In a 2011 murder case in Galway, a 31‑year‑old Latvian man, Andresj Krauze, was found guilty of strangling fellow Latvian Juris Buls, aged 30, after Buls had lodged a complaint with the Gardaí. The prosecution argued that Krauze strangled Buls when the victim refused to withdraw his complaint. The body was discovered in a drain two weeks later. A jury of twelve deliberated for just under five hours and returned a unanimous guilty verdict after a three‑week trial. Justice Margaret Heneghan announced that a mandatory life sentence would be imposed on 26 April, pending a statement from Buls's sister. Krauze pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court. The case involved a search of Funshin Wood, where Garda Sergeant Shane Birmingham found a body in a drain, and subsequent extradition of Krauze from England to Latvia and back to Ireland.
A 17‑year‑old youth was convicted of robbing Joseph Benson, a Liberian man who had spent 22 days at sea to reach Ireland, on 17 April 2015 in Tallaght. The original sentence of two years and six months, with nine months suspended pending placement at Cuan Mhuire rehabilitation centre, was increased by the Court of Appeal to seven years, with three and a half years suspended. The appeal was brought by the Director of Public Prosecutions after the teenager failed to take up the rehabilitation place. The Court of Appeal, citing the "particularly atrocious" nature of the assault, deemed a longer headline sentence necessary. The new sentence includes 18 months of post‑release supervision and a good‑behaviour bond for the suspended period. The victim, who suffered head and neck pain, had no recollection of the incident. The teenager had 15 prior convictions, including theft and violent behaviour. The unnamed man pleaded guilty.
Sean O'Dea, aged 29, was convicted of assault causing harm to two men in a Dublin hotel room on 21 September 2013 after his "on/off girlfriend" alleged she had been raped. He pleaded guilty at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court and was sentenced to three‑and‑a‑half years' imprisonment on 21 April 2016. On appeal, the Court of Appeal reduced the sentence by suspending the final 18 months, provided O'Dea pays €10,000 to the Peter McVerry Trust within three months. The appeal argued that the original judge had over‑emphasised aggravating factors and under‑weighted mitigating ones such as O'Dea's guilty plea, lack of prior convictions, solid work record and provocation. The Court of Appeal accepted that O'Dea believed a rape had occurred, but found his physical attack unjustified. The suspended portion is conditional on the charitable payment and a bond to keep the peace and be of good behaviour.
In a Central Criminal Court trial, Anna Finnegan's letter to her former partner, Vesel Jahiri, was presented to a jury. The letter, found in her handbag, described how Jahiri had beaten her, made her life "hell," and had almost killed her on several occasions. Finnegan, aged 25, had moved to Bray Women's Refuge with her two children before the letter was written. Jahiri, 35, pleaded not guilty to her murder and to assaulting her brother, and now represents himself. The prosecution highlighted that Jahiri had received protection, barring, and safety orders, and that the letter revealed his possessive, controlling, and jealous behaviour. The case, overseen by Mr Justice Paul Coffey, continues before a jury of nine men and two women.
Dylan Murray, 21, pleaded guilty to violent disorder for a May 23, 2015 attack on D'Olier Street where he and three friends assaulted two men with a hammer and iron bar. The court, after considering a withdrawn assault plea, imposed a nine‑month sentence suspended on the condition of 200 hours community service. Murray, who was 19 at the time of the offence, had prior minor convictions for traffic offences and vehicle seizure. The attack, captured on a bus driver's mobile phone, saw the victims, Lee Whelan and Dylan Campbell, injured and taken to hospital. Murray's defence described him as a peripheral participant who had no weapons and had a stable job and family life. The judge's decision reflected the court's view that community service was an appropriate sanction for his conduct.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Judge Martin Nolan sentenced Gary Howard, a 29‑year‑old convicted double murderer serving two life sentences, to an additional four‑year term for stabbing a fellow inmate with a stainless steel spoon fashioned into a knife. The attack left the victim with neck stab wounds and a punctured lung. Howard's four‑year sentence will run concurrently with his life terms, so he will not serve extra time. Howard, who pleaded guilty to violent disorder in 2014, had previously been jailed for life in 2012 for the murders of Patrick Mooney and Brendan Molyneux. The court noted Howard's serious criminal record and described the assault as savage. The victim was taken to Tallaght Hospital and later to St James's Hospital for surgery. The case was prosecuted by Derek Cooney BL, with defence counsel Tony McGillicuddy BL representing Howard.
In a cold‑case murder trial in Kilkenny, 53‑year‑old John Joseph Malone is accused of strangling 69‑year‑old Ann 'Nancy' Smyth on 11 September 1987 and setting fire to her Wolfe Tone Street home. Malone pleaded not guilty. Witness Jude Curran, a long‑time friend and church member, testified that Malone confessed to him that he had killed Smyth, arguing that forensic evidence of strangulation conflicted with his account. Curran described several conversations in which Malone claimed he had pushed Smyth, that she fell, and that he had set the house on fire. Curran also recounted that Malone had told him he could not sleep over the case and that he had considered confessing to a police officer. The trial continues with Malone's defence counsel cross‑examining Curran on the alleged confessions and the evidence presented. The court heard no further evidence of a verdict or sentencing.
