In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court case, Shane Murphy, 24, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to Aidan Mullen on 10 July 2011 over a stolen green bin. The court heard that Mullen, who was in bed at about ten that night, was awakened by two men taking a wheelie bin from in front of their home. Mullen went outside to see the bin on fire and attempted to stop it when Murphy confronted him. Murphy struck Mullen from behind, knocking him to the ground, then knelt on his chest and struck him again in the face. Mullen suffered fractures to his skull and cheekbone, extreme pain, and incurred €1,500 in medical bills and €4,200 in lost income. Murphy admitted the assault, apologized, and claimed he would have said sorry if Mullen were present. The judge adjourned sentencing to read the victim impact and psychological reports.
Joseph Finnegan, 54, of Cullenstown, Readypenny, Dundalk, County Louth, was charged before the Special Criminal Court on 11 July 2015 with membership of the Irish Republican Army and possession of two stolen cars, a Ford Focus and an Audi A4. He was also charged that same month with possession of an 8mm blank‑firing pistol and seven rounds, a double‑barrel shotgun and three cartridges. The court was informed of the charges by Detective Garda Graham Dunne, who handed Finnegan a copy of the charge sheet. He was remanded on bail until 26 January next year.
Joseph Cole, 48, will be sentenced in February for stealing a handbag from a woman walking home with her two‑year‑old daughter on 14 October 2011. The handbag contained €1,100 in cash and other items, none of which was recovered. Cole pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court and has 42 prior convictions, including a seven‑year term for armed robbery in the UK in 1994 and an eight‑year term in Ireland for attempted robbery and false imprisonment in 2002. He was homeless at the time of the offence, admitted using tablets and had difficulty recalling the event, but accepted responsibility for taking the bag. The judge noted his efforts to overcome drug addiction and adjourned sentencing until a probation report is submitted. The case is still pending, with no further outcome reported in the article.
Joseph French, 24, of Neilstown Park, Clondalkin, was sentenced by the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to seven and a half years for endangerment of a Garda and dangerous driving. He pleaded guilty to endangerment on the Ninth Lock Road, dangerous driving on Cherry Orchard Avenue, and driving without insurance. French also admitted to two robberies and an attempted robbery between 30 July and 9 August 2014 at Centra on La Touche Road, Bluebell, and Mace on Manor Road. His prior convictions include robbery, theft, burglary, possession of knives, and drug offences. Judge Martin Nolan imposed consecutive terms of seven and a half years, suspending the final two years on strict conditions. French was disqualified from driving for five years. The sentence reflects the violent nature of the robberies, which were committed to fund a drug habit, and the serious risk posed to Garda Fiona Ruddy during the high‑speed chase and reversal of his Volkswagen Passat.
In a High Court hearing on 14 December 2015, the court considered the case of a car seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) from the property of 23‑year‑old Michael Wall, an unemployed father of two. The vehicle, valued at €13,000, was taken from Mr Wall's mother's house on 16 September 2014 and stored at a CAB compound in Blanchardstown. Two days after the car was secured, CAB officers discovered it had been stolen. The Gardai subsequently recovered the vehicle a few days later, and it has since been repaired at a cost of €1,500 and is now stored at a secure location. Mr Justice Raymond Fullam, hearing the case, was satisfied that the car was the proceeds of crime and made an order under the 1996 Proceeds of Crime Act, appointing a receiver over the car.
In a case heard at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Karen Smith, a 29‑year‑old former Ulster Bank cashier from Ratoath, was sentenced to a three‑year suspended term for stealing €14,160 from an elderly woman's inactive bank account. Smith withdrew the money two weeks after the woman's death and had forged a bank document to facilitate the theft. She pleaded guilty to both theft and forgery. Smith had no prior convictions and had a seven‑year unblemished record at the bank before being dismissed. Garda Brendan O'Horan testified that Smith had been threatened by a loan shark who pressured her to repay a debt, and that she feared for her safety. Smith admitted the offence, apologized, and expressed remorse. The judge noted the offence was "odious" but accepted her remorse, and acknowledged that Ulster Bank had compensated the estate but suffered reputational damage.
In a court hearing on 14 December 2015, it was revealed that a woman was deceived into purchasing a stolen Toyota Vitz for €4,300 after seeing it advertised on Done Deal. Garda Martina Drew explained that the seller, Stewart Crosbie, 45, was identified through a smartphone photo taken by the woman's suspicious friend. Crosbie later admitted he had passed the money to a third party owing him a drug debt. He had previously pleaded guilty to possessing the same stolen vehicle in January 2015 and was serving a partially suspended three‑year sentence for a similar offence in November 2014. Judge Martin Nolan imposed an eight‑month sentence to run consecutively to the time Crosbie was already serving, as he was on bail when he committed the offence. The woman discovered the deception upon returning home when the vehicle's registration did not match the documents, prompting her to contact the Gardaí.
