A 53-year-old man from Raphoe in County Donegal has been sent forward for trial at the Central Criminal Court, charged with the murder of a 67-year-old pensioner. Samuel James Clarke, of Magherennan, is accused of killing Seamus Doherty at a property in Drumacnoo, Churchill on June 16th or 17th, 2012. Justice Patrick McCarthy set a trial date of February 27th, 2017. The case will proceed to the Central Criminal Court, where the defendant will face the charge relating to the death that occurred in the Donegal locality over three years prior to the court proceedings.
A 49‑year‑old Laois man was sentenced to two and a half years' imprisonment after a jury convicted him of indecent assault on a girl aged between nine and eleven in a field between 1983 and 1985. The jury acquitted him of rape. The accused, who is married with children and has no prior convictions, denied the allegations. He has not been in the attention of the Gardaí since the offence. Justice Isobel Kennedy noted that the victim, now 42, had testified that the man forced her to perform oral sex and that her younger sibling witnessed him removing her clothing. She described the lasting impact of the abuse, including flashbacks and a period of alcohol use, and her subsequent sobriety and personal growth. The judge imposed the custodial sentence, while the defence argued for a non‑custodial outcome, citing the accused's responsible employment and changed life. The court accepted the custodial sentence.
Sharon Naughton, 38, was sentenced to three years' imprisonment for assault causing harm to Brian Kenny after she threw boiling water and sugar on him, claiming he had offered her heroin. The Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that the incident occurred on 27 June 2015 in a flat on Prussia Street, where a confrontation between Naughton, her partner and Kenny escalated when the partner threatened Kenny with a knife. Naughton, who had a history of drug addiction and was reportedly the youngest person on a methadone programme at 15, admitted the attack and denied any sexual assault allegations. She expressed remorse, stating she should never have scalded anyone. Judge Karen O'Connor noted the assault was out of character due to drug influence and suspended the final 18 months of the sentence, citing medical treatment and a recommendation for custodial benefit. The court also heard that Kenny was left scarred and frightened by the attack. Sharon Naughton pleaded guilty.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court case, a 17‑year‑old schoolboy pleaded guilty to assault causing harm after striking a fellow student with a hammer, fracturing the victim's skull. The incident occurred on 25 January when the boy, armed with his father's hammer, attacked the victim during a dispute over a €50 cannabis deal. The victim suffered serious injuries, requiring hospital treatment and a drop in academic level. The judge, Martin Nolan, described the assault as "deeply reprehensible" and imposed a three‑and‑a‑half‑year suspended sentence with a two‑year probation period. The boy was remanded in custody before sentencing. No custodial term was imposed, and the court highlighted the seriousness of the offence and the impact on the victim's future. The boy's defence noted his prior drug issues and attempts at rehabilitation. The case remains at the sentencing stage.
A 46‑year‑old man was convicted of 18 counts of sexual assault against three women, with offences dated between 1997 and 2009. He pleaded not guilty and was found guilty by a jury at Wexford Circuit Criminal Court, receiving a three‑year prison sentence from Judge Alice Doyle on 10 June 2015. His barrister, Rosario Boyle SC, has lodged an appeal on several grounds, arguing that the trial judge failed to draw the jury's attention to key evidence. Boyle contends that one complainant admitted the abuse began in early 1999 and that the alleged abuse occurred in view of a nearby hatch, and that the jury should have considered whether abuse was likely under those circumstances. She also points to inconsistencies in the complainants' statements and a failure to inform the jury of prior allegations.
An autistic 23‑year‑old, Bijan Afshar, was found not guilty by reason of insanity for the murder of his 50‑year‑old mother, Lynn Cassidy, who died on 26 or 27 June 2014 at their home in Deepdales, Bray, Co Wicklow. Afshar beat his mother to death after she told him she could not prevent the sale of the house he shared with his father. He pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity and the jury of six men and six women delivered a unanimous verdict after less than an hour of deliberations at the Central Criminal Court. Afshar was committed to the Central Mental Hospital in Dundrum. Justice Isobel Kennedy ordered that he be examined by an approved medical officer who will report to the court on his condition and ongoing treatment on 8 June.
A 17‑year‑old south Dublin schoolboy was remanded in custody while a judge considers his sentence after pleading guilty to assault causing harm. He used his father's hammer to strike a fourth‑year secondary school student on the forehead, fracturing the victim's skull and causing internal bleeding. The incident followed a dispute over a €50 cannabis deal between two teenage groups. The boy, who had never met the victim, claimed he brought the hammer for protection and became angry after a phone call from the other group. The victim, who had to drop from an honours Leaving Cert to a Leaving Cert Applied course, gave a victim impact statement describing the injury's long‑term stress and pain. The boy's defence argued he was remorseful, had a history of drug addiction from age 13, and had enrolled in an addiction centre.