In the Central Criminal Court, a jury of twelve is set to deliver a verdict on the murder trial of Latvian man Andresj Krauze, aged 31, accused of killing fellow Latvian Juris Buls, 30, whose body was found in a drain in Galway on 7 or 8 July 2011. Krauze has pleaded not guilty. The judge, Justice Margaret Heneghan, clarified that the jury must focus solely on whether Krauze killed Buls and intended to kill or cause serious injury, ignoring any prior guilty plea by Krauze's brother Sergejs. She outlined three possible verdicts: guilty of murder, not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter, or not guilty. The jury's deliberations, which lasted four hours, will resume tomorrow to decide among these options. The trial remains at the jury's discretion, with no further procedural developments reported.
During the murder trial of Vesel Jahiri, the court heard that Anna Finnegan's brother, Karl Finnegan, was taken to James Connolly Memorial Hospital on 21 September 2012 with stab wounds to his chest and right temple. Dr Mayilone Arumuganasy, a consultant surgeon, testified that the chest wound caused a collapsed lung and that a CT scan revealed a skull fracture and damage to the eye orbit. Karl Finnegan had previously testified that he blacked out and woke with stab wounds after Mr Jahiri attacked him with a knife. Dr Arumuganasy explained that the knife had to penetrate the chest wall to collapse the lung, but could not determine the force used. The prosecution alleged that Mr Jahiri, who had been in a relationship with Anna for about ten years, stabbed her to death after a period of conflict. The trial is proceeding before Mr Justice Paul Coffey and a jury of nine men and two women. Vesel Jahiri pleaded not guilty. Anna Finnegan pleaded not guilty.
During a cold‑case murder trial in the Central Criminal Court, a witness named Geraldine Brennan testified that she saw the accused, 53‑year‑old John Joseph Malone, banging on the door of widowed pensioner Ann 'Nancy' Smyth's house on Wolfe Tone Street in Kilkenny City on the night of 10 September 1987. Brennan, who was living three doors down with her baby and parents, claimed she heard a male voice shouting, "Let me into the f***ing house. I just want to f***ing talk to you," and that Malone was angry and agitated. She said the banging lasted about half an hour, with Malone kicking the door and slamming the gate. Brennan had not reported the incident to Gardaí in 1987 because her mother advised her not to get involved. She later gave a statement in 2012 after a television reconstruction prompted her to reconsider. John Joseph Malone pleaded not guilty.
Michael Boyle, a 68‑year‑old inmate at Dublin's Wheatfield Prison, has filed a High Court action seeking his release. Boyle was convicted in 1997 in London of attempted murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, receiving three life sentences. The offence involved an attempt on the life of Mr Tony Brindle, who survived after Boyle fired several shots. Boyle was shot by police during the incident, sustaining injuries that now keep him largely bedridden. He was repatriated to Ireland to serve his sentence and, in December 2015, the Parole Board recommended a release plan within nine months. Boyle argues that, despite this recommendation, he remains in prison without justification, claiming a breach of his constitutional rights and the European Convention on Human Rights. He seeks an order directing the Minister for Justice to release him and a declaration that his continued detention is unlawful.
Robert Jones, 27, of Glenview Park, Tallaght, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm at Palace Night club, Camden Street, on 20 July 2014. He was sentenced on 24 February 2016 by Judge John Aylmer to a wholly suspended 18‑month term. The Director of Public Prosecutions has applied to the Court of Appeal to review the sentence, arguing it was "unduly lenient". The appeal was heard by a three‑judge panel, including Mr Justice George Birmingham, Mr Justice John Edwards and Mr Justice John Hedigan, who reserved judgment until 6 April. Fiona Murphy BL, representing the DPP, argued that custody and actual time served were necessary, citing the seriousness of the offence and the victim's loss of sight in one eye. Jones' counsel, Dominic McGinn SC, contended the attack was spontaneous, provoked, and that Jones had an impeccable character, and that a custodial sentence would have a devastating effect.
In the Special Criminal Court, the prosecution presented evidence from Garda interviews with Mark Heffernan, accused of assaulting and falsely imprisoning Dan Quilligan. Heffernan, 32, denies any involvement, stating he was not part of the alleged assault or false imprisonment. Garda Patrick Whelan interviewed him on 24 May, noting a tracking device on a white Audi that allegedly moved between Kennedy Park and Larch Court, where the incident occurred. Heffernan refuted this, claiming no connection to the car or the assault. The prosecution also read a statement from Richard McInerney, who was present in the house on the day of the alleged assault. McInerney described a confrontation over owed money, a bag thrown into the sitting‑room containing two white painter's suits, and his decision to leave. The prosecution closed its case, and the trial was adjourned to Wednesday for the defence to submit before Mr Justice Tony Hunt, Judge John O'Hagan, and Judge Ann Ryan. Mark Heffernan pleaded not guilty.
