In a murder trial, Daniel Murtagh, aged 34, demonstrated to the jury how he struck Nadine Lott, a 30‑year‑old beautician, on the ground in her Arklow home. He described using a tyre‑pump charger cable, wrapped around his knuckles, to deliver blows. Murtagh claimed he had boxed for years and could handle heavy weight, yet admitted he "went too far." Garda evidence noted Lott's left face was severely swollen, her left eye shut, and she suffered blunt‑force and stab injuries. An intensive‑care nurse testified she was "completely unrecognisable." Lott never regained consciousness and died three days later. Murtagh pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter, stating he had no intent to seriously injure her and that he had only used his fists. The jury heard his final interview, where he expressed remorse and claimed he was "drip‑feeding" information to the police. The trial will continue tomorrow.
The trial of businessman Jim Mansfield Jnr (54) was adjourned at the Special Criminal Court until October. Mansfield, of Saggart, Co Dublin, pleaded not guilty to conspiring to falsely imprison Martin Byrne and attempting to pervert the course of justice by directing Patrick Byrne to destroy CCTV footage. The matter was adjourned after Garda evidence regarding exhibits was heard. Previously, Dessie O'Hare (64) pleaded guilty to falsely imprisoning Byrne and assaulting John Roche. He was sentenced to ten years in prison with three years suspended for the false imprisonment and three years for the assault. Christopher Maguire (41) pleaded guilty to falsely imprisoning Lisa Byrne and received a three-year suspended sentence. Declan 'Whacker' Duffy (46) was also sentenced to six years for false imprisonment. Martin Byrne, who testified that Mansfield was present when he was taken prisoner, is currently in the Witness Protection Programme.
Kelly Noble, 36, of Hogan Court, Dublin, pleaded guilty to two violent robberies in the city centre on 24 September 2017, one of which left a victim needing an ambulance. She also pleaded guilty to two attempted robbery counts. The court noted her previous six‑year imprisonment for manslaughter and 20 other convictions. Judge Melanie Greally sentenced her to four years' imprisonment, fully suspended on strict conditions, including 12 months of probation. The judge highlighted that Noble acted under a male accomplice's instructions but was responsible for her actions. The sentencing reflected her traumatic early life and recent attempts at stability and reformed relationships with her children and mother. The court emphasised that the offences caused great anxiety and were not inconsequential. The sentence was imposed at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Former INLA member Dessie O'Hare, known as "The Border Fox," withdrew his appeal against the severity of his sentence at the Court of Appeal. O'Hare, of County Armagh, was jailed in 2019 by the Special Criminal Court for seven years for falsely imprisoning a family and leading a violent attack. He pleaded guilty to assaulting John Roche and falsely imprisoning Martin Byrne at Rathcoole and Saggart on June 9, 2015. The court sentenced him to three years for the assault and ten years for the imprisonment, with the final three years suspended for life; the sentences run concurrently. A previous appeal hearing was adjourned after O'Hare dismissed his lawyers. During today's hearing, Justice George Birmingham warned that the court could increase his sentence, noting his 1988 conviction for kidnapping Dr. John O'Grady, for which he received 40 years before release under the Good Friday Agreement. Counsel argued O'Hare was being punished for past sins, citing co-accused Declan "Whacker" Duffy, who received six years in 2018 for similar offences. After Justice Birmingham indicated the appeal was unlikely to succeed, O'Hare instructed his barrister to withdraw the appeal. The matter was adjourned following the withdrawal, and the original sentence stands.
A 19-year-old was subjected to a four-day ordeal of assault, false imprisonment and sexual abuse at a house in County Cavan between October 17th and 20th, 2019, the Central Criminal Court heard. The main male accused, aged 27, developed an irrational belief that the victim had informed gardaí about him following their joint arrest for drug possession in Dublin. Based on this misconception, he subjected the victim to sustained violence, stabbing him with knives, cutting a crescent shape into his face, and sexually assaulting him. A female co-accused carved the numbers 666 into the victim's forehead, while her twin brother struck the victim with a wrench and dumbbell. Material from the incident was uploaded to Snapchat, enabling the victim's family to locate and rescue him. The main accused pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual assault, assault causing serious harm, false imprisonment, threats to kill, assault causing harm and robbery. He was sentenced to eleven years imprisonment with the final two years suspended. His female co-accused received four years imprisonment with three years and three months suspended.
