A consultant psychiatrist has told the Central Criminal Court that Stephen Silver, who stands accused of murdering Garda Colm Horkan with the officer's own firearm, displayed behaviour consistent with his personality rather than mental illness during garda interviews. Professor Harry Kennedy said the accused showed no regret or sympathy for the deceased and appeared angry and self-pitying, but these responses could be attributed to the stress of arrest. The psychiatrist stated that Mr Silver had developed "learned impunity" through a long history of disruptive conduct in Castlebar and surrounding areas, leading him to expect no charges would follow his actions. Mr Silver, aged 46, a motorbike mechanic from Aughavard in Foxford, County Mayo, has pleaded not guilty to capital murder but guilty to manslaughter. The shooting occurred at Castlerea, County Roscommon, on 17 June 2020. The trial, before Ms Justice Tara Burns, continues with the jury's focus on the accused's state of mind at the time of the incident.
In August 2021, 17‑year‑old Sean Squires stabbed a young man in the cheek and leg after the victim tried to intervene in an argument between Squires and his girlfriend on a Dublin bus. The incident began when the victim and his girlfriend noticed Squires and his girlfriend arguing; the girlfriend became emotional and threatened the victim's girlfriend, who slapped her. The victim and his girlfriend left the bus and called the police. Squires followed them, produced a knife and stabbed the victim. He was arrested shortly thereafter while attempting to board another bus. Squires, now 19, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm and producing a knife. He has no prior convictions. The case is set for sentencing next week, with the court remanding him in custody pending finalisation on March 13.
The trial of Michael Scott, 58, who denies murdering his 76‑year‑old aunt Chrissie Treacy by reversing an agricultural teleporter, heard that a person the same height as Ms Treacy would have been visible from the vehicle's cabin. Garda Eoin O'Connor, a forensic investigator, analysed sight lines for a 1.62‑metre tall person in the cabin and found that such a person would have been visible to the front, left and rear left, with no complete blind spot. He noted that the boom to the right reduced visibility on that side. O'Connor also mapped the yard, described the teleporter's layout, and placed a mannequin to investigate blind spots. He reported that Ms Treacy's height was 1.62 metres (5'4"). The trial continues with further evidence before Ms Justice Caroline Biggs and a jury. Michael Scott pleaded not guilty.
Two men, Stephen Mulvey (31) and Jamie Berry (27), have gone on trial at the Central Criminal Court for the attempted murder of a 17‑year‑old teenager shot multiple times on Eugene Street, Dublin 8, on 24 February 2021. The prosecution alleges the attack was a "well‑planned and premeditated hit" carried out by a joint enterprise of three individuals. Berry is accused of firing the Beretta pistol that wounded the teenager in the neck, cheek and leg, while Mulvey is alleged to have assisted. Berry is also charged with criminal damage to a home on Eugene Street, where a bullet passed through a front door and shattered a cooker's glass. Both men are charged with possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life. The case is presented as a circumstantial one, relying on CCTV footage, forensic evidence, and the recovered weapon, with the trial continuing before Justice Eileen Creedon.
Charlie Cunningham, 24, of Kellys Bay Heights, Skerries, was sentenced to two years' imprisonment at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for demanding money with menace at a garda's home in Donabate on 1 January 2021. He knocked on the door at 4.30 pm, asked for a specific person, and when the homeowner – who identified himself as Garda Sean McIllroy – denied the request, Cunningham returned and repeated the demand. He threatened that a group of men would break doors and windows and, after leaving, told the homeowner, "Now I know you're a garda, you're cooked". The homeowner followed him to the road, saw a group of six or seven men, and called the gardai. Cunningham pleaded guilty, cooperated with investigators, and apologized. He has eight prior convictions, including assault causing harm. Judge Martin Nolan noted the seriousness of the offence and the lack of sufficient mitigation to avoid custodial punishment, and imposed the two‑year sentence.
Ross Hutch, aged 30, pleaded guilty via videolink at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to two separate offences committed in August 2021. On 22 August, he allegedly slashed the face of his ex‑partner's boyfriend with a knife at Sheriff Street Lower, causing serious harm. The following day, 23 August, he allegedly assaulted his then girlfriend at The Holyhead Hostel on Gardiner Street, causing harm. The court heard that Hutch had been denied attendance at his child's communion for security reasons and that the slashing incident occurred as the boyfriend was leaving a pub in Dublin City centre. CCTV footage reportedly captured the assault on his girlfriend the next morning. Prosecutor Fiona McGowan requested victim impact statements for the two victims and others named in the indictment. Judge Martin Nolan set a sentence hearing for 29 March, remanded Hutch in custody, and vacated his earlier trial date. The case remains pending sentencing.