In a 2016 hearing at the Central Criminal Court, Bijan Afshar, aged 23, pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity for the murder of his mother, Lynn Cassidy, at their Deepdales home in Bray on 26 or 27 June 2014. Dr Brenda Wright, a forensic psychiatrist, testified that Afshar, who has autism with depression, had no control over his actions when he beat his mother to death. She explained that the impending sale of the family house, following his parents' separation, caused him extreme distress and that he believed his only options were to stop the sale or kill himself. Dr Wright described his late‑diagnosed autism, his obsessive behaviours, and his poor emotional regulation, concluding that he was unable to refrain from the assault due to his mental disorder. The prosecution, represented by Dr Ronan Mullaney, agreed with this assessment. The case was set to continue before Justice Isobel Kennedy and a jury of twelve.
Darren Donovan, 18, of Parlickstown Gardens, Mulhuddart, was sentenced by the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to five years' imprisonment for stabbing homeless man John Joseph Joyce in the chest and head and for two robberies – a €400 theft from a city centre Spar and a wallet robbery in a city centre laneway. Donovan pleaded guilty to assault causing harm and the two robbery offences. The judge noted he believed Joyce had previously assaulted his brother and that Donovan planned the offence as revenge. The final 18 months of the sentence were suspended on conditions including good behaviour.
In May 2016, lawyers for 46‑year‑old James Anthony Oliver Albert Corry, arrested in Killorglin on a European Arrest Warrant issued by German authorities in 2004, argued that extraditing him to Germany for the 1996 Provisional IRA mortar attack on a British army barracks in Osnabruck would be oppressive under the Good Friday Agreement. Corry, alleged to be one of five IRA members who divided responsibility for the attack, faces charges of attempted murder and grievous bodily injury. His counsel claimed that if tried in Ireland he could benefit from early release provisions of the Agreement, whereas extradition could lead to a life sentence in Germany. The High Court considered whether the Agreement provided an amnesty, concluding it did not, and noted that surrender would interfere with family rights but that alone was not a reason to refuse it. The case was adjourned to July 21, 2016, with Corry remanded on continuing bail.
In a Central Criminal Court case, a 37‑year‑old Meath man was convicted of sexual assault and anal rape of a girl aged 12‑14 who stayed at his family home between 1999 and 2001. The victim, who had not spoken out until becoming a mother, described the assaults as taking away her innocence and causing lasting trauma. She reported that the man began by touching her leg and rubbing her vagina, then forced her to masturbate him, and later inserted his penis into her anus, an act that caused her to cry. The assaults continued for months before she fled to avoid his presence. The man denied any misconduct. Mr Justice Tony Hunt sentenced him to seven‑and‑a‑half years, suspending the last two‑and‑a‑half years on the condition of good behaviour and no contact with the victim. The sentence reflected the severity of the offences and the absence of prior convictions.
Kenneth Cummins, aged 28, was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Central Criminal Court for the murder of Thomas Horan, a 63‑year‑old man described as mentally challenged. Cummins initially pleaded not guilty but changed to guilty after four weeks of trial. The prosecution presented evidence that Horan was strangled and suffocated, with injuries consistent with a severe beating, and that Cummins and his sister Sabrina were involved in the assault. Cummins had 77 prior convictions, including 46 for public order offences, and a history of alcohol dependency and psychiatric treatment. The judge, Mr Justice Tony Hunt, imposed a life sentence backdated to 8 January 2014, noting Cummins' guilty plea and the violent nature of the killing. No further legal actions were mentioned in the article.
A man acquitted of raping his partner was sentenced to two-and-a-half years' imprisonment for punching her in the face when she was seven months pregnant. He had pleaded guilty to assaulting her on 14 October 2015. The Central Criminal Court jury found him not guilty of rape and sexual assault. The victim described feeling worthless and powerless and reported recurring nightmares. The judge, Mr Justice Tony Hunt, described the offence as serious violence, noting the partner's pregnancy. He imposed a two-and-a-half year term, suspended the final nine months, and backdated it to the time the man entered custody in October.
In a 2016 case, Bijan Afshar, aged 23, pleaded not guilty to the murder of his mother, Lynn Cassidy, 50, by reason of insanity. The trial, held at the Central Criminal Court, was expected to last three days. Afshar was charged with killing his mother on 26 or 27 June 2014 at her home in Deepdales, Bray. Prosecutor Paul Burns SC informed the jury that two psychiatrists would testify about Afshar's mental condition, specifically his Asperger's Syndrome diagnosis in 2008, and whether it made him unable to refrain from the act. Afshar, the eldest of four sons, had a strained relationship with his mother and had been living with his father and one brother after his parents split. He claimed he was worried about losing the family house, which had been sold, and that his mother's responses were "robotic." Afshar described grabbing his mother by the neck, hitting her with a white mug, and then leaving the scene.