During the fifth week of his 35‑year‑old trial, Vesel Jahiri denied that he told former partner Anna Finnegan he would "get her" on a phone call the day before her death. The jury saw the third and fourth Garda interview videos recorded on 23 September 2023. Jahiri, who has pleaded not guilty to murdering Finnegan and assaulting her brother Karl, represented himself after dismissing his legal team. He denied telling Finnegan he would "get her" if she did not let him see their children by 6 pm on 21 September 2012, and denied threatening her family. The prosecution presented evidence that Finnegan had called Jahiri on 21 September, with her friend Janice O'Neill hearing the conversation. The case remains before Justice Paul Coffey and a nine‑man jury.
In a Meath case, a 39‑year‑old man sexually abused three daughters of a woman after moving into their home. One victim, 15, was raped while ill; the next day she told her mother. The accused and his partner left for Gardaí, but the mother later claimed the man falsely said the daughter had touched him first and she chose not to report. She then washed the bedclothes and the rape scene, and the next day took her daughter to a GP for the morning‑after pill, claiming consensual sex with a 17‑year‑old. Gardaí were alerted when the girls' school notified HSE. The children were placed in care; the accused moved out. The mother supported him during the trial, alleging intimidation by her daughters and feeling "under duress." The accused was convicted of one rape and 12 sexual assault counts, but he does not accept the verdict. He was remanded for sentencing.
Alan Ellis, 24, was sentenced to three years in prison with the final year suspended for assault causing harm at Mountjoy Prison on 23 October 2014. He stabbed his treating psychiatrist, Dr Ronan Mullaney, with a makeshift weapon described as a paint roller with one metal end filed to a sharp point. Ellis claimed a "demon" had entered his head and compelled him to act, stating he had no control over the demon. He shouted threats during the attack and attempted to push the weapon into Dr Mullaney's neck, puncturing the area beside the Adam's apple. Prison officers restrained him, and the doctor was treated for a small puncture wound. Ellis had previously pleaded guilty to false imprisonment and assault causing harm to a 14‑year‑old in 2012, for which he was serving a nine‑year sentence with three years suspended.
A jury has begun deliberating on the verdict in the trial of Latvian man Andresj Krauze, aged 31, who is accused of murdering fellow Latvian Juris Buls, 30, whose body was found in a drain in Galway. The alleged murder took place on an unknown date in July 2011. Krauze pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court. Justice Margaret Heneghan explained to the jury that there are three possible verdicts: guilty of murder, not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter, or not guilty. She outlined the criteria for each verdict, including the requirement that the prosecution prove beyond reasonable doubt that Krauze intended to kill or cause serious injury and was not acting in self‑defence. The jury, composed of six men and six women, has spent one hour and 24 minutes deliberating and will return to court tomorrow.
A 42‑year‑old man was sentenced to three‑and‑a‑half years in jail, with the final year suspended, for sexually assaulting a girl who was aged between ten and fourteen when the offences occurred between 2004 and 2007. The Central Criminal Court found the man had betrayed the trust of a family friend and that the age disparity was an aggravating factor. The judge noted the man's good work history and clean record as mitigating factors. He was convicted on four counts of sexual assault after a trial in December 2016. The victim, who was a daughter of a family friend, described how the abuse forced her to leave home early, accelerated her maturity, damaged her relationships with her father and siblings, and caused ongoing headaches and fear of intimacy. The judge required the man to participate in a sex‑offender treatment programme while in prison.
A retired priest, Tadhg O'Dalaigh, aged 73, is awaiting the result of an appeal against his conviction for indecently assaulting a 16‑year‑old boy at Coláiste Chroi Naofa in Carrignavar, County Cork, in 1979. He pleaded not guilty at the Cork Circuit Criminal Court and was found guilty by a jury, receiving a five‑year sentence with the final two years suspended by Judge Donagh McDonagh on 18 December 2014. O'Dalaigh's appeal, filed today, argues that the trial judge erred by refusing to give the jury a corroboration warning, claiming it would be dangerous to convict without corroboration. His barrister, Patrick Gageby SC, described the case as a classic "one person's word against the other" scenario, noting the incident was a one‑off event in a secluded location. Counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions, Garrett McCormack BL, maintained that the judge's discretion was exercised correctly and that no legal error occurred.
In a Special Criminal Court hearing, a detective reported that a protected witness, Tom Lillis, directed Gardaí to a site where he had disposed of two suits after being instructed by another man. The witness claimed to have seen the accused, Mark Heffernan, in a white suit at the Larch Court house on the day of an alleged assault on Dan Quilligan. Heffernan, aged 32, has pleaded not guilty to assaulting Quilligan and to false imprisonment at the same address on 14 September 2015. Heffernan's lawyers objected to the protected witness's evidence. The court considered the witness statement as part of a voir dire to assess its admissibility. The trial will resume on Monday before Justice Tony Hunt, Judge John O'Hagan and Judge Ann Ryan.
