Anthony Walsh, 31, pleaded not guilty to the murder of Dermot Byrne, 54, but guilty to manslaughter and theft of Byrne's bank card, keys and a Zippo lighter on 16 July 2017. Garda Jason McDonnell arrested Walsh after listening to phone calls with his mother, Marie Walsh, during which Walsh claimed he was attacked and warned Byrne to "get away from me or I would murder you." In the garden of the Walsh home, Walsh told his mother he didn't mean to kill Byrne, describing a fight where Byrne "came at me swinging punches and kicks" and that Walsh "kicked Byrne in the head" causing Byrne to fall unconscious. Walsh later said he had no intention to kill Byrne and was sorry. He was released after arrest and charged two days later. The trial continues before Justice Eileen Creedon with a jury of twelve.
In a Dublin court, 35‑year‑old Laura Kenna, who has no fixed abode, pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to attempted murder and assault charges after she sliced the throat of civil servant Fionnuala Bourke on Lower Drumcondra Road on 3 January 2017. Kenna told Gardaí that she wanted to see Bourke die and had a fascination with watching people's life drain away. She claimed she had been "picking a victim" on Drumcondra Road, had let another woman go, and that Bourke was simply an opportunistic target. Kenna admitted she intended to kill Bourke, described her knife as "a great fucking knife," and said she was "tired of lots of people." The trial, presided over by Justice Robert Eagar, will continue tomorrow.
Anthony Walsh, 31, was arrested at his parents' home in Glencullen after the death of 54‑year‑old Dermot Byrne. Walsh pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter, and also admitted stealing a bank card, keys and a Zippo lighter from Byrne on 16 July 2017 at North St, Swords. During the arrest, Walsh told Garda Jason McDonnell that he had not intended to kill Byrne, saying "I didn't mean to kill him. He kept coming at me. It was just a couple of straighteners." The trial is proceeding before Justice Eileen Creedon and a jury of twelve.
In October 2018, a man was sentenced to eight years in prison for attempting to murder his four children. The Central Criminal Court imposed a 12‑year sentence, suspending the final four years on conditions. The judge described the crime as having a narcissistic element, noting the defendant's plan to kill himself after strangling his children and his belief that they would be better off dead. He pleaded guilty to the attempted murders committed at the family home on 3 June 2016. The judge considered victim impact statements, reports from Tusla, a psychotherapist, and the defendant's psychiatric history, including depression, social phobia and substance abuse. The suspended portion required the defendant to have no contact with the children unless requested, attend psychiatric reports, take prescribed medication and remain under probation supervision. The sentence was back‑dated to account for time already spent in custody. The mother attended the hearing but made no further comments.
In October 2018, Alan Kenny, aged 26, was arrested in Islandbridge, Dublin, after Gardaí discovered over €100,000 in cash in his home. He claimed the money was a debt he owed for cannabis use and that he was threatened with murder if he did not hold it, citing the abduction and murder of his cousin, James Kenny McDonagh, in 2011. Kenny pleaded guilty in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of €106,950 believed to be proceeds of criminal conduct on 12 January 2017. Gardaí found a weighing scale, plastic cut‑offs, bundles of cash in a plastic bag, a small safe, and a taser‑type firearm in his bedroom. Kenny had no prior convictions. The case was adjourned to 18 December, with a Probation Service report ordered and Kenny remanded on continuing bail pending sentencing.
Laura Kenna, aged 34 and without a fixed abode, was arrested on suspicion of slicing the throat of civil servant Fionnuala Burke on Lower Drumcondra Road on 3 January 2017. Kenna pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to attempted murder and assault intending serious harm. The prosecution argued that Kenna attacked Burke, who was walking home from work, by pushing her onto a grassy area and stabbing her with a knife. Burke suffered a deep cut across her neck, penetrating muscle and the thyroid gland, and was treated in intensive care. Kenna was later arrested in Tallaght, where she was found with blood on her clothing, a knife and items belonging to Burke. She admitted to the attack, describing it as "slicing her like you would a goat." The case was opened at the Central Criminal Court, with the jury instructed to consider Kenna's state of mind. The trial was scheduled to continue before Mr Justice Robert Eagar.
In the Central Criminal Court, Marie and Hugh Walsh testified that they met their son Anthony the morning after he beat 54‑year‑old Dermot Byrne to death outside a school in Swords on 16 July 2017. Anthony, 31, pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter and to theft of Byrne's bank card, keys and lighter. He told his mother, in tears, that he had not meant to kill Byrne. The court heard that Anthony had been in a fight, had called his father's phone, and had been arrested after a taxi ride to his mother's house. Witnesses described his physical state and the circumstances of the incident, and the trial continues before Justice Eileen Creedon and a jury.
