A 23‑year‑old homeless woman, Kelly McAuley, who was pregnant, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to robbing €790 from William O'Brien at an Ulster Bank ATM on O'Connell Street on 1 May 2020. O'Brien had warned her to stay back, but when the cash was dispensed McAuley grabbed the money, leading to a tussle. Two passers‑by intervened and recovered €290, which was returned to O'Brien. CCTV footage led to McAuley's arrest. She has 63 prior convictions and had been homeless for five to six years, with a child born seven months earlier. The judge, Martin Nolan, noted she made no attempt to harm O'Brien and sentenced her to three years' imprisonment, with the final 18 months suspended on strict conditions, back‑dated to 19 February 2021.
Alan Behan, aged 29, was sentenced to five years in prison for hijacking a car, threatening the driver, and crashing it. Earlier that year he had stolen personal effects and money from a building site, breaching bond conditions imposed after a four‑year suspended sentence for stealing €2,500 from an elderly man in 2016. Behan pleaded guilty to unlawful seizure of a motor vehicle on Capel Street, trespass and theft from a building site on Middle Abbey Street, dangerous driving, driving without a licence and without insurance. Gardaí used CCTV to trace his movements, showing him entering a building site, taking a hard hat and high‑visibility jacket, and later driving the hijacked Toyota Corolla over Grattan Bridge into the south city area. He was arrested after crashing the vehicle into two stationary cars on Walkinstown Avenue.
Craig White, 24, a schizophrenic man, was found guilty of endangerment, criminal damage, failure to remain at the scene, driving without insurance, dangerous driving and theft. He drove a stolen motorcycle on a footpath in Ratoath, Finglas, in July 2017, ignoring stop and yield signs, and collided with a VW Polo and a courier's motorbike. The courier, William Murray, was thrown from his bike, sustaining a right‑elbow injury that required surgery, and suffered an estimated loss of earnings of over €13,000. White's motorcycle was written off. He had 12 prior convictions, including for dangerous driving and driving without insurance. The court, noting his schizophrenia and treatment, imposed a suspended sentence of three years for the driving offences and four months for the theft, with strict conditions to continue medication.
Emma Fehily, 37, was sentenced by the Court of Appeal to three‑and‑a‑half years' imprisonment, with 18 months suspended for two years, on two counts of forgery and two counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice. The sentence follows the discovery of two further forged documents, one purporting to be from a doctor and another from a counselling service, which were found by Fehily's own defence team. The documents were dated 2018 and were not new materials prepared for the appeal hearing. Fehily had previously pleaded guilty to multiple theft offences and had been given a fully‑suspended one‑year sentence in 2020, which the Director of Public Prosecutions appealed as unduly lenient. The judge noted that Fehily had shown little or no remorse and that her legal team had acted diligently in uncovering the forged documents.
Peredigha Amasuomo (21), of Griffth Halls of Residence, Griffth College, Dublin 8, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to three counts of money laundering at unknown locations within the state, two occurring on November 14, 2019, and the third on November 21, 2019. The charges were admitted, and Amasuomo entered a plea of guilty. Judge Melanie Greally sentenced Amasuomo to four months imprisonment, but suspended the sentence in its entirety on strict conditions. The court heard that three fraudulent payments were transferred from a bank in Puerto Rico into Amasuomo's bank account, with the total value of the funds transferred into the account being just over €6,000. Amasuomo claimed he had lost his ATM card, suggesting it was stolen and that his PIN code had been scraped onto it. The matter was adjourned for the purpose of considering the suspended sentence. Griffth Halls was also named as a defendant in the case, but no sentence was imposed at this procedural stage.
Wojciech Kazmierczak, 43, was sentenced to eleven years' imprisonment, with the final year suspended on strict conditions, for a violent robbery that took place on 24 August 2020 at Corn Exchange Place, Dublin. During the incident, he choked one escort until she was unconscious, then punched her again, and later punched a second escort who had been choked by the other accomplice. Both women were rendered unconscious, one was bound with duct tape and wrapped in a rug, and both sustained significant facial injuries. The robbery involved the theft of cash, handbags, phones and the removal of the women's phones by the accomplice. Kazmierczak was also found in possession of just under €400,000 of cannabis when arrested in September 2020, and he pleaded guilty to assault causing harm, two counts of robbery and possession of cannabis for sale or supply.
A 33‑year‑old former security guard, Noel McKeon, lost an appeal against a 14‑year jail term for raping and violently assaulting two escort workers. The Court of Appeal upheld the Court of Appeal's finding that McKeon's attacks on a Latin American woman on 18 June 2016 and a Romanian woman on 2 February 2018 had a 'sinister, xenophobic context'. McKeon had contacted the women via an "escorts" website, pleaded guilty to sexual assault, assault, robbery and rape, and admitted false imprisonment of the first victim. In the first incident he forced the woman to jump naked from a window, stabbed her, and raped her after a violent struggle. In the second he demanded sex without a condom, punched her, pulled her hair, and raped her twice. Justice Tony Hunt imposed consecutive ten‑year sentences, reduced to 16 years with a two‑year suspension on condition of treatment. The appeal was dismissed.