Aaron Carey, 28, was sentenced to two years in prison at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to assaulting district court solicitor Aine Ni Riain, causing her harm. The attacks occurred on January 24, 2015, at Benburb Street and Wolfe Tone Quay. Prosecution evidence indicated that Carey punched Ms Ni Riain in the face after taking her phone, and struck her again when she pursued him to the quays, bursting her top lip. Garda Brian Graydon testified that Carey was later identified on CCTV and arrested days later. The court noted that Carey had previously been fined €200 in the district court for handling the stolen phone, which was subsequently returned to the victim. Carey, a father of two with 45 previous convictions, was residing at Judge Darley's Hostel at the time of the offence. Defence counsel Luigi Rea BL submitted that Carey regretted his actions and had completed educational courses and a charity run while in prison, attributing the crime to his drug addiction. Judge Martin Nolan acknowledged Carey's ambition to be a good father but imposed the two-year custodial sentence. The matter was finalised with this sentence.
Jason Kavanagh, aged 41, was sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment in January 2014 for his role in a 2005 tiger kidnapping and robbery that involved the false imprisonment of a family at Ashcroft, Raheny, and the theft of €2.28 million in cash from Paul Richardson and Securicor Security Services Ireland Ltd. He and three co‑accused pleaded not guilty to the charges. The jury could not reach a verdict on two of the co‑accused and found a third not guilty. Kavanagh was due to appeal the severity of his sentence in the Court of Appeal, but Judge George Birmingham postponed the hearing, citing difficulties with the court's constitution. The judge advised Kavanagh's barrister that the court had "full powers" to consider the appeal. The case was rescheduled for a later date. Kavanagh had previously served 25 years from a 2009 conviction that was quashed by the Court of Criminal Appeal in 2012.
A 16‑year‑old boy was sentenced to two and a half years' detention for violently robbing a woman at a Luas stop on 2 December 2014 and for burglary and criminal damage at the Black Horse Inn on the same day. He also pleaded guilty to criminal damage of three cars, theft of a Garmin Sat Nav and possession of a wheelbrace on 6 January 2015. The court noted that he had 29 prior convictions, including thefts and criminal damage, since March 2014. He was described by the court as a danger to society. The judge imposed four years' detention for the phone robbery, suspended the final 18 months, and added the other offences to the sentence. A co‑accused, Carl Farrell (23), received two years' consecutive sentences for car‑park damage and burglary, with a one‑year sentence for criminal damage and theft to run consecutively to a one‑year burglary term.
Paul Grace, 36, of Beaumont Park, Artane, pleaded guilty in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assaulting retired youth worker Patrick Malone on 29 March 2013 at Killarney Street, Dublin 1. Grace had previously struggled with drug addiction, had been homeless, and had completed a certificate in drug counselling while studying psychotherapy. He had 22 prior convictions for non‑violent offences such as theft and criminal damage. Malone, a professional who had helped people rehabilitate from drug addiction, had once given Grace money for hostels and had arranged for him to detox in Malone's apartment. During a stay Grace attempted to buy drugs, was told the detox would not work, left, returned in an incoherent state, and later pushed a knife at Malone, who sustained injuries to his arm and hand and required surgery. Malone's victim impact statement requested that no custodial sentence be imposed. The case was adjourned for sentencing on 19 February next year.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, a judge described a brutal robbery of Zimbabwean man Charles Goromonzi as "depressing." Goromonzi, 57, was attacked by two 18‑year‑old teenagers, Aaron Eccles and Niall Brooks, who punched him 18 times, kicked him 13 times, knelt on his head three times, stamped on him seven times and stabbed him four times before stealing his Nokia Lumina 625 phone. CCTV footage showed the assault at 9.30 pm on 29 July 2014. Both defendants pleaded guilty to robbery. Judge Martin Nolan sentenced each to five and a half years, suspending 18 months for Eccles and 3 years 9 months for Brooks, and ordered 18 months of post‑release supervision. Eccles had 29 prior convictions; Brooks had none. Both denied stabbing the victim and claimed intoxication and ADHD as mitigating factors. Goromonzi suffered head, wrist and knee injuries and later required hospital treatment.
A 17‑year‑old boy who caused €10,636 worth of damage to a care home and its car was sentenced by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to two and a half years' detention, with the final 18 months suspended. He pleaded guilty to criminal damage on 27 February 2015. The judge noted the boy had no prior convictions but was considered a high risk of re‑offending due to addictions and lack of parental support. He was already serving ten months for an attempted robbery, so the after‑care programme was on hold. The court required any future plans for the boy to be submitted to the Probation Service and carried out under their supervision. The damage included smashed windows, a fire grate, and removal of wipers and mirrors, rendering the car effectively written off. The boy expressed regret for "breaking up the place.".