A 39‑year‑old mother was charged with attempting to murder her 18‑month‑old twin sons on 9 October 2019 at her Dublin home. She also faced charges of intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to one child, producing a large kitchen knife capable of serious injury in a dispute, and falsely imprisoning a woman on the same date. In July, her defence counsel applied to the Central Criminal Court to dismiss the two attempted‑murder charges under Section 4E of the Criminal Justice Act 1999. The court heard submissions from the defence and from the Director of Public Prosecutions. Judge Michael MacGrath announced that he would refuse the application and would issue a written decision later, while pronouncing the court's conclusion today. The trial is scheduled for October at the Central Criminal Court. The Children Act 2001 prohibits identifying child victims, making it an offence to publish identifying details.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Judge Elma Sheahan condemned the brutal assault carried out by Martina Rooney (39) against another woman over a €50 dispute. Rooney repeatedly punched and stabbed the victim, causing extensive facial bruising and lacerations to the back, buttock and thigh. She was sentenced to nine years' imprisonment, with the final 12 months suspended on strict conditions. Karl Fishe (35), who assisted by holding the victim's hair, received a two‑year and eight‑month sentence, with the final eight months suspended and a 16‑month probation period. The court noted the attack's duration of about nine minutes and the victim's lasting physical and psychological harm, including panic attacks and loss of joy over an impending pregnancy. Rooney's prior 73 convictions and Fishe's 124 convictions were also recorded. The case was built on CCTV, DNA evidence and Garda testimony. Martina Rooney pleaded guilty. Karl Fishe pleaded guilty.
In a Central Criminal Court case, a 69‑year‑old man was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment, with the final two years suspended on strict conditions. He was convicted of two counts of rape of a niece, one when she was a child in 1977 and another when she was in her twenties in 1986, and of seven counts of indecent assault against the same victim between 1971 and 1974. He also faced three further counts of indecent assault against other child victims between 1982 and 1986. The judge noted the offences were committed when the victims were young, vulnerable and isolated, and that the man had a history of six prior convictions. The sentencing reflected the judge's view that the man's culpability was high and that the crimes caused great harm to the victims. The unnamed man pleaded not guilty.
The Special Criminal Court heard evidence regarding a van allegedly used in the abduction and assault of businessman Kevin Lunney. A National Surveillance Unit officer testified that on October 21, 2019, he deployed technical equipment inside a Renault Kangoo van parked unlocked on Merchant's Road, Dublin. The prosecution alleges the vehicle was used to transport Mr Lunney from Dublin to Cavan and back on September 17, 2019. DNA matching Mr Lunney was found on the van's sliding door, while DNA matching accused Darren Redmond was found on a bar behind the front seats. Under cross-examination, the detective acknowledged the vehicle was open and accessible to anyone. The defence intends to raise a legal issue regarding the van. The trial is presided over by Mr Justice Tony Hunt, with Judges Gerard Griffin and David McHugh. Four men have pleaded not guilty to false imprisonment and intentionally causing serious harm to Mr Lunney at Drumbrade, Ballinagh, Co Cavan. The accused are Alan O'Brien (40), Darren Redmond (27), Luke O'Reilly (68), and a 40-year-old man identified as YZ. Mr Lunney testified that he was threatened, beaten, and cut with a Stanley knife, with the letters QIH scored into his chest, before being left on a country road. The court ordered that the identities of the NSU officers not be published to protect their safety.
A 36‑year‑old Dublin man was sentenced to nine years' imprisonment for two counts of orally raping his youngest brother and for seven counts of assault causing harm to the same brother, plus five counts of assault causing harm to his middle brother. The convictions were obtained by jury at the Central Criminal Court in April, with earlier convictions for assault spanning 1999‑2006. He was found not guilty of a sexual assault allegation against the middle brother. The judge cited the extreme violence inflicted, the long‑term effects, the accused's age and the risk of reoffending as aggravating factors. Sentences for the rapes and assaults were to run concurrently, with the effective term of nine years back‑dated to his detention on 5 February 2020. The case involved testimony of the brothers describing beatings with bamboo poles, baseball bats, hurleys and sticks, and incidents of forced oral contact.
In a trial held at the Central Criminal Court, Daniel Murtagh, aged 34, pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter in the death of his former partner, 30‑year‑old Nadine Lott, who was found dead three days after a violent assault at her Arklow home. Murtagh, a boxer, told gardai that he had been "pounding" Lott and "punching like mad", and that if he had wanted to kill her he would have. He claimed his knuckles were conditioned from boxing and denied using any weapon other than his fists. Garda interviews revealed he had been drinking and possibly under the influence of drugs, and that he had hit Lott for several minutes, causing severe blunt‑force trauma and stab injuries. The jury heard evidence that Lott never regained consciousness and died in St Vincent's Hospital. The case remains pending before Mr Justice Michael MacGrath and a jury of twelve.
A 30‑year‑old man, Adam O'Keefe, lost his appeal against a life sentence for murdering his girlfriend, Amy McCarthy, in Cork. He had admitted manslaughter but denied murder, claiming intoxication and lack of intent. The Central Criminal Court jury found him guilty. O'Keefe's appeal argued that the trial judge failed to consider intoxication as a factor in the provocation defence. However, two Supreme Court judgments in 2020 and 2021 held that intoxication cannot be used to excuse a loss of self‑control in provocation. Justice Úna Ni Raifeartaigh, sitting with the Court President and Justice Patrick McCarthy, ruled that these judgments carried significant weight and that the trial judge's handling of provocation was correct. Consequently, the Court dismissed O'Keefe's appeal, leaving his life sentence intact.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, Daniel Murtagh, aged 34, denied murdering his ex‑girlfriend Nadine Lott, claiming the incident was a domestic dispute. He told Gardaí that he had given her "six or seven hard digs" but did not "go to town." Murtagh described himself as "protective" and insisted he had never hit a woman before. He admitted breaking his hand that night and expressed disbelief at having struck "the love of my life a couple of slaps." The jury heard that Lott suffered severe blunt‑force trauma and stab wounds in a sustained violent attack at her Arklow home, leading to her death three days later in St Vincent's Hospital. Murtagh pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter, with the case proceeding before Mr Justice Michael MacGrath and a jury of twelve.
