During a Central Criminal Court hearing, an 11‑year‑old boy testified that he was given pills by his parents to help him sleep, claiming this occurred "every second night" and that he felt "a bit strange" after taking them. He also alleged that his father, a 48‑year‑old man, and a 27‑year‑old man had all anally raped him when he was eight. The boy said his parents, grandmother, aunts, uncles and other relatives were accused of sexual abuse and wilfully neglecting children. The accused, aged 27 to 57, live in various parts of Munster. The father, aged 56, and mother, aged 34, have pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of rape, sexual assault, exploitation and neglect. The trial continues before Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury.
Two men charged with murder will proceed to trial at the Special Criminal Court following the rejection of a jurisdictional challenge this morning. Kenneth Donohoe, aged 42, and Darren Murphy, aged 50, both face allegations relating to the death of Eamon Kelly in December 2012. Defence counsel argued that the Special Criminal Court, established as an emergency measure in 1972, lacked statutory authority to operate on a permanent basis and that trying their clients without a jury breached human rights protections. Presiding judge Mr Justice Alexander Owens ruled that the court was validly established by statute and that the proclamation underpinning it remained in effect. This marks the second such jurisdictional application rejected by the court in two days. A similar challenge brought on behalf of four men accused of offences in County Cavan was dismissed on Tuesday. Both men are scheduled to appear for trial next week.
A director of Quinn Industrial Holdings told the Special Criminal Court how he dragged himself along a dark country road after being subjected to serious violence, fearing he would not receive help. Kevin Lunney, giving evidence in the trial of four men accused of falsely imprisoning him and causing him serious harm, described being struck with a wooden implement, subjected to bleach application, and having his body marked with a knife blade. The alleged offences occurred on 17 September 2019 near Ballinagh in County Cavan. An unnamed man, Alan O'Brien, Darren Redmond, and Luke O'Reilly, with an address at Mullahoran Lower, Kilcogy, County Cavan, have all pleaded not guilty to the charges. Mr Lunney told the court he dragged himself using only his left arm and leg towards a light in the distance before eventually being stopped by a tractor driver. The trial is ongoing at the Special Criminal Court.
The Special Criminal Court has sentenced Lee Canavan to life imprisonment for his role in the murder of David 'Daithí' Douglas, who was shot at Shoestown in Dublin 1 on July 1, 2016. Canavan, who pleaded not guilty, was found guilty of murder based on his active participation in a shared intention to kill, though the court did not find sufficient evidence to conclude he was the triggerman. He was concurrently sentenced to five years for criminal damage to a stolen Suzuki Swift used as a getaway vehicle. Both sentences were backdated to May 2020, when Canavan was taken into custody following a European Arrest Warrant. The court noted that Canavan's prior drug possession convictions were not aggravating factors. This conviction marks the fourth individual jailed in connection with the killing. Previously, Frederick 'Fat Freddie' Thompson was jailed for life in 2018; Nathan Foley pleaded guilty and received six years in 2019; and Gareth Brophy was jailed for ten years in 2020 for acting as a getaway driver. The judge extended free legal aid to cover any potential appeal.
The Central Criminal Court trial of a 16-year-old accused, who was 14 at the time of the incident, continues before Mr Justice David Keane and a jury. The accused, who cannot be named due to his age, has pleaded not guilty to producing a knife at a house on Bandon Road in Cork city on January 16, 2020. He is alleged to have produced an article capable of inflicting serious injury in a manner likely to unlawfully intimidate another person. Last week, the accused pleaded guilty to committing violent disorder with two other persons present, using or threatening unlawful violence that would cause a person of reasonable firmness to fear for their safety. The trial concerns the murder of 20-year-old Cameron Blair, a chemical engineering student at Cork Institute of Technology, who died at Cork University Hospital after being stabbed in the neck at a student party. Another juvenile has already pleaded guilty to Blair's murder. Witness Marcel Szulhan testified that the accused, the youngest of three boys, threatened to "shank" a party-goer while looking for a phone charger. Szulhan stated he saw a knife being raised and heard someone scream that "they all have knives." He described Blair turning around, holding his neck, and saying he did not want to fight. The trial continues tomorrow.
In a trial before the Central Criminal Court, an eight‑year‑old boy testified that he was raped by three men, including his father, and that his mother and other relatives had also abused him. The boy, who was taken into care in April 2016, gave evidence in specialist Garda interviews conducted in August 2017. He described being touched by his father, his mother, a 48‑year‑old man who used a teaspoon, and a 27‑year‑old man, and that all three had anally raped him. He also recounted being forced to place his privates in another child's body while a man watched, and that photos of him naked were posted on Facebook. The trial continues with the accused, who range in age from 27 to 57, pleading not guilty to multiple counts of rape, sexual assault, exploitation and wilfully neglecting children. The court heard that the parents were also accused of wilfully neglecting two younger children.