A Donegal man has received a fully suspended sentence following his conviction for sexually assaulting his partner while she slept at their family home in February 2018. The 31-year-old pleaded guilty to sexual assault at the Central Criminal Court after two jury trials ended in disagreement on a more serious charge. Mr Justice Paul McDermott imposed a sentence of two years and six months, suspended in full, citing the guilty plea entered at the earliest opportunity, the man's lack of previous convictions, and assessed low risk of reoffending. The judge set a headline sentence of four years before mitigation. The victim told the court the offence had devastated her life and sense of security. Justice McDermott ordered three years of probation supervision and imposed a condition that the man have no contact with the woman. He also commended the complainant's courage in pursuing the case and cautioned against community attitudes that might target her.
At the Central Criminal Court in Dublin, a murder trial heard evidence concerning Stephen Silver's mental state in the hours before the fatal shooting of Garda Horkan at Castlerea, County Roscommon on 17 June 2020. Silver's sister, Marian Bruen, testified that she recognised her brother was unwell during a telephone call on 16 June 2020 and that the family planned to have him admitted to a psychiatric hospital. Dr Brenda Wright, interim clinical director at the Central Mental Hospital, gave evidence regarding her psychiatric assessment of Silver, who is aged 46 and from Aughavard, Foxford, County Mayo. The prosecution highlighted apparent inconsistencies in Silver's accounts, including a statement he later acknowledged as untrue when interviewed by consultant psychiatrist Professor Harry Kennedy. Silver has pleaded not guilty to capital murder but guilty to manslaughter. The trial, before Ms Justice Tara Burns, centres on Silver's mental capacity at the time of the shooting.
Douglas Glynn and his brother Anthony Glynn pleaded guilty at the Special Criminal Court to charges related to the possession of ammunition and drugs for an organised crime gang. Douglas Glynn admitted to conspiracy to possess 335 rounds of ammunition and various calibres of ammunition, as well as conspiracy to possess cocaine and cannabis valued over €13,000 for sale or supply. Anthony Glynn pleaded guilty to possessing the ammunition and drugs for an organised crime gang. The court heard that gardaí seized 20kg of cocaine, cannabis, and ammunition from a Dublin 15 business park in March 2017. Evidence included encrypted phone messages using code words for drugs and firearms, which identified Douglas Glynn as a manager of the operation. Douglas Glynn is already serving a six-and-a-half-year sentence for his role in a foiled Kinahan Cartel plot to murder James 'Mago' Gately, for which he was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years with the final year suspended. Mr Justice Hunt adjourned the matter to March 16 for sentence finalisation.
A 78‑year‑old pensioner with more than 200 prior convictions was sentenced to three years' imprisonment for sexually assaulting a 16‑year‑old girl on public transport in County Dublin. He pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault on 14 February 2020 and to one count of public masturbation on 12 February 2020. Judge Martin Nolan imposed a three‑year term for the assault and a six‑month term for the public masturbation, both to run concurrently and back‑dated to 19 February 2020 when the defendant was remanded. The court noted the victim's fear and anxiety after the incident, which lasted about eight minutes, and the impact on her schoolwork. The defendant, who is married with two sons, has further convictions pending for a separate matter later this year. The judge emphasised that the court's role is punishment, not preventative detention. The sentences are to be served in custody.
A 49-year-old man from Westport, County Mayo has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his wife by reason of insanity at the Central Criminal Court. James Kilroy is charged with murdering Valerie French Kilroy, aged 41, at their home in Kilbree Lower between June 13 and 14, 2019. Ms French Kilroy, an occupational therapist employed by Mayo Mental Health Services, was a mother of three originally from County Cork. A jury of ten men and two women was sworn in to hear the trial before Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring. The court heard that witnesses are primarily from the Castlebar and Westport areas. The trial commenced and is expected to conclude by the end of the month.
At the Central Criminal Court, Martin Doyle, aged 53, of Esker, Knock, County Mayo, was convicted following trial of two counts of rape and 25 counts of sexual assault. The offences comprised the rape of his wife on two occasions in May 2009 and once in November 2011, and systematic sexual assault of his daughter between 2004 and 2011 while the family resided in County Meath and subsequently County Sligo. Justice Caroline Biggs imposed a sentence of twelve and a half years imprisonment, with two years post-release supervision to follow. The court heard evidence of assaults occurring in domestic settings and at Lough Gara, Gurteen. Doyle maintained his not-guilty plea throughout proceedings. The judge noted the absence of remorse while acknowledging his work history and lack of previous convictions as mitigating factors. She described the abuse as a systematic pattern causing near-complete destruction of the child victim's childhood. Martin Doyle pleaded not guilty.
Three men – Glen Keegan (41), Karl Keegan (31) and Thomas McAllister (48) – pleaded guilty to two counts of assault causing harm at Killinarden Heights, Tallaght, on 25 April 2017. The attack involved a balaclava‑clad armed group that struck an orange car carrying two children, damaged two motorists' vehicles, and caused a taxi driver to lose his car. The men had a combined 78 prior convictions. Judge Pauline Codd sentenced Karl Keegan and McAllister to four years' imprisonment, suspended in full on strict conditions, and Glen Keegan to a three‑and‑a‑half‑year term, also suspended. The judge noted the men's remorse, their progress in rehabilitation, and the family's forgiveness. No jail time was imposed, and the men were required to pay €6,000 as a token of remorse. The case was heard in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 6 March 2023.
