In a Central Criminal Court hearing, Mr Justice Paul McDermott sentenced two 15‑year‑old boys to life with a review after 12 years and 15 years with a review after eight years, respectively, for the murder and sexual assault of 14‑year‑old Ana Kriegel. The boys will be detained in a young offenders centre until 18, then transferred to an adult prison. The judge noted the boys' ages as a mitigating factor, but emphasised their responsibility for Ana's death. He described the crime as calculated, violent and shocking, and highlighted the boys' lack of remorse and the severity of the assault. The sentences were back‑dated to the June convictions, and the judge ordered reports for the review periods. The hearing included statements from Ana's parents and Garda officials, who praised the investigation and expressed gratitude for the justice delivered.
During a 13‑week trial, the prosecution presented circumstantial evidence linking Patrick Quirke to the murder of Bobby Ryan, arguing that Quirke's jealousy and financial dependence on Mary Lowry motivated the killing. Quirke had leased Lowry's land, had a sexual relationship with her, and was seen at her home on the day Ryan disappeared. He claimed he discovered Ryan's body in a waste‑water tank on 30 April 2013, describing the tank as partially full and the body as a "carpet or inflatable doll." Forensic entomology suggested the body had been present for at least 11 days. The defence argued the evidence was unreliable, citing inconsistencies in Lowry's testimony, lack of independent evidence of Quirke's motive, and questioning the integrity of the tank's condition. The jury ultimately convicted Quirke by a majority verdict for Ryan's murder.
Patrick Quirke was found guilty of murdering part‑time DJ Bobby Ryan, known as "Mr Moonlight", by a ten‑to‑two majority jury at the Central Criminal Court. Quirke, who had pleaded not guilty, was sentenced to mandatory life imprisonment. The trial, the longest murder trial in Irish history, lasted 13 weeks and involved extensive legal argument. Ryan, 52, disappeared after leaving his girlfriend Mary Lowry's home on 3 June 2011. His body was recovered 22 months later in an underground run‑off tank on a farm leased by Quirke. The prosecution alleged Quirke killed Ryan to rekindle an affair with Lowry. The jury deliberated for 20 hours and 39 minutes before delivering the verdict. The case ended with Quirke being escorted out by prison guards, while Ryan's family, including his daughter Michelle, expressed deep grief and reflected on the loss.
Alan Cawley, aged 32, of Four Winds, Corrinbla, Ballina, County Mayo, has lost his appeal against murder convictions at the Court of Appeal. Cawley was found guilty in 2017 of murdering Thomas Blaine, aged 69, and John Blaine, aged 76, at New Antrim Street in Castlebar on 10 July 2013. He had admitted killing the brothers with a shovel and a walking stick but denied murder, arguing diminished responsibility due to mental health disorders. A jury unanimously rejected this defence, and Mr Justice Paul Coffey imposed mandatory life sentences. Cawley appealed on grounds that the trial judge misdirected the jury regarding intoxication and diminished responsibility. The three-judge appeal panel, led by Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy, found no error in the trial judge's instructions and dismissed the appeal. The brothers, who had special needs and were under HSE care, were both assaulted fatally during the attack.
Ben O'Reilly, 21, was found guilty of assaulting Fernanda de Freitas after a dispute over payment for an escort service. The trial, held at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, concluded with a jury of ten women and two men convicting him of assault but acquitting him of robbery. O'Reilly had been charged with robbing de Freitas of cash and her iPhone. He was remanded on continuing bail until January 24 for sentencing. The case involved a series of messages on Grindr and WhatsApp, a meeting at de Freitas's apartment, and an alleged exchange over money. De Freitas testified that O'Reilly punched her multiple times, put his hands around her neck, and took her phone. She sustained cuts to her mouth and swollen eyes, requiring stitches. O'Reilly admitted to grabbing what he thought was his phone but later realised he had taken de Freitas's mobile. The trial ended with the assault conviction and the robbery charge dismissed. Ben O'Reilly pleaded not guilty.
In a December 2019 court hearing, Declan Turner, aged 23, was sentenced to 28 months' imprisonment for a November 2018 knife attack on Garda Aine McGroarty and Garda Killian Owens. Turner, who had a history of violent offences and mental health issues, had been drinking before the incident and was described by the judge as a "very violent individual." He attacked the gardaí with a large knife after a neighbour had called the police to a Balbriggan apartment. McGroarty struck Turner on the thigh with her baton, and the gardaí managed to escape the apartment with the tenant. Turner was arrested after the incident and pleaded guilty to assault, possession of knives, criminal damage, public order and breaching a barring order. The judge noted Turner's underlying mental health problems and his alcohol intake as contributing factors to his behaviour. The sentence was imposed with a suspended portion, leaving the effective custodial term at 28 months.