Franck Lamour, 53, of Bird Avenue, Clonskeagh, pleaded guilty on 7 April 2020 to producing a knife and threatening to kill or seriously harm his partner, Cecille Doussinault, during an incident that lasted several hours. The court found the offence serious, citing the use of a knife, threat of death, physical violence, controlling language and jealousy. Lamour, diagnosed with bipolar depression 15 years earlier, had been unable to obtain his medication during the COVID‑19 lockdown and had been drinking heavily. Judge Pauline Codd, taking into account his guilty plea, clean record and mental‑health history, imposed a headline sentence of eight years but ultimately sentenced him to five years' imprisonment, fully suspended on condition he keep the peace, engage with the Probation Service for two years and attend psychiatric appointments while residing in Ireland. The court described the incident as an isolated aberration stemming from his mental disorder and pandemic‑related restrictions.
During the Central Criminal Court hearing of Zoltan Almasi, a 49‑year‑old Serbian‑born man charged with the murder of Joseph 'Jo Jo' Dunne, witness Alannah Piercy testified that she saw a man strike Dunne twice with a baseball bat. Piercy described the first blow to the back‑left of Dunne's head and a second strike to the same spot while Dunne was prone. She claimed the bat was black with a blue top and that she could not identify the attacker. The defense counsel, Mr Barra McGrory QC, challenged Piercy's account, arguing that her statement to Gardaí on 18 May 2014 mentioned only one strike and that she had altered her testimony. Piercy maintained that her evidence was truthful, denying the allegation that the second blow was fabricated. The court took a brief recess before proceeding with the cross‑examination. The trial, which includes a jury of eleven, is scheduled to continue for four weeks. Zoltan Almasi pleaded not guilty.
In a 2021 Court of Appeal decision, the appeal of Romanian national Petronel Pal, aged 36, was dismissed, allowing his extradition to Romania. Pal, arrested in Dublin, faces charges of aggravated murder and organised crime for an alleged 2014 incident at Academy Square, Navan, where Romanian national Virgil Busa was assaulted and later died. Pal's lawyers argued that the extradition should be barred under Section 44 of the European Arrest Warrant Act, citing the Ian Bailey case to claim reciprocity was not established. The Minister for Justice countered that Ireland and Romania exercised extraterritorial jurisdiction on the same basis. Justice Aileen Donnelly, with Justices Úna Ní Raifeartaigh and Maurice Collins, ruled that the High Court had correctly considered the Romanian authorities' reliance on Pal's nationality and that the surrender was not prohibited. A 14‑day stay was imposed on the extradition order to allow a possible Supreme Court appeal.
During a Central Criminal Court hearing, a 12‑year‑old girl testified that she may have misidentified the 32‑year‑old accused woman as the one who touched her privates. She also admitted she might have made a similar mistake regarding her grandmother, saying she could not recall the grandmother doing anything. The girl had previously given evidence via recorded Garda interviews that her parents, grandmother, aunts, uncles and other relatives had sexually abused her. She stated that she had written a list of "all the things they did to me" between her first and second interviews and that she had been given cough medicine by her father. The trial, presided over by Mr Justice Paul McDermott, continues tomorrow with a jury. The accused, including the girl's parents, grandmother and other relatives, have pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of sexual assault, exploitation and wilfully neglecting children.
The Central Criminal Court trial of a 16-year-old accused, who cannot be named due to his age, continues before Mr Justice David Keane. The teenager, who was 14 at the time of the incident, has pleaded not guilty to producing a knife capable of inflicting serious injury in a manner likely to unlawfully intimidate another person. He has already pleaded guilty to committing violent disorder with two others at a house on Bandon Road in Cork city on January 16, 2020. The court heard evidence from Dave Sheehan, a friend of the deceased, Cameron Blair, a 20-year-old student at Cork Institute of Technology. Sheehan testified that he saw the accused holding a small knife in his left hand during an argument outside the house where Blair was subsequently stabbed in the neck. Sheehan stated he saw the knife "with my eyes" and described the accused as waving it while arguing with others. Another juvenile has already pleaded guilty to Blair's murder. The jury is tasked with determining whether the accused produced the knife in connection with the dispute. The trial is ongoing and was not adjourned or finalised during this session.
In a trial of seven people accused of sexually abusing three children between 2014 and 2016, a nine‑year‑old girl testified that her father, who is 56, had sent her a message warning her not to tell anyone about the touching or she would be in trouble. She also said he sent her a photo of himself and her mother naked and having sex, and asked her to send him a photo of her "bum", which she did. The girl, who was in foster care at the time, used a tablet to send messages on Facebook to her brother and father. The court heard that the father and mother, aged 56 and 33 respectively, pleaded not guilty to multiple counts including rape, sexual assault and wilfully neglecting children. The trial continues before Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, a nine‑year‑old girl described alleged sexual abuse by her parents, grandmother, and several aunts and uncles. The seven accused, aged 27 to 57, include the children's father (56), mother (33), a 48‑year‑old man, a 35‑year‑old woman, a 27‑year‑old man, a 32‑year‑old woman, and a 57‑year‑old maternal grandmother. All pleaded not guilty to various counts of rape, anal rape, oral rape, sexual assault, sexual exploitation, and wilfully neglecting children. The girl, interviewed in August 2017 after being placed in care in April 2016, recounted that her father, mother, grandmother, and the 48‑year‑old man touched her private parts with fingers, that her father and the 48‑year‑old man inserted their privates into hers, and that her brothers also engaged in sexual acts with her. The trial continues before Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury.