Daniel Ennis, aged 20, was sentenced to six years in prison after a series of violent incidents in Ballyfermot, Dublin. In January 2014 he threatened to kill or seriously harm Garda Ryan and Garda Doyle when they searched his back garden for a stolen postbag and bike. He also threatened to kill or seriously harm Linda Carrie and Lena Tims, to damage property, and was found in possession of a firearm on 8 May 2015. Ennis threw a small dog, a paving slab and a bike at four Gardaí, threatened to ram a patrol car, and shouted from an upstairs window that he was armed with a knife. Over a year later, while on bail, he fired shots at a house on Oranmore Road, where a woman was sleeping after being released from hospital, after threatening to blow the occupants' heads off and to burn the house down. Daniel Ennis pleaded guilty.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Daniel Ennis, aged 20, pleaded guilty to threatening to kill or cause serious harm to Garda Linda Ryan and Garda Michelle Doyle during a search of his back garden for a stolen postbag. He also pleaded guilty to threatening to kill or cause serious harm to Ms. Carrie and Ms. Tims, threatening to damage property, and possession of a firearm on Oranmore Road. Ennis had previously fired shots at a house on Oranmore Road, where a woman was sleeping, and had threatened the occupants. He had also thrown a small dog and a paving slab at four gardaí who were searching his garden, and had tried to throw a bike and threatened them with a shovel. The judge remanded Ennis in continuing custody until sentencing. No injuries were reported. The case involved no further convictions or outcomes beyond the guilty pleas.
In a High Court hearing, developer Thomas McFeely, aged 67, was accused by Official Assignee Chris Lehane of refusing to provide basic information required under his bankruptcy proceedings, including his actual residence and details of significant assets. Lehane sought to extend McFeely's bankruptcy period by five years, the maximum allowed, citing McFeely's alleged "non‑co‑operation of the most serious kind" and failure to disclose assets such as apartments in Clondalkin and the Old Saw Mills in Dublin. McFeely's counsel, Vincent P. Martin, argued that the requested extension would be oppressive and disproportionate, noting that McFeely had not been found to have stolen from the estate. The case was adjourned to a January hearing for further submissions from both parties. The judge, Ms Justice Caroline Costello, had not yet ruled on the application. The proceedings remain ongoing.
Michael Doran, aged 29, was sentenced to five years' imprisonment, with the final two years suspended, for a series of offences committed in 2009. He pleaded guilty to two robberies, one hijacking, one car theft and one theft of car keys in the Dundrum area of south Dublin. On 12 March 2009 he mugged David Morgan, taking his ATM card, €10 and PIN, and threatened him with a knife, claiming a friend would follow him with a sniper rifle to prevent him from calling the Gardaí. Three days later he was involved in the theft of a car belonging to Caroline Caffrey, using stolen keys. He also participated in a hijacking of a pizza delivery man's vehicle. Doran had 11 prior convictions and had recently completed a four‑year sentence in England for a car‑theft offence. The judge cited his efforts at rehabilitation and his time spent in UK prison as reasons for suspending part of the sentence.
In a 2015 armed robbery at a Spar on Stiles Road, Dublin, Christopher Coakley (24) and an accomplice forced the manager to give them the shop keys, dragging her along the aisles while an imitation gun was held to her head. The robbery involved the alarm being triggered and the victim being held by the neck and pulled to deactivate it. Coakley pleaded guilty to robbery, possession of an imitation firearm and criminal damage, and received a six‑year sentence. He also admitted to assaulting Gardaí, threatening a woman named Anne Walsh, and threatening to damage her property, for which he was sentenced to two and a half years and three and a half years, concurrent with the robbery term. The court noted the victim's ongoing distress and the €4,500 damage to the shop shutters. Coakley has 94 prior convictions and is currently serving a separate sentence for hijacking, due for release in July 2017.
In 2010, Davinn Flynn, 42, set fire to the Nirvana head shop on Capel Street, Dublin, causing €1 million in damage and closing the street for three days. He pleaded guilty in 2015 and was sentenced to six years' imprisonment. On appeal, the Court of Appeal re‑sentenced him to seven years, suspending the final two years. The court noted that Flynn and another man started the fire with an accelerant, that CCTV showed Flynn entering the shop's rear, and that the blaze spread to a sex shop and another similar premises. Flynn had 65 prior convictions, including robbery, theft and public order offences. The appeal was based on the original judge's failure to address Flynn's potential for rehabilitation, which the appellate judges found an error in principle. The final sentence therefore remains seven years, with two years suspended.