Brahim Maddi, 36, a homeless Algerian national, pleaded guilty to sexual assault and oral rape of a drunk, unconscious man in Dublin in 2019. CCTV showed the victim lying face‑down, motionless, while Maddi repeatedly approached, stole €5, rubbed the victim's buttocks, masturbated, and on a fourth visit orally raped the victim. Gardaí arrested Maddi near the scene; the victim was later hospitalized. Mr Justice Michael White sentenced Maddi to seven years' imprisonment, reduced to four years after considering his guilty plea, admissions, and remorse. Maddi's history of schizophrenia and his status as a vulnerable man were noted. The victim's impact statement, read by his father, described suicidal thoughts and guilt following the assault. The court ordered limited media reporting of the incident's location and date.
Ian Bailey, aged 62, was arrested in Dublin after a High Court judge endorsed a third European Arrest Warrant issued by France for the 1996 murder of filmmaker Sophie Toscan du Plantier. The warrant was endorsed by Mr Justice Donald Binchy following changes in Irish law and Bailey's conviction in absentia in France, where a Paris court sentenced him to 25 years. Bailey was taken outside the Criminal Courts of Justice, cautioned, and shown the warrant in English and French. He was remanded on bail, required to post a €15,000 bond, surrender his passport, and remain within the jurisdiction. A full hearing is scheduled for 20 January 2020; Bailey denied any involvement in the murder and described the French proceedings as a farce. The case follows earlier French extradition requests that were dismissed as abuse of process in 2017.
Robert Lawlor, a 35‑year‑old father of three, was acquitted of five charges, including attempted murder, after a trial where his ex‑girlfriend Rachel Kirwan recanted a statement to the Gardaí that alleged he had threatened to kill her new partner Derek Mitchell and his mother Fiona Mitchell. The jury found him not guilty on all counts. On 16 December 2019, the Central Criminal Court struck out the sole remaining charge against Lawlor – assault causing harm to Kirwan on an unknown date in December 2014 – by entering a nolle prosequi. Judge Michael White declared Lawlor fully discharged, no longer in custody, and free to leave. The court proceedings followed earlier acquittals in May 2018 of attempted murder of Fiona Mitchell, possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, and shooting of Ms Mitchell's dog Chopper. No further charges were pursued.
Patrick Quirke, a 50‑year‑old farmer from Breanshamore, Co. Tipperary, has been granted a hearing in October to appeal his conviction for the murder of Bobby Ryan, a part‑time DJ known as 'Mr Moonlight'. Ryan disappeared on 3 June 2011 after leaving the home of his girlfriend, Mary Lowry, and his body was found in an underground run‑off tank on Lowry's farm in April 2013. The prosecution argued Quirke killed Ryan to rekindle a relationship with Lowry and staged the body's discovery after Lowry tried to terminate his lease. Quirke's lawyers contended the evidence was merely suspicious, citing inconsistencies in Lowry's testimony and questioning her reliability. A Central Criminal Court jury found Quirke guilty after 20 hours and 39 minutes of deliberation, and he received a mandatory life sentence on 1 May 2019. The Court of Appeal has set 13 October for the appeal hearing, which is expected to last four days.
Ben O'Reilly, aged 21, was charged at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court with assaulting and robbing Fernanda de Freitas, a transgender escort, on 20 May 2017. He claimed he acted in self‑defence after a dispute over money. O'Reilly said he had been attracted to transgender women, met de Freitas through a dating app, and had agreed to pay her €400‑€500 for sex. He alleged that after the encounter, de Freitas demanded money, swiped at him with a stiletto, and removed his wallet. O'Reilly admitted holding her neck for five to ten seconds, punching her twice, and a third blow that caused her to fall and hit her head. He denied paying €180, claimed he took her iPhone by mistake, and pleaded not guilty. The prosecution argued he robbed her, while the defence argued she became violent when she learned he lacked full payment. The case remains pending.
A man has been sentenced to eleven years imprisonment following a hammer attack on a shopkeeper in Dublin in March 2017. John McKeon, aged 31 and with an address in Strokestown, County Longford, was convicted by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court of robbery, attempted robbery and assault causing serious harm. He and his cousin targeted Tansey's Newsagent on Fitzmaurice Road, Finglas, where McKeon struck the shopkeeper three times to the head with a claw hammer, causing severe traumatic brain injury. The victim, who remains in recovery, was the sole carer for his blind wife and three children. Judge Patricia Ryan imposed a sentence of twelve-and-a-half years with the final eighteen months suspended. McKeon's cousin, Daryl McKeon, was previously jailed for seven years in connection with the same incident. Daryl McKeon pleaded guilty.
In a retrial held at the Central Criminal Court, Yusif Ali Abdi, aged 46, was found not guilty by reason of insanity for the murder of his 20‑month‑old son, Nathan Baraka Andrew Ali, who died on 17 April 2001. The original 2003 trial had convicted Abdi of murder after a jury rejected his insanity defence. In 2013 he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, a fact that led the Court of Appeal to quash the conviction earlier this year. During the four‑day retrial, psychiatrist Dr Damian Mohan testified that Abdi had shown early signs of the disorder at the time of the offence and that he was unable to appreciate the wrongfulness of his actions. The jury deliberated 17 minutes and returned a unanimous verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity. Judge Alexander Owens ordered Abdi to be committed to the Central Mental Hospital and to appear before the court again next Friday.
