In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court case, Noel McCabe, aged 30, pleaded guilty to possession of a realistic‑looking airgun, common assault, criminal damage and producing an article capable of inflicting serious harm. The offences occurred on 24 September 2024. McCabe first forced entry into a house at Briarwood Lawn, Mulhuddart, then struck a man in a pub at the Westend Shopping Centre, producing a gas pistol from his tracksuit. He dropped gas canisters shaped like bullets, which were not ammunition. Later that evening, Gardaí found a black revolver near him at the same address; forensic analysis confirmed it was a realistic‑looking firearm. McCabe, intoxicated and argumentative, was arrested and later restrained during transport. Judge Martin Nolan imposed a five‑year sentence, back‑dated to September 2024, without part‑suspension, citing McCabe's extensive record of 41 convictions and his expressed remorse. The sentence aims to encourage behavioural change.
In a Dublin Circuit Court hearing on 20 October 2025, a 34‑year‑old man was sentenced to 20 months in prison for assaulting his former partner in May 2023. The victim, a new mother, described the attack as a "nightmare" that left her with a permanent facial scar, a lost front tooth, and lasting mental trauma. She said the man had no remorse and had threatened her and her sister, and that he had previously pleaded guilty to a threat to kill and assault. The judge noted the man's 26 prior convictions, including domestic‑violence breaches, and the intimate‑relationship context, and imposed a custodial sentence that was reduced from two years to 20 months for time already served. The victim's impact statement highlighted her loss of confidence, ongoing flashbacks, and the need to move into emergency accommodation for safety.
Pedro Cifali, 37, a Brazilian, will be sentenced on 9 February 2025 for attempting to murder his former partner, Lucia Nezbalova, 43, in Dublin. He electronically tracked her car, disguised himself, and stabbed her at her home in Garnish Square, causing severe injuries that required surgery. Nezbalova suffered life‑threatening wounds and now endures PTSD, anxiety and depression. Cifali pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and has no prior record. He has been in custody since the incident and has shown progress. The court adjourned sentencing to 9 February, with the prosecution seeking a headline sentence of 15 to 20 years, citing the extreme violence, premeditation and domestic abuse context. The case remains at the sentencing stage, with no further outcomes reported.
Josh O'Brien, aged 22, was sentenced to 15 years and six months in prison, with 18 months suspended, for attempting to murder his ex‑girlfriend, 21‑year‑old Niamh Kelly, by stabbing her 50 times on 19 September 2024. The judge described the violence as "breathtaking" and noted Kelly's life‑altering injuries, including permanent blindness in one eye, paralysis of her left leg, and extensive bone and organ damage. O'Brien pleaded guilty, had no prior convictions, and was found to have mental health issues but had not sought treatment. He was ordered to keep all probation appointments and to refrain from contacting Kelly for five years, including via electronic messaging. Kelly, who survived after seven months in hospital, continues physiotherapy and expresses gratitude for the sentence while acknowledging her ongoing recovery. The case was heard by Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring in Dublin.
A retired Deputy State Pathologist has testified at the Central Criminal Court that a Dublin man whose remains were discovered on an island in Lough Sheelin, County Cavan, died from two gunshot wounds to the head and neck. Dr Michael Curtis conducted a post-mortem examination on Anthony Keegan's decomposed remains in May 2014, found concealed beneath coal sacks and tarpaulin on Inchicup Island. He told the court that one gunshot wound to the right temporal region of the head proved instantaneously fatal, with the bullet traversing the skull and exiting the left jaw, while a second wound to the back of the neck caused catastrophic fractures to vertebrae. Ruth Lawrence, aged 45, with an address in County Meath, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Keegan and Eoin O'Connor between April and May 2014. The prosecution alleges Ms Lawrence and her boyfriend shot the two men and concealed their bodies. The trial before Mr Justice Tony Hunt continues.
A 37‑year‑old convicted killer, Richard Treacy, was sentenced by the Special Criminal Court to two years and eight months in prison after he spent €100,000 of crime proceeds on extensive renovations to his family home in Limerick. The judge, Ms Justice Karen O'Connor, noted that the offence, committed between 1 January 2014 and 12 January 2021, involved disguising the source of the money used for the work, contravening the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010. Treacy pleaded guilty, which the court considered a mitigating factor, and he cooperated during the investigation. The judge also ordered that money seized by Gardaí from the house be forfeited to the State, including £3,900 sterling and €4,000, while smaller sums identified as welfare payments were not forfeited. Treacy has ten prior convictions, including manslaughter, violent disorder and dangerous driving, and had no employment history.