During the murder trial of Zoltan Almasi, witness Michael 'Mikey' McDonagh testified that he placed his jacket under the head of his best friend, Joseph 'Jojo' Dunne, after Dunne was struck with a baseball bat. McDonagh described seeing the bat hit Dunne's back of the head once, though he believed Dunne had been struck twice. He recounted that Dunne was drunk, shouting, and had challenged a "big, tall hairy" man to a fight. The man, later identified as Almasi, allegedly struck Dunne with a bat, causing blood to come from Dunne's ears and mouth. McDonagh said people from a nearby restaurant performed CPR for 20 minutes before Gardaí arrived. The witness left the court during cross‑examination, later returning after a break. The trial continues under Mr Justice Michael White. Zoltan Almasi pleaded not guilty.
Three children, aged about 14, just under 13 and just under 12, were said to have been seriously neglected and sexually abused by their parents and relatives over a period from August 2014 to April 2016. The accused, seven adults aged 27 to 57, include the children's father and mother, the mother's sister and her partner, the mother's brother and his partner, and the maternal grandmother. All seven pleaded not guilty to various counts of rape, anal rape, oral rape, sexual assault, sexual exploitation and wilfully neglecting a child. The allegations were investigated by Gardaí after the children were taken into care and are now living with foster parents. The case is before Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury in the Central Criminal Court.
A jury at the Central Criminal Court must decide whether a 16‑year‑old produced a knife capable of serious injury during a dispute at a house party on 16 January 2020, the night 20‑year‑old Cameron Blair was stabbed in the neck and later died at Cork University Hospital. The teenager, whose name is withheld because he is a minor, has pleaded not guilty to the charge of producing the knife. He had previously pleaded guilty to violent disorder with two other juveniles, an offence that caused a person present at Bandon Road to fear for safety. The prosecution will present evidence that the accused was present at the party, that a knife was used by another juvenile who stabbed Blair, and that the accused allegedly produced a second knife during the confrontation at the front door.
Two men have pleaded not guilty at the Special Criminal Court to charges of falsely imprisoning a Mayo businessman at a location in County Louth in December 2017. Thomas McGuinness, aged 34, of Chestnut Court, Johnstown, Navan, County Meath, and William Twomey, aged 57, of Havelock Place, Warrenpoint, County Down, are accused of detaining the businessman without consent and demanding £50,000 with menaces. The prosecution alleges the victim was lured to Cornamucklagh under false pretences and attacked by a group of men. In closing submissions, defence counsel for Mr McGuinness argued the victim's identification evidence was unreliable, citing memory difficulties following the alleged assault and inadequate viewing conditions during the identification parade. A separate defendant, Anthony Finglas, aged 50, was previously jailed for four years and nine months after pleading guilty to demanding money with menaces in the same incident. Justice Tony Hunt adjourned the trial to 31 August and remanded both accused on bail.
In the Central Criminal Court, a jury heard CCTV footage of Zoltan Almasi, a 49‑year‑old Serbian‑born man, running after Joseph Dunne, a 20‑year‑old victim, with his hand raised above his head. The footage also shows Almasi leaving the scene carrying a baseball bat. The evidence was presented on the day of the trial, which is the third hearing in the case. Almasi has pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. Inspector Dara Diffily described the footage as showing the incident shortly after 10.15 pm, with Dunne running away and Almasi chasing him. The footage also depicts Almasi holding a bat in his right hand. The trial, presided over by Mr Justice Michael White, is expected to last four weeks.
A 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named due to his age, pleaded guilty to one count of violent disorder during a trial at the Central Criminal Court. The incident occurred on January 16, 2020, on Bandon Road in Cork city, and is connected to the murder of 20-year-old Cameron Blair, a second-year chemical engineering student at Cork Institute of Technology. Blair died at Cork University Hospital after being stabbed in the neck at a student party. The juvenile, who went on trial on two charges, admitted to committing violent disorder with two other persons, using or threatening unlawful violence that would cause a person of reasonable firmness to fear for their safety. However, he maintained his not guilty plea to the second charge of producing a knife, an article capable of inflicting serious injury, in a manner likely to unlawfully intimidate another person. Mr Justice Michael White noted the case would be treated as a juvenile court matter. Prosecution counsel John Fitzgerald SC began his opening speech to the jury, which is expected to last three weeks. Another juvenile has already pleaded guilty to Blair's murder. The trial is ongoing before Mr Justice David Keane at Croke Park, with Blair's family in attendance.