Luke Wilson, 25, serving a 12‑year sentence for a cocaine‑snorting murder conspiracy, was given an additional two years for threatening to cut the throat of a prison officer and his children. The threat was made at Mountjoy Prison on 17 November 2018 after Wilson, who had been in "bad form", told the officer to "Fuck off, or I'll cut the throat of you". He later threatened the officer's family, saying he would "cut their throats". The court heard Wilson had a history of violence, including an attempted murder in 2013 that left him blind in one eye, and 45 prior convictions. Judge Melanie Greally sentenced him to three and a half years, consecutive to his existing term, and suspended the final 18 months on strict conditions. Wilson had previously pleaded guilty to the threat. The sentence reflects the seriousness of the repeated, venomous threats made during the day.
In 2011, Jonathan Duke, 27, was strangled at Bridge House, Bandon, and his body was thrown into the River Bandon. A day earlier, John Forrester, 42, had been murdered in the same building. Gardaí believe Duke was killed because he knew of Forrester's murder. Catherine O'Connor, former girlfriend of Forrester, is serving life for both killings. Her boyfriend, Ciprian Grozavu, 47, denied both murders and was tried separately. He was found guilty of both murders, sentenced to life, but appealed the Duke conviction; the Court of Appeal quashed it and ordered a retrial. At the retrial, Grozavu was acquitted of murder but found guilty of two counts of impeding the apprehension or prosecution of another. Mr Justice Michael MacGrath sentenced him to eight years for assisting O'Connor in disposing of Duke's body in the river and a concurrent six‑year sentence for removing the body from the scene.
In the Central Criminal Court, the jury heard that Daniel Murtagh, aged 34, had communicated with his former partner Nadine Lott via WhatsApp from July 15 to December 14, 2019. The messages show Murtagh asking Lott about seeing someone from Dublin and expressing concern, to which Lott replied that she was not seeing anyone and told him not to threaten her. Lott also stated that nothing would happen between them again. Murtagh pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to the manslaughter of Lott, who was 30, at her Arklow apartment on 17 December 2019. The jury was presented with evidence that Lott suffered severe blunt‑force trauma and stab injuries, never regained consciousness, and died three days later in St Vincent's Hospital. The trial continues before Mr Justice Michael MacGrath and a jury of twelve.
Slawomir Gierlowski, 37, a father of two from Galtymore Drive, Drimnagh, was convicted of three premeditated attacks on women in Clondalkin between 2011 and 2016. The attacks included a daylight assault with a hunting knife and two late‑night sexual assaults. Witnesses linked a suspect van to Gierlowski, and DNA evidence matched his DNA to a victim's nails and semen on another victim's clothing. Gardaí also found duct tape and cable ties in the van, used in the assaults. A jury found him guilty on all nine charges, including false imprisonment, sexual assault, assault and possession of a hunting knife with intent to intimidate. Judge Pauline Codd imposed consecutive sentences of eight years, nine and a half years and five years, suspending the final four years on the condition of completing sex offender programmes. The sentence was upheld after Gierlowski's appeal to the Court of Appeal was dismissed. Slawomir Gierlowski pleaded not guilty.
Jack Manning, aged 85, a former Christian Brother, was sentenced to three years' imprisonment for nine counts of indecent assault on four pupils aged six to eight at Westland Row CBS in the early 1970s. The offences, mainly between September 1972 and June 1973, involved Manning approaching boys to the front of the class, unzipping their trousers, and fondling their genitals. One victim was abused as late as June 1975. The four men, now in their sixties, gave victim impact statements at the sentencing hearing, describing fear, shame and long‑term emotional damage. Manning pleaded guilty to the first charge and admitted the facts of the prosecution case. He was sentenced to two years for the first count and an additional year for the fifth count, to be served consecutively. Manning left the Christian Brothers in 1977 and has since expressed remorse. The judge described his conduct as morally reprehensible and a severe breach of trust.
In a Dublin family home, a 25‑year‑old son, Conor Dreelan, stabbed his step‑father, David Dignam, and attempted to kill his mother, Phyllis Dreelan, on 13 June 2020. The mother awoke to the attack, describing seeing a knife in the son's hand and the son's blank expression. The step‑father was stabbed in the eye and fled to a neighbour's house, where an alarm was raised. The son later went to his girlfriend's house and confessed to the assault, claiming he was in a distressed state after taking 2 g of cocaine the previous day. Both parents were hospitalized for weeks; the mother suffered knife wounds to her neck, chest and arm, while the step‑father required intensive care. The Central Criminal Court heard the son had since been diagnosed with an acute psychotic episode secondary to drug consumption. The case is set for sentencing in September.