Johnathon Harding, 46, of Mc Neill Court, Sallins, Kildare, was already serving a 10‑year prison sentence for possession of nine revolvers, four pistols, a sub‑machine gun, an assault rifle and ammunition magazines. In October 2016 he attempted to obtain a €260,000 mortgage from the Bank of Ireland by submitting false documents: three payslips dated January, February and March 2016, a false bank statement covering August 2015 to March 2016, and additional false payslips and a bank statement covering October 2014 to April 2016. The bank detected the fraud immediately and Harding withdrew the application after a few days. On 16 October 2018, Judge Melanie Greally sentenced him to 18 months in prison for the mortgage fraud, to be served concurrently with his existing term. The court noted no loss to the bank and that Harding had cooperated with the Garda investigation. Harding has eight prior convictions, including a six‑year drug‑possession sentence from 2004. Johnathon Harding pleaded guilty.
A Central Criminal Court jury found 51‑year‑old Paul Keating not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter after he stabbed his lifelong friend, 47‑year‑old Mark Richardson, in the chest during a fight over a beer can. The single stab wound severed Richardson's main pulmonary artery, causing heavy bleeding. Keating, who lived on Harmonstown Road, had pleaded not guilty to murder and guilty to manslaughter on 16 March 2017. He died an hour after the stabbing. The jury, composed of six men and six women, deliberated for 3 hours 28 minutes over two days and reached a unanimous verdict. The court adjourned sentencing to 14 December, remanded Keating in custody, and exempted the jury from service for five years. The trial included testimony from Richardson's partner, children, and forensic experts who confirmed the knife's DNA match to Richardson. The case highlighted the sudden escalation of a drinking dispute into a fatal act.
During a murder trial, retired Garda Niall Jones recounted his horror upon discovering a naked, bloody body on North Street, Swords, at about 2.50 am. While searching for a taxi, he mistook a lifelike inflatable dummy for a person and, upon closer inspection, found the body of a man who had been beaten to death. Jones called 999 and attempted resuscitation, but paramedic William Howard found no pulse and declared the victim dead. The case is being heard at the Central Criminal Court, with the accused Anthony Walsh pleading not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter and theft.
During a search of Jason Keating's family home on Lissadell Road, Drimnagh, Dublin 12, Gardaí discovered an envelope containing €3,200 in cash, three empty mobile phone boxes, a car key, a Ford Focus, and a blue‑grey McKenzie hoodie. The search, executed on 2 May 2017 after a warrant issued on 1 May, was carried out by a team led by Detective Sergeant Maeve O'Sullivan. Keating, aged 27, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Noel 'Duck Egg' Kirwan, who was shot six times on 22 December 2016 in a Ford Mondeo at St Ronan's Drive, Clondalkin. The murder is linked to a feud between two criminal factions, though Kirwan had no ties to either side. The Special Criminal Court heard the evidence and the case will continue before the three‑judge panel.
During the trial of Paul Wells Senior, a 50‑year‑old from Barnamore Park, the son, Gary Wells, testified that his father repeatedly told him not to return home on the night of the murder of Kenneth O'Brien, which occurred on 15 or 16 January 2016. Gary, then 21, was driving to work in Clondalkin when his father called him to warn him against going home that night. He later returned the next morning to find his father power‑washing the ground behind the house, where the body had been dismembered and found in a canal. Gary also described seeing a chainsaw in a bag his father had moved from the shed, and that his father had asked him to bring it to another man's house. The trial, held in the Central Criminal Court, continues with a jury of eleven. The accused has pleaded not guilty to the murder charge.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 15 October 2018, Atilia Kerekes, aged 44, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm after a domestic incident on 3 July 2017. The court heard that Kerekes had dragged his wife, who had a protection order, upstairs, struck her twice on the head, and forcibly removed her jeans. The wife, who was crying and fighting back, later used a plastic bottle to strike Kerekes. He stopped, apologized, and the wife's victim impact statement described ongoing depression and daily crying. Judge Patricia Ryan, giving credit for the guilty plea, cooperation, employment record and remorse, imposed a fully suspended two‑year sentence. The sentence was suspended for a period of two years, with no requirement to engage with Probation Services to avoid jeopardising his employment. The judge noted the couple's 18‑year‑old daughter remained in school and that the defendant was a good father.
In the murder case of Noel 'Duck Egg' Kirwan, forensic expert Shelina Jilani testified that she could not definitively exclude Jason Keating (27) from being the unknown subject in CCTV footage from Neilstown Shopping Centre taken shortly after the December 22 shooting. Jilani, working for Acume Forensic Ltd, compared three images of Keating taken while he was in Garda custody with the limited facial portion visible in the CCTV. She identified three matching features—a narrow nasal bridge, a full oval face, and abdominal fullness—but concluded that the evidence provided only limited support for identifying Keating. She acknowledged that clothing and lack of unique features made the identification highly subjective and that the CCTV quality was poor. Judge Tony Hunt noted that the footage does not eliminate Keating but also does not implicate him. Jason Keating pleaded not guilty.
