Reports that the Government intends to establish a second Special Criminal Court have surprised legal practitioners, despite existing legislation. The current non-jury court faces a significant backlog, with the earliest available trial date in June 2017. Establishing a second court requires new judicial panels, additional resources for the DPP and Gardaí, and a secure location, potentially Cloverhill, as the current Court 11 at the Criminal Courts of Justice is fully utilized. The court currently has 34 people before it and 19 fixed trials scheduled through early 2017. Notable recent proceedings include the July 2014 sentencing of Wayne Dundon and Nathan Killeen, who were convicted of the murder of Limerick businessman Roy Collins and jailed for life following a 29-day trial. Additionally, the trial of three men accused of the murder of dissident republican Peter Butterly collapsed in January after 55 days due to disclosure issues; the matter was adjourned for a retrial in January 2017, and the accused were released on bail. A separate 21-day trial of seven Dublin men accused of dissident republican membership ended with their acquittal earlier this year. The Special Criminal Court, established in 1972, has historically handled cases related to the Troubles and more recently dissident republican and gangland activity.
During the trial of Badri Khvedelidze, a 33‑year‑old Georgian national accused of murdering his compatriot George Tkeshelashvili in a Tralee direct provision hostel in October 2005, a witness named Adeyenka Sow Unmi, a 45‑year‑old Nigerian also living in the hostel, failed to identify Khvedelidze when shown his photograph. Unmi, who had been at the hostel on the day of the alleged incident, had reported hearing loud voices and seeing a fight in a corridor. He later told Gardaí that he saw a man with a knife walking toward him and that he could identify the man with the knife. When Gardaí presented him with eight photographs of people thought to be involved, he identified three men but did not identify Khvedelidze as having been at the scene. Badri Khvedelidze pleaded not guilty.
A 67‑year‑old man was sentenced to ten years in prison for raping and indecently assaulting his niece between 1986 and 1988. The Central Criminal Court heard that the abuse began when the niece was wearing her First Holy Communion dress. The man first touched her outside her underwear in 1986, then inside her underwear the following summer, and finally raped her in 1988. He pleaded not guilty to eight counts of indecent assault and three counts of rape, but was convicted on all eleven counts. Ms Justice Margaret Heneghan imposed a ten‑year sentence for the rape counts and five‑ and six‑year sentences for the indecent assault counts, all to run concurrently. The victim, now in her 30s, described the abuse as "far‑reaching and devastating," noting feelings of helplessness, shame, and ongoing trauma. The defendant, defended by Paul Greene SC, was described as a hard‑working family man with no prior convictions.
A man was jailed for using his 13‑year‑old daughter to produce child pornography between May and April 2010. He pleaded guilty to 19 offences of sexual assault, producing child pornography and allowing a child to be used in child pornography. The Dublin Circuit Criminal Court sentenced him to 11 years, with the final two suspended. On appeal, the Court of Appeal reduced the sentence to nine years, again suspending the final two years. The case was brought to court after the man's wife discovered pornographic photographs of their daughter on a digital camera and alerted the Gardaí. Gardaí found 1,150 images and 74 videos, including the man simulating sexual intercourse with the victim. The judge noted the man did not see anything wrong with his actions, describing them as "simply a bit of fun".
Two men, aged 22 and 24, were convicted of attempted rape, sexual assault and oral rape after a jury found them guilty in a 2012 trial for an alleged predatory gang rape in Cork. The men denied the charges. They were sentenced to ten years' imprisonment each in January 2013. Their appeals against conviction were dismissed in July, but they successfully appealed their sentences. The Court of Appeal reduced each sentence to ten years with the final 12 months suspended, citing rehabilitation considerations. The men were 16 and 18 at the time of the offence, and the victim was 31. The case involved a van with a mattress and four males present. The men were required to enter €100 bonds for good behaviour during custody and for three years after release. The article does not state any further legal developments.
During a murder trial in the Central Criminal Court, witness Givi Verdzeuli, 66, recounted that an argument over a game of backgammon at Westward Court hostel in Tralee led to the stabbing death of George Tkeshelashvili, 57. Verdzeuli described finding an overturned table with a backgammon board and dice on the floor after Tkeshelashvili had died. He said the conflict had started from that point. Badri Khvedelidze, 33, has pleaded not guilty to the murder. The defence is cross‑examining Verdzeuli.