A 51‑year‑old pizza delivery driver, Earl McKevitt, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of 19‑year‑old Conor O'Brien, who was shot once in the chest on the evening of 26 August 2021 while McKevitt was delivering a pizza to O'Brien's studio in Enfield. McKevitt admitted to shooting the teenager after failing to read the delivery instructions and claimed that shooting people was part of his job. He was also found guilty of possessing a firearm and a knife on 31 August 2021 at the Talbot Hotel in Carlow, where he had retrieved the gun. Concurrent sentences of seven‑and‑a‑half years and two years were imposed for the firearm and knife offences. McKevitt's life sentence was back‑dated to 31 August 2021, the date he entered custody.
The Court of Appeal has reserved judgment in a miscarriage of justice application by Declan Tynan, who was cleared of violent disorder after spending 11 months in custody. Mr Tynan, who pleaded not guilty to alleged violent disorder at a Tallaght bookmakers in 2012, was initially found guilty by a jury and sentenced to four years' imprisonment with the final year suspended in January 2017. His subsequent appeal was dismissed, but his conviction was quashed in April 2018 after another man came forward claiming responsibility. Counsel for Mr Tynan argued there was a "substantial and fundamental failure of process" due to the non-disclosure of an email exchange between Gardaí that identified potential suspects, which they alleged skewed the trial. The State's counsel contended that the identification evidence remained valid and that no grave error in the administration of justice was proven. The court allowed a seven-day window to determine if the man who came forward will give evidence before delivering its decision.
At the Central Criminal Court, a psychiatrist gave evidence that Stephen Silver displayed behaviour indicative of mental illness during garda interviews following the fatal shooting of Garda Colm Horkan at Castlerea, Co Roscommon on 17 June 2020. Dr Brenda Wright, interim clinical director at the Central Mental Hospital, told the court that Silver's conduct during five interviews was facetious, contemptuous and hostile, with incongruent and erratic behaviour including grandiose ideas and disinhibited actions. She stated that Silver's mental state at the time was consistent with a manic relapse of bipolar disorder caused by non-compliance with medication, and that this illness impaired his thinking and judgment. The psychiatrist noted Silver's belief that his companion was in MI6 and other indicators of psychological distress. Silver, aged 46, from Aughavard, Foxford, Co Mayo, has pleaded not guilty to capital murder but guilty to manslaughter. The trial continues, with the jury's main consideration being Silver's state of mind at the material time.
Patrick Kinsella, aged 44, of St Ronan's Gardens, Clondalkin, was sentenced to four years' imprisonment for endangerment, assault causing harm and driving without insurance after a 2022 incident in which he dragged a homeless woman beside his car. Kinsella, who has 174 prior convictions, had offered the woman a ride and later drove off with her. During the journey an argument erupted when the car hit a kerb and punctured a tyre. Kinsella blamed the woman, threatened to kill her, and sped up as she tried to leave, dragging her alongside the vehicle. Garda Kian Logan observed the woman hanging from the passenger door; she sustained soft‑tissue injuries to her left foot and right ankle. Kinsella pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, where Judge Martin Nolan, noting his guilty plea, remorse and work history, imposed a four‑year sentence back‑dated to 21 June 2022 and a four‑year driving disqualification.
Martin Maughan, aged 30, was sentenced to 20 months in prison by the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for assault causing harm and criminal damage. He attacked his pregnant former partner, who was five months pregnant, with an electric cord, a lamp, and his fists, causing soft‑tissue injuries to her arms, head and shoulder. The assault lasted about an hour and included kicking, punching, whipping, and striking her head against a wall. Maughan had previously pleaded guilty to the charges and had 26 prior convictions, including 11 public‑order offences. He was known to have alcohol and mental‑health issues. The court noted his guilty plea and remorse as mitigating factors, but also highlighted the aggravating factor of the victim's pregnancy. The sentence reflects the seriousness of the attack on a pregnant woman in her own home.
The Workplace Relations Commission ruled that a van driver's coughing incident during the Covid‑19 pandemic was not alone sufficient for dismissal, but his subsequent defamatory Facebook post was. Piotr Prezbiela was accused of an act of physical assault when he allegedly coughed or spat in the face of a colleague on 8 October 2020 at Bedroom Elegance Sales Ltd. Prezbiela claimed he only coughed into his hand as a joke and did not cough into the colleague's face. The company's disciplinary and appeals officers accepted his account of the coughing. Prezbiela was also investigated for refusing to wear a mask and for a negative post on social media. He denied coughing at the colleague, later admitted pretending to cough as a joke, apologized, and said he understood the dangers. The investigation found gross misconduct, and the dismissal was upheld on appeal.