Winifred Joyce, aged 30, was sentenced to three years and six months in prison, with the last six months suspended on strict conditions, after pleading guilty to common assault and sexual assault in November 2022. The judge described Joyce's conduct as a "humiliating internal search" that was "inexcusable" and a "brutal, humiliating attack." The offence stemmed from a dispute over drugs at a Dublin city centre hostel. Joyce grabbed the victim by the hair, forced her to crawl, struck her, and sexually assaulted her while searching for drugs. Joyce has 62 prior convictions, including 29 thefts and one assault causing harm, and is undergoing treatment for addiction and schizophrenia. The suspended portion requires her to engage with the Probation Service, mental health supports and addiction treatment for 18 months after release.
A 29‑year‑old man was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment at the Central Criminal Court for sexually abusing his three younger half‑siblings between 2012 and 2018. He pleaded guilty to one count of defilement and several counts of sexual assault. The first victim was aged eight to fourteen when the offence occurred, the second five to ten, and the third nine to fourteen; the defendant was aged fifteen to twenty‑two during the incidents. The judge noted aggravating factors such as the victims' ages, the defendant's use of force and the impact on the children, and mitigating factors including early guilty pleas. The sentence comprised six years for each sexual assault count, an eight‑year defilement term with the final year suspended for 18 months, all running concurrently. The defendant will be supervised by Probation Services for 18 months post‑release and is prohibited from unsupervised contact with children.
Two men sought by United Kingdom authorities on charges connected to a 1975 RUC shooting have argued before the Court of Appeal that decades-long delays in pursuing their extradition amount to an abuse of process. John Edward McNicholl, aged 73, of Newmills, Letterkenny, County Donegal, and Seamus Christopher O'Kane, aged 74, of Scalestown, County Meath, face charges relating to the investigation into the murder of Constable Robert John McPherson in County Derry on 26 July 1975 and an attempted murder. Both men escaped from the Maze Prison in May 1976 before trial. The High Court previously ruled in their favour regarding delay grounds was insufficient to refuse surrender, though noting some periods of inaction by authorities. At appeal, counsel for both men contended the nearly 50-year delay constituted an abuse of process, with prosecution decisions dating to 1976. The Minister for Justice's representative characterised the case as fundamentally one of delay rather than abuse of process. The three-judge court reserved judgement.
In an appeal hearing, a man's conviction for breaching a protection order by allegedly grabbing his ex‑partner's arm during an argument over a child's car seat was overturned. The man, who pleaded not guilty in the District Court, had been convicted under section 33(1) of the Domestic Violence Act 2018 and sentenced to a six‑month term that was fully suspended. He appealed the conviction, arguing that his hand had only touched the woman while demonstrating the tension of the seat belt and that the contact was inadvertent. The prosecution maintained that the woman's fear was justified. Judge Deirdre Browne found the woman's testimony credible, noted that the contact was likely accidental, and ruled that the action did not meet the threshold for a breach of the protection order, allowing the appeal to stand.
During the murder trial of three men accused of killing Jozip Strok, a jury was presented with a blue and black hard‑plastic handle found by Garda Alan Lagrue near the site where Strok was beaten to death in Grange View, Clondalkin. The handle, described as possibly belonging to a lump hammer or similar tool, was handed to the jury after Lagrue climbed a high wall to retrieve it. Dr Alan McGhee of Forensic Science Ireland confirmed that DNA from the handle matched Strok's profile. The accused—Mark Lee, Anthony Delappe, and Connor Rafferty—have pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter and assault causing harm to Strok and another victim, Mr Druzinec. The trial, presided over by Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring, continues with a jury of six men and six women. The prosecution maintains that the assault occurred on March 30, 2024, and that Strok died four days later from blunt‑force injuries.
A 34‑year‑old woman, Jane Corcoran of Pairc na Dara, Clonard, Wexford, pleaded guilty in the Central Criminal Court to two charges. The first charge was that on 15 October 2024 she helped move the body of Stephen Ring, who had been found dead in a Wexford quarry, thereby impeding the apprehension or prosecution of the person who had committed the murder. The second charge was that on 25 October 2024 she gave false statements to Gardaí, again with intent to impede the apprehension or prosecution of the murderer. Corcoran's counsel requested a sentencing date in the final week of the court term and sought probation, governor's and education reports, as well as a urinalysis. Mr Justice Paul McDermott ordered the reports and set the sentencing for 16 December. The body of Stephen Ring was discovered in a quarry outside Wexford town almost two weeks after he was first reported missing.
At the Central Criminal Court, a dog handler has testified in the double murder trial of Ruth Lawrence that his specially trained German Shepherd gave an indication at a tarpaulin-covered area on Inchicup Island in Lough Sheelin, where two decomposing bodies were subsequently discovered. Garda Paul Conroy said the dog immediately went into dense undergrowth upon landing on the island on 26 May 2014 and stared at a particular spot. When a scenes of crime officer cut open the tarpaulin, an arm with clothing fell out. A fisherman also told the trial he had noticed a strong smell he associated with decomposing flesh coming from the island approximately one month after the men went missing. Lawrence, with an address in Mountnugent, County Meath, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Anthony Keegan and Eoin O'Connor between 22 April and 26 May 2014. The trial continues before Justice Tony Hunt and a jury.