A 38-year-old mother and her 64-year-old partner, both from the UK, faced sentencing following a seven-week trial in Waterford regarding alleged abuse of their son between 2009 and 2011. The jury convicted the mother of child cruelty, a general charge of allowing the abuse to occur at the hands of her partner, while acquitting her of two counts of sexual assault. The partner was convicted of nine counts of rape and child cruelty, though acquitted of nine counts of rape with a poker. Both defendants had pleaded not guilty. Mr Justice Robert Eagar remanded the mother in custody after Gardaí objected to bail, citing flight risk concerns as her partner was jailed. The partner was also remanded in custody. The mother is scheduled for sentencing on July 4, while the partner's sentencing is set for July 11. The child, now 12, remains in specialized care in the UK. The court noted the lack of corroborative evidence and inconsistencies in the child's testimony, which differed between his Gardaí statement and trial evidence regarding the mother's participation.
A jury in Waterford convicted a 64‑year‑old father of raping his six‑year‑old son and of one count of child cruelty for locking the boy in a box for six hours. The father was also found guilty of nine counts of rape with a poker, but acquitted of a charge involving a hot fire poker. The mother was acquitted of sexual assault and cruelty charges, though the jury was still deliberating on a single cruelty count against her. The trial, lasting seven weeks, heard allegations that the father filmed the child having sex with the mother, threatened to kill him, and defecated on him. The boy, who was taken into care before his eighth birthday, testified via video‑link from London, with special measures to protect his rights. No corroborating evidence such as a fire poker or videos of abuse was found during searches of the home. The unnamed 64 year old pleaded not guilty.
In a 2016 trial in Waterford, a jury heard that social workers failed to inform Gardaí that a boy had withdrawn allegations of sexual abuse by his parents. The boy had told a social worker in February 2015 that the claims—he was raped with a poker and forced to have sex with his mother—were "not real." Defence counsel Colman Cody SC argued that the retractions only reached Gardaí and the defence after a barrister discovered them in the child protection agency's files. Gardaí re‑interviewed the boy in February 2016 after learning of the retraction, and he then admitted the abuse had occurred. The parents faced 22 counts, with the father charged with nine counts of rape, nine counts of rape with a poker and one count of cruelty, and the mother charged with two counts of sexual assault and one count of cruelty. Both pleaded not guilty.
At the trial of a Waterford father and mother accused of sexually abusing their son, 60 of the original 82 charges were withdrawn, leaving 22 counts. The father now faces nine counts of raping the boy, nine counts of raping the boy with a poker, and one count of cruelty. The mother faces two counts of sexual assault and one count of cruelty. Both parents have pleaded not guilty to the allegations, which are alleged to have occurred between 2007 and 2011 in their Waterford home when the child was six. Mr Justice Robert Eagar stated the withdrawals resulted from legal issues and should not be viewed as a judgment on the veracity of the claims. Prosecuting counsel Pauline Walley SC delivered her closing speech, urging the jury to evaluate the evidence objectively despite the child's inconsistent testimony. She argued that the boy's detailed accounts and subsequent behavioral issues in care supported his credibility. The trial is in its final stages, with defence counsel scheduled to close their case tomorrow before the judge instructs the jury on the relevant legal issues.
An unnamed 16-year-old defendant appeared at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, where he pleaded guilty to five counts of sexual assault in the Balbriggan area of Co Dublin. The charges relate to incidents involving four women and one teenage girl last year. The court heard that the first alleged assault occurred on January 20, 2015, when the teenager allegedly grabbed a 39-year-old woman walking to work. Subsequent alleged offences included an incident on January 24 involving a 19-year-old woman, an attack on a 34-year-old woman on January 26, an assault on a 14-year-old girl on February 1, and an incident involving a 35-year-old woman on February 5. The defendant was arrested on February 6, 2015, and admitted the offences during interview. Counsel Tara Burns SC submitted that the teenager had made strong efforts to address the matter. Judge Patrick McCartan imposed a sentence of 12 months detention, suspended for two years. The suspension is conditional upon the defendant completing the recovery programme in which he is currently participating.