Michael Scott, 58, denies murdering his 76‑year‑old aunt Chrissie Treacy. He was said to have been "enraged" when a letter from her solicitor suggested a land division at their jointly owned farm in Derryhiney, Portumna. Witness Joseph Carty testified that Scott reacted angrily, saying "this will end badly." Scott later told Gardaí he was "in fair debt," having spent about €120,000 on sheds, a silo and fencing. State Pathologist Dr Linda Mulligan testified that Treacy died almost instantaneously, within seconds, of being run over by an agricultural teleporter, with no evidence of assault before the crush injuries. The trial heard that the farm was held as tenants in common, with each party owning 50 % of every blade of grass. The case continues before Ms Justice Caroline Biggs and a jury. Michael Scott pleaded not guilty.
A man with ninety previous convictions has been sentenced to four years imprisonment at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court following an assault in the city centre. Jonathan Donovan (37) pleaded guilty to assault causing harm after the State accepted the lesser charge in lieu of the original allegation of assault causing serious harm. The incident occurred on Gardiner Street on 13 February 2022, when Donovan attacked a man, inflicting a fifteen-centimetre wound extending from ear to cheek. The victim sustained ten injuries, including chest lacerations resulting in internal bleeding, and was hospitalised with no recollection of the attack. Gardaí identified Donovan through CCTV footage and recovered evidence linking him to the assault. His criminal history includes previous convictions for assault causing serious harm and assault causing harm. Judge Martin Nolan imposed the sentence, which was backdated to February 2022 when Donovan entered custody, noting the vicious nature of the attack and his established pattern of serious violence.
The trial of David Lawlor, Martin O'Toole, Paul Beirne, and Patrick Sweeney continues before Judge Martina Baxter and a jury. The four defendants, who have pleaded not guilty to 53 charges including aggravated burglary, false imprisonment, arson, robbery, and animal cruelty, face allegations of a violent attack on security guards at a property in Falsk, Co Roscommon, in December 2018. Witness Ian Gordon testified that he was forced at gunpoint to eat dog faeces and identified Lawlor's voice during the incident. Under cross-examination, Gordon acknowledged his former service with the Ulster Defence Regiment and admitted his security company, GS Agencies Ltd, operated without a company licence, for which he previously entered a guilty plea. Defense counsel suggested Gordon was mistaken in identifying Lawlor, but Gordon maintained he was 100% certain of the identification. The State alleges a group of approximately 30 armed men assaulted four guards, set fire to vehicles, and beat a guard dog unconscious. The defendants are charged with criminal damage, assault causing harm, and violent disorder. The matter is currently at the trial stage, with proceedings ongoing.
Jonathan Whelan, aged 48, was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison for a prolonged assault on his neighbour. The victim was beaten, stripped to her underwear, repeatedly forced to vomit and threatened with death. Whelan also took her keys, ransacked her apartment, and demanded money. He and a friend used a metal rod, a knife, scissors and a razor blade to threaten and beat her for hours. The assault took place in Whelan's flat on North Great Charles Street, Dublin 1, on 4 April 2021. He had previously pleaded guilty to assault causing harm and to possessing cannabis for sale, receiving four‑year and four‑and‑a‑half‑year sentences respectively, which ran consecutively. The court reduced the headline sentence to eight and a half years on mitigation. The case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 1 March 2023.
Derek Kavanagh, 48, turned himself in after RTÉ's Crimecall aired CCTV of him assaulting a homeless woman on James Street, Dublin 8, on 7 May 2022. He claimed he was approached, panicked, and thought he was being mugged, leading him to punch and choke the victim, who was living in hostel accommodation. Kavanagh admitted the woman was not threatening and had kept a reasonable distance. He pleaded guilty to assault and causing harm, and was given a three‑year fully suspended sentence. He paid €2,000 in compensation and was ordered to pay an additional €3,000 within six months, to be given to the victim or a local charity if she declined. The court noted his remorse, lack of prior convictions, and his efforts at anger‑management and alcohol‑abuse courses. The judge considered his mitigating circumstances and deemed him unlikely to reoffend.
A psychiatrist has given evidence at the Central Criminal Court regarding the mental health history of Stephen Silver, aged 46, of Aughavard, Foxford, County Mayo, who is charged with the murder of Garda Colm Horkan at Castlerea, County Roscommon on June 17, 2020. Dr Brenda Wright, interim clinical director at the Central Mental Hospital, testified about multiple hospital admissions spanning from 2010 to 2019, during which Mr Silver experienced psychotic episodes, paranoid delusions, and aggressive behaviour. Dr Wright told the jury that in interviews conducted after the shooting, Mr Silver described experiencing disturbed sleep, increased alcohol consumption, and paranoid thoughts in the days preceding the incident. Regarding the shooting itself, Mr Silver stated he believed he was struggling for his life and that Gda Horkan had a weapon. Dr Wright concluded that Mr Silver's mental capacity was significantly impaired at the time of the shooting. Mr Silver has pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. The trial continues before Ms Justice Tara Burns.