In October 2025, a 43‑year‑old man from a European country was sentenced to nine years' imprisonment for sexual assault and attempted rape of a Ukrainian refugee outside a Dublin nightclub in March 2024. He pleaded guilty to assault causing harm before the trial. The court heard that the victim, who remains anonymous, was severely affected, losing work, experiencing health problems, and fearing for her daughter. The judge described the offence as "profoundly disturbing, degrading, primitive" and set a headline sentence of ten years, reduced to nine years, with the final year suspended on conditions that the defendant have no contact with the victim and leave Ireland for 14 years after release. The defendant entered a bond agreeing to these terms. The case was heard at the Central Criminal Court, with CCTV evidence showing the assault and the victim's struggle. No prior convictions were recorded for the defendant.
Paul Cullen, 45, of Crumlin, was sentenced by the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to six years and nine months in prison, with the final 12 months suspended for two years, after pleading guilty to seven offences including assault, robbery, attempted robbery and theft. The judge highlighted a pattern of violent crime, drug use and the use of weapons such as a meat cleaver, screwdriver, claw hammer and an imitation firearm. Cullen's crimes included a violent robbery at a Luas stop where a victim suffered a broken ankle, an attempted robbery at a hotel where he brandished a cleaver, a robbery of Boyle Sports Bookmakers where he stole €7,400, and an attempted robbery at Paddy Power Bookmakers while wearing a white hazmat suit. He also robbed a beauty salon and an estate agency, and was found with a scorched hazmat suit at a mortuary.
Iosif Ghergut, 50, of Galway, pleaded guilty to one count of oral rape and one count of sexual assault against Jade MacFarlane, a friend of his daughter, at his home on 10 October 2021. The court found aggravating factors including the victim's trust, a 27‑year age gap, and the assault occurring in a bathroom where she could not leave. Ghergut had no prior convictions. Justice Karen O'Connor sentenced him to five years and eight months for the oral rape and four years for the sexual assault, with both sentences running concurrently. The judge suspended the last six months of the longer term and back‑dated it to the date of his arrest. Ghergut will be supervised by Probation Services for 12 months after release. The case was heard at the Central Criminal Court in Galway.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 16 October 2025, 21‑year‑old Morgan Devlin of Tallaght pleaded guilty to one count of robbery and one count of assault causing harm for an incident on 8 May 2022 on Sean Whelan Road. Devlin, who has six prior convictions, was sentenced to three years' imprisonment. The court noted that the victim sustained a serious injury close to the femoral artery, suffered multiple blows, a knife stab from a co‑accused, and a bite wound. CCTV identified Devlin, who was the least culpable of the three assailants. The judge considered sentences of other co‑accused, including a minor who received five years with two and a half years suspended for a separate robbery. The case highlighted the victim's severe injuries and the defendants' varying culpability.
A 25‑year‑old man was sentenced to nine years' imprisonment, with the final year suspended for two years, by Mr Justice Paul McDermott at the Central Criminal Court for sexually assaulting his 13‑year‑old cousin. The court heard that the defendant lured the child to an abandoned shed, forced her into a sexual assault, and threatened to drown her in a river if she disclosed the crime. He also threatened the child's father, saying he would leave him looking like the horror‑movie doll 'Chucky'. The defendant pleaded guilty to the assault and to witness intimidation. He has 81 prior convictions, including theft, fraud, road‑traffic offences and criminal damage. The judge noted the victim's bravery and the aggravating nature of the threats, and ordered the defendant to engage with Probation Services, Tusla and a therapeutic group programme while in custody and for two years after release.
Three men have been sentenced to a combined 43 years imprisonment following their guilty pleas to manslaughter in connection with the death of a pensioner in Co Sligo. At the Central Criminal Court, Mr Justice Paul McDermott imposed sentences of 16 years on John Irving (31) of Shanwar, Foxford, Co Mayo, with the final year suspended, and 15 years each on Francis Harman (58) of Ballina and John Clarke (37) of Ballina, also with the final year suspended. The men attacked Tom Niland at his home in Doonflynn, Skryne on 18 January 2022. Despite suffering severe injuries, Mr Niland alerted neighbours. He was hospitalised but died from his injuries on 30 September 2023. The judge described the assault as "savage" and noted the men had targeted Mr Niland because he lived alone and was elderly. The three men stole approximately €800 and disposed of evidence. John Irving was convicted.