During the murder trial of Badri Khvedelidze, witness Givi Verdzeuli (66) testified that on 15 October 2005 at Westward Court, Tralee, a dispute erupted when George Tkeshelashvili (57) insulted Khvedelidze's mother. Verdzeuli described seeing Tkeshelashvili thrust an open hand at Khvedelidze's mother, prompting Khvedelidze to ask why he was cursed. Khvedelidze then struck Tkeshelashvili in the chest, after which Verdzeuli observed blood gush and a knife appear in Khvedelidze's hand. Verdzeuli ran to fetch a towel, and when he returned Tkeshelashvili was on the ground, unable to stand. An ambulance was called but the parties opted for a taxi to the hospital, where Tkeshelashvili was still in distress. The trial proceeds before Justice Isobel Kennedy and a jury of twelve. Givi Verdzeuli pleaded not guilty.
Andrew Smith, 31, was jailed for two and a half years after punching a 72‑year‑old woman on her way home from mass. Smith was one of three men who attacked the woman on Oranmore Road, Ballyfermot, on 7 March 2015. The victim suffered two black eyes and cuts to her face and later described herself as hysterical and bleeding when she arrived at a Garda station. The court heard a history of animosity between the families. Judge Martin Nolan, taking into account Smith's good work history and anger‑management training, imposed the sentence. Smith pleaded guilty to assault causing harm and expressed remorse, offering an unqualified apology to the victim. The case was heard in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
A 'Devout Muslim' who attempted to murder his wife by bludgeoning her in the head with a kettle-bell has had his jail term reduced on appeal. Lounes Ouachek (45), of St Dominic's Terrace, Tallaght, Dublin 24, had pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to the attempted murder of Ruta Ouachek (35) at that address on August 23 2012. He was initially sentenced to 15 years imprisonment with the final three suspended by Mr Justice Paul Carney on July 21 2014. The Court of Appeal found that the sentencing judge erred in failing to take account of any other potential mitigating factors in Ouachek's favour and, accordingly, imposed a new sentence on him of 15 years imprisonment with the final four suspended. Mr Justice Edwards, who sat with Mr Justice George Birmingham and Mr Justice Alan Mahon, quashed the existing sentence and imposed the new sentence. Ouachek was required to enter into his own bond of €1,000 to keep the peace and be of good behaviour while in custody and for a period of four years post release. He was also required to comply with all directions of the probation service and to have no contact with the victim in perpetuity. The matter was adjourned.
A 33‑year‑old woman from Cork testified that a man, now 29, raped her at her home after a party. He slapped her, forced her to remove her pants, lie on her bed, and put her face in her pillow. She described repeated sexual acts, including anal and oral sex, and that he used a carrot during the assault. The incident occurred while her young son slept in a bedroom. The jury, after nearly four hours, found him guilty on counts of rape, anal rape, oral rape, aggravated sexual assault, sex assault and assault causing harm. He was found not guilty of an additional aggravated sexual assault charge. The judge declared him a sex offender, remanded him in custody pending sentencing, and excused the jurors from civic duties for ten years. The man had ten prior convictions, including imprisonment for breaching a barring order and assaulting his ex‑partner.
Michael McHugh, convicted of the 1985 murder of Garda Sergeant Patrick Morrissey, has lost a High Court action seeking his immediate release from prison. McHugh, with an address in County Armagh, was sentenced to death for the killing, which occurred following an armed robbery at Ardee Labour Exchange in County Louth. His sentence was subsequently commuted to 40 years penal servitude. McHugh argued he was entitled to credit for five months spent in pre-trial custody between July and December 1985, contending this entitled him to release after 30 years served. Mr Justice Paul McDermott dismissed the action, finding the court had no function in compelling the Minister for Justice to grant further sentence remission or commutation. The judge stated the Minister retained discretion to consider McHugh's claim but was not obliged to do so, and was entitled to consider the gravity of the offence. McHugh has served his sentence at Portlaoise Prison and is due for release in December. A related action remains pending before the High Court.
The murder trial of 33‑year‑old Badri Khvedelidze, a Georgian national, was halted after the jury was dismissed on the first day without hearing evidence. The case, involving the killing of fellow Georgian George Tkeshelashvili in Kerry on 15 October 2005, is set to resume at the Central Criminal Court on Wednesday. Khvedelidze has pleaded not guilty, and Justice Isobel Kennedy explained that such delays are not uncommon and thanked the jury for their punctuality.
The trial of Kenneth Cummins, 28, and Sabrina Cummins, 37, who are accused of murdering Thomas Horan, 63, at Cambridge Court, Ringsend, Dublin 4, on 6 January 2014, will continue in legal argument this week. Both defendants have pleaded not guilty. The jury is instructed to return to court next Tuesday morning for the resumption of evidence.