In a drunken altercation in Dublin's Temple Bar on 11 August 2021, a 16‑year‑old girl, later identified only as a minor, used a broken vodka bottle to slash a woman's face, leaving a two‑inch cut. The incident began when the girl and a friend approached a group of young adults for a cigarette, which was refused. A member of the group pushed the girl, causing her to fall and break the bottle. In the ensuing melee, she struck the woman with the broken bottle. Gardaí found the girl intoxicated and she was taken to a garda station for a responsible adult to collect her. She pleaded guilty to one count of assault causing harm to a woman. Judge Martin Nolan ordered a peace bond until July, stating that if the Probation Service deems her suitable, she will be sentenced to community service.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, solicitor Brendan Hyland testified that he had represented Chrissie Treacy and her brothers for decades, and in 2017 he wrote to Michael Scott urging him to stop threatening and intimidating Treacy over a 42‑acre farm she rented to Scott. Hyland described how Scott had interfered with the letting of the land, damaged fencing, and threatened Treacy's home help, and warned that legal action would follow if he did not cease. He also detailed a dispute in which Scott's solicitor claimed an agreement that Treacy's land would pass to Scott upon her death, which Hyland denied. Treacy's death in 2018, allegedly by Scott's alleged deliberate running over her, is the subject of the trial, with Scott pleading not guilty. The court heard Hyland's evidence on the land dispute and the threats he had documented. The hearing will continue before Ms Justice Caroline Biggs and a jury.
A 76‑year‑old pensioner from the southwest, whose identity is protected, has lodged an appeal against a six‑year conviction for sexually abusing three of his granddaughters, aged eight to eleven. He was found guilty on all 13 assault charges by a unanimous jury at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court in June 2021, with a two‑year suspended sentence. The appeal argues that no evidence justified the long gaps between the abuse and the girls' complaints. The first granddaughter reported inappropriate touching to her teacher in January 2014 and to Gardaí in 2016; the second and third girls made complaints in 2016 after confiding in a school friend. The appellant's counsel contended that the court had no basis to assess the reasonableness of the delays, citing a "doctrine of recent complaint." The judge noted that reasonableness, not speed, should guide the assessment, and the court would reserve judgment. The unnamed man pleaded not guilty.
Four men are standing trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 53 charges arising from an alleged attack on security personnel during a property repossession at Strokestown, County Roscommon, in December 2018. Patrick Sweeney of Ramelton, County Donegal, Martin O'Toole of Claremorris, County Mayo, Paul Beirne of Boyle, County Roscommon, and David Lawlor of County Meath have each pleaded not guilty to charges including aggravated burglary, false imprisonment, assault causing harm, arson, criminal damage, violent disorder, robbery and animal cruelty. A security guard testified that approximately 30 masked individuals arrived at the property armed with weapons, assaulted four security staff, set vehicles alight and fatally injured a guard dog. The witness further told the court of previous hostile encounters with one of the defendants at other eviction sites. The trial is ongoing.
Anthony Byrne, 28, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to a 16‑year‑old boy on 4 January 2022 at Camden Lock, Ringsend, Dublin 4. He struck the boy with a baseball bat, hitting him on the left side of his face, head, legs and left middle finger, causing a swollen lip, fractured finger and bruising. The boy was treated at St Vincent's Hospital and required finger surgery. Byrne was identified by CCTV, arrested and admitted the assault. He claimed he feared a trespasser and wanted to protect his family, but the footage showed no intruder. Byrne has three prior convictions, including two minor drug offences. The court, led by Judge Orla Crowe, deemed the act "very serious" and adjourned the case to 6 June for a probation report and risk assessment. The boy expressed fear and worry about a repeat incident. Byrne offered an apology and requested a suspended sentence. The court will consider these factors before sentencing.
A forensic psychiatrist has told the Central Criminal Court that Stephen Silver, accused of murdering Garda Horkan in Castlerea, County Roscommon, in June 2020, previously experienced psychotic symptoms at the "extreme end" of bipolar affective disorder. Dr Brenda Wright, interim clinical director at the Central Mental Hospital, gave evidence that Mr Silver, aged 46, a motorbike mechanic from Foxford, County Mayo, was diagnosed with manic psychotic symptoms during a 2003 hospital admission. She outlined multiple psychiatric admissions, voluntary and involuntary, during which Mr Silver exhibited extreme agitation, made threats to staff, and refused medication. A 2006 incident saw him barricaded in his apartment with a sword wearing combat gear. Dr Wright testified that Mr Silver's mental capacity was significantly impaired at the time of the shooting. Mr Silver has pleaded not guilty to capital murder but guilty to manslaughter. The trial before Ms Justice Tara Burns continues, with the jury to determine his state of mind at the material time.