The prosecution has finished presenting its case in a child‑abuse trial after six weeks of evidence. The case involves a boy who had alleged that his parents sexually abused him, including rape, use of a hot poker, forced incest and other violent acts, and that the father filmed some incidents. The boy, now 12, had previously retracted the allegations, claiming only physical abuse occurred, but later insisted the allegations were true and that he retracted them to avoid the trial. The guardian ad litem, an independent social worker, stated she did not believe the boy's retractions were genuine. The parents face 82 abuse charges between 2007 and 2011 and have pleaded not guilty to 16 counts each of sexual exploitation and one count of child cruelty. The trial will continue with legal arguments tomorrow and the defence may call evidence. The court will adjourn for lunch on Saturday if the weather is good.
In 2010, a 78‑year‑old Dublin man was convicted by a Central Criminal Court jury of 87 counts of sexual assault and rape of his two daughters, aged five to eleven, and of assaulting his son, aged three to six, between 1997 and 2002. He denied the charges. Mr Justice George Birmingham sentenced him to life imprisonment for the rape of his daughters and imposed additional determinate sentences for other offences. In October 2016, the Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal on all grounds. Mr Justice John Edwards, sitting with Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan and Mr Justice Alan Mahon, found the trial satisfactory and the conviction safe. The appeal was dismissed after the appellant was too ill to attend the hearing, and his appeal against sentence was scheduled for June 16. The case had originally involved 113 counts, with the jury acquitting on two, failing to agree on seven, and returning not‑guilty verdicts on 17 further counts.
A 16-year-old boy has been sent forward for trial at the Central Criminal Court charged with murder following the death of a 17-year-old in Claremorris, County Mayo. The deceased, Dovydas Jenkus, sustained injuries on December 19th of last year and subsequently died. The teenager appeared before Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy, who set a trial date of July 19th. The case will proceed to the Central Criminal Court this summer.
Abraham Turner, 47, of Cherry Grove, Walkinstown, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to burglary of cash and gold at Hatton Goldsmiths, Citywest Shopping Centre, on 16 January 2014. CCTV footage showed him jumping over the stall counter, prying a locked press open with a screwdriver and removing €1,050 in cash, gold worth €2,156 and two cheques totalling €750. Turner initially denied involvement but later admitted the burglary, saying he used the proceeds to pay a €1,500 drug debt from his heroin addiction. He has 106 previous convictions, including manslaughter (served five years, released 1991) and drug supply (served, released 2010). Judge Melanie Greally, acknowledging his substantial criminal record, imposed a three‑year suspended sentence, fully suspended on the condition that Turner completes a residential drugs programme. The sentence was given in full, with no custodial term imposed.
Bryan Ryan (31) of Louisburgh, Co. Mayo, has had his appeal against conviction for murder dismissed by the Court of Appeal. Ryan was convicted in 2013 of the murder of Ian Tobin at Fortlawn Park, Blanchardstown, on May 27, 2007. A jury at the Central Criminal Court returned a majority guilty verdict, and the mandatory life sentence was imposed in March 2013. Ryan's legal team had argued that gardaí possessed "an agenda" to obtain a confession and that admissions made during garda interviews should have been excluded from evidence. Mr Justice George Birmingham, delivering judgment today alongside two other judges, found the trial judge was best positioned to assess these matters and had properly viewed all video evidence. The court upheld the trial judge's findings that Ryan was not oppressed and admissions were not involuntary. The Court of Appeal affirmed the conviction as safe and rejected all grounds of appeal.
At Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Melanie Greally ruled that Anti-Austerity Alliance TD Paul Murphy and 18 other accused, including Dublin Councillor Kieran Mahon and Alliance Councillor Michael Murphy, must face separate trials on charges of false imprisonment, violent disorder, and criminal damage. The allegations stem from a water charges protest in Jobstown in November 2014, where it is alleged that violence delayed TD Joan Burton and her entourage for approximately two hours. Prosecutors argued that the 45-count indictment should be divided into manageable blocks, while the defence initially contested the court's jurisdiction to sever the case. Judge Greally determined she had the authority to alter the indictment, stating that trying all 19 defendants together would place unrealistic demands on jurors and exceed the physical capacity of the court complex. She ordered the accused be separated into groups relevant to the proposed evidence. The matter was adjourned to July 22 to allow for legal argument regarding the proposed groupings and to set trial dates. All accused were remanded on bail until that date.
An ex‑soldier aged 42 was found guilty by a military court of sexual assault and four counts of conduct contrary to good order and discipline at Aiken Barracks, Dundalk, on 30 October 2013. The conviction was delivered by a board of Defence Force members and a Military Judge, Colonel Michael Campion, who imposed penalties ranging from fines to detention and discharge. The case arose after a Military Police member entered the gym sauna and was told by the soldier that advance notice was required. She later claimed he followed her into the women's shower and that she felt threatened. She had made handwritten notes of the incident, which were allegedly shredded and not presented to the defence. The soldier's barrister, Roderick O'Hanlon SC, argued that the notes were destroyed, depriving the defence of evidence. The soldier has now opened an appeal, and the court has reserved judgment on the matter.