A 25‑year‑old man named Gareth Brophy pleaded guilty at the Special Criminal Court to a lesser charge of helping to facilitate the murder of David Douglas. Douglas, aged 55, was shot six times on 1 July 2016 while taking a meal break at his partner's shop on Bridgefoot Street, Dublin 8. Brophy, who lives at Reuben Walk, Dublin 8, admitted that on that day he participated in activities with the intent to aid a criminal organisation in committing the serious offence of Douglas's murder, contrary to Section 72 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006. He pleaded guilty when arraigned and will be sentenced on 13 January 2020. The court heard that Detective Garda Niall Godfrey met Brophy in the Criminal Courts of Justice, explained the charge, and served him a copy of the charge sheet. Seán Gillane SC represented the State, while Michael Bowman SC represented Brophy.
Yusif Ali Abdi, 46, is on trial at the Central Criminal Court for the murder of his 20-month-old son, Nathan Baraka Andrew Ali, at The Elms, College Road, Clane, Co Kildare, on April 17, 2001. Abdi pleaded not guilty to the charge. The matter is currently at the retrial stage following an appeal in which the Court of Appeal quashed his 2003 murder conviction, citing a newly discovered diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia in 2013. During closing submissions, defence counsel Barry White SC stated that Abdi had been admitted to the Central Mental Hospital on three separate occasions during his detention. White argued that all four expert psychiatrists now agree Abdi was suffering from schizophrenia at the time of the killing, rendering him legally insane. Prosecution counsel Seamus Clarke SC contended that the proper verdict is not guilty by reason of insanity. The jury is currently deliberating, with the judge continuing to charge them. No final verdict or sentence has been recorded in this report.
Yusif Ali Abdi, the appellant, is currently on trial at the Central Criminal Court for the murder of his 20-month-old son, Nathan Baraka Andrew Ali, at The Elms, College Road, Clane, Co Kildare, on April 17, 2001. Abdi has pleaded not guilty to the charge. His previous murder conviction was quashed by the Court of Appeal earlier this year after he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2013. The current proceedings focus on the insanity defence, with the State and defence largely agreeing on the issue. Dr Damian Mohan, a consultant psychiatrist, testified that he now agrees with other experts that Abdi was suffering from a mental disorder at the time of the offence, a view he did not hold during the 2003 trial. Mohan stated that Abdi met the criteria for a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity, as he was unable to refrain from committing the act. This aligns with the testimony of Dr Alex Quinn and Dr Aggrey Washington Burke, who also concluded Abdi fulfilled the criteria for the special verdict. The court heard that Abdi was admitted to the Central Mental Hospital on four occasions between 2001 and 2013 for various psychiatric conditions, including psychotic depression and suicidal ideation. The trial continues before Mr Justice Alexander Owens and a jury.
In a High Court hearing in Dublin, the court considered evidence that recordings on mobile phones found in a refrigerated trailer in Essex, where 39 migrants were later discovered dead, suggested that some of the victims may have been alive after entering UK territorial waters. The case involves Eamon Harrison, 23, who is sought by British authorities on 39 counts of manslaughter, conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and conspiracy to commit human trafficking under the UK's Modern Slavery Act. Harrison, a dual Irish‑British citizen, allegedly transported the trailer from a Belgian port to the Port of Purfleet, Essex, where it was collected by Maurice Robinson, 25. Harrison was arrested in Ireland under a European Arrest Warrant and is contesting extradition in the Irish High Court.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court case, Garda Sean Lucey, aged 42, was convicted by a jury of assault causing harm after striking RTÉ cameraman Colm Hand in the groin with a baton during anti‑racism protests on Cathedral Street on 6 February 2016. The jury found Lucey guilty of assault after deliberating 2 hours 46 minutes, but found him not guilty of criminal damage to Hand's camera. Judge Melanie Greally adjourned the matter for sentencing on 7 February 2020 and remanded Lucey on continuing bail. Hand testified that he was filming with reporter Colman O'Sullivan when Lucey first struck his camera and then hit him in the groin, causing severe pain. Garda Michael Dibley, a fellow public‑order officer, testified that the crowd was hostile and that gardai were under extreme pressure, but that they were entitled to use batons to maintain a six‑foot distance.
In a High Court hearing, lawyers for Eamon Harrison, a 22‑year‑old from Mayobridge, Co Down, challenged the validity of a UK extradition warrant that seeks to bring him to face 39 counts of manslaughter, conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and conspiracy to commit human trafficking under the UK's Modern Slavery Act. Harrison is alleged to have delivered a refrigerated trailer containing 39 migrant bodies from a Belgian port to the UK. The warrant, which refers to him as a British citizen, is said by counsel Siobhán Stack SC to be fundamentally defective due to an extreme lack of information and the fact that the required details were supplied by the Crown Prosecution Service rather than the issuing judicial authority, Chelmsford Magistrate's Court. The High Court, presided over by Mr Justice Donald Binchy, has requested further information from UK authorities and may require a new warrant before proceeding. The case is ongoing.