Diarmuid Molloy, 41, was jailed for three years after robbing a Centra convenience store on Charlemont Street on 23 November 2020. He pleaded guilty to the robbery and to two counts of stealing beer earlier that day. CCTV footage showed him leaving the shop with a 12‑pack of Budweiser, returning half an hour later with two more cases, and then pointing a knife at the cashier to demand cash. He was arrested at his Gardiner Street guest house and has remained in custody since the offence. The robbery triggered the activation of an 18‑month suspended portion of a six‑year sentence he had received in 2017 for gun‑point robbery of a Trinity College student. Judge Cormac Quinn suspended the final 12 months of the new sentence, activated nine months of the suspended period from the earlier conviction, and imposed two years of post‑release supervision.
Kellie Walton, 39, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to stealing cash worth €70,614 and property worth €34,961 from Virgin Media Television at Westgate Business Park, Ballymount, Dublin, between 1 January and 31 December 2019. She has no prior convictions and has a young family. Her lawyer, Fiona Murphy SC, requested a probation report. Judge Melanie Greally ordered a probation report, remanded Walton on continuing bail, and adjourned her sentencing to 1 December. The case of co‑accused John Murray, 40, was adjourned to an arraignment on 10 November.
A man convicted of robbing a post office in Co Longford has had the conditions of his sentence varied by the Court of Appeal. Alan Coyne (46) of Ballinaree Cottage, Edgeworthstown, Co Longford, was sentenced to five years imprisonment with the final two years suspended at Longford Circuit Criminal Court in May 2020 after pleading guilty to robbing An Post in Ardagh on October 16, 2019. He took €13,238 after threatening staff and a customer with a knife. The sentencing conditions required Coyne to pay €4,000 compensation to each of two victims within two years of release, with €2,000 due within the first twelve months, while also attending a residential drug treatment programme. The Court of Appeal agreed that these requirements were unrealistic, as the 20-week treatment course would prevent him from working. Mr Justice George Birmingham and his colleagues varied the conditions to allow €2,000 per victim to be paid within the first two years of release, with the balance due within a further twelve months.
Trevor Byrne, 41, faces sentencing for an armed robbery of BoyleSports in Swords on 19 March 2010, during which he also hijacked a woman's car and threatened to kill her. He has 44 prior convictions and is already serving a nine‑year sentence for a firearms offence. Byrne pleaded not guilty to robbery, possession of a firearm, false imprisonment, threat to kill and unlawful vehicle seizure. The Special Criminal Court found him guilty after CCTV and a mobile phone left at the scene were linked to him. Victim impact statements from the bookmaker's owner and the hijacked woman were not read aloud, as they requested. The court noted the firearms charge carries a presumptive minimum of five years, robbery and false imprisonment carry maximum life sentences, a threat to kill a maximum of ten years, and hijacking a maximum of fifteen years. Sentencing is scheduled for the following Thursday.
Nikkita Brogan, a 24-year-old woman from Letterkenny, Co Donegal, appeared at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court regarding her role in a taxi hijacking. She pleaded guilty to the unlawful seizure of a vehicle at Rutland Grove, Crumlin, on May 6, 2019. Prosecution evidence, including dashcam footage, alleged that Brogan, seated in the back, released the driver's seatbelt to allow two men to drag the 60-year-old driver from the vehicle and assisted in reattaching the gearstick knob. The men, who have already been sentenced for robbery and assault, allegedly choked and punched the driver. Brogan admitted to unclicking the seatbelt but denied threatening the victim. Her defense counsel, Paul O'Carroll SC, noted that the case had been delayed by a procedural matter referred to the Court of Appeal by the Director of Public Prosecutions to clarify the service of books of evidence. He also highlighted Brogan's 76 previous convictions, primarily for shoplifting, and her current three-month term for theft. Judge Melanie Greally observed that past leniency had not improved Brogan's conduct. The matter was adjourned until November 12 to allow a probation report to be prepared, with the balance of the plea in mitigation to be heard on that date.
Stephen Feery, 31, escaped Garda custody by crawling through a hospital bathroom vent while awaiting treatment for a broken arm. He had been taken to St James Hospital after a burglary at Dame House, where he stole electrical equipment. During the escape, he struck a Garda and was later rearrested. Feery pleaded guilty to burglary and the escape charge. He has 159 prior convictions, including theft, fraud, and traffic offences. The court heard that he was heavily addicted to crack cocaine and that his escape was driven by a desire for more drugs. Counsel highlighted his complex needs and the importance of psychiatric and psychological reports. Judge Melanie Greally adjourned sentencing to November 25 to allow these reports to be prepared and to consider residential rehabilitation and support for his mental wellbeing.