At the Central Criminal Court, Mr Justice Michael White commended two siblings from Arva, County Cavan for their "unbelievable courage" in reporting childhood sexual abuse to gardaí in 2017, more than five decades after the offences occurred. John Joe Kiernan, aged 86 and from Forthill, Arva, pleaded guilty to six sample counts of indecent assault against one victim between 1958 and 1963, five sample counts against his younger sister during 1959 to 1963, and rape of the girl between 1959 and 1964. The offences took place on or near the family farmland where Kiernan worked as a labourer. Both victims, now in their sixties, provided impact statements describing lasting trauma. The judge described certain threats made by Kiernan as "spine chilling" and noted the brutality of the offending. Kiernan had been previously imprisoned in 2005 for similar offences. Sentencing was adjourned pending further consideration.
Tsvetomir Velikov, a 42-year-old Bulgarian national from Navan, Co. Meath, was sentenced at the Central Criminal Court for defiling a female under the age of 17. He pleaded guilty on his trial date to the charge relating to an incident in Cork on February 28, 2015. Ms Justice Aileen Donnelly imposed a two-year prison sentence, suspending the final six months. The sentence was backdated to June 26, the date Velikov pleaded guilty. The court noted that while there was no physical violence, Velikov had doubts about the victim's age but proceeded with the act. He was described as a "model prisoner" who completed various courses while awaiting sentence. In a related matter, Ivan Peev, also of Coolfore Road, previously received a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for defiling the victim's 15-year-old friend in a circus caravan on the same date. The prosecution highlighted that the girls had consumed significant amounts of alcohol and appeared intoxicated, with CCTV showing them holding each other up upon leaving. Velikov admitted to being reckless regarding their ages. The judge emphasized that the law protects young people regardless of alcohol consumption. Velikov has no previous convictions in Ireland or Bulgaria.
During a night in Swords on 16 July 2017, 54‑year‑old Dermot Byrne was involved in a scuffle with 31‑year‑old Anthony Walsh, who later pleaded not guilty to Byrne's murder but guilty to manslaughter and theft of a bank card, keys and a Zippo lighter. Door staff at the Harp Bar intervened when Byrne and Walsh argued around 2.11 am. Byrne, who had been drinking, asked the staff, "Why did you do that? I can look after myself," before walking away. Witnesses, including Vincent McCarthy, Krystzof Laszowski, Darren Kelly and Rory Robinson, described the confrontation, the presence of alcohol, and the attempts to calm the situation. The case is being heard at the Central Criminal Court before Justice Eileen Creedon and a jury of twelve.
Patrick Harty, aged 21, was re‑sentenced to six‑and‑a‑half years' imprisonment after the Court of Appeal found his original three‑year term too lenient. The new sentence, with the final two‑and‑a‑half years suspended, imposes a net four‑year jail term. Harty had pleaded guilty to assault causing serious harm at a New Year's Eve house party in 2014, during which he smashed a bottle and thrust it into a 19‑year‑old's face, causing the victim to lose the use of one eye. He also pleaded guilty to an unprovoked assault on a man in Dungarvan on 1 September 2015. The Court of Appeal, led by Mr Justice George Birmingham, noted that the two assaults were separate incidents and that the original concurrent sentencing was overly lenient.
In the trial of Paul Wells Senior, a 50‑year‑old from Barnamore Park, Finglas, who has admitted shooting and dismembering Kenneth O'Brien, a 33‑year‑old Dublin father‑of‑one, a juror was discharged. Wells pleaded not guilty to the murder of O'Brien, who was found dismembered in a canal. The trial, scheduled to enter its fourth day of evidence, was delayed when a juror informed Judge Paul McDermott that she had known a person mentioned in court about seven years earlier. The judge considered the matter in the jury's absence, then returned the remaining 12 jurors to court and addressed the individual juror. He thanked her for bringing the information to the court's attention, explained that her dismissal was to preserve the integrity of the process, and noted it was not a reflection on her future participation. The trial resumed with an 11‑member jury comprising five women and six men.
The Court of Appeal has adjourned the appeal of Dariusz Alchimionek, a Polish national convicted of manslaughter and assault causing harm in 2015. Alchimionek, who was sentenced to nine years' imprisonment with the final three years suspended by Judge Keenan Johnson in October 2017, challenges his conviction on the ground that the jury's verdict was perverse. The case presents a procedural difficulty for the Director of Public Prosecutions, as both prosecution and defence psychiatrists agreed Alchimionek met the criteria for a finding of not guilty by reason of insanity. Despite this, the jury returned majority guilty verdicts. Counsel for the DPP, Michael Delaney SC, stated the Director is conducting further enquiries and seeking a new psychiatric opinion, which will take several weeks. Defence counsel Kenneth Fogarty SC noted the charged atmosphere in the Circuit Court and Alchimionek's preference for detention in the Central Mental Hospital over Wheatfield Prison. President Mr Justice George Birmingham, sitting with Ms Justice Máire Whelan and Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy, put the matter back for case management on November 30. The court indicated it would attempt to secure an early hearing date if necessary, though this may not be possible. The matter remains adjourned and is not concluded.