Paul Norton, 27, of Cromcastle Court, Kilmore, lost an appeal against a seven‑year prison sentence and a lifetime driving ban for his role as getaway driver in a failed cash van robbery at the Northside Shopping Centre on 6 June 2012. He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The judge, Mr Justice Patrick McCartan, suspended the final two years of the sentence and imposed a life disqualification from driving, noting Norton had been disqualified 11 times before. Mr Justice John Edwards, speaking for the Court of Appeal, described how Norton fled from security after a robbery attempt, drove at high speed, ran a red light, and was thrown from his bike when avoiding a JCB. He had 80 prior convictions, including similar offences, and had been shot and involved in a traffic accident on earlier trial dates. The appeal was dismissed, and the court confirmed the sentence and driving ban.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, 18‑year‑old Paddy Lawrence was found guilty of unlawful taking of a car, handling stolen property, criminal damage and dangerous driving. On 4 March 2015 he stole a Skoda Octavia from a Balbriggan house, then drove it at high speed, causing a collision on Naul Road that smashed into a car driven by Eddie Tiernan. Tiernan's ten‑year‑old son and eight‑year‑old daughter were inside the vehicle; all were hospitalised with minor injuries. Lawrence fled the scene, smirking when Tiernan asked him to help the trapped family escape. He was arrested later that day. The court described the crash as "inevitable" and Lawrence as "incorrigible", sentencing him to four years' imprisonment with the final 18 months suspended. The Skoda was written off and the other passengers were never apprehended. Lawrence has 37 prior convictions.
Closing speeches are currently being heard at the Special Criminal Court in the trial of Thomas Murphy, 66, of Ballybinaby, Hackballscross, Co Louth. The defendant has pleaded not guilty to nine charges alleging that he failed to furnish a return of his income, profits, or gains to the Collector General or Inspector of Taxes for the years 1996/97 to 2004. The prosecution, led by Paul Burns SC, contends that Murphy was a chargeable person who received income from cattle and land dealings and farming grants but made no returns to Revenue. Burns argued that the crux of the case is whether Murphy was entitled to receive this income, noting that funds were deposited into his bank account and used for a pension policy. He dismissed the defence suggestion of identity theft as a construct to evade evidence. In response, defence counsel John Kearney QC argued that Murphy's brother, Patrick Murphy, managed the cattle herd and farming activities. Kearney cited a 2009 statement of affairs in which Patrick Murphy admitted to being in charge of the herd. The defence also highlighted expert handwriting evidence suggesting documents bearing Thomas Murphy's signature were forged. Kearney further noted that no cattle dealing cheques appeared in Murphy's bank account for its first three years. The defence closing speech is expected to conclude tomorrow, with the matter remaining at the trial stage.
42‑year‑old Declan Doyle of Crumlin, Dublin, has filed a High Court application to stop a robbery charge alleged to have been committed in 1999. Doyle, who says he was addicted to drugs at the time and that his life was "quite disordered," claims the prosecution is unreasonable and disproportionate after 16 years. He argues that the delay has infringed his constitutional rights and that he has led a law‑abiding life for the past 16 years. Doyle, who has been drug‑free since 2000 after a rehabilitation programme in Athlone, has already turned himself in to Gardaí and was granted bail. The court, presided over by Mr Justice Richard Humphreys, adjourned the application for two weeks. Doyle seeks an order preventing the Director of Public Prosecutions from prosecuting him for the alleged robbery. The case remains at the application stage.
A 21‑year‑old Wexford resident, Eric Sutcliffe, was sentenced to 16 months in jail for robbing a Domino's Pizza delivery man and driving off in the victim's car. Gardaí traced the crime to Sutcliffe after he left fingerprints on a two‑litre bottle of Coke at the scene. The delivery man's €1,300 car was found burnt the following day, and the insurer declined to pay because of the nature of his job. Sutcliffe pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to robbing cash and car keys on Reuben Walk, Rialto, Dublin, on 3 November 2013. He has 62 prior convictions, including road traffic offences and thefts, and had accumulated 58 of those since the robbery. The judge, taking into account his cooperation and early guilty plea, imposed a two‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence with the final 14 months suspended.
Eoin O'Sullivan, a 28‑year‑old man from Cork, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for a series of offences including dangerous driving, unlawful use of a stolen vehicle and endangerment. On 24 November 2014, Garda Blaine Feely stopped O'Sullivan on the M50 at Santry after a suspicion of dangerous driving. While the garda was partially inside the vehicle, O'Sullivan refused to stop, drove off, and later performed a U‑turn, travelling the wrong way on the M50 and the M1 before colliding with another vehicle at the Oscar Traynor Road Roundabout. He was also accused of tracing a stolen white Ford Transit box van used in a burglary in Louth. The court noted that O'Sullivan had 195 previous convictions, including dangerous driving, driving without insurance and a licence, careless driving and drink driving. Eoin O'Sullivan pleaded guilty.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, 26‑year‑old Amy McAuley of Ledwidge Hall, Slane pleaded guilty to stealing €132,355 from Nordzucker Ireland Ltd between 23 July 2013 and 26 February 2014. The thefts were carried out while she was a credit controller on maternity leave, using the distributor's bank details to divert client payments. McAuley later admitted the crimes to her father, who helped transfer €10,000 back to the company. She claimed she used part of the stolen money to repay €91,113 she had taken from a previous employer to support her family. The court noted her repeated offending but also her willingness to repay, and Judge Patrick McCartan imposed a two‑year suspended sentence, suspended for ten years, with a requirement to continue repayments. The sentence was not to be enforced unless she failed to meet the repayment plan.