During the fourth week of his trial at the Central Criminal Court, Vesel Jahiri, aged 35, cross‑examined Dr Hilary Clarke of Forensic Science Ireland. Jahiri sought to have the black‑handled kitchen knife he had handed to Cabra Garda Station on the night after the alleged attack on Anna Finnegan re‑tested for DNA in his presence, claiming a possible mistake. Dr Clarke had previously testified that DNA matching Anna Finnegan's profile was found on the knife's tip and edge, with a probability of less than one in a thousand million that it came from anyone else. Jahiri questioned whether the knife was involved in a fight with Karl Finnegan and whether other knives existed at Allendale Glen. The judge terminated the cross‑examination, and the trial continues before Mr Justice Coffey and a jury of nine men and two women. Vesel Jahiri pleaded not guilty.
In a cold‑case murder trial, the Central Criminal Court heard that 69‑year‑old Ann 'Nancy' Smyth was strangled and suffered head injuries before a fire was set in her Kilkenny home on 11 September 1987. The accused, 53‑year‑old John Joseph Malone of Newpark, pleaded not guilty. State Pathologist Professor Marie Cassidy presented evidence from the post‑mortem, noting burns on the left side of the body, bruising and hemorrhages around the eye, and a horizontal pressure mark on the back of the neck. Professor Harbison's examination confirmed fresh bleeding and no soot in the respiratory tract, indicating death by asphyxia due to manual strangulation before the fire. The court also heard testimony from first responders who observed the fire and the scene, noting suspicious circumstances and the presence of a dead dog. The trial continues before Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy and a jury.
Roy Webster, aged 40 of Ashbree, Ashford, County Wicklow, was found guilty of murder by unanimous jury verdict at the Central Criminal Court on 24 March 2017. The victim, Anne Shortall, aged 47, died from injuries sustained at The Murrough near Wicklow Town on 3 April 2015. Justice Patrick McCarthy imposed a life sentence, backdated to 7 April 2015. The court heard that Webster struck Ms Shortall repeatedly with a hammer after she threatened to disclose a previous encounter to his wife. He subsequently restrained her with duct tape before transporting her body in his van. Webster initially provided a false account to gardaí, claiming he had released Ms Shortall at The Murrough. He later confessed to his wife in the presence of Detective Sergeant Fergus O'Brien, revealing the body's location in his workshop. The defence argued provocation as mitigation, which would reduce the charge to manslaughter. The jury rejected this, finding Webster acted with knowledge and intent to kill or cause serious injury.
An original Garda investigation file into complaints of rape made by a woman more than 25 years ago has gone missing for the second time, the High Court has heard. The woman is suing the Minister for Justice, Ireland, the Attorney General, the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Garda Commissioner for damages, alleging an alleged failure to properly pursue a prosecution following her complaint. The alleged rapist had previously won an appeal against a 1998 conviction for rape, unlawful carnal knowledge, incest and indecent assault, and was jailed for nine years. He later won a High Court order halting a re-trial on grounds of prosecutorial delay. The woman claims the failure constituted negligence and breach of duty on the part of the Garda and State, and that her constitutional rights to bodily integrity were breached. These claims are denied. The action, which has a long legal history, returned before the court when Ms Justice Mary Faherty directed the State defendants to provide the woman's legal team with all files and documents relating to the investigation and prosecution of the alleged assailant. The judge set a temporal limit on her order, requiring all relevant documents held by the defendants relating to the prosecution and investigation up until April 2004 to be given to the woman's lawyers over the next six weeks. The application for discovery was opposed by the State. The woman's legal team argued that the material sought was 'relevant and necessary' for her to properly advance her claim. Counsel noted that the original Garda investigation file had been put into storage in 2006 but could not be located, marking the second time the file had gone missing since the woman first made a complaint back in 1990. The High Court previously ruled in 2011 that the gardai and prosecuting authorities owe no duty of care under Irish law to individuals in carrying out their functions in the investigation and prosecution of crime. However, that ruling was set aside and referred back to the High Court following an appeal to the Supreme Court, which said the woman should be allowed to bring her case to trial before the High Court.