Martin Aylmer, 31, of Dublin 3, was sentenced to three years and nine months imprisonment by the Special Criminal Court for participating in activity intended to facilitate the murder of Michael Barr. Aylmer pleaded guilty in July to assisting a criminal organisation in the April 2016 shooting of Barr, the manager of the Sunset House pub. The court found that Aylmer purchased mobile phones used in the crime and visited a lock-up premises, though it could not be established that he knew a murder was planned. Presiding Judge Tony Hunt, sitting with Judges Sinead Ni Chulachain and Cormac Dunne, noted Aylmer's assistance was not at the higher end of the scale and applied a 25% discount for his early guilty plea. The final sentence includes one year suspended, with the judge stating it is appropriate for Aylmer to serve the last portion of his sentence in the community. This follows the January sentencing of Eamonn Cumberton, who was jailed for life after being found guilty of Barr's murder. Chief Superintendent Sean Ward stated the investigation remains live, with two individuals yet to be spoken to, while highlighting the significance of prosecuting those who facilitate organised crime.
During a murder trial, a 24‑hour shop worker, Tayyeb Hasan, testified that the deceased, 54‑year‑old Dermot Byrne, told him, "I'm going to kill you," after refusing to sell him cigarettes. Hasan, who works at an Applegreen shop in Swords, said Byrne was drunk and had tried to use his bank card but could not remember his PIN. Hasan called the Gardaí after the threat but later said he did not take it personally and did not believe Byrne would act on it. Byrne was also accused of stealing a bank card, keys and a Zippo lighter from the same shop on 16 July 2017. The trial, held at the Central Criminal Court, continues with 31‑year‑old Anthony Walsh on trial for the murder and manslaughter of Byrne. The case is before Justice Eileen Creedon and a jury of twelve. Anthony Walsh pleaded not guilty.
Patrick Harty, aged 21, pleaded guilty to assault causing serious harm at a house party on New Year's Eve 2014 and to an unprovoked assault on a man in Waterford on 1 September 2015. He was sentenced on 28 October 2016 to four-and-a-half years' imprisonment, with the final 18 months suspended, and a concurrent 12‑month jail term for the second assault. No compensation order was made. The Director of Public Prosecutions, citing the attack's viciousness and the fact that Harty broke a bottle to use it as a weapon, seeks a review of the sentence on the grounds it was "unduly lenient." The Court of Appeal has reserved judgment and will deliver it on Monday. Counsel for Harty argues the sentence was lenient but not unduly so, noting his youth, remorse and difficult upbringing. The appeal will consider whether the judge's mitigation, suspension and concurrent sentencing were in error.
In the murder trial of Paul Wells Senior, the defence cross‑examined Eimear Dunne, the wife of the deceased Kenneth O'Brien, who had been found dismembered in a canal. Dunne admitted that O'Brien was a secretive man who had affairs, recorded conversations, and had a history of making pipe bombs. She testified that she had not known about his bomb‑making or his friendship with the accused, who was described as an IRA man. Dunne described how O'Brien had been working in Limerick and had been involved with a woman in Australia, and that she had received suspicious texts from an unknown number. She also recounted that O'Brien had shown her photographs of the woman and that he had suggested she provoke the woman into assaulting her. The trial is ongoing before Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury.
Paschal Kelly, 52, of Cootehill, Co. Cavan, is on trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, where he has pleaded not guilty to alleged offences committed on September 25, 2014. The defendant is charged with trespass and falsely imprisoning postmistress Susan Lawlor, her daughter Emma Carter, and Italian student Gabriella Saisa at Seabury Drive, Malahide, Dublin. He also faces charges of robbing Ms. Lawlor of cash at Bayside Post Office, Sutton, Dublin, and threatening to kill the three women at an unknown location in the State. Additionally, he denies unlawful possession of a vehicle. During testimony, Ms. Lawlor described a "tiger kidnapping" in which intruders demanded post office keys and cash, threatening violence if she contacted authorities. She stated she was driven to the post office, where the safe was opened, before she activated a panic button. Ms. Carter corroborated the account, describing the intruders as terrifying. Both women testified that gardaí did not request an identification parade, and Ms. Carter stated she could not identify the raiders. The trial continues before Judge Karen O'Connor and a jury.