A jury was sworn in on 19 October 2015 for the trial of 33‑year‑old Georgian Badri Khvedelidze, charged with murdering fellow Georgian George Tkeshelashvili in Kerry on 15 October 2005. Khvedelidze pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin. The case will be heard by Justice Isobel Kennedy, with a jury of six men and six women, and is expected to last between seven and ten days.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing on 19 October 2015, James O'Brien, aged 22, was sentenced to two and a half years' imprisonment for the assault that caused the death of 20‑year‑old Dale Creighton. O'Brien pleaded guilty in June and the court found that he punched and kicked Creighton on a footbridge in Tallaght on New Year's Day, an attack that lasted about one and a half minutes. The sentence includes eighteen months suspended, leaving a custodial term of one year and a half. The court noted O'Brien's guilty plea, remorse, lack of prior convictions and efforts to rehabilitate as mitigating factors. The case also involved seven other Dubliners charged in connection with Creighton's death, but the summary focuses on O'Brien's individual sentence as stated in the article.
Darren Murphy, 38, of Passage West, Cork, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2014 for the murder of Olivia Dunlea, a mother of three, at her Pembroke Crescent home on 17 February 2013. He admitted unlawfully killing her and setting her house on fire, claiming he did not want the children to find her. Murphy pleaded not guilty to the murder charge but guilty to the arson charge. The Central Criminal Court jury, after four hours of deliberation, found him guilty of murder and the judge imposed the mandatory life sentence. He has now filed an appeal on four grounds, including alleged misdirection by the trial judge regarding the defence of provocation. The Court of Appeal will reserve judgment and deliver a decision as soon as possible. The appeal concerns only the conviction, not the sentence. The case remains at the appeal stage.
In a case at the Oktoberfest Beer Festival in Dublin, 30‑year‑old Wicklow IT worker Mark McDermott struck Michael Purcell, knocking him unconscious. McDermott, who was at the festival with a gay friend, claimed he believed Purcell was part of a group heckling his friend. Defence counsel Luigi Rea BL argued that McDermott's belief, whether right or wrong, led to the assault. McDermott pleaded guilty to assault causing harm at the festival on 26 September 2014. Judge Martin Nolan found no legitimate provocation and, noting McDermott's €45,000 annual IT salary, imposed an 18‑month suspended sentence and ordered him to pay over €4,000 to Purcell within a year. Purcell suffered a concussion, intracranial haemorrhage and was discharged from hospital after initial treatment, later returning with nausea and light‑headedness. The court would decide the fate of the payment if Purcell refused it.
Lee McDonnell (24), the appellant, appeared before the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court during an appeal regarding his sentence for escaping from lawful custody on Tyrconnell Road, Inchicore on December 17, 2015. McDonnell admitted to the charge and pleaded guilty. The court heard that he had previously been serving a nine-year sentence for aggravated burglary, during which he broke into a house, assaulted a man with a replica gun, stole a car, and later robbed a petrol station using the stolen vehicle. His sentence was extended by two years earlier this year, pushing his release date to September 2021. During the appeal, Judge Martin Nolan imposed an additional ten-month sentence, extending his release date to 2022. The judge stated that the sentence must be consecutive to his current term and that there is no maximum sentence for escaping custody. McDonnell was not affected by any remission for good behaviour but was deprived of leisure activities, visits, and the right to wear his own clothes for 56 days. The matter was adjourned following the proceedings.
A 32‑year‑old man, Gary Walsh, was tried for the murder of former Dublin rugby captain Cathal Sweeney, aged 62, who died on 8 February 2014 at a flat in Terenure. The jury, after five hours and 27 minutes of deliberation, could not agree on a verdict, with at least ten jurors dissenting. Judge Patrick McCarthy accepted the lack of consensus, thanked the eight men and four women, and excused them from service for ten years. The case will be retried by a new jury on 24 April 2017, with Walsh remanded in custody on the same terms. The prosecution presented evidence of intoxication, a fight, and blunt‑force trauma as the cause of death, while the defence had pleaded not guilty and later a plea of manslaughter that was not accepted by the State. The trial highlighted the presence of two other men in the flat, including witness Colm Campbell.