At the Central Criminal Court, families of two men missing since 2014 provided testimony in the murder trial of Ruth Lawrence. The 45-year-old, from Mountnugent in County Meath, has pleaded not guilty to the murders of Anthony Keegan and Eoin O'Connor, whose remains were discovered on an island in May 2014. Karen Roche, Mr O'Connor's former partner, told the court that he received an unsettling phone call on 22 April 2014 and departed their home shortly after, never to return. Rory O'Connor, the victim's brother, spoke to Eoin by telephone that evening but received no further contact after 8.45pm. The prosecution alleges Mr O'Connor was a drug dealer and that financial disputes over approximately €70,000 provided motive. The trial, before Mr Justice Tony Hunt and jury, continues. The State argues the accused woman and her boyfriend acted together in the killings.
The trial of Mark Lee, Anthony Delappe, and Connor Rafferty continues before Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring and a jury. The three men are accused of the murder of Josip Strok, who died on April 3, 2024, from blunt force injuries sustained in an alleged assault on March 30, 2024, at Grangeview Way in Clondalkin. Lee and Delappe have pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter, while Rafferty has pleaded not guilty to murder. All three have pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to witness David Druzinec. During cross-examination, Druzinec denied fabricating a story about racial abuse on a bus, stating he was in shock and told gardai what he remembered. Defense counsel suggested he invented the account to ensure someone was held responsible for his friend's death. The prosecution alleges the accused assaulted the two Croatian men after being told they had attacked a 17-year-old boy at a nearby bus stop. The trial is ongoing, with no final verdict or sentencing recorded at this procedural stage.
The Criminal Assets Bureau seized a range of items from Jamie Geoghegan, a 29‑year‑old former footballer who was jailed for six‑and‑a‑half years for a 2023 assault involving dragging a victim into a Jeep, driving him to a caravan, tying him up, beating and stabbing him. At sentencing Geoghegan pleaded guilty to assault and false imprisonment and had 75 prior convictions, including theft, burglary, firearms and drug offences. He had represented Ireland at under‑age level and at the Homeless World Cup. In a High Court hearing on 15 October 2025, Geoghegan did not contest the CAB's application to seize assets deemed proceeds of crime. The court was told the CAB had identified 23 items – €4,000 cash, £2,000 cash, a VW Golf, a Skoda Superb, a modular home and a watch – seized from his Dublin home and another location.
In a murder trial, 29‑year‑old David Druzinec, a Croatian immigrant, testified that he suffered memory loss after an assault that left his childhood friend Josip Strok, 31, dead. Druzinec said he felt a "strange feeling" of being followed after he and Strok disembarked from a bus near his Clondalkin home. He recalled telling Strok to "hurry up" when he saw more than three men behind them, but could not identify the attackers or their ages. Druzinec was attacked, received stitches above both eyes and on the top of his head, and could say nothing about the incident. The trial involves Mark Lee (44), Anthony Delappe (19) and Connor Rafferty (21), who have pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter and assault causing harm to Druzinec. The case is before Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring and a jury of twelve.
Dan Moorehouse, 26, of Richmond Park, Monkstown, Dublin, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to two counts of assault causing harm and one count of burglary at an address on Monkstown Road, south Dublin. The court heard that Moorehouse, who has 60 previous convictions, allegedly broke into the home and attacked two sisters who confronted him. Prosecution evidence stated he punched one woman in the face, bursting her lip and cutting her cheekbone, and struck the other in the nose. Judge Martin Nolan described the incident as a traumatic ordeal, noting that Moorehouse allegedly burgled the house to fund a drug habit. While acknowledging the defendant's difficult background and mental health issues, the Judge stated that Moorehouse knew right from wrong. Moorehouse was sentenced to a six-year custodial term. The Judge suspended the final 18 months of this sentence, resulting in an effective custody period of four and a half years. The matter was finalised at the sentencing stage.
In the Mary Ward murder case, the Central Criminal Court has yet to make progress on a psychiatric assessment of Ahmed Abdirahman, a 31‑year‑old Somali national accused of killing his former partner, Mary Ward, on 25 September 2024 in Belfast. Three months after Judge Paul McDermott warned that the delay could not continue, the court still has no diagnosis of Abdirahman's fitness to plead. The judge required a "diagnostic clarification" from the Central Mental Hospital, which must admit the accused and allow an external psychiatrist to evaluate him. Defence counsel Oisin Clarke noted issues with the case and the need for the court to determine the accused's mental fitness. In July, the defence reported that Abdirahman was still in Cloverhill Prison and had not engaged with a psychiatrist.