The High Court has ruled that Adam Grant, a 24-year-old from Silverbridge, Co Armagh, is being legally detained. Mr Justice Richard Humphreys dismissed Mr Grant's challenge to the legality of his detention under Article 40 of the Constitution. Mr Grant was remanded in custody to Cloverhill Prison by District Justice Denis McLoughlin at Monaghan District Court following his arrest. He is charged with causing £12,000 worth of criminal damage to an ATM containing £52,000 and possession of stolen property. The case arose after Justice McLoughlin refused bail, citing that Mr Grant was considered a flight risk by the Gardaí. Mr Grant's counsel, Colman Fitzgerald SC, argued that the District Judge failed to apply the correct Supreme Court criteria for bail refusal. However, Kieran Kelly BL, representing the State, contended that the detention was lawful and that the appropriate remedy for any errors was to apply for bail in the High Court or seek judicial review, rather than an Article 40 inquiry. Justice Humphreys agreed, stating that the inquiry was dismissed because the correct procedural avenues were not pursued. The judge further noted that any minor errors in the detention warrant did not affect the validity of Mr Grant's current custody. The matter was concluded with the court upholding the lawfulness of the detention.
Patrick Ryan, 37, a Dublin crystal‑meth addict, was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment for 16 robberies committed between January 2014 and January 2015. He admitted to stealing cash ranging from €136 to €1,400 from shops, petrol stations and businesses, as well as phones and cash from individuals. Ryan's crimes involved knives, syringes and an imitation firearm, and victims' ages ranged from young to 79‑year‑old. He had 129 prior convictions, including 12 robberies, 18 aggravated burglaries and two false imprisonment offences. Judge Martin Nolan, noting Ryan's guilty pleas and "sad" background, imposed a 10‑year sentence with consecutive elements and suspended the final two years. Ryan claimed he had been drug‑free for two years before the offences and that his drug habit had driven the robberies. The court accepted his admissions and the evidence presented by Gardaí and the prosecution.
An Algerian man, Amine Laib, aged 25, was jailed for one year after using a French passport under the name "Riadh Karim Laheen" to obtain a PPS number and claim €17,768 in Jobseeker's Allowance from 2012 to 2014. The fraud was uncovered when Laib applied for a PPS number as an asylum seeker under his real name and facial‑recognition software matched the photos from the PPS number issued to his assumed identity. Laib pleaded guilty at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to 11 counts of stealing cheques for €124 from the Department of Social Protection and to making a false French passport. He had no prior convictions. The judge noted Laib was "an intelligent, ambitious and very hard‑working young man" but imposed a custodial sentence to deter similar offences. The case highlighted the use of dual identities to claim social welfare payments.
An Algerian national, Amine Laib, aged 25, used a false French passport under the name Riadh Karim Laheen to obtain a PPS number and claimed over €17,000 in Jobseeker's Allowance from 2012 to 2014. The fraud was uncovered when Laib applied for a PPS number as an asylum seeker under his real name in 2014, and facial‑recognition software matched his photographs to those on file for the assumed identity. He pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to 11 counts of theft of €124 from the Department of Social Protection and to making a false French passport. Laib admitted using both names because, as an Algerian citizen, he had no employment rights in Ireland and wanted to work. Garda Keith Morrissey reported that a social welfare inspector had alerted authorities to the fraud, leading to the seizure of documents from Laib's home.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court case, Christopher Maughan, aged 22, was sentenced to three years' imprisonment for robbing a 62‑year‑old taxi driver in Ballymun on 14 October 2014. Maughan pulled the driver's head back, threatening to cut his throat, and after the driver was dropped at a halting site, Maughan's friend walked around the car to take the keys. The driver was then forced to walk across fields while the two men fled in his vehicle. Maughan pleaded guilty to robbery of cash and a phone, and the court noted his 33 prior convictions, including robberies, knife possession and assaults. Garda Pamela Dunne reported that the driver had reported the crime to a station, and the stolen items were recovered from Maughan and his accomplice. The judge, Martin Nolan, accepted the guilty plea but found no significant mitigation due to Maughan's extensive criminal record.