UK national Daniel Rains has lost his appeal against a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for assaults committed at Club Lapello in Dublin. Rains, a 31-year-old electrician from Manchester, had previously pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assaulting a 21-year-old Mauritian national causing him harm, assault causing harm to another customer, and common assault on two security men on January 26, 2014. Judge Martin Nolan originally sentenced him to two-and-a-half years imprisonment on February 20, 2015. In dismissing the appeal, Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan, sitting with Mr Justice John Edwards and Mr Justice Alan Mahon, stated the sentence was not excessive. The court noted the victim suffered a fractured cheekbone requiring permanent plates and a scar. Although Rains apologized and cited intoxication, the Court of Appeal upheld the trial judge's decision to place the offence on the higher end of the scale and to refuse suspension of any part of the sentence. The court also affirmed the trial judge's refusal to order compensation, as the victim had rejected the offer. Counsel for Rains argued the nightclub breached its duty of care by continuing to serve him alcohol, but the prosecution countered that Rains voluntarily consumed the drinks. The appeal was dismissed, leaving the original custodial sentence intact.
The jury in the trial of 32‑year‑old Gary Walsh, charged with murdering former Dublin rugby club captain Cathal Sweeney, is set to resume deliberations tomorrow. Walsh, who lives at Ravensdale Park, Kimmage, pleaded not guilty to the murder of Sweeney, aged 62, who was killed at a house in Terenure on 8 February 2014. He had previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter at the Central Criminal Court, but that plea was not accepted by the State. The jury began deliberating at 10.55 am, spent almost four hours, and will reconvene at 10 am tomorrow under Justice Patrick McCarthy.
David O'Brien, aged 63, was sentenced to four and a half years' imprisonment for indecent assault of six boys during Scout camping trips between 1975 and 1980. He pleaded guilty to ten counts of assault in Dublin, Kilkenny and Cork. The court noted that each offence could carry a maximum of two years under the law at the time, but imposed three consecutive two‑year sentences and suspended the final 18 months, resulting in an effective custodial term of four and a half years. O'Brien, a former postman, admitted to unzipping sleeping bags, fondling private parts, forcing masturbation and inserting fingers into a boy's anus. He has no prior convictions and has lived in social isolation since the abuse. Victim impact statements highlighted long‑term depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts caused by the assaults. The judge emphasised that O'Brien used his position of trust and authority to plan and premeditate the offences.
The trial of 32‑year‑old Gary Walsh, charged with murdering former Dublin rugby club captain Cathal Sweeney, has progressed to the jury's deliberations. Walsh, who lives in Ravensdale Park, Kimmage, pleaded not guilty to the murder charge but had earlier pleaded guilty to manslaughter at the Central Criminal Court; that plea was not accepted by the State. Judge Patrick McCarthy instructed the jury of eight men and four women that the prosecution must prove every element of the murder charge beyond a reasonable doubt, and that the accused has the right not to give evidence. He explained that a murder conviction requires proof that the accused unlawfully killed the victim with intent to kill or cause serious harm. The judge urged the jury to remain impartial and to adopt any doubt in favour of the accused. Deliberations will begin at 10 a.m. tomorrow morning.
In the murder trial of Kenneth Cummins (28) and Sabrina Cummins (37) for the killing of Thomas Horan (63) at Cambridge Court, Ringsend, a witness testified that he heard a woman's voice say "where's the wallet" early on the morning of January 6th. The witness described CCTV footage showing the Cummins siblings near the pub Sally's and later at Horan's bedsit, with Kenneth allegedly running out of the court and hiding behind a car. He also identified the Cummins as being present at the back door of the bedsit around 4.45am, when a commotion was heard. The witness, a neighbour, reported hearing the exchange and the disturbance that followed. The trial, presided over by Mr Justice Tony Hunt, is scheduled to continue next week with a jury of twelve. The defendants have pleaded not guilty. The case is expected to last three weeks.
Eamonn McCall, a 42‑year‑old former US Marine from Carlow, was convicted at the Central Criminal Court of indecent assault and attempted rape of his niece between 1990 and 1993. The original 12‑year sentence, with two years suspended, was reduced on appeal to 10 years, with the suspension unchanged. His concurrent 10‑year sentence for indecent assault was also reduced to eight years. The Court of Appeal, citing a prison governor's report and McCall's willingness to participate in a sex offenders programme, maintained post‑release supervision arrangements. The case involved four offences: oral rape, digital penetration, forced masturbation and attempted vaginal rape, with the victim aged between seven and eleven at the time of the acts. The appeal decision was delivered by Mr Justice George Birmingham, joined by Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan and Mr Justice John Edwards. The reduction was made without altering the suspended portion or the effective custodial term. Eamonn McCall pleaded guilty.