The Court of Appeal has dismissed the appeal against the conviction of Sabrina Cummins, who was found guilty by a jury at the Central Criminal Court of murdering Thomas Horan (63) at Cambridge Court, Ringsend, on January 6, 2014. Ms Cummins, then 37, had pleaded not guilty to the charge. Her brother, Kenneth Cummins (29), also pleaded not guilty initially but changed his plea to guilty towards the end of the trial. On November 20, 2015, Mr Justice Tony Hunt sentenced Ms Cummins to a mandatory life term. In her appeal, Ms Cummins' counsel argued that the trial judge improperly pressured her to resume cross-examination after she declined to take the witness box on a subsequent date. Mr Justice George Birmingham, sitting with Mr Justice Alan Mahon and Mr Justice John Edwards, rejected this ground, stating that once an accused chooses to give evidence, they are required to make themselves available for cross-examination to protect the integrity of the trial process. The court also affirmed the decision to conduct a joint trial, noting the prosecution case of joint enterprise. All substantive grounds of appeal were rejected. Regarding the trial judge's description of Ms Cummins as a "brazen, hard-nosed liar," the appellate court held it improper to critique such remarks given the mandatory nature of the life sentence. The court noted a recent probation report was positive in tone.
In a Special Criminal Court hearing on 23 March 2017, a protected witness, Tom Lillis, testified that he cleaned up blood from a kitchen after a man allegedly had his foot nailed to the floor. Lillis said he saw the accused assaulting and falsely imprisoning 53‑year‑old Dan Quilligan at a house in Limerick on the day of the alleged assault. The prosecution alleged that three men were involved in a joint enterprise, with Mark Heffernan (32) pleading not guilty to assault and false imprisonment. Lillis described being told to leave the house, returning to find blood spattered across the kitchen, and cleaning it with bleach and tea towels over about 30 minutes. He also claimed another man asked him to dispose of two white suits, which he threw over a high wall 300 yards away.
Patrick Clarke, aged 31, was sentenced to three and a half years' imprisonment for making two menacing phone calls to Paul Gilmartin, demanding €60,000. The Dublin Circuit Criminal Court found Clarke guilty of making an unwarranted demand with menace on 10 May 2012 and again on a later date. The judge, Gerard Griffin, suspended the final 18 months of the sentence for two years on strict conditions. Clarke was arrested after a call was traced to an anonymous SIM card he had bought. He denied that he intended to harm Gilmartin, claiming he had no intention of violence and received no payment for the calls. Gilmartin had been subjected to sustained nuisance calls and threatening texts before and after Clarke's calls. Clarke's defence argued that Gilmartin was an innocent victim of the abuse.
The cold-case trial of John Joseph Malone, 53, is ongoing at the Central Criminal Court before Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy. Malone, of Newpark in Kilkenny City, has pleaded not guilty to the alleged murder of 69-year-old Ann 'Nancy' Smyth on 11th September 1987 at her home on Wolfe Tone Street in Kilkenny City. The matter is currently at the trial stage and has not been finalised. Witness Desmond Murphy, the deceased's nephew, testified that he was unaware of any money-lending issues, stating he was 'flabbergasted' to hear such questions. He noted that Smyth's sisters-in-law had assisted her with daily needs. Ann Lahart, a bartender who served Smyth on the evening before her death, described her as a 'lovely person' and a regular customer. Security guard Dermot Fennelly reported seeing smoke and flames from the house, prompting a call to the Gardaí. Firefighter Anthony Lacey testified that he and colleagues used a sledgehammer to break the Yale lock to enter. He described intense smoke and poor visibility, stating he stumbled over a body while searching. A doctor's statement confirmed death was pronounced at St Luke's Hospital, noting the deceased was in day clothes with a blackened face. The trial continues and is expected to last more than three weeks.
A 54-year-old man, whose identity is protected to safeguard victims, has lost his appeal against convictions for abusing two of his three step-children. The Court of Appeal, presided over by Mr Justice Alan Mahon with Mr Justice George Birmingham and Mr Justice John Edwards, dismissed the appeal on grounds that the trial judge erred in refusing to sever the indictment, failed to discharge the jury after prejudicial evidence, and returned a perverse verdict. The appellant had been convicted by a Central Criminal Court jury of 35 counts of sexual assault and rape involving a female victim aged seven to 13 and a male victim aged 11 to 17. In a separate trial, he was found guilty of four counts of rape, ten counts of sexual assault, one offence of oral rape, and two charges of using an object to penetrate his step-daughter between 2001 and 2005. Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy sentenced him to 12 years imprisonment for the abuse of the two youngest children on June 20, 2016. Ms Justice Margaret Heneghan imposed a concurrent 12-year sentence for the abuse of the eldest child in July 2016. The Court of Appeal upheld the trial judge's discretion to join the indictments, noting similarities such as the victims being minors and the offering of money. The court also determined that an accidental reference to other accusations did not warrant discharging the jury and that the verdicts were not perverse.
During the fourth week of the 35‑year‑old Vesel Jahiri's trial, the court heard that he had told Gardaí there was no point in living if his former partner, Anna Finnegan, was dead. The video interview, shown to a Central Criminal Court jury, revealed that Jahiri, originally from Kosovo and now self‑represented, had no problem with Finnegan but claimed a problem with her sister and husband, who allegedly urged her to go to a refuge. Jahiri said he did not stab Finnegan and described the killing as a "bad accident." He also stated he could not cry, citing the loss of his mother and sister. Jahiri denied seeing Finnegan bleeding and claimed no blood was found in his car after driving her to hospital. The trial, presided over by Mr Justice Paul Coffey, continues with a jury of nine men and two women, one of whom was discharged due to illness. Vesel Jahiri pleaded not guilty.