In the murder trial of Daniel Murtagh, Chief State Pathologist Dr Linda Mulligan testified that beauty therapist Nadine Lott died from severe blunt‑force and stab injuries sustained in a sustained assault at her Arklow home on 17 December 2019. She described 64 individual injuries, including facial bone fractures, a 5 cm stab wound above the thyroid cartilage, an incised wound from the left earlobe to the neck, rib fractures, and extensive bruising to the head, face and neck. Lott's brain was diffusely swollen, and neuropathology confirmed hypoxic/ischaemic encephalopathy caused by cardiac arrests following the injuries. Mulligan was sceptical that Lott could have moved after the assault, noting the severity of the head and neck trauma. She stated the blunt‑force injuries were consistent with hands, fists or feet and could not rule out a blunt weapon. The trial will continue before Mr Justice Michael MacGrath and a jury. Daniel Murtagh pleaded not guilty.
Kealan Harrington, a marketing executive from Ballintemple, Co Cork, has brought a High Court challenge against his discharge from the Reserve Defence Forces (RDF). The applicant claims the decision, made effective on May 17, was unlawful and breached natural and constitutional justice. He alleges he was denied a fair hearing and that his dismissal is linked to his role as public spokesperson for the family of Aaron Brady, who was convicted and jailed for the murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donoghue. Harrington asserts that the RDF cited a security risk, stemming from an incident at Collins Barracks, Cork, where he was allegedly accused of impersonating an officer. He maintains this was a misunderstanding and that he was never provided with specific reasons for the discharge. In judicial review proceedings against the Minister for Defence, Ireland, and the Attorney General, Harrington seeks an order quashing the discharge decision and remitting it to the Minister for determination in accordance with regulations. The matter came before Mr Justice Charles Meenan, who directed that the application for permission to bring the challenge be made on notice to the respondents. The case was adjourned and will return before the Court in November.
Wayne Ryan, aged 41, with an address in Longford but originally from Limerick, has pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of Wayne Whelan at Griffeen Glen Park, Lucan on 4 September 2019. Three Dublin men—Cailean Crawford, Darren Henderson and Charles McClean—pleaded guilty to conspiracy to murder Whelan at that location between May and November 2019. McClean and Whelan had previously been business partners in a car sales enterprise that ceased trading in 2016. Evidence presented to the Central Criminal Court detailed how Whelan was shot eleven times as he sat in his vehicle, struck by four bullets. A badly damaged handgun was recovered from a burnt-out van minutes after the attack. Firearms residue found on Ryan's clothing offered extremely strong support that he had discharged the shots. The four men were remanded in custody pending sentencing on 2 September 2021.
Peter Keating, 40, of Clondalkin, pleaded guilty at the Special Criminal Court to directing the activities of the Kinahan crime cartel in their failed attempt to murder Hutch gang member James 'Mago' Gately. Detective Sergeant David Carolan stated that Keating was involved in locating Gately's Belfast home and tracking his movements using devices planted on his car and family members' vehicles. It was accepted that Keating was himself receiving directions from others. Mr Justice Tony Hunt, presiding in the three-judge court, adjourned sentencing until September 2. The court heard that Imre Arakas, 62, was brought to Ireland on April 3, 2017, to target Gately. Arakas was arrested before the planned attack could be carried out and was jailed for six years in December 2018 after pleading guilty to conspiring with others to murder Gately. Separately, Caolan Smyth, 30, of Donore, Co Meath, was sentenced to 20 years in February for attempted murder in relation to a separate attack on Gately in May 2017, where Gately survived despite being shot five times while wearing a bulletproof vest. Keating's counsel highlighted his early guilty plea and physical disabilities, while the prosecution noted his ten previous convictions.
In a Cork Central Criminal Court case, a 44‑year‑old man was convicted of raping a friend who was sleeping in her daughter's bed with the child beside her. The offence occurred on the night of 3‑4 February 2017 at the woman's home. She reported the assault after discovering the man had slept on her son's bed and had pulled down the zip of her onesie, causing vaginal pain. The victim, who had been friends with the accused for many years, described the impact on her daily life and her children. The judge noted the man had no prior convictions, had worked full‑time, and was in a long‑term relationship with a child due in December. He was sentenced to six years' imprisonment, with the final 18 months suspended, and no post‑release supervision was imposed. The sentence was delivered by Mr Justice Michael MacGrath. The unnamed 44-year-old pleaded not guilty.
In a murder trial, forensic scientist Dr Stephen Clifford testified that the blood splatter in Nadine Lott's kitchen indicated a sustained assault while she lay on the floor. He noted large amounts of impact blood on the wall and a blood‑stained Biro matching Lott's DNA. The prosecution alleged severe blunt force trauma and stab injuries inflicted by Daniel Murtagh, who pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. Murtagh, 34, was accused of attacking Lott in the living room and possibly the kitchen. The jury heard that paramedics found Lott in the kitchen, with her head between a wall and shelving unit, and that attempts at CPR could not explain the blood pattern. The case proceeded before Mr Justice Michael MacGrath with a jury of twelve.