Two men have been sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court in relation to an attempted robbery at Greendale Pharmacy, Kilbarrack on January 26, 2018. Brendan Raynor (30) of Tulip Court, Darndale and Dean Slattery (28) of Briarfield Grove, Kilbarrack pleaded guilty to the charge. Both men armed themselves with knives and wore balaclavas before entering the shop and demanding Diazepam. The incident was observed by gardaí conducting surveillance in the area. Detective Sergeant Dave Ennis stated that Slattery attempted to flee and was struck with a baton, while Raynor was caught in a nearby field. Emma Smith, a shop worker who was six months pregnant at the time, provided a victim impact statement. Raynor has 103 previous convictions, including possession of knives, robbery, and burglary. He was previously sentenced to seven years with two suspended for an aggravated burglary in 2015. Judge Melanie Greally imposed a five-year sentence on Raynor, suspending the last two years and nine months. Slattery has 87 previous convictions, including robbery, drug offences, car theft, and assault. Dt Sgt Ennis was previously sentenced to four years with two suspended for a 2014 cash in transit van robbery. Judge Greally sentenced Slattery to four and a half years with the final 18 months suspended. Both men were remanded in custody.
Tracey Deegan, 42, received a suspended three‑year prison sentence after pleading guilty to unlawfully possessing a 12‑gauge Winchester pump‑action shotgun and a 12‑gauge Reno double‑barrel shotgun. The court noted that Deegan had no prior convictions and had been a good parent to her daughter. She had testified against a former partner in a manslaughter case, after which the partner's associates threatened her with a gun and demanded she hide the firearms in her home. Gardaí found the shotguns, weighing scales and eight cartridges in her bedroom wardrobe. Deegan admitted she had been given the weapons by a drug supplier and that she had used cocaine herself every two weeks. The judge, citing her lack of prior convictions and her role as a caregiver, suspended the sentence and did not wish to see her again in court. The case highlighted the ongoing intimidation Deegan faced from the former partner's associates.
In the trial of Joseph Hillen, a 24‑year‑old from Forkhill, the jury found him not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter for the death of taxi driver Martin Mulligan, 53, at Carnmore, Dundalk, on 28 September 2015. Hillen admitted to stabbing Mulligan but claimed the driver had pulled a knife on him and that he acted in self‑defence after a confrontation over alleged illegal dumping. Forensic evidence, including blood on the road and DNA on a glove, placed Hillen at the scene. The jury, after five hours and 29 minutes of deliberation, reached a majority verdict of ten to two. Justice Eileen Creedon thanked the jury and scheduled a sentencing hearing for 3 December. The case highlighted conflicting statements about the knife in Mulligan's car and the nature of the wounds, with the pathologist noting the unusual lower‑body stabs that caused rapid death.
The trial of Paul Wells Senior, 50, of Finglas, continued at the Central Criminal Court before Mr Justice Paul McDermott. Wells is charged with murdering Kenneth O'Brien, 33, at the accused's home on January 15 or 16, 2016. While Wells admitted to shooting and dismembering the deceased, he pleaded not guilty to the murder charge. Evidence presented included testimony from Patrick Holligan, a Virgin Media worker who last saw O'Brien alive in good form on January 15. CCTV footage showed Wells driving toward Ardclough, Co Kildare, hours before O'Brien's remains were found in the Grand Canal. Garda Shona Nolan and Sergeant Gerard Moore detailed the arrest of Wells, who described O'Brien as his friend. Detective Sergeant David Conway presented photographs of bloodstains at Wells' property, while Detective Sergeant Thomas Power identified a .38/.357-inch caliber bullet recovered from O'Brien's head, consistent with a semi-automatic pistol. The firearm has not been recovered. The matter was adjourned and continues tomorrow morning.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, Paul Keating, aged 51, pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to the manslaughter of his life‑long friend Mark Richardson, aged 47, who died on 16 March 2017 after a single stab wound severed his main pulmonary artery. Keating admitted that the stabbing was the last thing on his mind and that he had no intention to kill. He described a drunken argument that escalated when Richardson lifted him by the neck; Keating then grabbed a knife he claimed to have taken from a kitchen counter and stabbed Richardson in the shoulder. Keating said he had lost control, was taking tablets, and that the incident was a sudden, drunken lapse. He expressed disbelief at what had happened and stated he would never understand why it occurred. The trial continued before Mr Justice Robert Eagar and a jury of twelve.
In a murder trial, Anthony Walsh, 31, admitted killing Dermot Byrne, 54, on 16 July 2017 in Swords, Co Dublin. Walsh pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to theft of Byrne's bank card, keys and lighter. Byrne had spent the evening at St Colmcille's GAA club, Estuary Bar, a bookmaker, and Harp Bar, where he was refused entry. At 2.10 am, outside the Harp Bar, Byrne attempted to pull a cigarette from Walsh's mouth; a brief altercation followed. Byrne was later found at 2.50 am, stripped of clothes and surrounded by blood. A pathologist recorded over 100 injuries, including facial fractures, rib fractures and bruising, and declared death from traumatic brain injury, intoxication and blood inhalation. Walsh's defence acknowledged unlawful killing and removal of Byrne's property. The trial continues before Justice Eileen Creedon.