The jury in the Roy Webster murder trial will return to the Central Criminal Court to continue deliberations after spending just over six hours considering their verdict. Webster, 40, pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter of Anne Shortall, 47, at The Murrough, Co Wicklow. The State rejected his plea. At the jury's request, Justice Patrick McCarthy re‑read State Pathologist Professor Marie Cassidy's evidence and read a statement by Dr Stephen Clifford of Forensic Science Ireland.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, Thomas O'Connor, 29, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of John O'Brien, 22, who was bludgeoned to death with a rock on 4 June 2010. O'Connor had pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. The victim impact statement, read by Detective Sergeant Eamon O'Neill, described how O'Brien's fiancée, Alice O'Brien, had to replace her wedding bouquet with a wreath after the fatal attack. The statement also recounted the couple's wedding plans, the couple's drinking together before the incident, and O'Connor's attempts to destroy evidence by scrubbing his hands and burning his hoodie. O'Connor's counsel, Feargal Kavanagh SC, acknowledged his client's remorse. The sentence was back‑dated to 5 June 2010. The hearing highlighted the personal loss suffered by O'Brien's family and the impact of the crime on the community. Thomas O'Connor was convicted.
In the Special Criminal Court, a protected witness named Tom Lillis testified that he saw Dan Quilligan, a Rathkeale resident, in the house where the alleged assault and false imprisonment occurred. The prosecution alleges that three men, including Mark Heffernan, 32, of Swallow Drive, John Carew Park, Limerick, participated in a joint enterprise that led to Quilligan being beaten and having his left foot nailed to the kitchen floor of a Limerick house on 14 September 2015. Heffernan has pleaded not guilty to assaulting Quilligan and to falsely imprisoning him at the same address on the same date. During cross‑examination, Heffernan's counsel, Ronan Munro SC, questioned Lillis about whether he knew Heffernan prior to the alleged offences. Lillis replied that he had seen Heffernan once or twice but could not confirm personal acquaintance.
A former Latvian policeman, Andresj Krauze, aged 31, is on trial in the Central Criminal Court for the murder of 30‑year‑old Juris Buls, whose body was found in a Galway drain near Glenamaddy. Krauze pleaded not guilty. The prosecution presented evidence that Buls had not shown up for work on the night of 7 July 2011 and that his girlfriend reported him missing, leading to the discovery of his body weeks later. The jury heard that Buls had previously alleged assault against Krauze. In March 2012, Latvian police officer Juris Gabrens testified via video link from Latvia, describing how he was contacted by Irish authorities regarding Buls's death and how he interviewed Krauze in prison on 9 March 2012. Gabrens noted that Krauze refused a solicitor, signed the interrogation minutes, and was warned of potential consequences for refusing to answer.
In a Dublin murder trial, Vesel Jahiri, 35, accused of killing his former partner Anna Finnegan, 25, and assaulting Karl Finnegan, has claimed collusion between Garda officers and witnesses. Jahiri, representing himself after dismissing his legal team, alleged that Detective Garda Brendan O'Hora had guided witnesses Karl Finnegan and Joan Broe to give specific statements. O'Hora denied any such guidance, stating he did not instruct witnesses. Jahiri also questioned why witnesses appeared to give conflicting accounts, but O'Hora refused to comment on evidence he had not collected. The court heard testimony from Finnegan, who described blacking out after a kitchen floor impact and later waking with stab wounds. The trial, presided over by Justice Paul Coffey, continues with a jury of nine men and three women. Vesel Jahiri pleaded not guilty.
In a cold‑case murder trial, John Joseph Malone, 53, is charged with strangling 69‑year‑old Ann (Nancy) Smyth on 11 September 1987 at her Wolfe Tone Street home in Kilkenny. The prosecution, led by Sean Gillane SC, argues that after a night at a local pub, Malone entered Smyth's house, strangled her, and set it on fire. Evidence includes a neighbour's account of a shouting altercation, a witness who heard a man with a speech impediment ask for a cigarette, and testimony from a bible‑study group member who claims Malone admitted the crime. The case notes that Smyth's death was caused by asphyxia from neck compression, not the fire. The trial is proceeding before Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy with a jury of five women and seven men, expected to last over three weeks. John Joseph Malone pleaded not guilty.
Nathan Foley, 18, lives on Rosary Road, Dublin 8. He was charged at Dublin District Court with the murder of David Douglas, 55, who was shot dead on 1 July 2016 at Bridgefoot Street. Foley is also charged with damaging a car on 4 July 2016 at Strand Road, Dublin 4. State solicitor Michael O'Donovan informed the court that the Director of Public Prosecutions was applying for Foley to be tried in the Special Criminal Court. Judge Tony Hunt, with Judges John O'Hagan and Ann Ryan, granted the order.