David Ward (30) and Volkswagen Passat Lynsey Ivory (27), both of The Beeches, Clonshaugh, Priorswood, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to attempting to dishonestly by deception cause a loss to FBD Insurance on dates between July 22, 2013 and January 1, 2014. Both admitted to the charges and pleaded guilty. The case is at the sentence stage. Ward and Ivory were involved in a staged car crash where they pretended to be strangers. They were discovered when an FBD Insurance claims handler noted their appearance in each other's Facebook profile pictures. Both submitted personal injury claims to FBD Insurance, denying knowledge of each other during the investigation. Garda Neill Plunkett stated that inconsistencies in their accounts and the lack of airbag deployment raised suspicions. Ward has seven previous convictions for offences including criminal damage and theft, while Ivory has no convictions. The couple have two children and have since married. The matter will be sentenced tomorrow.
Thomas Coffey, 31, of Carlow, was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment after pleading guilty to stealing €4,800 from 81‑year‑old Sinclair Downey in September 2013. Coffey, who had 19 prior convictions including four for theft, was part of a fraud ring that overcharged Downey for roof work. Garda Colleen Doherty described how Coffey and accomplice Patrick O'Brien called Downey's home, claiming he owed further payments for unauthorised work, and then accompanied him to a bank to withdraw the cash. CCTV footage captured the men waiting with Downey and receiving the money. Coffey was arrested in Kerry in November 2013 and later admitted his role after a mobile‑phone call was found. The judge described the offence as an "odious crime" and noted Coffey's psychiatric treatment at Kerry General Hospital. O'Brien, 32, was jailed for four years for a similar theft of €14,200 from Downey.
Archili Mindadze, a 40‑year‑old Georgian restaurateur, was sentenced to three years in prison for assaulting Romanian dentist Iurii Borta in Borta's surgery on 1 October 2012. Mindadze and a co‑accused demanded protection money from Borta, asking "Who is your roof?" and threatened to leave Ireland or pay if the police were called. During the attack Mindadze sliced Borta's hand and struck him in the face. Borta suffered scarring, numbness and anxiety. Mindadze admitted presence at the surgery but denied using the knife, claiming the co‑accused supplied it. He has 14 prior convictions, including dangerous driving and theft. The judge suspended the final six months of a 3½‑year sentence, leaving an effective custodial term of three years. The case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, with prosecution by Fiona Murphy BL and defence by Marc Thompson BL. The sentencing hearing took place in October 2015. Archili Mindadze pleaded guilty.
In a sentencing hearing on 23 November 2015, Peter Jackson, aged 41, was given a mandatory life sentence for the murder of David Hamilton, aged 31, on 4 May 2012. Jackson, a former heroin addict, admitted remorse, saying "I'm sorry, I didn't set out to do this." The court heard that the killing occurred during a heroin injection session at a house on Kerryhall Road, where an argument over the drug escalated into a stabbing. Jackson had 73 prior convictions, mainly for traffic, public order, theft and burglary, and a previous three‑year sentence for heroin supply. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter but not to murder, a plea rejected by the prosecution. The sentence was back‑dated to the day of the murder, 4 May 2012. The hearing included a victim impact statement from Hamilton's uncle, Robert Denby, describing the family's profound grief. The judge, Justice Isobel Kennedy, confirmed the life sentence and the back‑dating. Peter Jackson was found guilty.
Two Romanian men, Vasile Bizau (24) and Ioan Bizau (31), were convicted in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for a scheme that involved attaching a card‑trapping device to ATMs and using an iPod Nano to record customers' PINs. The trial, which lasted four weeks and heard 80 witnesses, resulted in seven counts of possession of stolen ATM cards for each defendant and additional counts of theft and possession of a card‑trapping device. Judge Melanie Greally sentenced Ioan to four and a half years and Vasile to three and a half years, suspending the final year of each term on the condition that they leave Ireland and do not return for ten years. The case was built on extensive CCTV footage, recovered devices, and forensic evidence collected by Gardaí, who praised the police work in the investigation. Ioan Bizau pleaded guilty.
Patrick Murphy, 27, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of a stolen Apple iPod and to handling a stolen BMW 5 Series parked at an apartment on Main Street, Clongriffin, on 18 August 2014. The car and iPod had been taken in a burglary of a house at The Links, Donabate, four days earlier. Murphy, who was staying in the apartment at the time, told gardaí he was paid a few hundred euros to let others park the car for the night, claiming he did not know who would pay him and that he had done it because he owed a drug debt from his cocaine use. He denied any involvement in the burglary and said he did not have the car keys. Judge Martin Nolan suspended a one‑year prison sentence. Murphy has 25 previous convictions, including drug dealing, firearms offences, criminal damage and car theft.
Alan Stone, 33, was sentenced to 16 months' imprisonment after a series of thefts and a bizarre act of defecation in a Garda interview room. During questioning on 28 April 2015, Stone repeatedly insisted he needed to use the toilet, was offered escort to his cell, but instead he pulled down his trousers, squatted in the corner of the interview room and defecated, wiping himself with a seal from the interview video tapes. The incident prompted the Garda to clear the room for health and safety reasons and the interview was terminated. Stone also pleaded guilty to stealing two boxes of Fairy Liquid tablets from Centra, Dame Street, and was found to have 165 prior convictions, mainly for theft. The judge noted the unusual nature of the act and suggested that abstaining from drugs could improve his prospects of reform. The case highlighted the extent of Stone's heroin addiction and the impact of his criminal behaviour on the Garda station.