Brendan Cummins, a 23‑year‑old former Leinster boxing champion, was sentenced to three years' imprisonment for punching a prison officer at Portlaoise Prison on 20 February 2017. Cummins had 97 prior disciplinary sanctions and 11 previous assault convictions, including an earlier assault on a prison officer at Cloverhill Prison on the same date. The attack, described as unprovoked, broke the officer's nose and cut his inner lip, causing the officer to suffer headaches and a loss of smell. Cummins pleaded guilty to assault causing harm. Judge Patricia Ryan imposed a three‑year sentence, suspending the final year due to his age, and ordered that he have no contact with the officer or his family for 25 years. The court noted Cummins' plea and the prison punishments already imposed, including a year of solitary confinement.
The trial of Jason Keating, who has pleaded not guilty to the alleged murder of Noel 'Duck Egg' Kirwan, continued before the Special Criminal Court. Expert witness Professor David Last testified regarding a 'Gotek 7' electronic tracking device found under Mr Kirwan's Ford Mondeo. The prosecution alleges the tracker was placed under the vehicle to monitor movements leading up to the December 22, 2016, shooting in Clondalkin, Dublin 22. Professor Last explained that the device recorded its position 'much more frequently' from 3.13pm on the day of the shooting, indicating the owner was actively commanding location requests. He detailed the device's journey from France to Dublin Port in October 2016, noting it appeared near St Ronan's Drive on December 21 and 22. Under cross-examination, the expert acknowledged that such devices are commonly used to track spouses and that location data can contain errors. The court heard that Mr Kirwan, a 62-year-old with no connection to the criminal factions involved in the alleged feud, was shot six times while sitting in his car with his partner, Bernadette Roe. The trial is presided over by Mr Justice Tony Hunt, sitting with Judges Sinead Ni Chualachain and Cormac Dunne. The matter was adjourned and continues tomorrow.
Mark Bissett, a 33-year-old defendant with a former address at Loughlinstown Park, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to attempted robbery at Ranelagh Triangle on October 15, 2017, and robbery at Dunville Avenue, Ranelagh, on October 26, 2017. The court heard that Bissett threatened staff with a knife during the first incident and used a fork during the second, from which he took €220. He has 65 previous convictions, including manslaughter, robbery, and assault. Bissett was previously jailed for six years in 2005 for the killing of his uncle, David Sutherland, in Sallynoggin, Dublin, on December 20, 2003. His defense counsel, Karl Monaghan BL, stated that Bissett hoped to begin an addiction rehabilitation programme and a Community Employment scheme. Judge Elma Sheahan adjourned sentencing to November 5 and ordered an updated report from The Probation Service to be prepared. The matter was adjourned and is not yet concluded.
A jury will return to the Central Criminal Court tomorrow to decide the verdict in the trial of 24‑year‑old Joseph Hillen, who admits stabbing but denies murdering taxi‑driver Martin Mulligan (53). Hillen pleaded not guilty to murder after a dispute over alleged illegal dumping. Justice Eileen Creedon explained the three possible verdicts: guilty of murder, not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter, or not guilty. The jury had spent 3 hours 21 minutes deliberating and had not yet reached a verdict. They were asked to return Thursday.
Anthony Walsh, 31, pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter of 54‑year‑old Dermot Byrne. Walsh, who has no fixed address, is charged with Byrne's murder on 16 July 2017 at North St, Swords, Co Dublin. He also pleaded guilty to stealing a bank card, keys and a lighter from Byrne on the same date and location. A jury of six men and six women will hear the murder trial tomorrow.
Gerard Kelly, of Ballybough Road, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to the production of an article capable of inflicting serious injury on March 27, 2015. The court heard that Kelly allegedly held a large kitchen knife to the throat of a man drinking at Lowry's pub on Summerhill Parade. Although another patron was reportedly stabbed in the leg, no assault charges were before the court. Kelly was arrested nearby while in a state of alcohol delirium. His defence counsel, Luigi Rea BL, stated that Kelly did not know the victims and has since taken steps to address his alcoholism. Detective Garda Michael O'Brien described Kelly's rehabilitation as a "remarkable turnaround," noting he is a different person than when first met in 2015. Judge Martin Nolan acknowledged the seriousness of the offence, rejecting intoxication as an excuse. However, noting Kelly's remorse and efforts to reform, the judge suspended a sentence of two and a half years. Judge Nolan warned that if Kelly re-offends, he will go to prison. The record noted that Kelly has 48 previous convictions, all for District Court offences including theft and possession of knives.
