In 2022, Palfinger Ireland Ltd was fined €25,000 for health and safety breaches after a crane supplied by the company was used in an incident that caused the drowning of two stonemasons, Bryan Whelan (29) and TJ O'Herlihy (36), on the River Shannon in 2015. The incident involved a steel cage that fell into the water, and a safety mechanism on the crane failed. The fine was imposed by Limerick Circuit Court, which had unlimited fine jurisdiction. Nationwide Crane Hire Ltd, the operator of the crane, was fined €200,000 for similar breaches. The Court of Appeal heard arguments that the fine for Palfinger was too low, with the Director of Public Prosecutions claiming the sentencing judge erred in not setting a higher headline fine and in treating the missing manual chapter as a mitigating factor. The appeal was reserved for a later decision.
A 55‑year‑old man was found guilty by a jury of two counts of oral rape of his six‑year‑old daughter and one count of inviting a child to sexual touching. The offences occurred at his home between June 2020 and January 2021. He denied all charges and does not accept the verdict. Mr Justice David Keane imposed a ten‑year sentence for the two rape counts and a seven‑year sentence for the invitation to sexual touching, all to run concurrently and backdated to March 24. He noted the victim's young age, the breach of trust, and the profound harm caused. The defendant is a low‑to‑moderate risk of re‑offending, will be a registered sex offender, and must undergo three years of post‑release supervision. No portion of the sentence was suspended because the defendant does not accept the jury's verdict. The case was heard in the Central Criminal Court in Tullamore.
In a Central Criminal Court case, a 33‑year‑old man was sentenced to ten years for raping a 15‑year‑old girl in Westmeath on 20 January 2019. The jury found him guilty of a single count of rape. The defendant, who was 29 at the time, denied the conviction. Mr Justice Paul Burns noted that the victim was left alone with the accused, that the defendant verbally abused her and inflicted physical injuries. He also considered a forensic psychological report detailing the defendant's anxiety, depression, drug and alcohol misuse, and low intellectual functioning. The judge imposed a ten‑year sentence, suspending the final year for three years under probation supervision. The victim did not give a victim impact statement. The defendant had prior convictions for assault, violent disorder, public order and road traffic offences but no prior sexual convictions.
Richard Meredith, 71, of Windmill Park, Crumlin, was convicted by a jury at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for four counts of indecent assault against his 11‑year‑old niece between 24 November 1976 and 31 May 1978. The assaults occurred at the niece's grandparents' home, with the first three taking place in the kitchen and the final one in the bathroom. Meredith forced the victim to kiss him, touched her chest, and attempted to have her touch his penis, which she refused. The victim, who remains unnamed, reported the abuse to Gardaí in 2017 and later made a formal complaint. Meredith denied the allegations and gave an interview to Gardaí. He had no prior convictions. The court sentenced him to 15 months' imprisonment, noting the seriousness of the breach of trust and the lasting impact on the victim's life. The judge highlighted the victim's bravery and the need for protection of children.
Paul Hendrick, aged 75, pleaded guilty to 11 counts of indecent assault on Kenneth Grace between 1980 and 1984 while serving as second‑in‑command and later principal at CBS Westland Row. The abuse began when Grace was 13 and involved repeated physical and sexual misconduct in various school locations, including the furnace room, reception room, and during school trips. Grace was isolated, subjected to verbal abuse, and forced to perform chores. He reported the abuse in 2018, describing lifelong trauma, PTSD, and loss of self‑esteem. Judge Pauline Codd, hearing the case in May, praised Grace's courage and granted a four‑year sentence to Hendrick, suspending the final six months on the condition of continued treatment under probation supervision. Hendrick will be placed on the sex offenders register. The case highlights the enduring impact of historical sexual abuse on survivors.
Debbie Paget, 55, of Knowth Court, Ballymun, was convicted by a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court jury in May 2023 of dishonestly inducing by deception James Byrne to give her €10,000 after claiming his deceased father told her to ask for the money and that the devil would take his soul if he did not. She was also charged with inducing Byrne's sister, Maria, to give her €200, but the jury returned a not guilty verdict on that count. Paget pleaded not guilty to both charges. The judge described her as an "old‑fashioned confidence trickster" and sentenced her to 18 months' imprisonment, suspending the final six months on strict conditions. The case was heard in Dublin, with the judge noting that Byrne was a vulnerable person who believed the supernatural threat. No evidence was presented as to where the money was spent.
In a 2023 Court of Appeal decision, a 43‑year‑old man who had been jailed for 18 months for repeated rape of a vulnerable foster brother and sexual assault of another foster sibling was found to have received an overly lenient sentence. The Court quashed the original 18‑month term for the oral rape of the younger boy and re‑sentenced him to four years for those offences, suspending the remaining time for two and a half years. The man, who was aged 15‑18 at the time of the offences, had been convicted of four counts of oral rape and 12 sexual assaults between May 1995 and December 1998. He had pleaded not guilty but accepted the jury verdict. The Court noted that returning him to prison after his release in December 2022 would be "unjust" and an "additional punishment", so he will not be returned to custody.