A jury was sworn in on 27 May 2021 for the trial of seven relatives accused of sexually abusing three children in Munster. The accused, ranging in age from 27 to 57, include the children's parents, grandmother, and several aunts and uncles. All seven deny the allegations. The Central Criminal Court heard that the parents were also accused of wilfully neglecting two additional child complainants. The judge, Justice Paul McDermott, explained that the allegations stem from repeated sexual assault or abuse by close relations between 2014 and 2016. He noted the case would likely take more than eight weeks, advising the jury to budget for eight to ten weeks. The trial is scheduled to open in evidence before the jury at Croke Park on 31 May. The accused pleaded not guilty to a range of counts including rape, anal rape, oral rape, sexual assault, sexual exploitation and wilfully neglecting children. The trial will determine the outcome of these charges.
The Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal by Naoufal Fassih, a Dutch gang leader, who sought to halt a murder prosecution in the Netherlands. Mr Justice John Edwards, presiding over the three-judge panel, ruled that the appellant's grounds lacked merit. Fassih, a Dutch citizen of Moroccan origin, was previously surrendered to Dutch authorities under a 2016 European Arrest Warrant (EAW). In the Netherlands, he was convicted of attempted murder, assault, possession of false documents, and money laundering, receiving an 18-year prison sentence. In 2020, Dutch authorities requested permission from the Irish High Court to try Fassih for additional charges of murder and incitement to murder. The High Court granted this permission in July of last year. Fassih's legal team argued that the original EAW was issued by a Dutch public prosecutor, which a 2019 CJEU decision suggested might not qualify as a 'judicial authority,' thereby invalidating the basis for further prosecution. However, Mr Justice Edwards rejected this argument, stating that challenging the 2016 warrant constituted a collateral attack on a prior judicial decision. He affirmed that the High Court judge who ordered the surrender had already determined the prosecutor was a competent judicial authority, a finding that is res judicata and cannot be further challenged. The appeal was dismissed, allowing the Dutch prosecution to proceed.
At the Special Criminal Court, closing arguments concluded in the trial of two men charged with offences arising from an assault on a Mayo businessman in County Louth in December 2017. Thomas McGuinness and William Twomey deny falsely imprisoning, assaulting, and robbing the victim, as well as demanding money with menaces. The prosecution alleged the businessman was lured to a remote location under false pretences and attacked with iron bars by men demanding £50,000. The defence submitted that Mr McGuinness should be acquitted, arguing the prosecution lacked core evidence and that Mr Twomey had withdrawn from the scheme before the assault occurred. The defence contended Mr Twomey had expressed concerns about the plan's escalation and warned gardaí of potential danger to the victim. A third man, Anthony Finglas, was previously convicted and sentenced to four years and nine months for demanding money with menaces. Closing arguments for the second defendant are to follow.
The jury in the third trial of Zoltan Almasi, a 49‑year‑old Serbian‑born man, examined maps and aerial photographs of Naas and the surrounding area where the murder of 20‑year‑old Joseph Dunne occurred. Almasi, who lives at Harbour View, Naas, pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. The case had already been tried twice. Judge Caroline Biggs SC opened the trial for a jury of seven men and four women, noting that Dunne lived in Athy with his family and was attending Fás. On the night of the incident, Dunne was with friends heading for a bus at about 10.30 pm when he had a brief altercation with another man. Almasi's parked Mercedes van was hit by Dunne as he passed. Almasi then emerged from his house, armed with a baseball bat, and pursued Dunne.
Gerard O'Riordan, a 37-year-old father from Killarney, appeared before the Central Criminal Court in an appeal regarding the potential revocation of the suspended portion of his 2009 manslaughter sentence. O'Riordan was previously convicted of the manslaughter of James Brazier in 2007, receiving a 14-year term with the final 18 months suspended. After his release in June 2019, he entered a good behaviour bond. However, he was subsequently convicted of threatening to kill gardai, an allegation where he allegedly threatened to stab officers who entered his home. He also faced a separate fine for trespass and public order offences after threatening staff at an off-licence. Defence counsel Dean Kelly SC highlighted O'Riordan's rehabilitation, noting he has attended 24 anger management sessions and become a father. Mr Justice Michael White acknowledged these efforts but expressed concern over O'Riordan's history as a 'violent and dangerous' individual. The court did not revoke the suspended sentence immediately. Instead, the matter was adjourned for one year to monitor O'Riordan's behaviour. He agreed to return to court in May of next year, with the judge noting that the delay allows him to continue confronting the issues that have blighted his life.
A 17‑year‑old, who cannot be named because he is a minor, was sentenced by the Central Criminal Court to life detention with a review after eight years for the murder of 39‑year‑old Romanian national Claudio Robu. The boy, who was 16 at the time of the offence, pleaded guilty and was found to have used "extreme violence" by repeatedly kicking Robu to death in a laneway off Madison Road, South Circular Road, Dublin 8 on 14 September 2020. The sentencing judge, Mr Justice Paul McDermott, noted the offender's high moral culpability, his knowledge of the act, and the disturbing fact that he returned hours later to continue the fatal attack. He also highlighted the youth's volatile nature, lack of empathy, and history of neglect and abuse, while acknowledging mitigating factors such as his age, guilty plea, and demonstrated remorse.