The Special Criminal Court heard evidence that the 62‑year‑old Noel 'Duck Egg' Kirwan was murdered on 22 December 2016 after trading his BMW X5 for a Ford Mondeo, which was later sold at Merlin Car Auctions. Garda Stephen Hughes identified Jason Keating (27) in CCTV from the auction on 20 December, showing Keating and a woman in a green Renault Megane. Keating, who lives on Lower Main Street, Rush, pleaded not guilty to Kirwan's murder. The court also considered evidence that a 'Gotek 7' tracking device was placed under Kirwan's Ford Mondeo on 23 December, having previously tracked his BMW from 8 November. The trial, presided over by Mr Justice Tony Hunt, continues tomorrow.
In the trial of 24‑year‑old Joseph Hillen, the jury has begun deliberating a verdict for the murder of 53‑year‑old Martin Mulligan, a taxi driver killed on 28 September 2015. Hillen admits stabbing Mulligan but denies murder, claiming he acted in self‑defence after a dispute over alleged illegal dumping. Justice Eileen Creedon explained that the jury may find him guilty of murder, guilty of manslaughter, or not guilty. The prosecution, led by Patrick Treacy SC, argues Hillen intended to kill or seriously injure Mulligan and that his self‑defence claim is uncredible, citing Hillen's earlier false statements to gardai. Defence counsel Brendan Grehan SC contends Hillen's account is the only one supported by evidence, noting the pathologist's observation that the wounds were low on the body and would have caused death quickly. The jury will return to the Central Criminal Court tomorrow to continue deliberations.
The Court of Appeal has substantially increased prison sentences imposed on two men convicted of setting fire to a vehicle containing a bound and gagged prisoner in the boot. Polish nationals Kamil Lacki and Krzysztof Niepogoda, with addresses in Co Carlow, had pleaded guilty at Carlow Circuit Criminal Court to arson, false imprisonment, assault, criminal damage and cannabis cultivation at various locations in late December 2015. The Circuit Court imposed six years imprisonment with the final year suspended. On appeal by the Director of Public Prosecutions, the three-judge court described the offence as akin to attempted murder and "unbelievable". The appellate judges found the original headline sentences significantly too low. Lacki was resentenced to nine years imprisonment, while Niepogoda received ten years, with an additional consecutive twelve-month term for a subsequent assault on the same victim. The court noted the victim's escape was possible only because duct tape had been removed to allow questioning.
A 51‑year‑old Dublin man, Paul Keating, admitted killing his lifelong friend, 47‑year‑old Mark Richardson, by stabbing him in Richardson's kitchen while Richardson's children were elsewhere in the house. Keating pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. The incident occurred on 16 March 2017 after the men had bought alcohol and returned to Richardson's home around 1.30 pm. A dispute arose, leading to a scuffle that escalated when Keating suddenly grabbed a kitchen knife and plunged it once into Richardson's right upper chest, then threw the knife into the sink. Richardson collapsed, was taken to hospital, and died about an hour later from a single stab wound that punctured a lung and severed the main pulmonary artery. The trial, opened by Michael Delaney SC before Mr Justice Robert Eagar and a jury, continues tomorrow and is expected to last two weeks.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court case, Raymond Leonard, 35, was acquitted of assaulting Nicholas Devlin on 30 August 2015 at Anna Villa, Ranelagh. Leonard pleaded not guilty and the jury delivered a unanimous not guilty verdict after just under 90 minutes. Leonard, a former manager at An Bhialann restaurant, claimed he had never been in a fight and could not recall the night. Devlin testified that he was ejected from McSorley's pub, then attacked by Leonard, who punched him twice and knee‑dropped him in the groin, causing Devlin severe pain and a ruptured testicle that required surgery. Devlin identified Leonard on CCTV, though he later said he had been uncertain. The trial concluded with Leonard's acquittal.
In the trial of Joseph Hillen, a 24‑year‑old from Forkhill, the jury is asked to decide whether he acted in self‑defence or is guilty of murder after stabbing taxi driver Martin Mulligan, aged 53, to death in Dundalk on 28 September 2015. Hillen denies murder, claiming he stabbed Mulligan to protect himself during a dispute over illegal dumping. Prosecutor Patrick Treacy SC argues Hillen lied to Gardaí and that his self‑defence claim is not credible, citing the depth and nature of the wounds and Hillen's failure to call for help. Defence barrister Brendan Grehan SC maintains Hillen's account is supported by evidence, noting the pathologist's remarks on the injuries and the possibility of a sewer rod causing head lacerations. The jury must weigh whether Hillen intended to kill or merely used excessive force, or if he acted in genuine self‑defence. The case is before Justice Eileen Creedon. The unnamed 24-year-old pleaded not guilty. Joseph Hillen pleaded not guilty.
Two men, Colin Casey, 32, and Daniel Hegarty, 24, appeared before the Special Criminal Court on 8 October 2018 charged in connection with the murder of Aidan "The Beast" O'Driscoll, 37, who was shot on 7 December 2016 in Blackpool, Cork. Both men were charged under the Offences Against the State Act. Casey faced four charges: impeding the apprehension or prosecution of the alleged killers by collecting them from Redemption Road after they arrived in a silver Nissan Almera, driving them from that location in a white Vauxhall Astra, burning out the Nissan and the Vauxhall, and driving them away in a red Opel Astra.