A trial date of 24 June 2024 has been set at the Central Criminal Court for Andrei Dobra, 33, accused of murdering 30‑year‑old Ioana Mihaela Pacala on 12 November 2022 at River Walk Court, Ratoath. Dobra, who lives at River Walk Court, Fairyhouse Road, Ratoath, is charged with the murder. His defence, represented by Shane Michael Kelly BL, has requested an interpreter. Psychiatric reports are still pending, with updates expected in March. The judge has scheduled case management for 5 July, requiring all disclosure by that date.
In a case heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, 33‑year‑old Daragh Houlihan pleaded guilty to robbery after assaulting his pregnant girlfriend at her home. The incident began while she was cooking; Houlihan entered the kitchen, demanded a knife she was holding, and a one‑minute struggle ensued. He then seized her phone, demanding the unlock code, and pushed her onto the ground. He left the apartment, later pursued her to retrieve the phone, during which he struck her with his leg and threw her phone over a wall before fleeing. The victim, distressed, reported the assault to Gardaí and was later taken to Mater Hospital. Houlihan admitted stealing the phone but denied violent conduct, citing a belief the victim might stab him. He is scheduled for sentencing later this year, with a probation report and urine analysis ordered for the next court date on 19 June.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, a 71‑year‑old man was sentenced to nine years' imprisonment, with the final year suspended, for raping and sexually abusing his younger sister from childhood until a final assault when she was heavily pregnant. The court heard that the man began raping his sister when she was 14, fearing pregnancy, and continued indecent assault until she met her future husband. He stopped raping her at that point but assaulted her again in 1983, when she was pregnant. The jury convicted him of 69 counts of indecent assault and rape between 1964 and 1973. The judge noted the victim's repeated attempts to report abuse were dismissed and she was beaten. The defendant, who has no prior convictions, accepted the verdicts but denied rape, and the court found little remorse or insight into his offending. The sentence was imposed with a suspended final year under strict conditions.
A forensic psychiatrist has told the Central Criminal Court that Stephen Silver's mental capacity was significantly impaired at the time Garda Colm Horkan was shot dead at Castlerea, County Roscommon on June 17, 2020. Dr Brenda Wright, interim clinical director at the Central Mental Hospital, gave evidence during Mr Silver's trial that she interviewed the accused on three occasions between August and September 2020. She outlined his extensive psychiatric history, including multiple hospital admissions since 1998 and a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder. Dr Wright stated that when Mr Silver became unwell, he displayed severe psychotic symptoms. A character witness from Castlebar confirmed he had known Mr Silver for 28 years and had observed concerning changes in his behaviour prior to his hospitalisation. Mr Silver, aged 46 of Aughavard, Foxford, County Mayo, has pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. The trial before Ms Justice Tara Burns continues.
Paul Hendrick, aged 75, pleaded guilty to two counts of indecent assault against a male at the Christian Brothers' School in Westland Row between May 1980 and July 1981. He appeared before the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, where Judge Patricia Ryan set a sentence hearing for 24 May and remanded him on bail until that date.
Stephen Rabbitte, 36, was sentenced to 16 years in prison with the final year suspended for the attempted murder of his partner, Audrey Reddin, on 10 April 2021. The court heard that Rabbitte strangled Reddin in bed, then stabbed her in the neck with a knife, leaving the tip embedded in her spine. He also used a slash hook to strike her, causing a broken arm and other injuries. Reddin suffered a broken nose, broken teeth, a stab wound to her left hand, and ongoing pain and PTSD. Rabbitte had pleaded guilty and had a letter of apology. He had 51 prior convictions, including assault and knife possession, and was on a suspended drug sentence at the time of the attack. The sentence was back‑dated to 12 April 2021 and he will appear in Galway Circuit Court on 7 March for reactivation of his suspended sentence.
Vincent Brady, 34, was sentenced to five years in prison for two unprovoked assaults on homeless men in Rathmines, Dublin, on 19 May 2021. Brady, who admitted to smoking crystal meth that day, used a Stanley blade to slash a Romanian homeless man across the face in church grounds, leaving a six‑centimetre wound that required five stitches. Within about 45 minutes he attacked a second victim near the canal, pushing him into the water and later slicing him across the back of the neck and head, causing blood to drip down his neck. Brady was arrested shortly after the second attack, identified by CCTV and the victim, and had 21 prior convictions. Judge Martin Nolan, noting Brady's violent history and intoxicated state, imposed the five‑year sentence, back‑dated to his earlier custody, and highlighted the lasting impact of the victims' scars. Vincent Brady pleaded guilty.