At the Central Criminal Court, four men admitted to offences related to the attempted murder of gangland figure Wayne Whelan at Griffeen Glen Park, Lucan, on September 4, 2019. Cailean Crawford (25), of Ballyfermot, pleaded guilty to conspiring to murder Whelan. His barrister, John Fitzgerald SC, applied for reporting restrictions citing a separate trial scheduled for June 2022. However, Mr Justice White rejected the application, ruling that Crawford could be named, stating he had great faith in the jury system. Wayne Ryan, of Longford, also pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of Whelan. Darren Henderson (30), of Ballyfermot, and a fourth man, who remains unnamed, pleaded guilty to conspiring with Crawford to murder Whelan. All four defendants were originally charged with attempted murder and were due to stand trial together on June 21, a date vacated following their guilty pleas. Whelan, who survived the initial shooting, was later killed in a separate incident in November 2019. Mr Justice White remanded the four men in custody until July 12 for a sentence hearing.
Edmundas Dauksa, 51, was sentenced to the mandatory term of life imprisonment for the murder of Ingrida Maciokaite at the Central Criminal Court. The sentence was backdated to September 18, 2018, when he entered custody. Dauksa had pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter; however, a jury unanimously convicted him of murder. The court heard a victim impact statement from the foster carer of the couple's two children, who described the scene as "unspeakably horrific" for the six-year-old daughter who witnessed the attack. The statement noted the child's ongoing trauma and that the son would never remember his mother. Defence counsel Michael Bowman SC stated that Dauksa expressed remorse and deep regret. Mr Justice Paul McDermott delivered the sentence following the conviction. The trial established that Dauksa stabbed Maciokaite 19 times in front of their daughter days after a District Court order placed the child in the mother's custody. The jury rejected the defence that Dauksa lacked murderous intent, accepting the State's case that he intended serious harm or death. No adjournments or suspended portions were recorded in the finalisation.
The Central Criminal Court heard the third trial of Zoltan Almasi, a 49‑year‑old Serbian‑born man, charged with murdering 20‑year‑old Joseph Dunne in County Kildare. Almasi pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. The State argued that Almasi intended to kill or seriously injure Dunne, citing the post‑mortem finding of a comminuted, depressed skull fracture caused by a baseball bat. The prosecution described the incident: Dunne was on his way to a bus at 10.30 pm when he collided with Almasi's parked van, after which Almasi pursued him with a baseball bat and struck him on the head, causing death. The defence accepted that Almasi caused the death but disputed the intent. The jury, composed of seven men and four women, heard the case on Wednesday, with the trial set to continue before Mr Justice Michael White for an expected four‑week duration.
A 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named due to his age, has been arraigned at the Central Criminal Court and is set to go on trial for violent disorder and the production of a knife in connection with the murder of Cameron Blair. The defendant pleaded not guilty to both charges. He is accused of committing violent disorder with two named males on Bandon Road in Cork city on January 16, 2020, using or threatening unlawful violence that would cause a person of reasonable firmness to fear for their safety. He is also charged with producing a knife, an article capable of inflicting serious injury, in a manner likely to unlawfully intimidate another person during the same incident. Mr Justice Michael White addressed the jury panel, noting the accused is a juvenile and the case relates to a tragic situation where Blair, a second-year chemical engineering student at Cork Institute of Technology, died after being stabbed in the neck. The judge confirmed that another juvenile had already pleaded guilty to Blair's murder, violent disorder, and possession of a knife in accordance with that incident. A jury of eight men and four women was sworn in. The trial is scheduled to begin on Friday morning at Croke Park before Mr Justice David Keane and is expected to last three weeks. Witnesses and gardai are based in Cork city.
In 2021, a man convicted of eight sexual assault and four rape offences against a child aged six to eleven between 2003 and 2008 lost an appeal. The Central Criminal Court had sentenced him to 12 years in prison in 2014. The victim, the daughter of the defendant's partner, had reported the abuse to social services in 2008 and was interviewed by specialists in 2010; the recordings were used as evidence. She claimed the perpetrator warned her that if she disclosed the abuse she would be "going ten feet under." The defence argued that the death of the victim's grandmother, who had testified in a prior trial, damaged the defence, and that the trial judge erred by allowing the interview DVDs and video‑link testimony.
A 49‑year‑old Hungarian man, Zoltan Almasi, will be tried again for the murder of Joseph Dunne, a 20‑year‑old man, in Harbour View, Naas, on 16 May 2014. Almasi, who lives at Harbour View, was arraigned at the Central Criminal Court and pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. The jury, composed of seven men and four women, has been informed that this is the third trial in the case. The trial is scheduled to last four weeks and will commence on Wednesday afternoon.