Wojciech Kazmierczak, 43, was sentenced to eleven years' imprisonment, with the final year suspended on strict conditions, for a violent robbery that took place on 24 August 2020 at Corn Exchange Place, Dublin. During the incident, he choked one escort until she was unconscious, then punched her again, and later punched a second escort who had been choked by the other accomplice. Both women were rendered unconscious, one was bound with duct tape and wrapped in a rug, and both sustained significant facial injuries. The robbery involved the theft of cash, handbags, phones and the removal of the women's phones by the accomplice. Kazmierczak was also found in possession of just under €400,000 of cannabis when arrested in September 2020, and he pleaded guilty to assault causing harm, two counts of robbery and possession of cannabis for sale or supply.
The Special Criminal Court has adjourned the 32-day trial of Darren Murphy and Kenneth Donohoe to October 26 for a possible judgment. Both men, who pleaded not guilty to the murder of Eamon Kelly and the possession of a Glock pistol with intent to endanger life, have completed closing speeches. Prosecution counsel Dominic McGinn SC alleged that Murphy drove Sean Connolly, who was jailed for life in 2015 for Kelly's murder, to the scene in a Meriva, while Donohoe was linked to the vehicle via fingerprints and firearms residue. Defence counsel Philipp Rahn BL and Paul Carroll SC argued that the State failed to prove their clients' involvement beyond reasonable doubt, citing issues with CCTV identification credibility and the lack of unique forensic evidence. Presiding judge Justice Alex Owens, sitting with Judges Sinéad Ní Chúlacháin and Dermot Dempsey, adjourned the matter. The trial remains pending, with no final verdict or sentence issued at this stage.
A 33‑year‑old former security guard, Noel McKeon, lost an appeal against a 14‑year jail term for raping and violently assaulting two escort workers. The Court of Appeal upheld the Court of Appeal's finding that McKeon's attacks on a Latin American woman on 18 June 2016 and a Romanian woman on 2 February 2018 had a 'sinister, xenophobic context'. McKeon had contacted the women via an "escorts" website, pleaded guilty to sexual assault, assault, robbery and rape, and admitted false imprisonment of the first victim. In the first incident he forced the woman to jump naked from a window, stabbed her, and raped her after a violent struggle. In the second he demanded sex without a condom, punched her, pulled her hair, and raped her twice. Justice Tony Hunt imposed consecutive ten‑year sentences, reduced to 16 years with a two‑year suspension on condition of treatment. The appeal was dismissed.
The family of Cameron Blair, a student murdered in 2021, issued a statement calling for an end to violent knife crime. Cameron's uncle, Aidan Donnelly, read the statement outside the Criminal Courts of Justice, expressing the family's grief and fear that other families might soon receive a similar call. He noted that three individuals were involved in the hostile environment that led to Blair's death and that they have now been dealt with. Donnelly thanked Justice Keane for his verdict and Justice Paul McDermott for prior involvement, as well as the Gardaí and state legal team for their work. He also thanked neighbours, friends and strangers for their support over the past 18 months, urging that the memory of Cameron be honoured by living well. The statement emphasised the need for the violence to stop.
At the Central Criminal Court, a 16-year-old juvenile was sentenced for violent disorder committed on Bandon Road, Cork, on January 16, 2020, the night Cameron Blair was murdered. The boy, who was 14 at the time, pleaded guilty to committing violent disorder and producing a knife to intimidate others. Although the DPP entered a nolle prosequi regarding the knife charge, Mr Justice Keane considered the trial evidence, noting the boy armed himself with a butter knife and struck a young woman in the face. The judge described the conduct as deliberate and calculated, contributing to the febrile atmosphere surrounding the murder. In mitigation, the court accepted his age, guilty plea, and lack of prior convictions, reducing a headline sentence of six years to four. He was ordered to serve two years in detention and two years under Probation Service supervision. The finalisation of the sentence was adjourned until next week to determine placement at Oberstown Children Detention Campus. Separately, Scott O'Connor, 19, of Churchfield, Cork, who brandished a knife at the scene, was jailed for two years. Another juvenile pleaded guilty to Blair's murder and received a life sentence.
At the Central Criminal Court, a 21-year-old man has been sentenced to eight years imprisonment for the manslaughter of a pensioner in Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, in March 2016. Aaron McDonagh pleaded guilty to killing 61-year-old Gerry Marron by setting fire to his home at St Macartan's Villas. He also admitted arson. McDonagh was 16 at the time of the offence. Justice Michael White noted that Mr Marron, who lived alone and was vulnerable due to previous injury, had been exploited by youths using his house for unsupervised drinking. The fire was started deliberately near the front door. Mr Marron died of smoke inhalation and could not be rescued. The judge imposed a headline sentence of twelve years but reduced it to nine years, with one year suspended, considering McDonagh's guilty plea, age, and mild to moderate learning disability. The sentence was backdated to March 2019. McDonagh entered a bond to engage with support services upon release.