During the murder trial of Kenneth Cummins (28) and Sabrina Cummins (37) at the Central Criminal Court, the State Pathologist, Professor Marie Therese Cassidy, presented evidence that Thomas Horan (63) died of asphyxia at his home in January 2014. She described external bruises and abrasions on Horan's face, neck, trunk, arms and legs, and noted a red, congested face and eye, indicating asphyxiation. Internal findings included a fractured left cheekbone, 14 fractured ribs, and fluid in the airways consistent with vomit. Cassidy suggested the injuries could result from blows to the head and chest combined with strangulation or neck compression, and that the death was rapid. The Cumminses pleaded not guilty, and the trial proceeded the following day before Mr Justice Tony Hunt and a jury of twelve.
In the trial of 32‑year‑old Gary Walsh, charged with murdering former Dublin rugby club captain Cathal Sweeney, the defence counsel Brendan Grehan SC argued that Walsh was "a million miles away from intending to commit murder." Walsh pleaded not guilty to murder but had pleaded guilty to manslaughter, a plea the State rejected. The prosecution, led by Patrick McCarthy SC, maintained that Walsh's multiple punches and the resulting bruising and lacerations proved an intention to kill, citing the victim's frailty and the pathologist's findings. Grehan countered that Sweeney's health conditions, including blood clotting medication and past strokes, made him unusually vulnerable, and that the assault lacked a weapon or clear intent to kill. He urged the jury to consider the case as manslaughter rather than murder, noting the absence of a cold‑blooded motive and the victim's medical predispositions. The judge was set to charge the jury at 12 am.
A 35-year-old man from Roscommon has had his prison sentence reduced on appeal following his conviction for sexual offences against a child. He had pleaded guilty at Roscommon Circuit Criminal Court to six counts of defilement of a child and one count of sexual assault occurring over five months in 2011. The original sentence of nine years, with the final three suspended, was imposed in June 2014. The Court of Appeal found an error in how the sentencing judge had structured the penalty and imposed a new net sentence of five years imprisonment, with the final twelve months suspended. Mr Justice John Edwards, delivering judgment, outlined how the offences began when the man, then in his early thirties, became friendly with the girl through family connections. The abuse escalated over time and only ended when the girl's mother discovered text messages and reported the matter to gardaí. The court accepted evidence of remorse and low reoffending risk.
Patrick Bassett, 80, of Glanmire, Cork, was jailed for 4 years after pleading guilty to 22 counts of indecent assault on a 10‑year‑old boy and one count against the boy's brother in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Court of Appeal, hearing on 13 October 2015, suspended the final 12 months of his sentence, citing his early guilty plea and the fact that the abuse was systematic, involving daily acts of masturbation, oral sex and an attempted buggery. The judge noted the victims' vulnerability, their lack of a father figure, and that Bassett had inserted himself as a surrogate. The suspended period is to be followed by 12 months of post‑release supervision, a €100 bond, and probation service oversight. Bassett denied remorse and had been assaulted in prison by a younger inmate. The decision was made by Justices Birmingham, Sheehan and Edwards.
During a murder trial, Deputy State Pathologist Dr Michael Curtis testified that former Dublin rugby club captain Gary Walsh (32) was not guilty of murder but had pleaded guilty to manslaughter, a plea not accepted by the State. Dr Curtis described the post‑mortem findings of Cathal Sweeney, aged 62, who died on 8 February 2014. Sweeney was found to have sustained severe blunt‑force trauma to his head and face, with extensive bruising, lacerations to the forehead and upper face, fractures of the nasal and left cheek bones, and a small collection of blood on both sides of the hemispheres. The injuries were attributed to heavy punches, and the presence of Warfarin therapy and high alcohol levels were noted as contributing factors to the profuse haemorrhage and cardiac arrest that led to death.
In the murder trial of Kenneth Cummins (28) and Sabrina Cummins (37), the jury heard that the 63‑year‑old Thomas Horan was found hunched in a foetal position at his Cambridge Court home in Ringsend on 6 January. Garda Darren Coughlan, who responded to a 5 am call, reported that Sabrina Cummins, in black clothing and agitated, called to say she had found her friend dead. Fireman Micheál Carroll described arriving to a poorly lit room, finding Horan between the bed and a cluttered cabinet, with a jacket on top of him that had been placed there. He noted no pulse or breathing, a deathly pallor and a blue‑grey colour, concluding the victim had been deprived of oxygen for some time. Sergeant Peter Holmes recounted meeting Sabrina at 5:14 am, who insisted on seeing Horan and claimed she last saw him at 7:30 pm the previous evening. Kenneth Cummins pleaded not guilty. Sabrina Cummins pleaded not guilty.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, Kenneth Cummins (28) and Sabrina Cummins (37) pleaded not guilty to the murder of Thomas Horan (63) on 6 January. Prosecutor Remy Farrell alleged the pair entered Horan's Ringsend home early that morning to rob him, then killed him to conceal the robbery. He described Horan as severely beaten, with a rope around his neck, a bag over his head, and an attempted poisoning with cleaning fluid. Evidence would show head, neck and chest injuries consistent with a savage beating. The Cumminses were arrested two days after Horan's body was discovered. A 999 call by Joanna, later identified as Sabrina Cummins, reported the body to authorities. Garda Ciaran Sweeney, on patrol at 5 am, met the accused and noted her claim that Horan was a "foster father" to her. Kenneth Cummins was absent from the trial by request, a decision the judge accepted without prejudice. The trial continues.