Trevor Curtis (35), of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to two offences. On April 14, 2014, he was found in a laneway off Bedford Lane, Temple Bar, Dublin, in possession of a syringe which he brandished at gardai. Evidence indicated that Curtis had injected himself with a head shop drug and was experiencing hallucinations, believing he was under attack by demons. Garda Paul Gray pepper-sprayed Curtis after he refused to drop the syringe. Curtis also pleaded guilty to robbing a betting shop on Wicklow Street, Dublin, on October 27, 2014, during which he pointed a syringe at a pregnant employee and took €355 in cash. Judge Martin Nolan released Curtis into the custody of the Probation Services, conditional on his residence at a drug treatment centre and compliance with all directions. Curtis has 43 previous convictions, including three similar offences and previous sentences for robbery, including a suspended sentence at Longford Circuit Court.
Sabrina Cummins (37) was found guilty by a unanimous jury at the Central Criminal Court of murdering Thomas Horan (63) at Cambridge Court, Ringsend, on January 6, 2014. The prosecution alleged the killing was a "protracted torturing" intended to cover up a robbery. Cummins had pleaded not guilty, while her brother, Kenneth Cummins (28), initially pleaded not guilty but changed his plea to guilty four weeks into the trial. Mr Justice Tony Hunt thanked the jury, stating their verdict was "correct and amply justified," and noted medical evidence indicated Mr Horan died from asphyxia and significant injuries. The judge described the death as "horrific" and exempted the jury from service for 20 years. Both defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on Friday, at which time a victim impact statement will be read. The matter is currently at the sentencing stage, with no final disposal recorded in this report.
Breifne O'Brien, 54, has lodged an appeal against a seven‑year prison sentence imposed on 8 October 2014 for 14 counts of deception that yielded about €8.5 million between 2003 and 2008. The appeal argues that Judge Patricia Ryan did not adequately consider mitigating factors such as O'Brien's lack of prior convictions, his guilty plea, remorse, cooperation, family circumstances and loss of social standing. Counsel Patrick McGrath SC also cited the negative publicity that turned O'Brien into a "social pariah" and the "Irish Bernie Madoff" label, claiming this public humiliation should have influenced sentencing. He further highlighted O'Brien's restitution efforts, including a €420,000 return and attempts to repay larger sums, and the lack of reference to these in the judge's remarks. The Director of Public Prosecutions, Kerida Naidoo SC, acknowledged the restitution but noted no further repayments were made. Judge George Birmingham, with Justices Garrett Sheehan and John Edwards, will reserve judgment and deliver a decision soon.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, former Marks and Spencers employee Nicoleta Costineanu, 28, and her sister Maria Talmaciu, 30, pleaded guilty to four counts of theft at the Grafton Street store in September 2014. Costineanu also pleaded guilty to an additional theft on 30 September. The sisters had previously stolen from the shop on four occasions, as shown by CCTV. The total value of stolen stock was estimated at €5,660 and cash at €1,952, none of which was recovered. Both Romanian nationals, who have lived in Ireland for several years, brought €3,000 in compensation to court. Judge Patricia Ryan imposed fully suspended one‑year sentences on each, citing the seriousness of the offence but accepting their remorse, guilty pleas and the compensation as mitigating factors. No prior convictions were recorded for either sister.
David Mantle, 37, of Crumlin, pleaded guilty to attempted burglary at Maureen Burke's home in Clontarf on 3 July 2014. At 11 pm, after Ms Burke had gone to bed, she heard noises, thought they were her grandchildren, then heard a window smash and a man talking to himself. She went to the landing, saw Mantle, who smelled of alcohol, and he claimed he was in the wrong house. He left through the same window, and Ms Burke struck him with a belt of her walking stick. Garda Manus Keane investigated, used fingerprints on a broken window to identify Mantle, who was arrested in January 2015. He had 43 prior convictions, including robbery, attempted robbery and assault. He was extremely remorseful. Judge Patricia Ryan imposed a four‑year sentence, with the final year suspended on strict conditions, and Mantle was jailed for three years.
Tony Kelly, a 50‑year‑old former restaurant manager, was found guilty of stealing €6,900 from La Maison restaurant in Castle Market, Dublin, after a dispute with the owner. He accessed the restaurant safe on a day off, took the money, and called the owner to say he would never see him again. Kelly pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 15 December 2014. He had no prior convictions and had previously owned a restaurant in Limerick from 2000 to 2005. The court noted he was on prescribed medication and under considerable stress from long work hours. Detective Garda Sarah Barry reported that Kelly had met with Gardaí a few weeks later, claiming the money was owed to him, a claim the owner denied. The judge accepted the dispute, acknowledged Kelly's impaired thinking, and ordered a one‑year suspended sentence with a requirement to repay the stolen amount.