A man was arrested by Gardaí after drunkenly attempting to climb into his ex‑partner's Dublin home, following repeated breaches of a safety order issued in January 2024. He was convicted in the District Court of two counts of breaching the order under section 33(1) of the Domestic Violence Act 2018 and sentenced to three months' custody. On appeal, the District Court Appeals Court increased the custodial term to six months but suspended the entire sentence for one year, subject to the defendant's compliance with probation supervision, psychological counselling and alcohol‑abuse treatment. The appeal was based on the defendant's cooperation with Gardaí, his stated mental‑health struggles, sobriety, and family responsibilities, as presented by his counsel and the judge's remarks on the seriousness of the breaches and the impact on the victim's children.
During the murder trial at the Central Criminal Court, Seoirse Ó Dúnlaing SC argued that the fact the victim, 31‑year‑old Josip Strok, was a foreign national was relevant to the case. He cited statements from accused Mark Lee (44), who told Gardaí two days after the assault that he had been walking "up and down with two dogs" outside an International Protection Accommodation Service centre, and that he had sent a voice note to a friend saying he had "just smashed Polish lads up and left them for dead." The prosecution contended these remarks showed the accused were aware of Strok's status as a foreigner. The trial also heard that Strok and his friend David Druzinec (29) were assaulted on 30 March 2024, with Strok dying four days later from blunt‑force injuries. Mark Lee, Anthony Delappe (19) and Connor Rafferty (21) have pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter and assault causing harm.
Alex Masuku, 34, was sentenced at Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to assault causing harm and possession of a weapon. The offences occurred at Cloonishlawn, Ballina, Co Mayo, on November 21, 2023. Judge Eoin Garavan noted that Masuku assaulted his friend in front of the victim's two-year-old daughter, causing facial injuries that required stitching, and threatened him with a hammer. Although Masuku claimed the attack was provoked by a video, the judge found no evidence such a video existed, describing the behaviour as baseless. Judge Garavan set a headline sentence of three years but reduced this to two years, fully suspended, citing mitigating factors including Masuku's 22-year crime-free record in Ireland and a probation report indicating low risk of re-offending. Masuku was ordered to pay €3,000 to the victim within six months and complete a MOVE course. He must also keep the peace for three years, undergo Probation Service supervision for one year, and undertake any advised mental health treatment. The court acknowledged the victim's ongoing stress and anxiety, as well as the trauma experienced by the child witness.
Dean Teeling, 36, of Ballymun, Dublin, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for violent disorder and assault causing harm arising from a Mountjoy prison incident on December 18, 2018, and a separate assault causing harm during a knife attack on Fownes Street in Temple Bar on January 8, 2022. Teeling pleaded guilty to all charges. Judge Martin Nolan described the prison assault as "pretty savage" and imposed three-year custodial sentences for each offence, ordered to run consecutively, resulting in a total of six years. The court noted Teeling's history of offending, including prior knife assaults. Brad Dempsey, 24, of Crumlin, Dublin, also pleaded guilty to affray at Mountjoy prison for his involvement in the 2018 melee, where he allegedly kicked the victim. Judge Nolan sentenced Dempsey to 18 months imprisonment for this offence. Dempsey is currently serving an eight-year term for firearms offences imposed in 2022. The sentences for both defendants were finalized at this procedural stage.
The Court of Appeal heard an appeal by the Director of Public Prosecutions against the sentence imposed on Ian Doyle, who pleaded guilty to assaulting a woman causing her harm and threatening to kill or cause serious harm to her in February 2023. Doyle, who was on bail for assaulting a different partner at the time, was sentenced by Judge Orla Crowe to a headline term of five years, reduced to three years and six months with the final six months suspended. This sentence runs consecutive to a term expiring in April 2026. The State argued the sentence was too lenient, contending it represented a gross departure from the norm and that the sentencing judge erred by failing to adequately reflect aggravating factors, including Doyle's 74 previous convictions and the fact he committed the offences while on bail. Counsel for the DPP argued the threat to kill should have been the gauge offence rather than the assault, and that excessive weight was given to the late guilty plea. Doyle's counsel argued the sentence was within the available range and that the judge correctly treated the assault as the primary offence. The court reserved its judgment on the appeal.
In a double‑murder trial, the jury was sent home until Thursday morning after the judge learned that a key witness was in a medical situation. The case involves Ruth Lawrence, 45, who is accused of killing Anthony Keegan, 33, and Eoin O'Connor, 32, between 22 April and 26 May 2014. Mr Justice Tony Hunt told the 12 jurors that the witness's condition was significant to both sides and that the parties would need to decide whether the trial could proceed without the witness. He said he would return with further information on Thursday. The prosecution, led by Michael O'Higgins SC, argued that Lawrence shot O'Connor and that she and her boyfriend, South African national Neville van der Westhuizen, worked together to kill the men and dispose of their bodies, which were later found bound and covered on Inchicup Island. The judge urged the jury not to speculate until more details were available. Ruth Lawrence pleaded not guilty.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Judge Elva Duffy sentenced an 83‑year‑old former Christian Brothers teacher to four and a half years in prison for sexually assaulting nine primary school boys during a 30‑year teaching career. The offences, occurring between 1980 and 1995 in a Dublin city school, involved boys aged 8 to 13, with most between 11 and 13. The court heard that the teacher would call boys to the top of the class, place them on his knee, slap them—often with an implement—and then indecently assault them by rubbing their buttocks or groin. Victims recounted being slapped hard, being forced to lie on the teacher's knee, and being threatened with punishment if they reported the abuse. The teacher, previously convicted in the 1960s and 1970s, denied wrongdoing and did not accept jury verdicts. He is already serving a four‑year term for other offences.