A man from Cavan pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault causing harm and attempted sexual assault following an incident at a McDonald's restaurant on Grafton Street in June 2014. Adrian Smith, aged 33, of Curkish, Bailieboro, entered a ladies' toilet where a woman was present and attempted to sexually assault her before punching her in the face when she screamed for help. Smith initially fled but later turned himself in to gardaí after his parents identified him on the RTE programme Crimecall in September 2014. Judge Patrick McCartan described Smith's actions as "sinister in the extreme" and noted the significant trauma caused to the victim. The judge expressed concern about Smith's claims of intoxication, stating his behaviour showed calculated deliberation. Smith, who has offered €10,000 in compensation and joined the Pioneer Association, was remanded on bail pending sentencing in July 2016.
Ross Allen, 25, was found guilty of manslaughter for his role in the killing of Christy Daly, a father of eight who lived alone on Bog Lane, Kilbride, Clara, Co Offaly. The Central Criminal Court jury, after nearly nine hours, returned a unanimous verdict of not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter. Allen acted as a lookout on 29 December 2013 while two Dublin gang members beat and shot Daly. The judge noted that Allen's intent was to cause injury, not death, and that the state of mind of the accused was central to the case. Allen had previously admitted to hiding a €30,000 bag of drugs near Daly's caravan and had been questioned by Gardaí about his intentions. He was remanded in custody pending sentencing on 18 July. The trial highlighted the gang's belief that Daly had taken the drugs and the subsequent violent confrontation that led to his death.
Petrica Lucaci, 26, was jailed for four years after a series of violent incidents on the M50 and at Dublin Airport. He abandoned his car at a toll booth, walked to the airport, hijacked a BMW and pursued a taxi driver, breaking red lights and driving against traffic. During the chase he struck three Gardaí, one of whom was cut behind the ear, and later assaulted two security officers at Beaumont Hospital. Lucaci pleaded guilty to unlawful seizure of a vehicle, attempted unlawful seizure, assault on Kevin O'Brien, assault on Garda Adrian McHugh, assault on two security officers, endangerment and dangerous driving. He had no prior convictions. Judge Terrence O'Sullivan sentenced him to five years with the final year suspended, banned him from driving for six years, and ordered anger‑management treatment under probation supervision. The judge noted Lucaci's hyper‑aggression and the physical and psychological impact on victims, including a five‑year‑old girl.
Three men—Declan Duffy (43), Daniel Kane (27) and Christopher Maguire (37)—were returned to the Special Criminal Court for trial. They face three counts of false imprisonment for an incident at The Towers, Garters Lane in Saggart on 9 June last year, and Duffy and Kane also face a charge of violent disorder for the same event. The court, presided over by Justice Paul Butler with Judges Alison Lindsay and Flann Brennan, ordered that the men be tried before the three‑judge, non‑jury court. The case is scheduled for mention again on 8 June.
A High Court jury in Co. Westmeath awarded €13,000 in damages to Fergal O'Rourke, 62, after finding he was assaulted during an arrest on 12 July 2009 at a checkpoint in Ballymore. O'Rourke alleged that Garda Darren Murphy kicked, grabbed his throat, punched him, and struck him with an implement while he was on the ground and handcuffed. He also claimed Garda Joanne McGhee did not assault or injure him. The jury, after more than three hours of deliberation, concluded that Murphy had negligently inflicted injuries and intentionally caused emotional distress, and that reasonable force was not used. McGhee was found not to have assaulted or injured O'Rourke. The award was made by Mr Justice Colm MacEochaidh. O'Rourke had previously pleaded guilty to a charge of failing to provide a specimen after his arrest. The case involved a three‑day trial with photographic evidence of his injuries.
In a Waterford abuse trial, a jury heard that a sex tape featuring the accused parents and another woman was found in the house. The father claimed the allegations were a result of "brainwashing" by the health board, stating the boy's accusations were implanted. The boy had previously alleged that his father raped him, sexually abused him with a hot poker, and forced him to have sex with his mother over several years from about age six. He also claimed his father filmed some incidents, held a gun to his head, and locked him in a box. The parents face 82 abuse charges from 2007 to 2011. Both pleaded not guilty to 16 counts of sexual exploitation and one child cruelty charge each, while the mother denied 16 sexual assault counts and the father denied 16 anal rape and 16 sexual assault with a poker.