In a Dublin cash‑box robbery, 38‑year‑old Glen Morgan, a chronic drug addict with 63 prior convictions, was jailed for three years. Morgan and accomplices followed a cash delivery van into a shopping centre car park, waited for the security guard to return with the takings, and then Morgan used an axe to seize the box containing €5,341.55. He fled in a car and later admitted to stealing the previous day. Morgan pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to robbing the cash box and to unlawful possession of a vehicle at the same location on 17 July 2014. The security firm's tracking led to the box's recovery at scrub‑land near St Doolagh's Park nursing home, where the stolen vehicle was also found. The judge, after hearing the defence's plea of a spiralling life, imposed a three‑year sentence and granted credit for time already spent in custody.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Russell Ward, aged 23, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for carrying on a sexual relationship with his step‑sister, who was 12 when the relationship began and 16 when it ended. Ward pleaded guilty to four counts of defilement for sexual intercourse that occurred in his home between 2009 and 2011. The victim, now 19, testified that Ward had "stolen all my teenage years," had self‑harmled and suffered from post‑traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression. Judge Martin Nolan noted the youth of both parties, the lack of force, and that the girl could not give consent due to her age. He imposed a four‑year sentence with the final two and a half years suspended, ordered 18 months of post‑release supervision, and required Ward to register as a sex offender. The judge also removed restrictions on publishing Ward's identity at the victim's request.
An Algerian national, Khaled Benfares, aged 32, was found with 17 stolen mobile phones in his Rathmines flat, described by the court as an "Aladdin's cave". He pleaded guilty to eight charges of possessing stolen phones, claiming he had no contact details for the man who left the phones and that he had not stolen them himself. Benfares admitted that the presence of so many phones was suspicious and that he had allowed the flat to be used as a storage place for them. He had no prior convictions and was seeking refugee status in Ireland, having arrived in 2011. Judge Martin Nolan imposed a suspended sentence of two years, noting that imprisonment would be more difficult for a foreign national. The case was prosecuted by Ronan Kennedy BL and defended by Dean Kelly BL. The Garda raid was triggered by a tip‑off, and Benfares was arrested and interviewed five times before the court hearing.
The High Court has adjourned a constitutional challenge brought by Adam Grant, a 24-year-old from Silverbridge, Co Armagh, regarding the legality of his detention. Grant, who is charged with causing £12,000 worth of criminal damage to an ATM containing £52,000 and possession of stolen property, was remanded in custody to Cloverhill Prison after District Justice Denis McLoughlin refused his bail application at Monaghan District Court. Grant's legal team, led by Colman Fitzgerald SC, argued that the District Judge failed to apply correct Supreme Court criteria for bail refusal. The State, represented by Kieran Kelly BL, contended that Grant's detention is lawful, citing that bail was opposed due to flight risk concerns raised by the Gardaí. The State further argued that the application was not an appropriate case for an Article 40 inquiry. Justice Richard Humphreys, who noted the case raised weighty legal issues, adjourned the matter until Friday to allow for further consideration. The procedural stage remains an ongoing inquiry into the legality of detention, with the case explicitly adjourned rather than concluded.
Christopher Lee, a 33‑year‑old former chef, pleaded guilty to an attempted robbery of Chapman's Superstore in Clondalkin on 12 March 2015. Lee entered the shop armed with a kitchen knife, waving it at shopkeeper James Chapman. Chapman responded by striking Lee with a piece of wood, resulting in the loss of the tip of his finger. Lee had previously been drug‑free and was studying to help others with addiction. He had 36 prior convictions, including two for robbery, and had been in state care from age nine. Judge Martin Nolan sentenced him to 20 months' imprisonment, noting his rehabilitation efforts. Lee admitted he had chosen the shop because it was near a Garda station, hoping to be arrested, and said he did not intend to harm anyone. The court recorded his remorse and his desire to stay drug‑free.
Paul O'Brien, a 51‑year‑old credit controller at Finglas Credit Union, stole €1,669,696 over seven years by issuing 215 fraudulent loans and stealing 13 cheques. He used some of the money to repay the loans and to fund a severe gambling addiction, paying mortgage and credit‑card bills on three occasions. The net loss to the credit union was €453,300. O'Brien pleaded guilty to nine counts of theft and one count of falsifying a loan application for €17,000 between 2005 and 2012. He had no prior convictions. He was sentenced to three years' imprisonment, with the judge noting his good character and family life but citing the abuse of trust as an aggravating factor. He has since sought help for his gambling problem and has not been re‑arrested.