Karl Dalton, 32, was one of three men who violently robbed a businessman of high‑value phones outside the victim's home in Lucan, Dublin, in February 2019. The robbery involved a stabbing attempt and a wheel‑brace strike, and the victim was shouted "kill him" at the scene. Dalton's fingerprints were found on the victim's car, linking him to the crime. He pleaded guilty to robbery and was sentenced by Judge Melanie Greally to six years' imprisonment, with the final 18 months suspended and a 12‑month probation order. The phones, worth €11,000–€12,000, were not covered by insurance. Dalton appealed the sentence, arguing for greater mitigation, but Judge George Birmingham dismissed the appeal, upholding the original six‑year term and noting Dalton's extensive criminal history and the seriousness of the robbery.
An unnamed 49-year-old father has failed in his appeal against a conviction for sexually assaulting his young daughter. The appellant, who pleaded not guilty to 15 counts of sexual assault alleged to have occurred in Co Leitrim between 2006 and 2012, was convicted by a jury on a single count of forcing the girl to touch his penis. He was sentenced to four years and 10 months by Judge Francis Comerford at Carrick-on-Shannon Circuit Criminal Court in September 2021. The jury could not reach a verdict on the other 14 charges. In his appeal, the appellant argued that the conviction was unsafe due to inconsistencies in the victim's evidence regarding her age and the timeline of the abuse, as well as an inadequate judicial warning on the lack of corroborative evidence. The three-judge court, led by Ms Justice Úna Ní Raifeartaigh, dismissed the appeal. The court found that while inconsistencies existed, they were not exceptional enough to prevent the matter from going to the jury, noting that the jury's inability to agree on the other 14 counts demonstrated they were aware of contradictory evidence. The court also rejected the argument regarding the corroboration warning, stating it was unusually strong and had not been objected to at trial. The conviction and sentence stand.
Stephen Silver, a forty-six-year-old motorbike mechanic from Aughavard in Foxford, County Mayo, is on trial at the Central Criminal Court accused of the capital murder of Garda Colm Horkan at Castlerea, County Roscommon on 17 June 2020. Mr Silver has pleaded not guilty to capital murder while knowing or being reckless as to whether the garda was acting in accordance with his duty, and has pleaded guilty to manslaughter. During cross-examination, prosecution counsel Michael Delaney SC questioned Mr Silver's assertion that a woman he was with prior to the shooting was connected to MI6, suggesting the claim had been invented to strengthen his defence. Mr Silver denied this, stating he had genuinely experienced such thoughts. The court heard evidence regarding Mr Silver's psychiatric history, previous incidents involving gardaí, and his pattern of non-compliance with medication following hospital discharge. Mr Silver maintained he did not know the deceased was a garda and stated he had been defending himself. The trial, before Ms Justice Tara Burns, continues.
Michael Scott, 58, of Gortanumera, Portumna, pleaded not guilty to the murder of his aunt, Ms. Treacy, outside her home on 27 April 2018. The trial heard that Scott had perfect vision in his left eye but a severely weakened right eye, which his brain had largely ignored, a fact established by optometrist Trina Staunton. Staunton explained that a single good eye can suffice for a driving licence and that the brain's neglect of the weaker eye limits peripheral vision when reversing. Scott allegedly deliberately ran over Ms. Treacy while reversing an agricultural tractor, an act the prosecution claims stemmed from a long‑running land dispute. Witnesses described prior damage to electric fences, a strained rental relationship, and a history of conflict over land ownership between Scott and Ms. Treacy. The case is before Ms Justice Caroline Biggs with a jury of fifteen.
Inita Romanovska, a 36‑year‑old single mother from Latvia living in Ennis, was charged with attempting to murder Stephen O'Flaherty after an incident at an apartment complex on Henry Street, Limerick, on 11 March 2020. The original indictment included a charge of attempted murder, but at the court's mention she pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of intentionally trying to cause serious harm. The case had been delayed for over two years due to a pandemic‑related backlog. Her defence barrister, Mr Michael Bowman SC, informed Judge Paul McDermott that Romanovska could be arraigned on the second count of the indictment. The judge accepted a request for a pre‑sentence report and directed a victim impact report. Romanovska remains on bail, with her trial date vacated and a sentencing hearing scheduled for 23 May. The incident involved a man she had met on Tinder, and they had gone on several dates but were not in a relationship.
John McClean, a former Terenure College rugby coach, was sentenced by Judge Martin Nolan to four years' imprisonment, to run consecutively to an existing eight‑year term for abusing 23 pupils. The new sentence covers 23 additional counts of indecent assault and sexual assault against 20 boys between 1971 and 1992, bringing the total to 22 complainants. McClean, aged 78, has 96 prior convictions for indecent assault of boys under 18. The judge noted that no one intervened to stop the abuse, which occurred over a 20‑year period in the school's office, physiotherapy room and a private "smoking room." McClean's guilty pleas and expression of remorse were considered mitigating factors, but the judge emphasised the prolonged nature of the abuse and the trust he abused. The sentence will begin in February 2027, after his current term is served, and he will be 84 upon release.