In the trial of Daniel Murtagh, a 34‑year‑old man accused of murdering his ex‑girlfriend Nadine Lott, witnesses testified that Murtagh told a motorist he had killed his wife because she was with his friend, and later told a paramedic he had killed his girlfriend after a car crash. The prosecution described Lott's severe blunt‑force and stab injuries, noting she never regained consciousness and died three days later. An intensive‑care nurse said Lott was "completely unrecognisable." A paramedic recalled the call as one of the most horrendous scenes he had seen. Murtagh pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter of the 30‑year‑old Lott, who died at St Vincent's Hospital. The trial, presided over by Mr Justice Michael MacGrath, continues with a jury of seven men and five women.
David Masterson, aged 56, was sentenced to 17 years in prison for a series of sexual offences against his daughter, Charlene Masterson, who was 32 at the time of the statement. Masterson used anonymous text messages to blackmail her into sexual acts with men, claiming his job was at risk. He also sexually abused her over a seven‑and‑a‑half‑year period, including oral rape and sexual assault, and had sexual encounters with three other girls. Masterson was already serving a seven‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence for defilement offences and had 17 prior convictions, including child pornography. The court imposed 18 years for each of the four counts of oral rape, suspending the final year and ordering one year of post‑release supervision, and five years for two sexual assault offences, running concurrently for an effective operative sentence of 18 years with the final year suspended. The sentences were back‑dated to 26 June 2019. David Masterson pleaded guilty.
During the murder trial of Daniel Murtagh, a paramedic testified that the emergency call to Nadine Lott's Arklow apartment was one of the most horrific scenes he had ever seen. He described broken furniture, shattered glass, and a kitchen wrecked by a "bulldozer" of violence. The paramedic recounted kneeling on broken glass, his uniform soaked in blood, and performing CPR on an unconscious, severely injured Lott. He said the scene would haunt him for the rest of his career. Witnesses, including Garda Linda Butler and nurses from St Vincent's Hospital, described Lott's severe blunt‑force trauma, multiple stab wounds, and extensive blood loss. Murtagh, 34, pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter of the 30‑year‑old Lott, who died three days later in hospital. The trial, presided over by Mr Justice Michael MacGrath, continues with a jury hearing evidence of the assault and its aftermath.
In a Central Criminal Court trial, a defence barrister argued that the alleged sexual abuse of three children by family members would be "extraordinary" if it occurred under the intense scrutiny of State agencies. The barrister described the family's care as "tremendous and monumental" and likened the oversight to a "police helicopter" hovering over the house. He questioned the adequacy of Gardaí interviews, suggesting that the mother's admissions were not thoroughly probed and that the officers failed to pursue deeper evidence. The mother, aged 34, pleaded not guilty to 25 counts, including sexual assault and wilfully neglecting children, while the father, 56, pleaded not guilty to 31 counts. Other relatives also pleaded not guilty to various sexual and neglect charges. The trial was scheduled to continue before Mr Justice Paul McDermott.
A man from Raphoe in County Donegal has had his prison sentence doubled by the Court of Appeal following two attacks on his neighbour's home and an assault that left her with a broken jaw. Leon Kelly was originally sentenced to two-and-a-half years, with twelve months suspended, by Letterkenny Circuit Court in November 2020 for assault causing harm and criminal damage. The Director of Public Prosecutions appealed on grounds of undue leniency. The court heard that Kelly rammed his vehicle into his neighbour's car and home on 13 April 2019, causing €13,000 in damage and breaking the woman's jaw. He subsequently fled across the River Finn into Northern Ireland but was apprehended by the PSNI and returned. Eight days later, he attacked the same property again with his Volkswagen Passat. Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy increased the sentence to three years imprisonment, finding the original term did not reflect the gravity and violence of the offences. Leon Kelly pleaded guilty.
Craig O'Donoghue, 20, was sentenced at the Central Criminal Court for contempt of court after failing to attend the trial of a teenager charged with violent disorder at the Cameron Blair murder scene. O'Donoghue, a witness who had been served with a witness order, booked a holiday to Ayia Napa, Cyprus, and refused to return despite police contact. He was arrested at Dublin airport upon his return. Justice David Keane described the conduct as "premeditated, flagrant and persistent," noting O'Donoghue's high culpability and disdain for the law. The judge imposed a headline sentence of three months in prison, reduced by one month to an effective two-month term, citing mitigation including O'Donoghue's remorse and previous good character. He was also fined €1,000, payable within nine months. O'Donoghue has been in custody since his arrest. His co-accused, Darragh O'Connor, 20, was sentenced for a similar contempt last week. The underlying trial involved a teenager who pleaded guilty to Mr Blair's murder and received a life sentence, while another teenager's trial ended after the defence accepted possession of a butter knife, leading the DPP to discontinue the knife possession charge.