Aaron Barwell, 30, of Coldcut Park, Dublin, pleaded guilty to one count of oral rape, one of rape and one of attempted rape against three escort victims between January and August 2021. He lured each victim to his home, used violence and threats, and in the first case forced oral sex and used a hammer. In the second case he threatened with a screwdriver and forced oral, vaginal and anal sex. In the third case he threatened to kill her and used a screwdriver, but the victim resisted and escaped. Gardaí seized a knife, cable ties and a silver hammer during a search of his apartment. Barwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison, with the final two years suspended. The Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal, upholding the 20‑year term and the suspended portion. The case remains at the appellate stage.
Three men with a combined 106 previous convictions pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Tom Niland at the Central Criminal Court on Monday. John Irving (31) of Foxford, Co Mayo; Francis Harman (58) of Ballina, Co Mayo; and John Clarke (37) of Ballina attacked the 82-year-old at his home in Skryne, Co Sligo on January 18th, 2022, stealing approximately €800 from his wallet. Mr Niland suffered severe injuries including brain trauma and multiple fractures. He was hospitalised but his condition deteriorated, and he died from his injuries in September 2023, some 20 months after the assault. The State Pathologist attributed his death to blunt force trauma. All three were initially charged with murder but the Director of Public Prosecutions reduced the charges to manslaughter. Harman and Clarke pleaded guilty on the first day of trial; Irving initially pleaded not guilty but changed his plea during proceedings. The prosecution submitted that sentences between 15 and 20 years were warranted. Justice Paul McDermott will sentence the defendants on Thursday.
During a sentence hearing in March, Chloe Loran, aged 16 when the relationship began, delivered a victim impact statement describing the emotional trauma of being raped twice by Martin Harte, 33, in 2019 and 2022. She said the assaults left her feeling as if she had been murdered and that her body remained while her life was destroyed. Harte, of Marian Hill, pleaded guilty to defilement in 2013 and to the two rapes. The court imposed a nine‑year prison term, with the final year suspended indefinitely under strict conditions, and a four‑year post‑release supervision order. Harte was also directed to avoid any contact with Loran and to comply with all probation directions. The judge noted the aggravating factors of the offences occurring in Loran's home and the breach of trust. The sentence reflected Harte's global offending and the mitigating factors presented by his defence.
In October 2025 the State appealed a four‑year jail sentence for Gerard Nevin, who pleaded guilty to 22 counts of sexual assault against his stepdaughters, Catalina and Alexa Grancea, between 2012 and 2020. Nevin, aged 42, was sentenced by Judge Sinéad Ní Chúlacháin to a global term of six years, with the final two years suspended. The victims, aged between seven and sixteen during the offences, waived anonymity. The appeal, presented by Caroline Latham BL for the Director of Public Prosecutions, argued the sentence was inadequate, disproportionate and unduly lenient, citing the systematic and frequent nature of the abuse, the victims' ages, and the lack of evidential basis for the suspended portion. Nevin's counsel, Tim O'Leary SC, countered that the judge had correctly applied mitigating factors, including Nevin's guilty plea, lack of prior convictions, and expressed remorse. The court has reserved judgment on the appeal.
Jonathan Byrne, 37, of Woodavens, Clondalkin, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for assault causing harm after he kicked and stamped his then‑partner over 15 times, causing bruising, swelling and vomiting. The attack occurred on 3 March at the victim's home, where she later described being punched, kicked, stamped and spat on. Byrne left the night before, warned her it was not over, and returned to collect belongings, shouting at a plant. He pleaded guilty, expressed remorse, and cited mental health and addiction issues. Judge Orla Crowe set a headline sentence of five years, imposed three years and six months, and suspended the final year on strict conditions. The victim suffered PTSD, hair loss and ongoing fear, as detailed in her impact statement.