In the trial of Ross Allen, a 25‑year‑old from Carrickmines, the jury was informed that a majority verdict could be accepted if unanimity could not be reached. Justice Patrick McCarthy instructed the panel of five women and six men that a ten‑to‑one majority would suffice. The jury had deliberated for five hours and 35 minutes before requesting to return the next day. One juror had been discharged earlier due to bereavement. The judge outlined that the verdict could be guilty of murder, not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter, or not guilty.
The High Court ordered the extradition of Simeon Cosmo Langford, a 33‑year‑old from Bristol, to the UK on four charges: attempted murder, grievous bodily harm, theft and alleged breach of release conditions after a prior conviction for grievous bodily harm. A European Arrest Warrant issued in August 2015 led to his arrest in Cork in August 2015. Langford was released on licence on 6 May 2015 and is alleged to have committed the offences between 2 and 11 June 2015, after which he allegedly absconded and travelled to Ireland on 13 June 2015 using a passport under the name Luke Gillespie. His barrister submitted an affidavit alleging ill treatment in UK prisons, but the judge found no evidence of inhuman or degrading treatment and rejected the appeal. The court therefore ordered his surrender to the UK, refusing leave to appeal. The decision was delivered by Justice Aileen Donnelly.
In a case heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Danilo Rodriguez, 44, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to Garda Niall Mulvaney. The incident occurred on June 10, 2015, when Rodriguez, after being directed to leave a bus lane, drove his van for 51 metres while a Garda's arm was trapped in the driver's window. The Garda was forced to run backwards as the vehicle moved at about 30 km/h. Sgt Anthony Collins reported that the Garda suffered nerve damage and tendinitis, remaining in pain and out of work for nine months. The court imposed a suspended two‑year prison sentence on Rodriguez, with the judge noting the Garda's fair treatment and Rodriguez's early guilty plea and remorse. The Director of Public Prosecutions withdrew a dangerous driving charge that would have carried a mandatory driving ban. The case highlighted the Garda's injuries and the court's decision to suspend the custodial term.
The Court of Appeal has provisionally fixed October 28 for two sets of proceedings concerning Ali Charaf Damache, an Irish-Algerian citizen wanted by US authorities on international terrorism charges. The Attorney General is appealing the High Court's May refusal to order Damache's surrender, a decision based on Justice Aileen Donnelly's finding of a real risk of inhuman or degrading treatment in the USA. Although Damache's barrister, Mark Lynam BL, stated that Damache is currently undergoing extradition proceedings in Spain following his arrest there, the Director of Public Prosecutions intends to proceed with the appeal. Simultaneously, Damache is appealing the severity of his sentence for sending a menacing phone call to Majed Moughni in January 2010. Damache initially pleaded not guilty at Waterford Circuit Criminal Court but pleaded guilty on the sixth day of his trial. He was sentenced to four years' imprisonment, with the final 12 months suspended, by Judge Donagh McDonagh on February 27, 2013. The State has argued this sentence appeal is moot given the extradition developments. Justice George Birmingham agreed to hear all matters on the same date. The US alleges Damache conspired with Colleen LaRose, known as "Jihad Jane," to create a terror cell and facilitate identity theft for Al Qaeda members. LaRose was jailed for ten years in 2014 for a plot to murder cartoonist Lars Vilks. If convicted in the US, Damache faces up to 45 years in prison.
A man was jailed for 20 years after pleading guilty to raping his disabled son and producing child pornography. Europol's international operation traced an Irish user, leading Garda investigators to locate the man via an IP address. A March 2015 search of his home uncovered 12,427 images, including 5,500 involving his son, aged six to seven at the time. He admitted two counts of rape, ten of sexual assault, three of sexual exploitation, two of production of child porn, and one of possession. Judge Tony Hunt noted the breach of trust was magnified by the son's disability and the father's intent to create material for distribution. He cited the man's early guilty plea and remorse as mitigating factors, ordering five years of post‑release supervision and backdating the sentence to April 2015. The judge expressed deep sorrow over the abuse of a disabled child.