Two men pleaded guilty in the Special Criminal Court to unlawful possession of a RAK PM-63 submachine gun recovered during a garda operation on the N11 in Shankill, Dublin on 7 March 2020. Robert Redmond, aged 35, and Jamie Gray, aged 27, were charged under the Firearms Act 1964. Evidence revealed that Redmond and co-accused Bernard Fogarty transferred the firearm to a driver in Clondalkin, with Gray directing operations via text messages from a separate location in Bray where he had met with the others. The weapon, deliberately reactivated after prior deactivation, bore no serial number. Redmond is serving a life sentence for murder; Fogarty was previously sentenced to life for the same offence and five years for separate firearm possession. Gray has 91 previous convictions, mostly traffic offences. In mitigation, his counsel noted his long-standing gambling addiction, recent employment, and rehabilitation efforts at Coolmine Therapeutic Lodge. The Director of Public Prosecutions assessed the matter at mid-range seriousness. Mr Justice Paul Burns remanded both men in custody pending sentencing on 24 July.
Tony McInerney, a 27‑year‑old former resident of Glenina, Gort Road, Ennis, Co Clare, has admitted to two new offences after previously pleading guilty to attempted murder. He was arraigned on a charge that on 18 January 2020 at Pound Street, Sixmilebridge, Co Clare, he intentionally or recklessly discharged a firearm, creating a substantial risk of death or serious harm to another. He was also arraigned on a charge that between 1 January 2019 and 18 January 2020 at Inis Eagla, Shannon, Co Clare, he threatened to kill or cause serious harm to Daniel Harty Snr, intending Mr Harty Snr to believe the threat would be carried out. McInerney pleaded guilty to both charges. He had previously pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of Daniel Harty Jnr on 18 January 2020 and was jailed for 12 years, later reduced to ten years by the Court of Appeal. The judge set a sentencing hearing for 16 October.
During the 1981 Stardust inquiry, assistant manager Jack Walsh testified that he knew emergency exits were being locked between 10 pm and 12:30 am in the weeks before the fire that killed 48 people. He admitted he was aware of the practice and that it contravened bylaws, but denied authorising it and said he did nothing to stop it. Walsh also said he was not aware of chains wrapped around door bars, did not know a doorman could keep the keys, and believed the head doorman would handle emergency procedures. He claimed he had no role in ensuring safety and that he thought patrons were already being looked after. Walsh's statements were read to the jury in the Rotunda Hospital. The inquest will resume next Tuesday.
David Thomas, 33, has sued his mother Breda Thomas in the High Court, claiming she unlawfully occupies an 85‑acre farm and dwelling at Ballyduff, Thomastown, Co Kilkenny, which he says was willed to him by his late grandmother Barbara Thomas in 1993. Thomas alleges that the property was transferred to him in 2010 by trustees, but his mother withheld the full meaning of the transfer and continued to manage the farm, benefiting from its profits. He says his mother has physically attacked him, threatened to burn the property, and excluded him from his bedroom and household facilities. Thomas claims he has no other accommodation and has been staying with an aunt. He seeks possession of the house and farm, registration of his legal interest, damages for trespass and unjust enrichment, and an injunction restraining his mother from trespassing or harassing him.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 7 July 2023, Andrew Byrne, 37, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm after he attacked a man who had been shouting at his partner outside the GPO on 26 January 2021. The victim, who suffered a brain bleed and was hospitalised for six weeks, was struck by Byrne during a confrontation that began when Byrne shouted "you bitch" and "you slut" at the victim's partner. Byrne claimed he acted in self‑defence and that he may have thrown the first punch, but the court could not conclusively determine who initiated the violence. Byrne, who had previous convictions and was on bail, was sentenced to four years with the final six months suspended on strict conditions. The judge noted the victim's long‑term injuries and Byrne's remorse, and back‑dated the sentence to 19 May 2023, when his earlier three‑year term ended.
A 33‑year‑old man, Conor Dolan, pleaded guilty to murdering his 36‑year‑old friend Neil Fitzgerald on 5 June 2016. The killing took place on Hills Lane, Crooksling, Tallaght, where Fitzgerald was found riddled with six bullets. Dolan had originally pleaded not guilty on 4 July, but after a second jury was discharged due to prison officers standing too close to him, a new jury of twelve was empanelled. Evidence included a burning rubber glove and a mobile phone recovered from Dolan's home, and cuts on his hand and blood on his tracksuit after the murder. Dolan was re‑arraigned on the murder count and pleaded guilty in the presence of the jury. He was remanded in custody until 9 October, when he will be sentenced to life imprisonment by Justice Eileen Creedon. The trial highlighted the alleged luring of Fitzgerald by Dolan, who was considered a trusted friend.