In the murder trial of Daniel Murtagh, an eyewitness, Amela Kulenovic, testified that Murtagh made a "growling noise" and behaved "vicious with rage" while striking his ex‑partner Nadine Lott in her Arklow apartment. She described seeing him crouched over Lott, pressing his body weight on her and holding her neck and shoulders. Kulenovic also reported that Lott was unconscious, with blood covering the area, and that Murtagh left the building in Lott's car. The prosecution alleged that Lott suffered severe blunt‑force trauma and stab wounds, dying three days later in Dublin. Murtagh, aged 34, pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. The jury is to decide his intent and mental state at the time of the attack. The trial is before Justice Michael MacGrath.
During the murder trial of Daniel Murtagh, Nadine Lott's mother, Claire Lott, recounted the moment she found her daughter lying on her back in the kitchen, gurgling and gasping for air. She described how she attempted mouth‑to‑mouth resuscitation, but the effort was ineffective as Nadine could not inflate her chest. Lott also testified that Nadine had suffered severe blunt‑force trauma and stab wounds in a sustained attack by Murtagh, her former partner, in their Arklow home. The prosecution alleged that these injuries were so serious that Nadine never regained consciousness and died three days later in St Vincent's Hospital. Murtagh, aged 34, pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter of the 30‑year‑old Lott. The trial, held at the Central Criminal Court, continues before a jury and Judge Michael MacGrath. The case is expected to last two weeks.
A convicted murderer, Ciprian Grozavu, aged 47, will be sentenced next week for impeding the investigation into the murder of Jonathan Duke, 27, who was strangled and thrown into the River Bandon on 12 November 2011. Grozavu was found guilty of two counts of impeding the apprehension or prosecution of another. He was acquitted of murder after a retrial ordered by the Court of Appeal. The case involved the murder of John Forrester, 42, who was killed the day before Duke's murder. Catherine O'Connor, Forrester's former girlfriend, is serving life for both murders. Grozavu's trial was held at the Central Criminal Court in Limerick, and he has 13 prior convictions. The judge will hand down the sentence on Tuesday next.
The Court of Appeal has quashed the second murder conviction of David O'Loughlin, substituting it with a manslaughter verdict after finding no evidence he intended to kill or cause serious harm to Liam Manley. Mr Justice Michael White at the Central Criminal Court subsequently sentenced O'Loughlin to 12 years' imprisonment. The judge set a headline sentence of 18 years, reduced it to 14 years based on mitigating factors, and suspended the final two years on conditions of good behaviour, probation supervision for two years, and attendance at directed therapeutic services. The sentence was backdated to May 23, 2013, when O'Loughlin first entered custody, meaning he can expect release in early 2022. The court noted O'Loughlin's "serious propensity for violence" and his 54 previous convictions, including multiple assaults causing serious harm. However, mitigating factors included his guilty plea to manslaughter prior to his first trial, his academic achievements in prison, and his tragic background involving domestic violence. The appeal process followed the overturning of his first conviction due to jury irregularities and the subsequent retrial where he was initially convicted of murder.
During a sustained attack in her Arklow home, Nadine Lott suffered severe blunt‑force trauma and stab injuries inflicted by her former partner, Daniel Murtagh, who was later charged with murder and manslaughter. The Central Criminal Court jury heard that the injuries were so serious that Lott never regained consciousness and died three days later at St Vincent's Hospital. Murtagh, aged 34, pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. The prosecution presented evidence that Lott was attacked in the early hours of 14 December 2019, with forensic findings of extensive facial trauma, an incised wound on the left side of the neck and a stab wound on the right side. Paramedics attempted resuscitation, but Lott remained in intensive care until her death on 17 December. The trial, presided over by Mr Justice Michael MacGrath, is expected to last two weeks.
Two men have been scheduled to stand trial at the Special Criminal Court in April 2022 on a charge of murdering teenager Keane Mulready-Woods. Paul Crosby, aged 25, of Rathmullan Park in Drogheda, County Louth, and Gerard Cruise, aged 47, with addresses in Dublin 1 and Rathmullan Park, are accused of the killing at a house in Rathmullan Park on 12 or 13 January 2020. The trial, which is expected to last six weeks, will be heard before three judges without a jury. The teenager's dismembered remains were discovered at multiple locations in Dublin and Drogheda in January 2020, with his torso found subsequently in March 2021. A further mention of the case is scheduled for December to address disclosure matters, and legal representatives indicated a possible application for separate trials.
Gary Thompson and Glen Thompson have withdrawn their appeals against 12.5-year jail sentences imposed for their roles in a Kinahan Cartel plot to murder Patsy Hutch. The brothers, who pleaded guilty at the Special Criminal Court to unlawful possession of four firearms with intent to endanger life at Belmont Hall Apartments, Gardiner Street, Dublin, on March 10, 2018, and directing the activities of a criminal organisation between February 1 and March 10, 2018, faced a Court of Appeal hearing where Mr Justice George Birmingham questioned the reality of their arguments. He noted that Glen Thompson had already received a 25% discount from an 18-year headline sentence and warned that any successful appeal could result in a longer term, describing such an outcome as a "Pyrrhic victory." The court also referenced the 11.5-year sentence given to co-accused Robert Browne and the 10-year sentence imposed on Patrick Curtis, who was found to be the top figure within the sub-cell. Counsel for the DPP argued that the appellants' claims of unfairness lacked reality, noting that mitigating factors beyond their guilty pleas were minimal. Following these remarks, counsel for the Thompson brothers stated they had received instructions to withdraw their appeals, leaving the original sentences intact.