A man from Longford has admitted attempting to murder gangland figure Wayne Whelan in a shooting in west Dublin in September 2019. Wayne Ryan, aged 41 and with an address in St Michael's Road, Longford, pleaded guilty to the attempted murder at Griffeen Glen Park, Lucan on September 4, 2019. Three co-accused, including Darren Henderson of Dublin, also entered guilty pleas to conspiracy to murder Whelan within the State between May and November 2019. The men were arraigned before the Central Criminal Court on May 24, 2021. Whelan survived the initial attack but was fatally shot two months later in November 2019. The four defendants were remanded in custody pending a sentence hearing scheduled for July 12.
At a sentence hearing in the Central Criminal Court, the court heard that David Fortune, 33, of Rutland Grove in Crumlin, was jailed for eight years in 2006 for manslaughter after he fatally stabbed 31-year-old Michael Murphy outside the 'Buddha Bar' in Dublin west. The court also heard that Fortune was re-arraigned following legal discussions and pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter in the killing of his father, Gerry Fortune, 62, on August 19, 2018. The Director of Public Prosecutions accepted the plea. Sean Gillane SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, told Ms Justice Eileen Creedon that the killing of Gerry Fortune in 2018 falls in the upper end of seriousness for manslaughter and the defendant should be jailed for up to 15 years. Defence counsel Michael Bowman SC said his client had a 'very close bond and friendship' with his father and had 'no animus whatsoever' towards him. He asked the court to place the offence in the mid-range and to consider suspending a portion of the sentence to allow Fortune to continue his education and rehabilitation. Leona Lambe, David Fortune's half-sister and daughter of the deceased, told the court that there are 'no winners' regardless of the sentence imposed. She added that David will have to live with what he did for the rest of his life, knowing he took the life of a man who only ever showed him love, and that is worse than ten life sentences. Ms Justice Creedon adjourned sentencing until June 28.
Patrick Shiels, aged 64, was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment by the Central Criminal Court for sexually assaulting and orally raping his daughter, Marlene Prakash‑Shiels, who was between four and eight years old during the offences. Shiels pleaded not guilty to all charges, including four counts of sexual assault, oral rape, child cruelty, forced alcohol consumption and forced viewing of pornography. He had no prior convictions. The trial, held in Croke Park, included a victim impact statement in which Ms Prakash‑Shiels described the lasting trauma and lack of remorse from her father. Justice David Keane noted aggravating factors such as abuse of trust, age disparity and the pattern of assault, and imposed a ten‑year sentence with no credit for a guilty plea. He also ordered three years of post‑release supervision by the Probation Service. The court heard that the victim was in foster care during the period of the offences.
Four men stand charged with the false imprisonment and assault of Quinn Industrial Holdings director Kevin Lunney at Ballinagh, County Cavan on 17 September 2019. The trial at the Special Criminal Court is now scheduled to commence on 31 May following repeated postponements since January. Luke O'Reilly, Darren Redmond, and Alan O'Brien are named defendants. A fourth man cannot be identified for legal reasons. The court heard the 12-week trial will proceed consecutively until the court recess in late July, with potential resumption in September. Justice Tony Hunt dismissed several defence applications seeking adjournment, including challenges relating to data retention legislation and the circumstances of a vehicle fire. Over 50,000 documents require digital processing. The allegations include assault causing serious harm.
In March 2020, 18‑year‑old Alan Clarke of Kilcross Lawn, Sandyford, punched a 19‑year‑old victim, James Coady, on the chin in Dublin city centre, causing Coady to fall and hit his head on the pavement. Clarke, who had taken cocaine and Xanax that day, had no prior acquaintance with the victim. CCTV showed Clarke also aimed a kick at Coady's stomach before punching him. The assault resulted in a skull fracture and brain bleed for Coady, who later suffered two epileptic seizures and was diagnosed with epilepsy secondary to a traumatic brain injury. Clarke pleaded guilty to assault causing harm at O'Connell Street and was sentenced by Judge Martin Nolan to three years' imprisonment. Clarke had seven previous convictions, including robbery and aggravated burglary. The court noted the attack was "cowardly, unprovoked and sudden.".
A 31‑year‑old Gerard Lynch of Pallaskenry, Co. Limerick, pleaded guilty to the murder of his brother Willie Lynch on 30 December 2017 at Main Street, Pallaskenry. Lynch, wearing a black t‑shirt and black tracksuit bottoms, was represented by barrister Mark Nicholas SC, who described the case as a "tragic case" involving a family. The mandatory penalty for murder is life imprisonment, but Mr Nicholas indicated he would present certain matters to the court that might be considered in a different forum in the future. A sentence hearing is scheduled for Monday, 11 October.