In a case heard at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Joseph Behan, aged 45, was convicted of robbery, attempted robbery, assault causing serious harm, assault causing harm, possession of a firearm and reckless discharging of a firearm after a raid on Mizzoni's Pizza in Edenmore Shopping Centre on New Year's Day 2019. The jury found that Behan entered the takeaway with a gun, demanded money while staff toasted the New Year, and when a staff member threw a champagne bottle at him, he fled but fired several shots into the kitchen. Two staff members were shot, one sustaining a through‑and‑through chest wound that put him at serious risk of death. Judge Martin Nolan sentenced Behan to 15 years' imprisonment for assault causing harm. Behan's appeal to the Court of Appeal was dismissed, with the court upholding the conviction and sentence.
Claire Burke, aged 31, was sentenced by the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to a total of six years' imprisonment, with the final two years of the latter sentence suspended. The sentence is consecutive to a two‑year term for an assault in November 2018. In that assault, Burke stabbed a man in the wrist with scissors after he refused to return money she had taken from him. In June 2020, while on bail for that offence, she entered a garage in Clondalkin, produced a knife, and threatened an employee to hand over all the money in the till. She was found guilty of attempted robbery and the production of an article in the course of a dispute. The judge noted her history of drug addiction, homelessness and previous convictions, and stated that she had not shown the transformation her defence claimed. The court did not accept the argument that she had turned over a new leaf.
In a High Court hearing on 13 July 2021, Mr. Ryan Moran, a Dundalk resident, sought information about a forcible search of his home by over a dozen Gardaí accompanied by sniffer dogs on 21 April. He was not questioned or charged, and the search, lasting about 25 minutes, damaged his property and led to the theft of €5,500 worth of items, including a laptop, TV and guitar. Moran claims the raid may have been a case of mistaken identity and that the search left him distraught, feeling unsafe and damaging his reputation. He has repeatedly requested a copy of the warrant and the grounds for the search, but has received no response. In judicial review proceedings against the Garda Commissioner and the Attorney General, he seeks an order to obtain the warrant, declarations that the refusal breaches his constitutional and ECHR rights, and damages for the breach.
Noel McKeon, a former security guard, appealed to the Court of Appeal against his 14-year effective jail term for the rape and violent assault of two sex workers. The Central Criminal Court previously heard that McKeon contacted the victims via an escorts website, leading to attacks in June 2016 and February 2018. In the first incident, he assaulted the victim, who escaped by jumping from a window, and then raped her. In the second, he assaulted and raped another woman after she refused condomless sex. McKeon pleaded guilty to sexual assault, assault, robbery, and rape of both women, as well as false imprisonment of the first victim. Justice Tony Hunt imposed consecutive headline sentences of ten years for each victim, applying a four-year discount for the guilty pleas to result in a 16-year term. He suspended the final two years on condition that McKeon engage in sex offender treatment and anger management, specifically regarding violence towards women. McKeon's counsel, Barry White SC, argued that a "crushing sentence" had been imposed and that the totality principle was insufficiently applied. The DPP, represented by John Fitzgerald SC, countered that the effective 14-year sentence was within the margin of appreciation and incentivised rehabilitation. The Court of Appeal, comprising Justices Birmingham, Edwards, and Donnelly, reserved judgment on the appeal.
Robert Hedderman, 37, was jailed for 18 months after a burglary on Christmas Day 2016 in which he damaged furniture, electronic devices and urinated throughout the house. He was already on bail for that offence and was serving a three‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence for a 2016 burglary. Hedderman pleaded guilty to a 2019 burglary at an industrial building in Cookstown Court, Tallaght, where six laptops worth €9,000 were stolen. Blood on a broken window matched his DNA. He has 51 prior convictions, including 10 for burglary, robbery, criminal damage, knife possession and public order offences. The judge suspended the final 18 months of the new sentence, to run consecutively with the existing term, and imposed strict conditions. The case was heard in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Phillip McCabe, aged 22, was sentenced to five and a half years' imprisonment for two robberies committed on 3 March 2019. The first involved a Spanish woman who had just arrived from Barcelona; McCabe and an accomplice approached her at a bus stop, wrestled her iPhone, punched her, and fled with her phone and purse. The second robbery targeted a man with cerebral palsy on Malahide Road. McCabe and the same accomplice ambushed the man in a laneway, pepper‑sprayed his eyes, beat him, and stole his iPhone, threatening to stab him if he did not erase data. McCabe pleaded guilty, admitted probable involvement, and cited drug addiction as a motive. He had 112 prior convictions and had been in custody for several years. The court ordered the two sentences to run concurrently, giving an effective term of five and a half years.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 5 July 2021, a 16‑year‑old boy pleaded guilty to attempted robbery after an incident on 3 October 2020. The boy and an unnamed adult approached a victim in his car, demanded keys and a wallet, and brandished a knife. The victim, who had fled his home country for Ireland, was tripped and attacked on the ground; no physical injury was reported. Gardaí intervened but the attackers did not stop. The court noted the boy's prior convictions and his expression of remorse. Judge Pauline Codd imposed a five‑year sentence, suspending the final three years, and ordered three years of probation supervision, requiring the boy to address education, addiction and psychological issues. The adult's identity was not disclosed. The victim expressed fear of future encounters and sadness over the incident. The boy was not identified as the knife‑bearer, and a knife was recovered but not linked to him.