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 a 1991 manslaughter sentence and a 2004 drug supply conviction. He has been waiting six weeks for a place at the Tiglin residential drug treatment centre. Judge Melanie Greally adjourned his sentencing to 16 December 2015 so he can secure a treatment place.
Jonathan Douglas, aged 30, was convicted of murder after shooting Aidan Bryne 10 times in Dublin in 2010 and received a mandatory life sentence. He pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court, but a jury found him guilty after an 11‑day trial. The prosecution argued Douglas had been hired to kill Bryne, who was a front‑seat passenger in a Toyota Corolla driven by another man. Douglas allegedly waited for the car, then fired 10 bullets into the passenger window, killing Bryne. The court heard that Bryne died from multiple gunshot wounds, with eight bullets exiting his body and two remaining inside. Douglas has now filed an appeal, challenging the trial judge's handling of witness statements from his step‑niece and her boyfriend, who had initially implicated him but later recanted. The appeal was opened in the Court of Appeal, where the judge will consider whether the judge's treatment of the statements was correct. The case remains pending.
James O'Brien, 22, of The Mill, Baltinglass, Co Wicklow, pleaded guilty in June to assaulting 20‑year‑old Dale Creighton on New Year's Day on Saint Dominic's Road, Tallaght. Creighton, who had been at a house party on New Year's Eve 2014, was attacked by a group of people as he was returning to the party. O'Brien was present for less than a minute, approached Creighton from a silver Volkswagen Passat, and punched and kicked him. CCTV showed O'Brien striking Creighton, who managed to get to his feet and was again assaulted by others. Creighton was taken to Tallaght Hospital and died. O'Brien has no previous convictions. The court will impose a sentence next Monday and remand him on continuing bail.
Kevin Coughlan, aged 33, was sentenced to eleven years' imprisonment with three years suspended for manslaughter after a murder conviction was quashed. The case involved the death of Francis Greene, who was forced by Coughlan to the River Shannon on 28–29 November 2009. A jury had found Coughlan guilty of murder in 2011, but the Court of Appeal overturned the conviction in June 2015, citing unsatisfactory evidence from the Deputy State Pathologist, Dr Khalid Jaber, who had not disclosed that Greene had been strangled before drowning. The appeal substituted a manslaughter verdict. Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy imposed the sentence, crediting Coughlan for a guilty plea and for time already served, and noted his prior criminal record of robbery and burglary. The sentence will run from 10 June 2010, with the suspended portion effective after the term ends. Kevin Coughlan pleaded not guilty.
The High Court has authorised a man to be tried for the fourth time on 14 counts of rape and sexual assault alleged to have occurred in the late 1960s and 1970s. The man, whose identity is withheld for legal reasons, denies all allegations. He was first tried in 2012 before the Central Criminal Court, where the jury could not reach a verdict. A second trial in 2013 ended when the judge discharged the jury. A third trial in 2014 was abandoned after a dispute over the prosecution's disclosure of documents. A fourth trial date was set, but the man sought judicial review to stop it, arguing that a fourth trial breached his rights under the European Convention on Human Rights and that a failure by the State to fully disclose had undermined his confidence in the process. The Director of Public Prosecutions opposed the review.
Paddy McCann, 67, a homeless alcoholic described by the court as a "complete nuisance to society," was sentenced to ten months' imprisonment for sexually assaulting a 17‑year‑old girl at a Dublin bus stop on 20 September 2014. McCann pleaded guilty at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Garda Daragh O'Brien reported that McCann had approached the girl, asked her personal questions, and after making her sit beside him, rubbed her hand and demanded a kiss. He repeatedly kissed her face and later, while on the bus, tried to prevent her from boarding the upper level, kissing her again before she escaped. CCTV footage from the bus was later used to arrest McCann on 6 November 2014. McCann claimed the incident was "only kisses" and apologized, citing his intoxication. The judge described him as delusional and a nuisance to society. The case involved no prior sexual offence convictions among McCann's 303 minor convictions.