In a Dundalk murder trial, Mohamed Morei, a 21‑year‑old asylum seeker, was found not guilty by reason of insanity for stabbing 24‑year‑old Yosuke Sasaki to death on 3 January 2018. The jury also returned not‑guilty verdicts for assaulting two men, criminal damage to a car and robbery by trespassing between 2 and 3 January. The case was heard over three days, with psychiatrists describing Morei as suffering from acute paranoid schizophrenia and lacking awareness of the wrongfulness of his actions. Morei was remanded to the Central Mental Hospital and will appear again on 20 December to discuss his ongoing treatment. The Sasaki family, including sister Shiori and father Akifusa, expressed profound grief and frustration at the circumstances surrounding the incident.
A sixth man, Mark Capper, 21, appeared before the Special Criminal Court on 11 December 2019 charged with conspiring to murder Patrick "Patsy" Hutch and an unknown person between 1 February and 10 March 2018. Gardai arrested him at the Finglas Post Office on a warrant issued by the court. Capper faces four scheduled offences and two non‑scheduled offences, including conspiracy to commit murder, providing or assisting with vehicles for the criminal organisation, and planning the shooting of Hutch. He is also charged with conspiracy to murder an unknown person and related reckless activities. The court granted legal aid for two counsel and remanded Capper in custody to appear again on 3 February 2020. The case lists co‑accused Patrick Curtis, Michael Burns, Mohammed Smew, Stephen Curtis, Ciaran O'Driscoll, Glen Thompson, Gary Thompson and Robert Brown as alleged conspirators.
In a 2019 Central Criminal Court hearing, psychiatrist Professor Keith Rix testified that Yusif Ali Abdi, aged 46, suffered from paranoid schizophrenia at the time he killed his 20‑month‑old son, Nathan Baraka Andrew Ali, in April 2001. Rix cited Abdi's reports of hearing voices, disorientation, and belief that his son was a threat, as well as depressive symptoms and post‑traumatic stress indicators noted by doctors in 1998 and 2001. He argued that these symptoms meant Abdi could not appreciate the moral wrongness of his act or refrain from it, satisfying the criteria for a special verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity. The court had previously rejected Abdi's insanity defence in 2003, but his 2019 appeal led to a retrial based on newly discovered psychiatric evidence. The trial continued the following day before Mr Justice Alexander Owens and a jury. Yusif Ali Abdi was found guilty.
In the assault trial of Garda Sean Lucey, the jury was instructed to set aside any personal feelings toward the police. Lucey, 42, faced charges of assault causing harm and damaging a camera after a confrontation with RTE cameraman Colm Hand on Cathedral Street in February 2016. The prosecution argued that footage showed Lucey striking Hand's groin after the cameraman had retreated, while the defense emphasized Lucey's two‑decade clean record and the lawful use of force in a volatile situation. The trial, presided over by Judge Melanie Greally, continued with the jury hearing both sides' arguments before a verdict was reached. The case highlighted the tension between police conduct and media presence during street protests. Sean Lucey pleaded not guilty.
An 84‑year‑old taxi driver, John Walker, was sentenced to three and a half years' imprisonment for sexually abusing his adopted daughter, Jennifer Kelly, over a ten‑year period from 1990 to 2000. The jury found him guilty on 40 counts of indecent assault and sexual assault, with the abuse occurring at his home in The Cova, Whitehall Road, Perrystown, Dublin, and at a former address in Kilmasogue Grove, Greenpark. Walker denied the allegations and claimed no prior convictions. Judge Patricia Ryan noted the pre‑meditated, planned nature of the abuse, the victim's age and vulnerability, and Walker's lack of remorse. The court considered his age, health conditions and past community contributions before imposing the sentence. The abuse involved repeated kissing and fondling, verbal threats, and control tactics, culminating when Kelly disclosed the abuse to Gardaí in 2018. The case was heard in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The unnamed 84-year-old pleaded not guilty.