The jury at the Roy Webster murder trial has reheard the statement of Carmel Phibbs, a friend of the accused's wife, after she was present at the Webster home on the afternoon Anne Shortall was killed. Mr Webster, 40, from Ashbree, Ashford, Co Wicklow, pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter of Shortall, 47, at The Murrough on 3 April 2015. The State did not accept his plea. The jury, after a 3½‑hour deliberation, will return tomorrow with the hammer alleged to have been used in the killing.
Stephen Egan, aged 33, was convicted of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility for killing fellow inmate Gary Douche, aged 20, in Mountjoy prison on 1 August 2006. A psychiatrist testified that Egan suffered from a schizoaffective disorder and was in a paranoid state at the time of the killing, which reduced his responsibility. He received a life sentence in 2009, upheld in 2010. In 2023 his lawyers applied to reopen the appeal under Section 2 of the Criminal Procedure Act 1993, citing new facts from the 2014 Commission of Investigation report that Egan was in an acute psychotic state in July 2006 and that he should not have been discharged from the Central Mental Hospital back to prison. The court rejected the application, stating the Commission's findings were not new or newly discovered, as the evidence was available at trial. The appeal was dismissed, and Egan's counsel intends to seek a Supreme Court appeal. Stephen Egan was acquitted.
In a trial at the Central Criminal Court, a 31‑year‑old Latvian named Andresj Krauze was accused of murdering 30‑year‑old Juris Buls in Galway on 7 or 8 July 2011. Buls, also Latvian, had not shown up for work at midnight and was later found dead in a drain near Glenamaddy. Krauze admitted the killing during an interview in a Latvian prison, where he demonstrated to Gardaí how he had killed Buls. He described a confrontation in which he claimed to have forced Buls' neck, found Buls dead, and then hid the body in a drain. The jury heard testimony from Garda Kevin Brennan, who had taken Buls' complaint, and from detectives Michael Kelly and Michael O'Driscoll, who interviewed Krauze in Riga. The trial is ongoing before Justice Margaret Heneghan. Andresj Krauze pleaded not guilty.
The Special Criminal Court heard a protected witness who said a Limerick man accused of assaulting and falsely imprisoning a 53‑year‑old was present at the house where the alleged attack took place. The prosecution claims that three men were involved in a joint enterprise during which Dan Quilligan, a resident of Rathkeale, was beaten and his left foot was nailed to the kitchen floor of a house in Limerick. Mark Heffernan (32) pleaded not guilty to assaulting Mr Quilligan and to falsely imprisoning him at the same address on 14 September 2015. Two other men, Gerard Mackin (33) and Patrick Hayes (52), pleaded guilty and were sentenced to three years in prison by the non‑jury court. Tom Lillis, a witness, testified that he was living at the house in Larch Court with two other men, including Patrick Hayes, on the morning of the assault.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court sentenced Dubliner Patrick Anderson, a former Ireland ice hockey player, to two years' imprisonment for assaulting his cousins, Graham Dunne and Paul Dunne. Anderson pleaded guilty to assault causing harm at the Wright Venue nightclub in Swords on February 15, 2015. The court heard that Anderson punched and kicked both victims inside the venue and continued the assault outside after security ejected them. Graham Dunne suffered a broken kneecap, which affected his equestrian career and left him at risk of arthritis, while Paul Dunne sustained a broken jaw and psychological trauma. Judge Melanie Greally noted Anderson was a first-time offender with an excellent employment record and sporting history. However, she emphasized the seriousness of the two offences committed in one night and the lasting effects on Graham Dunne. The judge imposed a three-year sentence but suspended the final year on conditions, resulting in an effective custody period of two years. Prosecution counsel Maurice Coffey BL presented evidence that Anderson initiated the violence by punching Graham Dunne after a perceived bump. Defense counsel Ray Boland BL highlighted Anderson's intoxication and lack of prior convictions. An offer of compensation by Anderson was reportedly refused by the victims.
During the fourth week of the 35‑year‑old Vesel Jahiri's trial at the Central Criminal Court, he told the gardai that he did not stab his former partner, Anna Finnegan, and that he was not carrying a weapon when he forced his way into her house on 21 September 2012. Jahiri, who has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Finnegan and to assaulting her brother Karl, said he had been told by social services that he would never see his children, which caused him to become angry and enter the house. He claimed he only wanted to see his children for ten minutes and that he had no weapon on him. Jahiri described a fight with Karl, who allegedly had knives, and said he stabbed Karl once after Karl had tried to stab him. He said Anna was in the middle of the fight and that she was hurt when she fell at a neighbour's door.