A 54‑year‑old man was convicted by a jury at the Central Criminal Court for sexually assaulting a woman he claimed to have married in a Muslim ceremony. The jury found him guilty on one count of rape but was deadlocked on the remaining four counts. Judge Alex Owens described the defendant as a "schemer" who believed the ceremony gave him permission to act. He noted the woman was seeking asylum and was vulnerable to manipulation. The judge imposed a six‑year sentence, suspending the final six months on the condition of good behaviour, and ordered a four‑year post‑release supervision. The woman, aged 36, testified that she was not married, that the alleged ceremony was a precursor to marriage, and that she suffered depression and PTSD after the assault. The case was heard in July 2021. The unnamed 54-year-old pleaded not guilty.
Jonathan Dowdall, a former Sinn Fein councillor aged 43, has filed a High Court challenge against the jurisdiction of the Special Criminal Court (SCC) over his murder trial. He is charged with the killing of David Byrne at the Regency Hotel on 5 February 2016. The Director of Public Prosecutions, citing the 1939 Offences Against the State Act, has directed that Dowdall be tried before the non‑jury SCC. Dowdall argues that the SCC's existence is based on temporary emergency legislation from 1972 and that the Oireachtas has not enacted permanent law to justify it. He claims this breaches his constitutional rights and the European Convention on Human Rights, including the presumption of innocence. His lawyers seek an order to prohibit the SCC trial, declare it unlawful, and highlight the State's failure to secure permanent legislation. Judge Anthony Barr granted Dowdall permission to proceed, made the case returnable for November, and stayed the trial pending the High Court's decision.
A 34‑year‑old man, Daniel Murtagh, will be tried at the Central Criminal Court for the murder of 30‑year‑old Nadine Lott, who was killed at her home in St Mary's Court, Arklow, on 17 December 2019. Murtagh admitted killing Lott but denied murder, pleading not guilty to that charge and guilty to manslaughter. The Director of Public Prosecutions did not accept the plea. Mr Justice Michael White appointed a jury of seven men and five women, and the trial, set to begin at 11 a.m. before Mr Justice Michael MacGrath, is expected to last two weeks.
A 39‑year‑old mother has applied to the Central Criminal Court to have two attempted‑murder charges against her dismissed. The charges relate to an incident on 9 October 2019 at her Dublin home, where she allegedly tried to kill her 18‑month‑old twin sons and also allegedly caused serious harm to one of them. She is further charged with producing a large kitchen knife in a manner that could inflict serious injury and with falsely imprisoning a woman on the same date. Defence counsel Anne Rowland SC told the court that the application is under Section 4E of the Criminal Justice Act 1999, which seeks dismissal of a charge. The court heard submissions from Rowland and from Sean Guerin SC for the Director of Public Prosecutions. The trial is expected to take place in October, and Mr Justice Michael MacGrath will rule on the application on 29 July.
At the Special Criminal Court, books of evidence were served on four men charged in connection with the 2016 murder of David Byrne at the Regency Hotel in Dublin. The prosecution also provided exhibits, including a CCTV montage. Jonathan Dowdall, 43, is charged with the murder of Mr Byrne, contrary to common law, on February 5, 2016. His father, Patrick Dowdall, 64, is accused of facilitating a serious offence by a criminal organisation by making a hotel room available on February 4, 2016. Co-accused Paul Murphy, 59, faces charges of supplying logistical support to a six-man team and providing access to motor vehicles to facilitate the murder. Jason Bonney, 50, is charged with providing access to motor vehicles to facilitate the offence. All charges are alleged or contested, with no pleas entered or findings made at this stage. Mr Justice Tony Hunt, presiding over the non-jury court, adjourned the matter until September 31. He requested an indication on whether a trial date is required and the expected duration of the trial. The matter was adjourned and is not concluded.
In 2017, Richard Dekker (34) of Blanchardstown was convicted of murdering 17‑year‑old Daniel McAnaspie, a teenager who had been in HSE care. The murder took place at Tolka Valley Park on 26 February 2010, when Daniel was out socialising and drinking. Dekker pleaded innocence, but a jury found him guilty after a trial at the Central Criminal Court. The body was discovered two months later in a deep drain in Rathfeigh, County Meath, and a post‑mortem revealed a stabbing. Dekker had previously been acquitted in 2013 when a judge found insufficient evidence for a jury trial; the State later sought a retrial under the Criminal Justice Procedure Act 2010. At the Court of Appeal, counsel Eoghan Cole BL argued the appeal was "dispositive", meaning a successful appeal would preclude a retrial. The appeal hearing was set for 21 January 2022.