A man from Armagh has been sentenced to nine years imprisonment at the Central Criminal Court following his conviction for sexually abusing his partner's daughter over a three-year period while the family lived in Monaghan. Darren Davidson, aged 37, was convicted in March 2016 of eleven counts including sexual assault with an object, sexual assault, and defilement. The offences occurred between 2008 and 2010 when the victim was aged thirteen to sixteen. Following interview with gardaí, Davidson emigrated to Australia but was subsequently arrested at Manchester Airport and extradited to Ireland. Mr Justice Robert Eagar imposed a ten-year sentence with the final year suspended, noting the victim displayed symptoms consistent with abuse by a trusted figure. He reduced the sentence from twelve years in light of Davidson's employment history and medical condition. The court ordered Davidson's registration as a sex offender. The adult victim, who waived anonymity, told the court she initiated the complaint to protect her siblings from further abuse.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing on May 9, 2016, Justice Patrick McCarthy instructed a jury of five women and six men to consider the state of mind of Ross Allen, 25, accused of murdering 47‑year‑old Christy Daly on December 29, 2013, at Bog Lane, Kilbride, Clara, Co Offaly. Allen pleaded not guilty. The judge explained that the jury could convict him of murder, find him not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter, or acquit him. He emphasized that the prosecution's case hinges on Allen's intent, based largely on statements he made while in custody in February 2014, where he said he expected to "give Mr Daly a few clouts" and "give him a beating." McCarthy warned that if Allen intended only to cause less than serious injury but the victim died, the charge would be manslaughter.
Gavin Guinan Cahill, 38, was sentenced to five years' imprisonment after he stabbed David Hawkins in the chest, cut his arm and then used a broken knife handle to cut Hawkins' neck during an attempted robbery on Aungier Street on 17 February 2014. Hawkins required lung re‑inflation and stitches for his chest wound. Guinan Cahill pleaded guilty to assault causing harm and two attempted robbery charges at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. He had 35 prior convictions, including a 2005 assault where he stabbed a man and threatened a taxi driver. At the time of arrest he had two knives on his leg. The judge, Melanie Greally, noted his long history of drug abuse and the serious risk posed to Hawkins, and imposed the five‑year term. No further outcomes or future actions are mentioned in the article.
In 2007, Kieran Lynch, aged 49, was convicted of murdering his partner Catherine McEnery and sentenced to life imprisonment by Mr Justice Paul Carney. Lynch had previously pleaded not guilty at a Galway Central Criminal Court hearing in July 2005. The couple had lived together for ten years and moved into Rose Cottage in Craughwell in June 2005; Ms McEnery was found dead in a bedroom on 17 July 2005. Lynch appealed in December 2013, arguing that the trial judge misdirected the jury on provocation and that fresh evidence of a near‑drowning experience and high‑dose medication should be considered. In July 2015, Mr Justice Donal O'Donnell quashed the murder conviction, citing misdirection on provocation. A retrial was ordered. On the day of the retrial, Lynch was arraigned, pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter, and was remanded in custody. Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy directed that a probation report be prepared for sentencing on 18 July.
Dubliner David Mahon, 45, was found guilty of manslaughter for the death of his stepson, Dean Fitzpatrick, 23, who was stabbed outside the apartment shared with Mahon's partner, Audrey Fitzpatrick, on 26 May 2013. The jury returned a majority verdict of 10 to 2 after eight hours and 16 minutes of deliberation, concluding that Mahon was not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter. The prosecution argued that Mahon, who was drunk, angry and agitated, thrust a knife into Fitzpatrick with deadly intent. Mahon claimed the death was accidental or a possible suicide, stating that Fitzpatrick had walked into the knife while they were arguing. The case was remanded for sentencing on 30 May 2016. The trial did not address any subsequent appeals or sentencing outcomes.
In the Central Criminal Court, 22‑year‑old Ross Allen was accused of murdering 47‑year‑old Christy Daly on 29 December 2013 at Bog Lane, Clara, Offaly. Prosecutor Patrick Marrinan argued that Allen, who had recently been released from prison and lived alone in a caravan, had hidden drugs and, after failing to retrieve them, set in motion a plan that involved a gang of armed men. Allen allegedly travelled with a Volvo, met with Dublin gang members, purchased tracksuits and a semi‑automatic machine gun, and later retrieved a hammer and a shotgun. The prosecution claimed Allen knew a serious assault would occur and that the use of a hammer and gun constituted intent to cause serious injury, sufficient for murder. Defence counsel Blaise O'Carroll counter‑argued that Allen's statements to Gardaí were made under duress, that he was not a hardened criminal, and that he had no intention to kill. Ross Allen pleaded not guilty.
In 2010, 30‑year‑old Shane Millea stabbed his cousin Paul Harris to death with a flick knife. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was originally sentenced to ten years, with two years suspended, on the condition he never possessed a knife again. Millea appealed in 2014, arguing that his immediate remorse, staying at the scene, contacting emergency services and attempting CPR were mitigating factors. The Court of Appeal agreed, reducing the sentence to eight years with the final three years suspended. The court noted that Millea had acted in self‑defence after Harris attacked him with an axe handle, and that the offence was not at the upper end of the scale. The appeal court set aside the original ten‑year sentence and imposed the revised eight‑year term with a suspended portion, subject to good behaviour for four years. The decision was made without reference to any subsequent developments.