Roy Webster, 40, of Ashbree, Ashford, Co Wicklow, pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter for the death of Anne Shortall, 47, on Good Friday 3 April 2015 at The Murrough, Co Wicklow. His defence barrister, Brendan Grehan SC, told the jury that Webster had not planned the attack and had no attempt to conceal it. Grehan described Webster's actions as a loss of self‑control rather than a premeditated crime, noting that Webster had tied Shortall's wrists with duct tape and wrapped tape around her head after she was already dead, an act he could not explain. Webster had driven Shortall to The Murrough in his van, then brought her body home to his workshop, where he kept it for four days before admitting the crime to his wife and the Gardaí. The jury was instructed to decide whether Webster was guilty of murder or manslaughter, with deliberations to continue the next day.
In a 2017 murder trial, Roy Webster, aged 40, pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to the manslaughter of Anne Shortall, aged 47, who died on 3 April 2015 after Webster struck her nine times with a hammer. Prosecutor Paul Greene SC argued that Webster's statements to Gardaí after confessing to the killing displayed a "degree of self‑pity," noting that Webster had delayed revealing his involvement until 7 April, lying to Shortall's daughters and to Gardaí over several days. Greene highlighted Shortall's financial difficulties and alleged threats she made to Webster's wife. He described Webster's post‑attack conduct—returning home, drinking, watching television, and later moving the body to his workshop—as evidence of a clear intention to kill. Greene urged the jury to disregard sympathy and find that Webster intended to kill or cause serious injury, thereby supporting a murder conviction. The case was set for trial at the Central Criminal Court.
In a Dublin murder case, Vesel Jahiri, 35, originally from Kosovo, was formally charged with the killing of his former partner Anna Finnegan, 25, on 21 September 2012 at Allendale Glen, Clonsilla. He also faced a charge of assaulting Karl Finnegan, who was injured at the same time and place. Jahiri pleaded not guilty to both offences and has chosen to represent himself after dismissing his legal team. On 22 September, Detective Sergeant Dan Callaghan arrested Jahiri at Cabra Garda Station on suspicion of the murder, and Karl Finnegan identified him as the attacker. Jahiri was taken to Blanchardstown Garda Station, where Sergeant Joseph McLoughlin read the murder charge to him. In response, Jahiri said, "That is not true." He was then brought before Blanchardstown District Court, where the trial continues before Mr Justice Paul Coffey and a jury of nine men and three women.
In a 2017 case, a 29‑year‑old woman from Tipperary testified that she was sexually assaulted by her uncle when she was seven, between December 1994 and July 1995. The uncle, a 56‑year‑old man who pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault, had been brought out of the house by the victim's grandmother to beg for money. While the girl was in a shed, the uncle followed her, undressed, and attempted to have sex with her. After the assault, the grandmother beat the girl with a stick, causing her to fear speaking out for years. The victim, who suffered depression, nightmares and anxiety, told the court she felt vindicated by the uncle's admission of guilt and does not wish to see him jailed. She said she can move on with her life. The uncle, who has 40 prior convictions, was remanded on bail while the court considers sentencing. The trial is scheduled for April 4.
In a Special Criminal Court hearing, a 53‑year‑old man named Dan Quilligan claimed he was assaulted and had his left foot nailed to the kitchen floor of a Limerick house. Mark Heffernan, aged 32, pleaded not guilty to assault and false imprisonment charges. The prosecution alleged a joint enterprise involving three men, with Quilligan being struck in the face and his foot nailed. Detective Garda Alan Curry presented forensic evidence of strike‑marks on the floor, two of which matched nail strikes. The trial is ongoing before Justice Tony Hunt, Judge John O'Hagan and Judge Ann Ryan.
At the Central Criminal Court, Michael McCarville, aged 49, from Longfield, Lisboduff, Cootehill, County Cavan, has been sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for the sexual abuse of seven siblings over an 18-year period beginning in 1982. McCarville pleaded guilty in December to 52 sample charges including rape and indecent assault, arising from a total of 187 counts. The offences occurred on a family farm where he worked as a labourer, with victims aged between seven and thirteen at the time of initial abuse. The attacks continued until 1999 and took place in various locations including farm buildings and the family home. During sentencing at the Central Criminal Court, Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy noted the seriousness of the crimes, describing them as a grave breach of trust, though he credited the guilty plea. Five of the seven adult victims presented impact statements to the court. McCarville has been ordered to complete five years post-release supervision following his sentence.
Colm Deely, aged 45, was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment for the manslaughter of 43‑year‑old Deirdre McCarthy. The case arose after McCarthy's body washed up on Fanore Beach, Co Clare, after Deely had dumped her in the sea. Deely had earlier been convicted of murder in 2013, but that conviction was quashed because the forensic work of Deputy State Pathologist Dr Khalid Jabbar had not been peer‑reviewed. In January 2017 Deely pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter at a hearing in the Central Criminal Court. The judge, Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy, noted that the offence was aggravated by Deely's callous disposal of the body and his return to work with McCarthy's brother shortly after the killing. The sentence was imposed in the absence of evidence that would have supported a murder charge, and the judge emphasised the substantial period of imprisonment required for the killing.