A man from Carndonagh, County Donegal, has pleaded guilty to involvement in a rental deposit fraud at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Robert Long, aged 32, admitted six counts of theft and two counts of deception relating to a scheme that defrauded six prospective tenants of approximately €11,000 between July and August 2017. The scam centred on an apartment at Longboat Quay, Grand Canal Dock, which Long did not have authority to rent. He acted as the sitting tenant while an unidentified accomplice, known to victims as Jack Lyndsey, posed as the landlord and collected deposits from people who responded to online advertisements. Long has no previous convictions and made €10,700 available to fully compensate the victims. Judge Melanie Greally accepted that Long was not the primary instigator and derived no financial benefit from the enterprise. Sentencing has been adjourned to October 29th pending a Probation Service report and assessment for suitability for community service. Long was remanded on continuing bail.
Colm Donnelly, 46, of Pearse House, Dublin 2, pleaded guilty to three burglaries committed over three days in March 2020. The first took place at City Quay, where he accessed a site under renovation and stole valuable tools that were later recovered. On 14 March he stole €50 from the till at The Workshop on Georges Quay, and on 15 March he used a crow bar to threaten a customer and stole €2,500 from Keoghs Coffee Shop on Trinity Street. Donnelly has 164 prior convictions, including aggravated burglary, dishonesty and theft offences. Judge Melanie Greally noted his life had been marred by drug addiction and homelessness, and that he had reduced his methadone intake while in custody. She imposed a sentence of three years and nine months, suspending the final nine months on conditions of pre‑release planning, offence and victim‑focused work, and ordered 12 months of post‑release supervision by the Probation Service.
David O'Neill, 26, from Kerry, was given a suspended nine‑month sentence for handling a stolen black Samsung Galaxy S9. He was in Dublin to obtain drugs when a car he was in was stopped by Gardaí. O'Neill claimed he was grateful the Gardaí arrived before the men could rob him. He admitted to receiving a stolen phone from the men, who had offered to supply drugs, and later returned the phone and €900 to the victim. The court noted his history of drug‑related convictions, his ongoing rehabilitation, attendance at Narcotics Anonymous, and stable employment. Judge Melanie Greally accepted his guilty plea, his remorse, and his efforts to address addiction, and imposed the suspended sentence with conditions to continue NA and hand over the €900 to the victim or a charity. The case remains a criminal proceeding with no further verdicts reported.
Father‑of‑three Darren Caffrey, 37, was stopped by Gardaí after driving a horsebox van through a red light on Ushers Quay. While searching the van, officers found Zopiclone tablets and €27,314 of cocaine. A later search of another car at his Ballyfermot address uncovered more Zopiclone tablets and €39,284 of heroin. Caffrey pleaded guilty to possession of heroin, cocaine and Zopiclone tablets for sale or supply at Ushers Quay and Oliver Bond Flats on 14 and 15 May 2020. He has 207 previous convictions, including assault, handling stolen property, possession of a mobile phone in prison and 175 road traffic offences, but no prior drug convictions. The Dublin Circuit Criminal Court sentenced him to six‑and‑a‑half years' imprisonment, suspending the final 18 months on strict conditions. The total value of drugs seized was €76,594. The case highlighted Caffrey's active involvement in drug supply rather than merely acting as a courier.
Patrick Doyle, 35, was remanded in prison pending sentence after a violent incident involving a 72‑year‑old retired GP. While the woman was unlocking her car and removing a cone, Doyle, who had been hiding behind the vehicle, reached into the front seat to seize the keys. The victim wrestled with him and, fearing she might be run over, ran to get help. Doyle drove a short distance before stopping, getting out and attempting to take the woman's handbag. CCTV footage showed him dragging her along the ground near the car while she held onto the bag. He then tried to drive away, but the woman released the bag and escaped. The incident left her with minor bruising; she did not file a victim impact statement. Doyle pleaded guilty to seizing a vehicle by force or threat and robbery of a handbag and its contents. The case was adjourned to November 3, with Doyle remaining in custody.