Gavin Byrne, 47, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm after throwing an empty pint glass at a man in Tallaght on 3 February 2019. The glass struck Fiona Norman, 30, who was attending a surprise birthday party, causing her chin to be injured and requiring 12 stitches. Byrne, who had no prior convictions, admitted he had been drinking heavily and felt physically ill when the incident was described. He expressed regret and brought a €10,000 bank draft to court as a symbol of remorse, which the victim accepted. Judge Karen O'Connor, noting the offence's significant impact on Norman's anxiety and sense of safety, ordered Byrne to complete 150 hours of community service within 12 months in lieu of a two‑year prison sentence and to hand over the bank draft within seven days.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, 45‑year‑old Jacqueline McElhatton was sentenced for a series of violent offences committed in April and August 2020. In April, she pleaded guilty to assaulting Garda Rachel Corcoran at the Criminal Courts of Justice, assaulting a pharmacy employee at Rathmines Pharmacy, attempting robbery on O'Connell Street, and obstructing a peace officer at College Green. In August, she pleaded guilty to assaulting a Brazilian man on O'Connell Street and to assaulting Garda Tara Brennan at Trinity College. McElhatton had 125 prior convictions. Judge Melanie Greally imposed a 15‑month sentence for the April offences and a four‑year sentence for the August offences, to run consecutively. The final two years of the latter sentence were suspended on strict conditions, leaving an effective custodial term of five years and three months. The court noted that McElhatton was on bail for the April offences at the time of the August incidents.
In the Deirdre Morley case, the presiding judge, Mr Justice Paul Coffey, told the jury that the evidence was free of conflict and that no underlying facts required resolution. He explained that the case relied mainly on expert medical opinion, which was unanimous: both psychiatrists agreed Ms Morley was legally insane when she killed her children and could not understand the wrongness of her acts. The judge clarified that the special verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity required the jury to be satisfied on the balance of probabilities that she was suffering from a mental disorder and was unable to refrain from her actions. He emphasized that the evidence was all one way and that the prosecution was not seeking a murder conviction. The jury was then sent back to deliberate on the verdicts.
The Special Criminal Court has found Lee Canavan guilty of the murder of David 'Daithí' Douglas, who was shot at Shoestown, Bridgefoot Street, Dublin 1, on July 1, 2016. Canavan, 31, had pleaded not guilty to the charge, alleging he was part of a joint enterprise to murder Mr. Douglas, who died from injuries to his chest, neck, back, torso, elbow, and jaw. The court ruled that while it could not be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Canavan was the gunman, he was guilty due to his active participation in the shared intention to kill. He was also found guilty of criminal damage to a Suzuki Swift on July 4, 2016, an act intended to destroy evidence. The prosecution, led by Sean Gillane SC, argued the murder was meticulously planned and that Canavan's actions were inextricably linked to those of co-defendants. Frederick 'Fat Freddie' Thompson was previously jailed for life for the murder. Nathan Foley pleaded guilty to assisting a criminal organisation and was jailed for six years. Gareth Brophy was jailed for ten years for his role as a getaway driver. The court emphasized the coordinated use of four vehicles and the removal of the pistol's serial number. Canavan's conviction completes the prosecution of the entire group involved in the killing.
The Court of Appeal has heard appeals from Matthew Cummins and James Davy against their convictions for the murder of Thomas Dooley. Sean Davy, the third convicted person, previously failed in a 2018 bid to overturn his conviction. All three men were found guilty by a unanimous jury at the Central Criminal Court in 2016 and sentenced to life imprisonment for the 2014 killing of the 64-year-old Offaly man. During the trial, the accused offered conflicting accounts, with Cummins and Davy blaming each other for the fatal blows, while Davy denied involvement. In the current appeal, counsel for Cummins argued that the trial judge's directions on joint enterprise were biased and that the indictment should have been severed. Counsel for Davy similarly contended that the judge's directions were confusing and that his client's reasonable excuse of fear was not properly addressed. The prosecution, represented by Patrick Treacy SC, maintained that all three men were intrinsically involved in the savage attack. The Court of Appeal, presided over by Justice George Birmingham with Justices John Edwards and Isobel Kennedy, reserved its judgment on these applications.
A man from Sligo has been convicted of murder at the Central Criminal Court following the unlawful killing of his wife in April 2018. The court heard that Rafal Karaczyn, aged 35, of Crozon Park, Sligo, had secretly recorded his wife using a concealed camera in the bathroom of their shared home after she indicated she wished to end their relationship. Four videos recovered from electronic devices showed Karaczyn placing recording equipment in the bathroom before his wife entered, then retrieving it afterwards. The footage was dated between November 2017 and March 2018, a period when the couple were residing in separate rooms. The trial judge ruled the recordings inadmissible as evidence before the jury, determining they were not relevant to the central question of intent. Karaczyn was found guilty of the murder of Natalia Karaczyn on 29 April 2018.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, 25‑year‑old Alegranto Kongolo was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment for assault causing harm, endangerment, driving without insurance and driving without a licence. The incident occurred on 23 October 2019 at Citywest Shopping Centre, Tallaght, when Kongolo drove at a man in a car‑park, pinning him between two cars and breaking his left leg. The two men had been engaged in "verbals" after a falling out over an ex‑girlfriend and Snapchat. The victim was able to escape the initial collision but was again caught between the cars when Kongolo drove at him again. The victim sustained a broken leg and was taken to hospital. Kongolo pleaded guilty, was found to have 12 prior convictions, and was sentenced by Judge Martin Nolan to three years' imprisonment, with the final two years suspended and a three‑year driving disqualification.