The Central Criminal Court adjourned the trial of Kenneth Cummins (28) and Sabrina Cummins (37) to Monday. The siblings, who live at Ringsend Park, Dublin 4, pleaded not guilty to the murder of Thomas Horan (63) at Cambridge Court, Ringsend, Dublin 4 on 6 January 2014. Judge Tony Hunt thanked the jury of seven women and five men for agreeing to serve on a potentially five‑week case, offered them a substantial exemption from future jury service, and reminded them to base their verdict solely on the evidence presented.
A Dublin man, Peter Harte, aged 26, received a three‑year suspended sentence for a ten‑minute violent attack on two passengers, Pedro Mendez and Gabriella Leon, on a bus in July 2014. Harte, who had 11 prior convictions mainly for alcohol‑related offences, launched the assault after a disagreement over a seat. The attack involved head‑butting, kicking and punching, and Harte threatened to kill Mendez. The victims suffered bruising, blurred vision and other injuries. Judge Desmond Hogan imposed 240 hours of voluntary community work, participation in the Restorative Justice Programme, and possible drug, alcohol and anger‑management programmes. Harte was also ordered to transfer €1,500 he had raised as a token of remorse to the victims. The sentence was suspended, with no custodial time imposed. The case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Peter Harte pleaded guilty.
Michael Bonner, a 43‑year‑old barman from Laurel Lodge, Castleknock, pleaded guilty in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault causing harm after stabbing Gary Dawnay twice in the shoulder with a steak knife. The attack occurred on 14 August 2013 at Hayworth Terrace, Ongar, when Bonner discovered Dawnay in bed with his ex‑partner. Dawnay suffered a collapsed lung and a sliced thumb. Judge Desmond Hogan found the offence serious but noted little pre‑meditation, describing the assault as a frenzied, disproportionate reaction. He imposed a three‑year suspended sentence, ordered Bonner to attend an alcohol treatment programme, and required the €3,000 he had raised as a token of remorse to be paid to Dawnay. The court did not read the victim impact statement. Bonner was arrested after being restrained by a group of people, and he admitted the stabbing and apologized. He had reportedly drunk eight or nine pints that night.
In the trial of Gary Walsh, 32, accused of murdering former Dublin rugby club captain Cathal Sweeney, the jury heard that Walsh claimed he had done everything that night to keep Sweeney alive. Walsh pleaded not guilty to murder but had pleaded guilty to manslaughter, a plea the State did not accept. On February 9, 2014, Walsh gave a statement to Garda officers in which he said he had not intentionally harmed Sweeney and expressed remorse, stating that the incident would ruin his life. He also said he had wiped blood from Sweeney's face and put trousers on him before the ambulance took him to St James's Hospital. The court heard that Sweeney's glasses were left on his face. The trial continues.
Darren Byrne, 34, of Harelawn Avenue, Clondalkin, was convicted of assaulting a man at The Village Inn, Clondalkin, on 23 June 2012. He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court and was sentenced to three years' imprisonment by Judge Martin Nolan on 24 February 2015. Byrne's appeal against the severity of the sentence was dismissed by Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan on 8 October 2015. Sheehan noted that CCTV showed the victim speaking to Byrne before Byrne punched him, and that the victim was later grabbed by the neck and had part of his ear severed. The victim suffered ongoing anxiety, depression and career impacts. Byrne had no prior violent convictions, had been on medication for depression, and had a history of heroin use and mouth cancer. The Court of Appeal found no error in the sentencing decision and upheld the three‑year term.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Shane O'Connor, aged 34, pleaded guilty to assaulting a prison officer while attempting to throw warm water at a fellow inmate. The incident occurred on 25 September 2013 at Mountjoy Prison when Officer Leon Maguire was refilling jugs of hot water for inmates. O'Connor rushed past Maguire, aiming to throw the water at prisoner Keith Hughes, with whom he had a prior disagreement. Maguire tried to restrain O'Connor and was struck on the forehead by the water jug, sustaining a laceration that required one stitch at Mater Hospital. O'Connor, who was serving a four‑year robbery sentence, had 29 prior convictions including assault, criminal damage, knife possession, robbery and theft. He was undergoing drug rehabilitation at Tiglin Centre and was complying with its conditions. The judge adjourned the case to January 2016 for a probation report.