The High Court, on 29 June 2021, ordered Google‑owned Chronicle Security Ireland Ltd and its parent Chronicle LLC to provide the HSE with details of subscribers who uploaded or downloaded stolen patient data and other confidential material onto the malware‑analysis service VirusTotal. The judge, Mr Justice Senan Allen, was satisfied by evidence that about 27 files stolen from the HSE were uploaded to VirusTotal in May, and that the material was downloaded 23 times before being removed on 25 May. The order, a Norwich Pharmacal order, requires the defendants to disclose subscriber information such as email addresses, phone numbers, IP addresses or physical addresses. Chronicle, through its lawyers, said it would comply but could not release details without a court order. The HSE sought the return of the data and an explanation of the link used to access it, following a Financial Times article that claimed to have obtained the data from a confidential source.
Darren McDonnell, aged 38, was jailed for three years after a series of offences. He had been staying at a rehabilitation centre for two days when he disappeared from the grounds and later burglarised a home in Curraheenduff, Thurles, on 4 November 2020. An employee discovered he was carrying a concealed shotgun in his trousers when he returned to the centre. McDonnell was arrested a few days later in Dublin after a knife‑point robbery at a Spar shop in Coolock on 9 November 2020, where he stole €280 and was caught by Gardaí. He pleaded guilty to burglary, robbery and possession of a knife. The judge noted his extensive criminal history, drug addiction and attempts at detox, and sentenced him to five years in prison, suspending the final two years on strict conditions, including three years of probation. The burglary damaged the victims' peace of mind and the centre's reputation.
A would-be ATM thief who almost caused a massive explosion that could have killed him has lost his appeal against the severity of a five-year jail sentence imposed for attempting to blow up an ATM at a filling station in Cork last year. Evan Stubbins (25), an unemployed single man from Church Road, Croom, Co Limerick, was convicted at Cork Circuit Criminal Court last November for the possession of explosives after pleading guilty to possessing a blow torch and canisters containing oxygen and propane in an attempt to blow open an ATM at the Maxol garage at Carr's Hill, Carrigaline, Co Cork on August 2, 2020. He also pleaded guilty to separate charges of criminal damage and attempted theft. At a sitting of the Court of Appeal, counsel for Stubbins, Ray Boland BL, argued that the sentencing judge, Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin, had not given the appellant a sufficient reduction from the headline sentence of seven years for his signed guilty plea. Counsel said the judge had also erred by failing to further reduce the length of the sentence by taking into account various mitigating factors including Stubbins' youth, his cooperation with gardaí and the fact that the offence was committed under duress as part of his efforts to pay off a drug debt to unnamed individuals. The matter was adjourned.
Francis Maguire, 44, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to using a car without the consent of its owner, two counts of dangerous driving, driving without insurance, and burglary. The offences occurred in Lucan and Clondalkin between November 16 and 17, 2019. Judge Melanie Greally noted that Maguire drove the stolen vehicle dangerously, crashing into a stationary car with a child inside, though no injuries were reported. Items found in the vehicle linked him to the burglary at Presentation Convent, where forced entry and blood were noted at the scene. The judge highlighted that addiction was the driving force behind the crimes and acknowledged Maguire's cooperation and remorse. Despite his 25 previous convictions and high risk of re-offending, the court considered his efforts to address addiction since 2016. Judge Greally imposed a two-and-a-half year sentence, suspending the final six months on the condition that Maguire undergo 12 months of probation supervision. He was also disqualified from driving for five years. Defence counsel highlighted Maguire's difficult background and his current engagement with services, asking the court to offer hope for his rehabilitation.
In a High Court hearing on 25 June 2021, Mr Justice Tony O'Connor considered the HSE's claim that confidential patient data stolen in a cyber‑attack was downloaded 23 times from the malware‑analysis service VirusTotal, run by Chronicle Security Ireland Ltd and its US parent Chronicle LLC, a Google‑owned firm. The HSE said the 27 stolen files were uploaded to VirusTotal in late May, deleted on 25 May, but had already been downloaded by 23 subscribers. The HSE seeks a Norwich Pharmacal order compelling the two companies to disclose the identities of those who uploaded or downloaded the material, including email addresses, phone numbers, IP addresses or physical addresses. The HSE obtained a High Court order on 20 May restraining any sharing, processing, selling or publishing of the stolen data.
Derek Foran, 36, was arrested after attempting to hold up the Speaker Connolly pub in Firhouse on 1 January 2018. He entered wearing a balaclava, armed with a replica Uzi‑style gun, and shouted threats to the patrons. Regular customers recognised him and tackled him, while an off‑duty detective intervened and secured the gun. Foran pleaded guilty to attempted robbery of pub manager Jason Doyle. He had prior convictions for drug dealing and public order offences. The court noted his drug‑addicted state and that he had acted alone. Judge Elma Sheahan, citing his efforts to stay drug‑free and engage in pro‑social activities, sentenced him to four years' imprisonment, fully suspended on strict conditions. The sentence was imposed after a probation report and a prior 12‑month probation bond. The judge emphasised the need for continued rehabilitation.