The jury in the David Mahon murder trial resumed deliberations on whether the 45‑year‑old accused killed his stepson, Dean Fitzpatrick, who was 23. The case centers on a stab wound to Fitzpatrick's abdomen outside the apartment shared by Mahon and Fitzpatrick's mother, Audrey, at Burnell Square, Dublin. Mahon pleaded not guilty on 26 May 2013, claiming the death was accidental or a possible suicide. He said he and Fitzpatrick had argued after the latter took a water bottle from his bicycle, that Fitzpatrick had brandished a knife, which Mahon wrestled away and put in his pocket, then later displayed it to Fitzpatrick who allegedly walked onto it. The trial heard that Fitzpatrick ran downstairs, collapsed outside, and bled to death internally. The jury, composed of six men and six women, had spent seven and a half hours deliberating before lunch and will resume this afternoon.
A 17‑year‑old boy in State care was sentenced to four and a half years' detention for a series of robberies committed with a group of teenagers. Between 23 June and 15 November 2015 he pleaded guilty to seven robberies in Dublin city centre and Tallaght. The offences included the early‑morning robbery of three men on 23 June, a robbery of a Chinese man on 10 July, and a robbery of three women on 15 November. The boy had prior convictions for burglary, theft and drug offences. Judge Melanie Greally noted his difficult family background, periods of homelessness and influence from negative peer groups. She observed that when away from these influences he showed insight, remorse and shame. The judge imposed a five‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence with the final year suspended, giving a total of four and a half years' detention.
In May 2016 a 29‑year‑old man named Michael Brennan, who had a prior conviction for attempted murder, was seen by Gardaí chasing a group of people while armed with two knives. He pursued them to a parked car and appeared to try to open the door or stab the vehicle. Gardaí ordered him to drop the knives; he complied, threw them on the ground and was arrested. The incident stemmed from a family dispute and Brennan was reportedly relapsing into drug addiction at the time. He had previously pleaded guilty to possession of a knife at Cromcastle Drive, Kilmore, and had 67 other convictions, including intimidation of a witness and threats to kill. He was released in May 2015 after serving a ten‑year sentence for the 2007 attempted murder conviction. Judge Melanie Greally postponed sentencing to 14 July 2016 and ordered a probation report, noting Brennan's attempts at rehabilitation.
In a 2016 case, Fergal O'Rourke, aged 62, sued the State and the Gardai Commissioner for assault and battery after an arrest on 12 July 2009 at a Ballymore checkpoint. He alleged injuries, a lame leg, and nervousness following the incident. The Gardai denied excessive force, stating O'Rourke was arrested after his jeep performed a u‑turn at the checkpoint, left the vehicle, and attempted to escape. Garda Darren Murphy, one of the arresting officers, testified that he used his baton three times to secure O'Rourke, who was described as dishevelled, aggressive, and intoxicated. O'Rourke denied losing his temper or that the force was unreasonable. The trial before a jury and Mr Justice Colm MacEochaidh was ongoing.
The jury in the David Mahon murder trial spent over five hours deliberating on whether the 23‑year‑old accused killed his stepson, Dean Fitzpatrick, who was stabbed outside an apartment in Dublin. The State alleged Mahon was drunk, angry and intended to kill, while Mahon claimed the death was accidental or a possible suicide. The jury reviewed evidence including a knife Mahon said the deceased had pulled, a second knife found on Mahon's balcony, and CCTV footage of the night. They were instructed on the possible verdicts: guilty of murder, not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter, or not guilty. After the deliberation, the jury went home for a second night and will resume on Friday morning. The trial is still ongoing.
Jonathan Fitzgerald, 26, of Limerick, has lodged an appeal against his life sentence for the 2006 murder of Noel Crawford, a father of six, which occurred on Crawford's 40th birthday. The Central Criminal Court found Fitzgerald guilty of the shooting, a case of mistaken identity, and imposed a mandatory life term on 9 February 2011. In the Court of Appeal, his barrister Hugh Hartnett SC argues that the trial judge failed to treat prosecution witness Laura Kelly as an accomplice and to warn the jury about the dangers of convicting on her evidence. Hartnett contends that Kelly's testimony, alongside that of her partner Jonathan Kiely, was the sole evidence and that Kelly should have been on the same footing as Kiely. The Director of Public Prosecutions, Kerida Naidoo SC, counters that the judge had warned the jury of potential self‑serving motives in Kelly's testimony and that the evidence against Fitzgerald was strong. Jonathan Fitzgerald pleaded not guilty.