KC, submitted ten grounds challenging the conviction and four against the sentence, arguing the trial judge erred in admitting CCTV identification evidence. O'Rourke contended the footage did not positively identify Kelly and that Garda witnesses failed to provide a specific description of the driver during initial interviews. The appeal, heard by Mr Justice John Edwards, Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy, and Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy, was adjourned to December 19. On that date, State counsel Roisin Lacey SC is scheduled to reply to the appellant's submissions. The matter remains pending and has not been concluded.
Sean Keyes, a 34‑year‑old Paddy Power employee, stole €67,554 from the company after discovering a glitch in its gambling machines. He pleaded guilty to six counts of theft and six counts of producing a false instrument at various Paddy Power stores in Dublin between October 2019 and March 2020. Keyes admitted the theft to his employer and to Gardaí, and he immediately gambled the stolen money back into the company, so Paddy Power did not suffer a financial loss. The court noted that Keyes had a gambling addiction that began at age 14 and that he had taken out high‑interest loans to try to pay them off. He was a father of three, played soccer at a high level, and had a consistent employment history. Judge Martin Nolan sentenced him to two and a half years, suspended on a number of conditions, citing the unique fact that the company did not lose any money.
Patrick Maughan, 23, of Poddle Close, Kimmage, Dublin 6, pleaded guilty to robbery and the production of a 15‑inch breadknife. In January 2021 he was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to five years' imprisonment, with two years suspended, for the robbery that took place on 13 February 2018. Judge Melanie Greally described the incident as "very serious" and noted that Maughan had claimed it was "just a joke" and that he was "off his head". The court heard that Maughan's family had been "disgusted" by his actions and had removed him from the house. Maughan had no prior convictions at the time of the robbery, but had been convicted of producing an article, criminal damage and breach of a safety order during the case. In the Court of Appeal, Maughan's lawyer, Luigi Rea BL, argued that the sentence was too severe, citing Maughan's lack of readiness and the fact that the knife was "produced more than used".
Marcus Wynne, 41, principal of Grace Park Educate Together National School in Drumcondra, was found guilty of stealing €44,370 from the school between August 2016 and January 2019. He used the school bank card to withdraw cash and purchase items such as groceries, fuel, hotels, jewellery, clothing, taxis, holidays and restaurants, and forged invoices to cover the missing money. He pleaded guilty to nine counts of theft and eight counts of producing a false instrument. Judge Martin Nolan sentenced him to a suspended three‑year term, ordering him to repay €30,000 immediately and to save the remaining €14,370 over two years. The court noted his addiction problems and that he had no prior convictions. He has since worked in a factory and is likely to be struck off the teachers' register.