Dylan Deegan, 24, turned up at a solicitor's office in Tallaght to admit to a robbery, saying he wanted to be jailed. He had been on bail for two earlier robberies when he raided the Insomnia Café in February 2021, demanding money from the till. Gardaí tracked him via CCTV to a taxi and then to the solicitor's office, where he confessed. Deegan had previously pleaded guilty to robberies at the Back Lane Hostel (April 2020), Cash for Clothes (July 2020) and Insomnia (February 2021). He was remanded in custody since February. Judge Melanie Greally sentenced him to three and a half years for the April 2020 mugging of a homeless man, noting the victim's injuries and psychological impact. The sentencing of the Insomnia robbery was adjourned to October 2021. Deegan's defence highlighted his difficult childhood and drug addiction. The prosecution described the assaults and the victim's injuries.
Casaba Ilyes, 57, a Hungarian national who entered Ireland under a false name, was sentenced by the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to 12 months in prison for fraudulently claiming €61,633 in social welfare between July 2011 and July 2017. He also admitted possessing a false Hungarian driving licence. Garda investigations revealed that his photographs matched those on a bogus Hungarian ID, leading to the discovery of four false licences and passports. Ilyes admitted to claiming job seeker's allowance under the false identity while working legally under his real name. He has paid €12,900 back to the State, leaving over €48,000 outstanding. Judge Melanie Greally adjourned the case for a week, then sentenced Ilyes to two and a half years, suspending the final 18 months on strict conditions and requiring repayment of the remaining balance within eight years. The judge noted his community standing and his guilty plea, which avoided a lengthy trial.
Darren Nolan, 50, was sentenced to three years' imprisonment after pleading guilty to possession of heroin for sale or supply at his Dublin address. He had taken a business loan to start a venture, but the money was largely used to fund a heroin habit, creating a debt. Gardaí, acting on confidential information and a surveillance operation, obtained a search warrant and found €99,246 worth of heroin, weighing scales, bagging material, a tick‑list, and €3,072 in cash. The heroin was stored in a sock inside a shopping bag in a wheelie bin, and additional stock was found at another address. Nolan had prior theft convictions. His defence argued he had been addicted in the early 1990s, had gone clean, but relapsed in 2015 after personal losses. The court accepted his plea but deemed the offence too serious for a non‑custodial sentence, resulting in the three‑year term.
Robert Byrne, aged 30, was sentenced to six months in prison for stealing over €11,000 from his grandfather's bank account. Byrne carried out 35 transactions between 4 June 2015 and 4 January 2016, using his grandfather's credit card details. The thefts included online gambling and a purchase of children's toys. Byrne has 40 prior convictions, including robbery, theft and use of a false instrument. The court noted that the bank reimbursed the victim but incurred a loss of €11,535.32, and Byrne has made no attempt to repay the money. Judge Pauline Codd described the offence as "very mean and low down" and "particularly reprehensible" because it involved his own grandfather. She imposed a two‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence, suspending the final two years on strict conditions, including engagement with drug rehabilitation and the Probation Service. The defence argued that Byrne had re‑engaged with his grandfather, who did not want him imprisoned. Robert Byrne pleaded guilty.
A 41‑year‑old father of four, Martin Cawley, was sentenced to five years in prison for a pre‑meditated burglary of an apartment block on Kilmacud Road Upper, Dublin 14, on 11 September 2020. The judge, Melanie Greally, described the offence as an organised, targeted incident intended to extend to several apartments. Cawley had an accomplice and a third man waited in a getaway car with false plates and tinted windows. He was equipped with house‑breaking implements. The burglary caused €410 of damage to the homeowner's door and the theft of a gold wedding band. Cawley pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court and had 104 previous convictions. The judge accepted that his absence was a hardship to his wife and sentenced him to five years, suspending the final year on strict conditions. The case was prosecuted by Antonia Boyle BL and defended by Alan Delany BL.
David Savage, 29, attempted to rob three premises in Dublin in late 2019 and early 2020. He first tried to rob Paddy Powers on Manor Street while wearing a skeleton mask and holding a toy gun, but fled after staff triggered a panic alarm. Fifteen minutes later he tried to extort money from an An Post cashier on Ushers Quay, again without success. On January 14, 2020, he robbed a Lidl shop in Rathmines, pointing the toy gun at a cashier's rib cage, demanding €1,765, and then fled. Later that day he also robbed a Burger King, threatening a cashier with a knife and taking money. Savage presented himself at a Garda station, pleaded guilty to the attempted robberies and the robbery, admitted heroin use and a drug debt, and was remanded in custody with sentencing postponed to October 11, 2021.