Michael Talbot, 34, was sentenced to five years' imprisonment after a violent incident on 21 May 2020. He stabbed a woman in her cousin's apartment on Parnell Street, cutting her chest, side, arms and legs with a kitchen knife, then kicked her in the head and stomach. The victim, who had refused to kiss him, was left with eight open wounds and was taken to hospital. Talbot, who was on bail, later damaged vehicles in the underground car‑park, slashing tyres and puncturing a motorbike's airbox. He was arrested, taken to Mountjoy Garda Station, where he threatened to rape and kill officers. He pleaded guilty to assault causing harm, possession of a knife and three counts of criminal damage. Judge Martin Nolan, noting Talbot's 82‑count record and intoxication, imposed the maximum five‑year term for the assault causing harm charge. The sentence was delivered on 19 May 2021.
A man has been sentenced to nine years in prison by the Central Criminal Court for the rape of a woman in her Donegal home on August 9, 2017. The 38-year-old pleaded guilty to oral rape during an attack lasting approximately ninety minutes. Additional charges of attempted rape, two counts of sexual assault and criminal damage were taken into consideration. Mr Justice Michael White described the offence as falling into the most serious category, citing the breach of trust between long-standing friends, the level of violence employed and the extended duration of the assault. The court noted a second man was present during the incident. The woman provided a victim impact statement detailing the psychological harm she has sustained. The defendant was also imposed a one-year post-release supervision order.
A man from Sligo has been found guilty of murdering his wife at the Central Criminal Court. Rafal Karaczyn, aged thirty-five, of Crozon Park in Sligo, pleaded guilty to manslaughter but not guilty to murder for the unlawful killing of his wife Natalia on 29 April 2018. A jury of eleven members returned a guilty verdict for murder following a two-day deliberation, with ten jurors in agreement. The trial heard that Natalia had sought to leave her husband and have him removed from their home. When she returned to the family residence in the early hours of a Sunday morning, Karaczyn demanded to know where she had been. He subsequently strangled her. Karaczyn claimed provocation, asserting that his wife's slap and refusal to disclose her whereabouts caused him to lose self-control. The jury rejected this defence. Ms Justice Eileen Creedon imposed the mandatory sentence of life imprisonment. Following sentencing, Superintendent Mandy Gaynor commended the garda investigation and thanked the community in Sligo for their cooperation.
James Lammon, aged 48, was convicted in 2016 of the brutal, pre‑meditated murder of Jason Doogue in Athy, Co. Kildare, and received a mandatory life sentence. He is appealing on the ground that his legal team failed to challenge a disputed statement attributed to him by Garda Daniel O'Shea, who claimed Lammon had spoken about the murder in a Garda station exercise yard. Lammon denies the conversation ever occurred and says he never authorised the admission of excerpts from O'Shea's memo. His counsel argues that no clear instruction was given by Lammon to allow the evidence, and that the legal team's strategy was not supported by any record of his consent. The Court of Appeal has reserved judgment on the appeal, noting the case remains at the trial stage.
Conor Dreelan, also known as Conor Dignam, pleaded guilty at the Central Court to two counts of causing serious harm to his parents, David Dignam and Phyllis Dreelan, at Snowdrop Walk, Darndale, Dublin 17, on June 13, 2020. The accused, a father of one, had originally been charged with the attempted murder of both parents and the production of a knife as a weapon. Following his guilty plea to the serious harm charges, Michael Bowman SC, representing the Director of Public Prosecutions, informed the court that a nolle prosequi would be entered, meaning the attempted murder and weapon charges would not proceed. Mr Justice Michael White presided over the hearing and set July 26 as the date for the sentence hearing. The judge ordered the submission of victim impact statements from Mr Dignam and Ms Dreelan. Additionally, Mr Justice White directed that a report be provided by the governor of Wheatfield prison, where Mr Dreelan is currently on remand. The court did not impose a final sentence during this procedural stage, focusing instead on scheduling the upcoming sentencing and gathering necessary reports and statements.
A jury at the Central Criminal Court is continuing deliberations in the trial of a Sligo man charged with murder. Rafal Karaczyn, aged 35, of Crozon Park, Sligo, has admitted killing his wife Natalia but denies murder. He has pleaded guilty to manslaughter. The death occurred on 29 April 2018 at their home address. Ms Justice Eileen Creedon instructed the jury of twelve that they may return a verdict of guilty of murder, guilty of manslaughter, or not guilty of murder. She outlined the legal distinction between the offences and addressed the potential defence of provocation. The judge explained that provocation, where applicable, would reduce a murder conviction to manslaughter. She emphasised that the defence does not apply where an ordinary person in similar circumstances could exercise self-restraint. The jury had deliberated for more than two hours when the report was filed and were to resume their consideration the following day.