In a Dublin court, a 38‑year‑old woman whose older brother sexually assaulted her between 1999 and 2002 pleaded guilty to sexual assault. She was aged eight to eleven at the time, while the brother was twelve to fifteen. The court accepted the plea on a full facts basis and imposed a two‑year sentence, with eight months suspended on strict conditions. The woman described four incidents of abuse, the last occurring while their mother was downstairs. She said she felt shame, fear of not being believed, and turned to drugs and alcohol, but is now receiving counselling. Her parents disowned her and supported the brother after she complained to Gardaí. She stated that forgiveness is not an option and that she will never forgive him.
Stephen Penrose, a 42‑year‑old serving a life sentence for the murder of Philip Finnegan, dismissed his legal team before his scheduled appeal hearing. Penrose had represented himself in the 2021 trial after earlier dropping two legal teams. The jury found him guilty of murdering Finnegan, 24, at Rahin Woods on 10 August 2016, after CCTV and forensic evidence linked him to the crime. Penrose had previously been found not guilty of murder in a 2010 trial for a different killing. Ahead of the appeal, Penrose notified the court of his decision to dismiss his solicitors and counsel, a move confirmed in a video consultation. The Court of Appeal, noting the lack of communication from the former team, adjourned the hearing to 24 October to verify the dismissal and allow a new solicitor to appear. The case remains pending.
A 36‑year‑old man, Jasmin Nasic, was jailed for one year after a jury found him guilty of sexual assault and offensive conduct of a sexual nature for groping a 16‑year‑old girl in a Dublin supermarket. The victim, who was helping her mother shop, said the assault took place when Nasic put his hand on her buttocks and forcefully groped her as he walked past. She described the incident as "opportunistic and demeaning" and said the trial caused her stress, anxiety and sleepless nights. Judge Martina Baxter, after hearing the victim's impact statement and a Probation Service report that Nasic is at moderate risk of re‑offending, sentenced him to two years in prison, suspending the final year on conditions including one year of probation. Nasic has no prior convictions and has worked in Ireland since 2016. The case was heard in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
In a brief arraignment at the Central Criminal Court, 35‑year‑old Muhammed Al Shaker Al Tamimi pleaded guilty to murdering his eight‑year‑old daughter, Malika Al Katib, and attempting to murder her mother, Aisha Al Katib, on 1 December 2024 at Lower William Street, New Ross. Mr Justice Paul McDermott adjourned the case to 15 December for evidence and a statement from Ms Katib and her family. The defendant faces a mandatory life sentence for murder.
A woman accused of murdering two men inquired about borrowing a boat on Lough Sheelin the day before the deceased were last seen alive, the Central Criminal Court has heard. Ruth Lawrence, 45, of Patricks Cottage, Ross, Mountnugent, Co Meath, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Anthony Keegan and Eoin O'Connor between April 22 and May 26, 2014. A landlord told the court that Ms Lawrence asked about taking a boat out on April 21, 2014, and subsequently borrowed an electric engine, which she said was needed because her boyfriend had a bad back and could not manage rowing. The witness stated the engine was returned the following day with minimal battery usage. The prosecution alleges Ms Lawrence and her boyfriend worked together to kill the two men, whose bodies were discovered bound and wrapped on Inchicup Island on May 26, 2014. The trial, before Mr Justice Tony Hunt and a jury, continues.
In a sentencing hearing at the Central Criminal Court, Ms Justice Eileen Creedon imposed a mandatory life sentence on George Turner, 56, for the murder of Emma McCrory, 45, who died in a house fire on 15 December 2022. Turner admitted setting the blaze, claiming he believed Ms McCrory had "no quality of life" and wanted to "take her out of her pain." He also said he hoped the fire would evict her and that she might live with him. The fire started in Ms McCrory's bedroom on Howth Road, Clontarf, and she died from inhaling combustion products. Ms McCrory's mother, Pauline Costello, testified that her daughter was "beautiful inside and out," and that Turner's actions left two children motherless. Turner had 42 prior convictions, including firearms and drug offences, and has been drug‑free since his 2023 arrest. George Turner pleaded guilty.
A man convicted of breaching a safety order under section 33(1) of the Domestic Violence Act 2018 has requested that the District Court of Appeals extend his custodial sentence to allow him to complete prison courses. He was originally sentenced to ten months in custody, the maximum for the offence being twelve months, and has appealed that sentence. The defendant, whose name cannot be disclosed, has 56 prior convictions, including assault and criminal damage. His solicitor, Paddy McGarry, described the request as an "unusual application" and said the client feels prison is a safer environment and wants to "keep his head down" while rehabilitating. Judge Fiona O'Sullivan acknowledged the appeal, noted the mitigating circumstance of an early guilty plea, and postponed a final decision until a psychological report is available, setting a new deadline of 1 December.