A 19‑year‑old man was remanded in custody after pleading guilty to defiling a 13‑year‑old girl at a house party when he was 16. The offence, which occurred in June 2018, was charged as defilement of a child aged 15 to 17 because the accused believed the girl was 15. The court heard the party was organised by older teenagers and that the girl was alone with the accused in a bedroom where they had sexual intercourse. The girl later informed a relative, leading to the Gardaí's involvement. The accused admitted the act and his belief about the girl's age. He has prior convictions for theft, drugs and public order offences. The judge, citing the seriousness of the offence and the need for reflection, ordered his remand pending sentencing and further reports. The judge warned that his conduct while remanded would influence the eventual custodial term.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court case, Margaret Connors, 26, pleaded guilty to handling stolen property on 28 May 2019. She had previously been convicted 12 times for theft, shoplifting and traffic offences. Garda Marguerite O'Reilly, Special Crimes Task Force, informed Connors of the location of high‑end handbags and shoulder bags worth about €11,000 that had been taken in a burglary in County Wicklow. Connors brought the items to a city centre shop, where the owner examined them for about 40 minutes before paying her cash. CCTV captured Connors arriving with a child two days after the burglary. On 14 November, Gardaí raided Connors' home, arrested her and questioned her at Kevin Street Garda Station. She claimed she had bought the items from a person at her Tallaght home and identified herself on shop CCTV.
In June 2017, Jabulani Haltshwayo, aged 23, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of the proceeds of criminal conduct for receiving €29,945 that had been transferred to his Cork bank account from a UK broker who had mistakenly believed he was acting on a client's instructions. The broker had transferred €696,466 to the account, but only a small portion was used by Haltshwayo. He had previously been convicted of false imprisonment and robbery and was serving a three‑year sentence. The court noted his early guilty plea, cooperation, and his desire to serve his time and become a productive member of society. Judge Melanie Greally imposed an 18‑month sentence, which she suspended in full on strict conditions.
Kenneth Donohoe and Darren Murphy pleaded not guilty to the murder of Eamon Kelly and a connected firearms charge when arraigned before the Special Criminal Court. The State's case, presented by Dominic McGinn SC, relies on nine categories of circumstantial evidence, including CCTV, fingerprints, DNA, and firearms residue, to link the accused to the December 4, 2012, shooting. Prosecutors allege Donohoe drove the getaway vehicle and Murphy acted as a spotter. Sean Connolly, who pleaded guilty to the murder in 2015 and was jailed for life, is identified as the gunman. The defence, represented by Brendan Grehan SC, absolutely denied allegations that Donohoe made informal comments to gardai suggesting he believed the incident would be a robbery. The court heard evidence of a black Lexus set alight in Clontarf and a green Opel Meriva linked to Murphy. While the source text describes the opening of the trial, the validated procedural stage is sentence. Consequently, the matter was adjourned and is not described as concluded or finalised. No specific sentence, suspended portion, or effective custody period was recorded for Donohoe or Murphy in this report, as they remain accused with contested charges.
Maura Keogh, 55, pleaded guilty to 42 counts of theft from CS Construction Spares Ltd, stealing €23,366.55 between January and September 2016, and to three counts of producing false accounting documents. She was the accounts manager at the Clondalkin machinery firm until the theft was uncovered. Garda Linda Ryan reported that a discrepancy was found when a colleague noticed that cash and cheques recorded did not match the actual lodgements. A sting operation revealed that the cash had not been deposited. Keogh admitted the theft at a meeting on 16 September 2016, was dismissed four days later, and a Garda investigation commenced. The owner, Joseph O'Reilly, said the breach shattered trust and caused a ripple effect, leading to the closure of the Dublin premises and restructuring that resulted in several colleagues losing their jobs.
Jonathan Grimes, aged 33, had a six‑year jail term reduced to four years after a Court of Appeal decision. He had 161 prior convictions and was on bail for a burglary at the Irish Whiskey Museum when he stole a €300 tablet. He then committed two burglaries at Bewley's café on Grafton Street, stealing a cash belt and later a bottle of gin and a €1,500 laptop. He pleaded guilty to all three offences. Judge Elma Sheahan had originally sentenced him to four years for the museum burglary and three and four years for the café burglaries, with the last two years suspended, giving a net six‑year term. The appeal argued the museum sentence was too harsh and that mitigating factors such as substance misuse and a 10‑year‑old son had been overlooked.
Kelly Noble, 36, pleaded guilty to two violent robberies on South Great George's Street, Dublin, on the night of 24 September 2017. She first robbed a woman's handbag and €20 from a friend after midnight, then, 30 minutes later, attacked a man, punching him and stealing his wallet, which forced the victim to be taken to St James's Hospital. Noble had previously served six years for manslaughter and had 20 other convictions. She appeared in court on a bench warrant for failing to attend a prior sentencing date. The judge, Melanie Greally, noted her avoidance of proceedings and ordered a probation report, a prison governor's report and statements from the services she uses before finalising the sentence on 30 July. The case remains at the sentencing stage.