In the trial of Gary Walsh, 32, accused of murdering former Dublin rugby club captain Cathal Sweeney, the defence counsel challenged a witness's account of the alleged assault. Walsh pleaded not guilty to the murder but had pleaded guilty to manslaughter, a plea the State rejected. Taxi driver Michael McGuinness testified that Sweeney had alcohol problems and was a regular at the Terenure Inn. The prosecution's statement described a confrontation in the flat's sitting room, with Walsh allegedly punching Sweeney multiple times. Witness Colm Campbell, a friend of Sweeney, claimed he saw Walsh repeatedly hit Sweeney in the bedroom, describing a violent struggle lasting about 30 seconds. The defence argued that Campbell's testimony was fabricated, asserting that the alleged assault did not occur in the bedroom and that Campbell was attempting to distance himself from the events. The trial remains ongoing.
During the trial of Gary Walsh, 32, accused of murdering former Dublin rugby club captain Cathal Sweeney, the jury heard that Walsh initially told Gardaí Sweeney had arrived at a Terenure flat "in an assaulted state" and had "dropped unconscious." Walsh pleaded not guilty to murder but had pleaded guilty to manslaughter, a plea the State rejected. Prosecution witnesses included Thomas Doolin of the Dolphins Barn Fire Brigade, who reported that when he asked the two men in the flat what had happened to Sweeney, both said Sweeney had arrived thirty minutes earlier with injuries. Bryan Mullen, a general nurse, testified he had tried to resuscitate Sweeney for fifteen minutes and observed severe head injuries and bleeding. Gardaí Stephen Pendred and John Walsh recounted that Walsh, wearing blood‑soaked tracksuit bottoms, was the main speaker while the third man, Colm Campbell, remained quiet. Pendred noted Walsh's agitation and numerous questions about Sweeney.
Craig Boothman, 23, was sentenced by the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to a total of three years for a series of offences. He pleaded guilty to robbery at Shay's Pharmacy, a robbery of a Spar shop, criminal damage and burglary of an off‑license in Irishtown, and assault causing harm and criminal damage to a taxi. Each offence was committed while he was on bail for the previous one. Boothman had 27 prior convictions, including burglary, theft, assault and drug possession, dealt with at District Court level. The judge noted Boothman's violent behaviour when intoxicated but also his prospects if he remained clean. Boothman was arrested less than a week after the pharmacy robbery, where he used a knife to threaten a cashier and fled with the tills. He has been clean of drink and drugs since entering prison in March and has a job waiting for him in his grandfather's pub upon release.
Patrick Smith, aged 20, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for his role in a pre‑planned, savage attack on Ian McKenna outside the Central Bank on 9 September 2013. Smith and three other men dragged McKenna to the ground, kicked and punched him, and one of them stabbed him eight times, causing life‑threatening injuries. McKenna had a machete with him, which he claimed was for protection after a prior prison assault. Smith pleaded guilty to violent disorder at the Central Bank and to robbery at Ladbrokes on 13 January 2012, for which he was on bail. He has 80 previous convictions. The judge noted Smith's admissions and cooperation but also his long criminal history, and sentenced him to consecutive terms totalling two and a half years. The other three men are due for trial. The article does not report any further outcomes.
Ceraldo Eyken, 45, of Chaplin Court, Clondalkin, was acquitted by a jury of assault causing harm to prison officer Gareth Sheeran at Cloverhill Prison on 11 April 2009. The incident occurred just before tea‑time when inmates were carrying empty trays down the stairs. Eyken claimed he was defending himself from a fellow prisoner who had pushed him down the stairs seconds earlier. Officer Sheeran, who now works at the Dóchas Centre, was injured when a meal tray was thrown at him, severing a tendon in his wrist and causing permanent nerve damage. Eyken denied the assault charge, stating he had no intention to hit an officer and was angry after an earlier altercation with another inmate. The jury returned its verdict in just under an hour after a two‑day trial. The case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court before Judge Sarah Berkeley.
During the murder trial of Gary Walsh, a 32‑year‑old Dublin man, the jury heard that the victim, former rugby club captain Cathal Sweeney, was found lying on the bedroom floor of a Terenure flat on 8 February 2014. Paramedic Coleman Gilligan testified that he was called at 17.32 by the Dublin Fire Brigade to attend a male in cardiac arrest. He entered the flat, saw an intoxicated man pointing toward an open bedroom door, and a second man in his early thirties—identified as Walsh—squatting in the doorway. Walsh repeatedly shouted, "Help him, help him," as Sweeney lay on the floor with blood on the bedclothes and walls. Gilligan began resuscitation, then moved Sweeney to St James's Hospital on a spinal board. The trial continues. Gary Walsh pleaded not guilty.