In a court hearing on 5 October 2018, Danny Whelan, a 30‑year‑old from Thurles, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Samantha Walsh, a 31‑year‑old mother of four. Walsh had recently returned home from an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting and had no alcohol in her system when Whelan, who was high on drugs, beat her to death in an apartment in Waterford City. Whelan pleaded guilty to the murder, which occurred on or about 28 April 2017. Forensic evidence showed blunt‑force trauma to Walsh's head and face, with bloodstains indicating a swinging weapon. Whelan had a history of 73 convictions, including burglary and possession of a knife, and had previously served an eight‑year sentence with part suspended. The court imposed the mandatory life sentence, and Whelan was taken to prison to begin his custodial term.
Raymond Leonard, a 35‑year‑old former restaurant manager, was accused of assaulting Nicholas Devlin in Ranelagh on 30 August 2015. Six months after the incident, Leonard voluntarily met with gardaí and said he could not recall the night in question. When asked whether he had engaged in a fight or used the phrase "you guys are fucked," he denied it, stating he had never been in a fight. Leonard also denied punching or pushing a male against a wall and claimed he normally walked straight home after the pub. He identified himself in McSorley's CCTV footage but insisted he was not involved in any assault. The case was brought to the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, where Leonard pleaded not guilty. The trial was in its closing stages before Judge Karen O'Connor and a jury of five women and seven men.
A 16‑year‑old youth, now 17, pleaded guilty to robbery and possession of a stolen phone after attacking a delivery man on Deerhaven Avenue, Clonee, Dublin. The victim, a pensioner, was repeatedly kicked and beaten, sustaining a broken nose, concussion and chipped teeth, and suffered ongoing headaches and fear of further attacks. The court heard the youth had no prior convictions, a good educational record, supportive family and a favourable probation report, and had pleaded guilty early. Judge Melanie Greally set a headline sentence of six years but imposed a four‑year suspended sentence, to be suspended in full if the youth keeps the peace for four years and undergoes 12 months' supervision by the probation services. The start of the sentence was deferred until 31 July 2019 in accordance with the Children Act. The case involved two other youths who fled the scene, and the victim's impact statement highlighted financial loss and ongoing trauma.
In the Central Criminal Court, the family of the stabbed victim left before a jury saw the taxi driver's heavily blood‑stained jumper and t‑shirt. Prosecutor Patrick Treacy SC warned that the clothing could be distressing. Joseph Hillen, 24, of Forkhill, Co. Armagh, pleaded not guilty to the murder of Martin Mulligan, 53, at Carnmore, Dundalk, on 28 September 2015. Hillen admitted he inflicted the fatal knife wounds but claimed he did so to protect himself. Forensic scientist Sandra McGrath showed the jury the heavy blood staining on the jumper and t‑shirt, a 19.5 cm cut and tear at the V of the jumper's neck, and a glove with Hillen's DNA on its inside and back. She also identified 18 blood drops at the scene, two matching Hillen's DNA and the rest matching Mulligan's. Garda James Doherty reported Hillen was interviewed on 23 May 2016 after his car was seen driving erratically that night.
In the non‑jury trial of Jason Keating for the murder of Noel 'Duck Egg' Kirwan, the court heard that Kirwan, a 62‑year‑old former car dealer, was shot six times in his Ford Mondeo on 22 December 2016. The vehicle had been purchased from TBCS Ltd on 10 December, with a deposit paid and the car serviced before Kirwan collected it on 13 December. The prosecution argued that a Gotek 7 tracking device, originally fitted to Kirwan's BMW X5 on 8 November, was moved to the Mondeo and pinged from a Clondalkin address until 20 December, then again from St Ronan's Drive. Evidence was also presented that a Renault Megane owned by mechanic Niall Ducken was sold to Keating, and that a parcel from Gotek in Calais was forwarded to the Spy Shop in Leeds. The trial is ongoing before Mr Justice Tony Hunt, Judge Sinead Ni Chualachain and Judge Cormac Dunne. Jason Keating pleaded not guilty.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, 35‑year‑old Raymond Leonard of Sliabh Ban, Ballybane, Galway pleaded not guilty to assaulting Nicholas Devlin at Anna Villa, Ranelagh, on 30 August 2015. Devlin testified that his lasting impression of the attacker was 6ft tall and wearing a dark shirt, but the court noted that CCTV footage showed the accused in a white shirt. Defence counsel Keith Spencer BL highlighted that Leonard is 5ft 8 and slim. Devlin also described being ejected from McSorley's pub by a bouncer, after which he was punched and kicked in the groin by a group that included Leonard. Leonard's alleged assault involved a claim that he had been "shorter" than described, a point he accepted during cross‑examination. The case remains at the trial stage.