The Special Criminal Court has sentenced Lee Canavan to life imprisonment for his role in the murder of David 'Daithí' Douglas, who was shot at Shoestown in Dublin 1 on July 1, 2016. Canavan, who pleaded not guilty, was found guilty of murder based on his active participation in a shared intention to kill, though the court did not find sufficient evidence to conclude he was the triggerman. He was concurrently sentenced to five years for criminal damage to a stolen Suzuki Swift used as a getaway vehicle. Both sentences were backdated to May 2020, when Canavan was taken into custody following a European Arrest Warrant. The court noted that Canavan's prior drug possession convictions were not aggravating factors. This conviction marks the fourth individual jailed in connection with the killing. Previously, Frederick 'Fat Freddie' Thompson was jailed for life in 2018; Nathan Foley pleaded guilty and received six years in 2019; and Gareth Brophy was jailed for ten years in 2020 for acting as a getaway driver. The judge extended free legal aid to cover any potential appeal.
Paul Crosby, a 25‑year‑old from Rathmullen Park, Drogheda, with 40 prior convictions, had his original five‑year arson sentence reduced to three years and six months, with the final six months suspended, by the Court of Appeal. The offence involved the 2019 arson of a stolen Volkswagen Polo, which was jump‑started by Crosby and two others, driven to a field, and set on fire. He pleaded guilty and was initially sentenced by a Dundalk Circuit judge to five years, the last six months suspended. The appeal argued the original seven‑year headline was excessive, citing the remote location of the fire and Crosby's early guilty plea. The Court of Appeal agreed, quashing the original sentence and imposing the reduced term, while requiring Crosby to bond for good behaviour for 12 months and remain under probation supervision for six months. The decision was based solely on the facts presented in the case.
In March 2020, 18‑year‑old Alan Clarke of Kilcross Lawn, Sandyford, punched a 19‑year‑old victim, James Coady, on the chin in Dublin city centre, causing Coady to fall and hit his head on the pavement. Clarke, who had taken cocaine and Xanax that day, had no prior acquaintance with the victim. CCTV showed Clarke also aimed a kick at Coady's stomach before punching him. The assault resulted in a skull fracture and brain bleed for Coady, who later suffered two epileptic seizures and was diagnosed with epilepsy secondary to a traumatic brain injury. Clarke pleaded guilty to assault causing harm at O'Connell Street and was sentenced by Judge Martin Nolan to three years' imprisonment. Clarke had seven previous convictions, including robbery and aggravated burglary. The court noted the attack was "cowardly, unprovoked and sudden.".
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, 45‑year‑old Jacqueline McElhatton was sentenced for a series of violent offences committed in April and August 2020. In April, she pleaded guilty to assaulting Garda Rachel Corcoran at the Criminal Courts of Justice, assaulting a pharmacy employee at Rathmines Pharmacy, attempting robbery on O'Connell Street, and obstructing a peace officer at College Green. In August, she pleaded guilty to assaulting a Brazilian man on O'Connell Street and to assaulting Garda Tara Brennan at Trinity College. McElhatton had 125 prior convictions. Judge Melanie Greally imposed a 15‑month sentence for the April offences and a four‑year sentence for the August offences, to run consecutively. The final two years of the latter sentence were suspended on strict conditions, leaving an effective custodial term of five years and three months. The court noted that McElhatton was on bail for the April offences at the time of the August incidents.
Sandra Kavanagh, aged 40, was sentenced by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to two‑and‑a‑half years' imprisonment, with the final 20 months suspended, for receiving €27,079 in rent‑supplement payments from September 2015 to June 2018 after she had vacated the address. She pleaded guilty to four counts of making a gain by deception. The court noted that she had collected 130 payments while no longer residing at the property, and that she had 67 prior convictions, including robbery, theft, knife production, public‑order and traffic offences. The judge highlighted the prolonged duration of the offence and the repeated dishonest acts as aggravating factors, but also considered her difficult personal circumstances, significant medical and mental‑health problems, and the impact of a 2008 accident that left her with serious injuries. The suspended portion of the sentence is subject to strict conditions, including 20 months of supervision by the Probation Service after release.
Trevor Byrne, 41, of Finglas West, Dublin 11, was found guilty by the Special Criminal Court on all five charges arising from the armed robbery of BoyleSports in Swords, Co Dublin, on March 19, 2010. The charges included robbery, possession of a firearm, false imprisonment, threatening to kill, and unlawfully seizing a vehicle. Byrne had pleaded not guilty to all allegations. The court accepted evidence that a mobile phone dropped at the scene belonged to Byrne, noting that texts to a contact saved as 'Ma' matched numbers on his other devices. CCTV footage identified Byrne entering the premises before two masked men emerged brandishing guns. The court also accepted testimony from Miss Helen Leigh, whose car was hijacked during the getaway, and staff who were threatened. Mr Justice Michael MacGrath stated that Byrne's claim that the phone was stolen from him did not bear scrutiny. The judge found Byrne guilty on all five charges and adjourned the case to July 19 for sentencing. Byrne has 41 previous convictions, including a nine-year sentence imposed in December last year for stashing a loaded handgun. The matter was adjourned and is not yet concluded.