The prosecution case has closed in the trial of Garda Sean Lucey, who has pleaded not guilty to one count of assault causing harm to Colm Hand and damaging his camera at Cathedral Street, Dublin city centre, on February 6, 2016. Lucey, a 42-year-old garda stationed at Crumlin Village and Sundrive Road, was detailed to a public order unit during confrontations between protesters and gardaí. On the fourth day of the trial, before Judge Melanie Greally and a jury, the prosecution called Garda Colm McGagen, who stated he feared for his safety amid an aggressive crowd with covered faces. McGagen testified that he did not use his baton to strike anyone and that he gently moved freelance photographers, including the complainant, on 15 occasions for their safety. He noted he did not know Hand was an RTÉ cameraman. Dr Ciara O'Carroll testified that she examined Hand on February 8, 2016, finding a bruise on his upper right thigh and no other injuries. She prescribed sleeping tablets and declared him unfit for work for one week, though he had returned to work by April. The trial continues.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, Detective Inspector Martin Beggy told the jury that Mohamed Morei, 21, had no terrorist links and that his claims of being an Isis member were "rambling" and "totally incoherent". Morei, who had applied for asylum in Britain and then in Ireland, was arrested in Northern Ireland and later travelled to Dundalk where he carried out a series of attacks on January 3 2018. He stabbed Yosuke Sasaki, 24, and assaulted two other men, all of whom were wearing headphones. Psychiatric experts Dr Brenda Wright and Dr Paul O'Connell diagnosed Morei with paranoid schizophrenia and a mild intellectual disability, stating that he believed he was justified in his actions and could not refrain from them. The defence has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity for all charges, and the trial is ongoing before Justice Carmel Stewart and a 12‑person jury.
A murder trial at the Central Criminal Court heard that 20-month-old Nathan Baraka Andrew Ali died from head injuries caused by forceful impacts against a hard surface, likely a wall or floor. Consultant Pathologist Professor Jack Crane testified that the toddler's injuries were not accidental and involved at least three or four impacts. Yusif Ali Abdi, 46, pleaded not guilty to the charge of murdering Nathan at The Elms, College Road, Clane, Co Kildare on April 17, 2001. The court heard that Abdi, who was granted refugee status in 2000 and married an Irish woman, had previously been found guilty in 2003 but had his conviction overturned in 2019 due to newly discovered evidence suggesting he may have been legally insane at the time. The trial is ongoing, with the matter currently in the appeal stage. Former Northern Ireland State and Consultant Pathologist Professor Jack are also named as accused, though their charges remain alleged or contested. The case has been adjourned and is not yet concluded.
In a 2019 retrial, Amanda Bailey, wife of Yusif Ali Abdi, testified that her husband's treatment has been "beyond cruel." She recounted their meeting in 1998, pregnancy in 1999, and marriage to secure his legal status. Bailey described Abdi as a quiet, caring partner who later displayed signs of paranoia and depression after a 2001 arrest and a visit to Africa. She detailed an argument over their son Nathan, during which Abdi threw a phone that cut her lip, and her subsequent refusal to return home until he sought psychiatric help. On the night of Nathan's murder, Bailey heard noises, saw Abdi praying, and found the child pale, blood‑stained, and lifeless. She noted Abdi's denial of mental illness and his accusations of her poisoning him. The prosecution highlighted that Abdi was convicted in 2003, but a 2019 appeal led to a retrial based on newly discovered evidence of early signs of paranoid schizophrenia. Yusif Ali Abdi pleaded not guilty.
Alan Freeman, aged 38, was convicted of violently breaking into the Garvey family home in Pallasgreen, Co. Limerick, on 16 April 2012, where he and two other men used a sawn‑off shotgun, a sledgehammer and a baseball bat. The gang restrained the occupants, threatened Gerard Garvey and his 14‑year‑old daughter, and took cash before fleeing. Freeman, along with Patrick Roche (54) and Philip Roche (25), was also found guilty of a separate burglary at the Creed home. Judge John Hannan sentenced Freeman to 14 years, with the final three years suspended. On 10 December 2019 the Court of Appeal quashed Freeman's conviction and ordered a retrial, while the convictions of the Roche men were upheld. The appeal was based on the Court's view that evidence linking Freeman to an alleged burglary at another home should have led to a separate trial, as the evidence was deemed insufficient and potentially prejudicial.
Ian Quinn, 38, of St Aongus Park, Tallaght, pleaded guilty to assaulting a prison officer in Mountjoy Prison on 30 January 2019. Officer Colin Ryan, who knew Quinn from earlier that morning, was walking across a landing when Quinn approached with a bucket. Quinn threw the bucket's contents—excrement—over Ryan's face and uniform. Ryan initially thought it might be boiling water but soon realised it was feces, which entered his mouth, eyes, boots and radio. The incident left Ryan traumatised and unfit for work for four weeks. Quinn, already serving a two‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence for a separate offence, was sentenced to an additional two months' imprisonment, to run consecutively with his existing term. The court noted that Quinn had produced a knife in prison and that the assault was described as a "pretty low assault" that was nasty and ridiculing. The judge emphasised that the incident had led to Quinn's six‑month solitary confinement.