A security guard has given evidence to Dublin Circuit Criminal Court regarding an alleged assault at a rural property in Roscommon on 16 December 2018. The witness, who owns a security company, described the moment a dog in his care was struck with a baseball bat during the incident. He told the court that a group of approximately 30 to 40 men arrived at the farmhouse in the early morning, some wearing balaclavas and high-visibility clothing, and that he feared for his life as the assault unfolded. Four men have pleaded not guilty to 53 charges in relation to the incident, including aggravated burglary, false imprisonment, assault causing harm, arson, violent disorder, robbery and animal cruelty. The defendants are Patrick Sweeney from Ramelton, County Donegal; Martin O'Toole from Claremorris, County Mayo; Paul Beirne from Boyle, County Roscommon; and David Lawlor from County Meath. The trial before Judge Martin Baxter continues.
Michael Scott, 58, of Gortanumera, Portumna, pleaded not guilty to the murder of his 76‑year‑old aunt Chrissie Treacy, who was run over by his vehicle outside her home in Derryhiney on 27 April 2018. The Central Criminal Court heard that a witness, Robin Deasy, described Scott as having an "almost childlike" obsession with land and cattle, and that he was motivated only by land. Deasy recalled that Scott had told him he could not "handle that woman at all" and that he had been upset about the land dispute. The prosecution alleged that Scott deliberately ran over his aunt following a long‑running dispute over land. Scott's lawyers said the death was a tragic accident. The trial is before Ms Justice Caroline Biggs with a jury of seven men and eight women. The case remains at the trial stage.
Stephen Silver (46) of Aughavard, Foxford, County Mayo, has pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter in connection with the death of Garda Colm Horkan at Castlerea, County Roscommon, on 17 June 2020. At the Central Criminal Court, Mr Silver gave evidence describing how he discharged the garda's weapon repeatedly during a struggle, stating he believed the officer was an assailant attempting to harm him. He told the jury he continued firing until ammunition was exhausted. The prosecution challenged his account, suggesting he was aware Garda Horkan was a member of An Garda Síochána and arguing that his conduct that evening, including remarks made in the Knockroe estate, indicated an intention to provoke police intervention. The central issue for the jury concerns Mr Silver's state of mind at the time of the incident. Evidence regarding his mental health history, including a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder, has been presented. The trial continues before Ms Justice Tara Burns and a jury of twelve.
At a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, a 60‑year‑old former Terenure College pupil described the school as "a very safe place for paedophiles" and recounted the daily bullying, humiliation and sexual abuse he endured at the hands of former rugby coach and teacher John McClean. McClean, aged 78, admitted to sexually assaulting 20 boys between 1971 and 1992 and is currently serving an 11‑year sentence, with the final three years suspended, for abusing 23 pupils. Victims testified that McClean used his positions as form master, rugby coach, French and English teacher, and his private office or physiotherapy room to prey on children, often under the pretext of treating sports injuries. Several survivors spoke of lasting mental health problems, substance misuse, relationship breakdowns and job loss caused by the abuse. McClean's guilty pleas included 23 counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual assault. The court adjourned the case for sentencing to the following day.
Bernard Fogarty, 35, of Coolock, Dublin 5, pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of Mark Ivers at a Special Criminal Court hearing. The incident occurred on September 6, 2019, at Streamville Road, Donaghmede, where Mr Ivers sustained gunshot wounds to his leg and abdomen. Mr Justice Tony Hunt adjourned the sentencing hearing to March 30 to allow time for a victim-impact statement to be prepared. Fogarty had previously been convicted of the murder of Barry Wolverson and assault causing harm to Gerard Wildman. In December 2021, the Special Criminal Court found both Fogarty and Robert Redmond, 35, of Kilbarrack, Dublin 5, guilty of the murder of Mr Wolverson, who died in February 2021 after a 13-month coma following a shooting in Swords, Co Dublin. Both men had pleaded not guilty to the murder charge, which was upgraded from attempted murder after Mr Wolverson's death. They were also found guilty of assault causing harm to Mr Wildman, who was shot in the lower back during the same incident. Both convicted men received mandatory life sentences for the murder. The court heard a victim impact statement from Lindsay Wolverson, who stated the family's lives had changed forever and that Mr Wolverson's children now live without their father.
A 35-year-old man from Baldoyle who was found not guilty of attempted murder by reason of insanity has been assessed as not requiring inpatient care at the Central Mental Hospital. The Central Criminal Court heard on Wednesday that the man, charged with stabbing his former employer at The Elphin Pub on the Baldoyle Road in Sutton in January 2021, currently displays no symptoms of mental disorder. Consultant psychiatrist Dr Servaise Winkel told the court that inpatient treatment is not presently necessary, a view supported by Dr Stephen Monks, a consultant forensic psychiatrist engaged by the Director of Public Prosecutions. The court made no further order. The accused had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to the attempted murder charge and faced additional charges of assault causing harm and production of knives. The jury's verdict was delivered following evidence that the man had been experiencing paranoid delusions in the weeks prior to the incident.