Seven men, aged 32 to 55, are on trial at the Central Criminal Court, accused of sexually abusing a deaf woman over a 17-year period from 1996 to 2013. The accused, comprising three uncles and four brothers of the complainant, have all pleaded not guilty to a total of 98 counts. Prosecuting counsel Gerardine Small SC outlined that the allegations are being tried together for convenience but must be considered separately. The complainant, who will be assisted by interpreters and an intermediary, reportedly disclosed the abuse to a social worker in 2017. Accused A (55) faces one count of rape; Accused B (48) faces eight counts including oral and anal rape; Accused C (34) faces 45 counts of rape and anal rape, plus additional charges of sexual assault and rape against two other sisters; Accused D (33) faces 22 counts; Accused E (32) faces 16 counts; Accused F (32) faces five counts; and Accused G (45) faces one count of rape. All defendants deny the allegations. The trial is set down for four months, and the jury was directed to return on Monday to commence evidence.
In a sentencing hearing at the Central Criminal Court, 22‑year‑old Josh O'Brien pleaded guilty to attempting to murder his ex‑girlfriend, Niamh Kelly, by stabbing her over 50 times on Firhouse Road, Dublin, on 19 September 2024. The attack, lasting up to six minutes, left Kelly with lifelong injuries, including a fragment of the knife still lodged in her skull. O'Brien, who had no prior convictions, claimed he was influenced by voices and had consumed alcohol that day. He admitted feeling betrayed when Kelly turned her back on him. Kelly, aged 21, described the assault as "ferocious, unwarranted, unjustified and unprovoked," and said her life has changed forever, with permanent loss of sight and paralysis in her left leg. The court postponed finalisation to 20 October 2025.
Ruth Lawrence, a Dublin woman with an address in County Meath, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of two men whose bodies were discovered on Inchicup Island in Lough Sheelin in May 2014. The island straddles the borders of Meath, Westmeath and Cavan. At the opening of the trial at the Central Criminal Court, the State outlined its case that Lawrence and her boyfriend worked "as a unit" to kill Anthony Keegan and Eoin O'Connor between April 22 and May 26, 2014. The prosecution contends Lawrence shot one man, with a follow-up shot delivered by her boyfriend. Both men died from gunshot wounds. The State alleges the accused and her boyfriend discussed the murders and disposal of the bodies openly. Evidence will address a debt owed by one defendant to one of the deceased, and activities at the cottage near the lake following the alleged killings. The trial, before Mr Justice Tony Hunt and a jury, is expected to conclude on November 14.
Thomas Fox, 22, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to a global custodial term of five and a half years after pleading guilty to multiple offences arising from the November 23, 2022 riots. Judge Martin Nolan set a headline sentence of eight years before reducing it to the final term. Fox admitted to committing a riot on Burgh Quay, violent disorder, burglary of Foot Locker on O'Connell Street, interfering with a bus mechanism on O'Connell Bridge, assaulting Sergeant Brendan Eddery causing him harm, and possession of cocaine for sale or supply in his Lord Edward Street hostel. The prosecution accepted the assault charge on the basis of joint enterprise. Fox was identified by two gardaí via CCTV and arrested in July 2024. During the hearing, Sergeant Eddery read a victim impact statement detailing his injuries and the psychological trauma caused by the live-streamed attack, which his family later viewed. The judge acknowledged Fox's sincere remorse and apology, noting his history of drug addiction and homelessness. Despite the significant damage caused by the riots, estimated at €10 million, the court imposed the custodial sentence, concluding with Judge Nolan wishing the sergeant luck.
A 45-year-old woman with an address in County Meath has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder at the Central Criminal Court. Ruth Lawrence is charged with the murder of Anthony Keegan and Eoin O'Connor, alleged to have occurred at an unknown location within the State between April and May 2014. The trial commenced before Mr Justice Tony Hunt with a jury of twelve members. The prosecution is led by senior counsel Michael O'Higgins, with the defence represented by Patrick Gageby SC. The trial is expected to conclude by mid-November. Evidence will be heard from members of both deceased's families, forensic specialists, pathologists and mobile phone analysts. The investigation was principally conducted by officers from Kells Garda Station in County Meath, with the missing persons aspect handled by Santry gardaí. Locations of relevance include Ballyjamesduff in County Cavan and an area adjoining Lough Sheelin spanning three counties.
In a Dublin case, Dean Boland, 37, had his manslaughter conviction quashed by the Court of Appeal after he was found guilty in 2022 of unlawfully killing Ohari Viera, 37, during a 2018 arson following a break‑in. The Court held that while Boland started the fire, Viera's voluntary return to the burning building was an independent act that broke the causal chain. Justice Tara Burns ruled that the fire was not the legal cause of Viera's death, and that the trial judge erred by not withdrawing the manslaughter charge from the jury. Boland remains in custody awaiting a hearing on the other charges. The decision was based solely on the facts presented in the appeal, with no reference to later outcomes or additional evidence. Dean Boland pleaded not guilty.