A 50‑year‑old Dublin man, whose name is withheld, was due to stand trial for three counts of rape and one count of sexual assault against his two nephews at a Dublin address in 2009. A Central Criminal Court judge, Ms Justice Tara Burns, ruled that the man is unfit to stand trial because he suffers from a mental disorder under the Mental Health Act. She noted that he cannot make a legal defence, understand evidence or instruct legal representation, and is unsuitable for treatment at the Central Mental Hospital. A consultant psychiatrist, Dr John Hillery, assessed him as having a mild to moderate mental disability, hearing impairment, inability to read or write, limited comprehension, and a very vulnerable, solitary lifestyle. Dr Hillery and another forensic psychiatrist, Dr Anthony Kearns, agreed that the man's intellectual disability and limited understanding of the charges made him unfit to plead. The proceedings were adjourned until further notice.
During a 2016 anti‑racism protest on Cathedral Street, RTÉ cameraman Colm Hand was struck in the groin by Garda Sean Lucey, who used a baton. Hand, who was filming with reporter Colman O'Sullivan, had positioned himself near a garda line after being pushed into a shop. He claimed he chose to stay with the gardaí because he believed it was safer. While filming, Hand was hit by a baton from behind, causing bruising and pain, and his camera was also struck. He later testified that he had complied with orders to move back and that he had shouted at the garda to stop hitting cameras. The trial, presided over by Judge Melanie Greally, is ongoing before a jury. The garda has pleaded not guilty to assault and camera damage charges.
In a 2003 trial at the Central Criminal Court, a psychiatrist who had earlier testified that Yusif Ali Abdi was not suffering from paranoid schizophrenia now stated that Abdi displayed early signs of the condition in 2001. Abdi, a 46‑year‑old Somali refugee, was charged with murdering his 20‑month‑old son, Nathan, on 17 April 2001. He pleaded not guilty at arraignment. The prosecution argued that Abdi's mental health deteriorated after traumatic experiences in Somalia, including the death of his father, and that he became paranoid about Gardaí. Evidence was presented that Abdi had been admitted to the Central Mental Hospital from November 2001 until 2003 and was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2013. The case was retried in 2019 after a Court of Appeal decision to order a retrial based on newly discovered facts. Yusif Ali Abdi was convicted.
The trial of Garda Sergeant Sean Lucey began in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 9 December 2019. Lucey pleaded not guilty to assault causing harm to RTÉ cameraman Colm Hand and to damaging a camera on 6 February 2016. The prosecution, led by Fiona McGowan, explained that Gardaí were aware of a Pegida rally and a counter‑rally by anti‑racism groups on Cathedral Street. They were tasked with preventing confrontation. Sergeant Derek Fleming testified that the situation escalated into violence, with protesters wearing balaclavas and face masks, some attempting to attack Gardaí with fists and to seize batons. Fleming described the deployment of soft‑cap units and later fully kitted units, the use of batons as a last resort, and the eventual dispersal of the crowd after about 30 minutes. The case is expected to last five days before Judge Melanie Greally.
A 46‑year‑old man, Yusif Ali Abdi of Charleville Road, Phibsboro, Dublin, will stand trial for the murder of his 20‑month‑old son, Nathan Baraka Andrew Ali, who was killed at The Elms, College Road, Clane, Co Kildare, on 17 April 2001. Abdi, wearing a white anorak over a grey suit, pleaded not guilty when arraigned before the Central Criminal Court. The trial, set to begin tomorrow before Mr Justice Alexander Owens, is a restricted form focused on sanity and insanity, with a jury of seven men and five women hearing medical witnesses and two psychiatric consultants.
A 20‑year‑old Egyptian man, Mohamed Morei, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to the murder of Yosuke Sasaki, a 24‑year‑old Japanese national, on 3 January 2018 in Dundalk. The case is being heard in the Central Criminal Court. Mr Justice Michael White read the indictment to Mr Morei, who, with an interpreter, answered "not guilty by reason of insanity." A jury of seven men and five women was sworn in. The trial is scheduled to begin the following day at 2 p.m. before Ms Justice Carmel Stewart and is expected to last up to two days. Mr White noted that the facts of the offence are not in dispute, while the dispute lies over sanity and insanity. Two consultant forensic psychiatrists from the Central Mental Hospital will give evidence in the case. The incident is a Dundalk case involving an Egyptian defendant and a Japanese victim.
In a Central Criminal Court trial, Robert Lawlor, aged 35, was found not guilty on all five charges, including threatening to murder his ex‑girlfriend's partner and attempting to murder the partner's mother by firing shots into her home. The jury, after two hours and forty minutes, returned a verdict of not guilty. Lawlor, who had pleaded not guilty to each charge, was represented by barrister Patrick McGrath SC, who challenged the reliability of witness testimony, particularly that of Fiona Mitchell, who claimed to have seen Lawlor with a gun. The prosecution maintained Mitchell's account was consistent, but the court accepted the defence's arguments. The judge thanked the jury and exempted them from further service for five years. No sentence was imposed as the verdict was a not‑guilty finding.
Clive Mason, 43, was convicted at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for assault causing harm after a violent, racially abusive attack on taxi driver Samuel Banjoko Johnson on Malahide Road, Donnycarney, on 21 April. Mason, who claimed to be a Garda and shouted racial slurs, punched Johnson and attempted to force him out of the vehicle. Video of the assault circulated online, prompting Mason to surrender to Gardaí the following weekend. He pleaded guilty, apologized, and cited intoxication as a factor. The court noted Mason's three prior convictions and his willingness to cooperate. Judge Martin Nolan imposed a 20‑month prison sentence, fully suspended on the condition that Mason remain law‑abiding for 20 months and comply with Probation Service directions for six months. The court also ordered a €5,000 payment to be transferred to the Garda, to be given to Johnson or a charity if he declined it.
Macica Firea, 58, a father of six with no fixed abode, was sentenced to three years' imprisonment for sexually assaulting four women in a series of incidents that took place on July 10 near Connolly Station and on Commons Street in Dublin. He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to the assault of three women on Amiens Street and a fourth on Commons Street. Garda Aisling Gralton recounted that on the morning of the offences a woman was walking to work when Firea grabbed her vagina; she pushed him away. A second woman on Commons Street felt a hand behind her, and Firea laughed, gestured at digital penetration, and grabbed her buttocks. A third woman at a bus stop near Connolly Station was also assaulted, and a fourth woman on the station escalator was approached with an attempt to put a hand under her skirt.
A 33‑year‑old convicted sex offender was sentenced to two years and four months in prison for assaulting Garda Barry Purcell, who was assisting social workers in removing the offender's baby from his care. The offender, who has 23 prior convictions, was found guilty by a jury of assault causing harm on 16 June 2016 and does not accept the verdict. Judge Karen O'Connor cited aggravating factors, including the psychological damage to the Garda, and noted the offender's pattern of disregard for the law. The sentence was back‑dated to account for five months the offender had already spent in custody for a separate sexual assault conviction. Garda Purcell suffered swelling and bruising to his hand and forearm, and the incident affected his future interactions with the public. The offender claimed he was provoked by racial abuse during the confrontation. The case was heard in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
In the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, a jury of seven women and five men was empanelled to hear the case of Garda Seán Lucey, who was accused of assaulting RTÉ employee Colm Hand and damaging a camera on 6 February 2016. Lucey, who resides in south Dublin and is stationed at Crumlin Village and Sundrive Road garda stations, pleaded not guilty to both charges. The alleged assault took place during an event involving the group Pegida and a counter‑event by the European Network Against Racism. Judge Karen O'Connor instructed the jury to remain impartial and to rely solely on the evidence presented in court, warning against independent research. Witnesses, including several gardaí and members of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, are expected to testify. The trial, scheduled to last five days, will commence on Monday before Judge Melanie Greally.
Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary denied creating a "culture of fear" among pilots during cross-examination in the High Court, where the airline is suing former Chief Operations Officer Peter Bellew. The hearing before Mr Justice Senan Allen concerns Ryanair's claim that Mr Bellew breached a 12-month non-compete clause by joining easyJet. Mr O'Leary rejected allegations of verbal abuse and a violent confrontation with a former employee, though he admitted using bad language. He also denied firing a German crew after a 2018 fatigue incident, stating the account was "completely untrue" and that Mr Bellew was not involved in such safety matters. Mr O'Leary accepted he warned Mr Bellew his job was at risk following a 2019 performance review but denied the executive was "a dead man walking." Ryanair seeks an order for specific performance of the contract and an injunction against Mr Bellew, of Killarney, Co Kerry. Mr Bellew denies any breach of contract and argues the clause is unenforceable. The matter is currently at the hearing stage and continues.
In March 2019 a robbery at Fernwood Avenue, Tallaght, involved Alan McHugh (39) and two accomplices who targeted Wojciech Gajoch, who was selling a 14‑carat gold necklace. The men approached Gajoch, one holding a knife, and surrounded him. Gajoch was struck on the head, and the men fled after taking the keys. McHugh pursued, brandishing the knife and threatening Gajoch, who managed to seize the knife and bring McHugh to the ground. The accomplices then drove a car at the two men, running over McHugh's foot. The car left without McHugh, and the necklace was never recovered. McHugh pleaded guilty to robbery, was sentenced to six years' imprisonment with the final 18 months suspended, and was released on strict conditions. The case highlighted the violent nature of the robbery and the failure to recover the stolen necklace.
In a case of attempted murder, the jury was cautioned by Mr Justice Paul McDermott to scrutinise the identification evidence presented by a woman who claimed to recognise the gunman. The woman, Ms. Mitchell, alleged that she saw Robert Lawlor holding a gun in her garden before shots were fired into her home and that a dog was also shot. Mr McDermott warned that even multiple witnesses can err, urging jurors to consider the duration and clarity of Ms. Mitchell's view from her lit kitchen into a dark garden. He reminded them that the defence argued her testimony was dishonest. The jury must decide whether the shooting constituted attempted murder or intimidation, and each of the five charges against Lawlor must be judged separately with unanimous verdicts. Lawlor has pleaded not guilty to all charges, including attempted murder, possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, a threat to a third party, and shooting a dog.
Two Dublin men wanted in Northern Ireland on charges of attempted murder of a Police Service of Northern Ireland officer have had their extradition hearing opened at the High Court. Ciaran Maguire, aged 29, and Sean Paul Farrell, aged 32, are also charged with possession of explosive substances with intent to endanger life. Both face potential life sentences if convicted. According to a European Arrest Warrant, an improvised explosive device was discovered at a police officer's home in County Donegal in June. The men were arrested in County Donegal on suspicion of membership of an unlawful organisation. Their legal representatives objected to extradition today, arguing that their clients were not adequately warned during interviews at Milford Garda Station that silence could be used against them in Northern Irish courts. Counsel submitted that Northern Ireland's rules allowing judges to draw adverse inferences from an accused's failure to testify breach constitutional protections afforded in the State. The hearing before Mr Justice Donald Binchy is expected to conclude tomorrow.
Five men—Ciaran O'Driscoll (24), Patrick Curtis (38), Stephen Curtis (32), Mohammed Smew (27) and Michael Burns (43)—appeared before the Special Criminal Court on 5 December 2019. They are charged with conspiring to murder Patrick "Patsy" Hutch between 1 February 2018 and 10 March 2018, a serious offence under Section 71 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006. All five are also charged with participating in activities intended to facilitate the commission of a serious offence by a criminal organisation, namely the murder of Mr Hutch between 1 February 2018 and 28 February 2018, and with the murder of an unknown person between 1 February 2018 and 10 March 2018. Patrick Curtis and Michael Burns face additional charges of directing the activities of a criminal organisation during the same period. Burns is further accused of possessing a firearm silencer and five rounds of 9 mm ammunition on 10 March 2018, suggesting unlawful possession.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing on 4 December 2019, Robert Lawlor (35) faced five attempted‑murder charges for an attack on Fiona Mitchell on 26 May 2018. Defence counsel Patrick McGrath SC argued that Mitchell's identification of Lawlor was unreliable, citing inconsistencies and the difficulty of seeing in a dark garden. He warned of the dangers of identification evidence and urged the jury to reject Mitchell's testimony. Prosecution counsel John O'Kelly SC countered, presenting Mitchell's consistent statements, CCTV showing two men entering her garden, and bullet trajectories that matched her account. He highlighted the damage to the house, the presence of a dog that was killed, and the absence of DNA or fingerprints. O'Kelly also detailed prior threats by Lawlor toward Mitchell's ex‑girlfriend and her partner, framing the attack as a response to those threats. The case remained at the trial stage, with the judge scheduled to charge the jury the following day. Robert Lawlor pleaded not guilty.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court case, martial‑arts instructor Jonathan Dargan (49) was found guilty of unlawful killing after a late‑night domestic dispute on Harold's Cross Road on 6 March 2016. Dargan was arguing with his partner when Patrick Mullally (56) and Jason Cunningham approached. A cyclist testified that Dargan threw powerful punches at Mullally, who suffered a subdural haemorrhage and died the next day. Dargan admitted striking Mullally but claimed he was surrounded and feared for his safety, arguing self‑defence. The jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict on manslaughter after four hours of deliberation, and a majority verdict on assaulting Cunningham after an additional hour. The assault charge against Mullally's niece was withdrawn. Judge Pauline Codd set a sentencing date for 27 January, directed victim‑impact and probation reports, and remanded Dargan on continuing bail.
In a 2019 incident at Rutland Grove, Crumlin, two brothers, Peter Collins (26) and Jason Collins (18), attacked a 60‑year‑old taxi driver, Mark Henshaw, and attempted to hijack his vehicle. Peter strangled Henshaw with a phone charger cable, while Jason punched the driver and searched his pockets. The pair failed to start the car and stole a €50 note and an iPhone. Henshaw suffered a small brain bleed, a nasal bone fracture and a swollen right eye. Both pleaded guilty to robbery, assault causing harm and unlawful seizure of a car. Judge Martin Nolan sentenced Peter to four and a half years' imprisonment and Jason to three and a half years, suspending the final 12 months of Jason's term on strict conditions. The court noted the attempt was "a pretty incompetent effort" and the attack "reprehensible.".
In the trial of Robert Lawlor, a 35‑year‑old from Laytown, the State's closing speech highlighted the circumstances leading to the shooting on 26 May 2018. Lawlor was seen by the alleged victim, Fiona Mitchell, in her back garden holding a gun moments before shots were fired into her home. The prosecution argued that the incident was triggered by Lawlor's ex‑girlfriend, Rachel Kirwan, refusing to end her relationship with Derek Mitchell, whom Lawlor demanded she break off. Lawlor pleaded not guilty to attempted murder of Mitchell, possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, a threat to Kirwan to kill or seriously harm Mitchell and her son, and shooting a dog. The trial, presided over by Mr Justice Paul McDermott, continues before a jury of seven men and five women.