William Eagers, 63, has had his life sentence backdated by three years following an appeal at the Court of Appeal. Eagers pleaded guilty to the murder of his wife of 34 years, Jean Eagers, in their home in Clonsilla, north Dublin, on June 21, 2020. The original sentencing judge, Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring, refused to backdate the sentence to the date Eagers entered custody, citing the 'very late' plea and the distress caused to the victim's family as aggravating factors. Consequently, his sentence commenced on March 10, 2023, the date of his plea. However, Mr Justice George Birmingham at the Court of Appeal ruled that the trial judge had made a 'departure from the norm' by failing to account for the guilty plea as a mitigating factor. Justice Birmingham stated that an accused 'always receives some credit in plea' and ordered the sentence to be backdated to June 21, 2020. This adjustment means Eagers will be eligible for parole consideration at age 75, rather than 78. The appeal was successful, resulting in the effective custody period being extended to include the three years he spent in detention prior to sentencing.
David Cooney, 44, of St Anthony's Road, Rialto, Dublin 8, pleaded guilty to trespassing with intent to commit theft at a house on the South Circular Road on 6 April 2022. He was found with a large shopping bag containing a Samsung tablet, perfume bottles and jewellery, items that matched those reported missing by the house's owner. Garda Fergal Burke, on mobile patrol, spotted Cooney in the Lotts Lane area at 9.15 pm, and after he hid behind a car and dropped the bag, the officers searched it and discovered the stolen items. Cooney was arrested and later sentenced by Judge Martin Nolan to eight months in prison, the maximum allowed under the law. He has 95 previous convictions and a history of addiction and mental‑health problems. The court heard that the offence was "very frightening" for the victims, who had found their dogs in the back garden and the house's interior disturbed.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 7 July 2023, a 30‑year‑old man pleaded guilty to assault causing harm and burglary at his former partner's home on 3 June 2020. The court heard that the man punched his former partner and her toddler son, who is on the autistic spectrum, during a prolonged attack that lasted several hours. He also stamped on the victim's face, broke a TV, smashed windows, and threatened to stab himself. The victim sustained facial swelling and bruising; the child was diagnosed with PTSD. The judge, Martina Baxter, described the offence as "reprehensible", expressed concern about the defendant's attitude toward women, and adjourned the case to 27 October, remanding the man on bail and ordering a probation report. The defendant's mother attended the hearing and the defendant accepted responsibility for his actions. The case remains at the pre‑sentencing stage.
Alan Swan, 52, pleaded guilty to eight counts of unauthorised use of trademarks for counterfeit luxury goods worth over €36,000. He had 13 prior convictions for similar offences. Judge Orla Crowe ordered him to complete 240 hours of community service within two years in lieu of an 18‑month prison sentence. The court heard that Gardaí conducted operations at Liberty Market, seizing counterfeit Ugg, Adidas, Nike, Hugo Boss and Under Armour items with a street market value of €36,300. Swan denied knowing the goods were counterfeit, claiming he bought them online or from other shops. He admitted to selling them after being interviewed under caution in 2018. The court accepted a positive suitability report from the Probation Service and granted the community‑service sentence. The case was heard at the District Court.
An education support worker with Addison's disease, a rare hormonal disorder that can cause life‑threatening attacks, was awarded €33,500 after the Workplace Relations Commission found her employer discriminated against her under the Employment Equality Act 1998. The worker had learned in spring 2020 that her office in Blessington, Co. Wicklow would close and was offered relocation to Carlow, Naas, Kildare or Tallaght. She rejected Carlow because it lacked a hospital and requested the option to hot‑desk from Naas, but no accommodation was offered. She resigned and entered early retirement. The employer's counsel denied discrimination, claiming reasonable steps were taken, but the tribunal noted the employer knew of her serious medical conditions and failed to assess a suitable workplace. The compensation equated to six months' salary for the worker.
The Central Criminal Court has heard that the trial of ten individuals and three companies accused of anti-competition offences regarding school bus services may be split into two separate proceedings. Counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions, Ms Tessa White BL, informed Mr Justice Paul McDermott that trying all 13 accused together posed practical difficulties. She applied to divide the cases into two batches, with the first indictment covering five accused and the second covering the remainder. The DPP alleged that the defendants, including Larry Hickey, Noel Browne, Frances Collison, Andrew Walsh, Margaret Callanan, Edward Callanan, Raymond Heney, Anthony Flynn, Elaine Glasheen, and Malachy Collison, entered into or authorized agreements that prevented, restricted, or distorted competition in the provision of school bus services between January 2014 and December 2016. These alleged offences are contrary to the Competition Act 2002. Defence counsel noted they had only recently received the proposal, with one stating he had no instructions on their attitude. Mr Justice McDermott adjourned the matter to the next list on July 26 to fix dates for the first trial, estimated to last four to five weeks, noting the second trial could be scheduled later. The cases were taken forward by the DPP at the behest of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission following a 2016 investigation.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, 38‑year‑old Irene Cullen testified that her step‑father, Noel Foran, sexually abused her about ten times between 1991 and 1998, mostly while she slept. Cullen recalled a specific incident on New Year's Eve 1996 when she was 11, describing how Foran forced himself on her in her bedroom. She said the abuse caused PTSD, self‑harm with razor blades, and long‑term sleep disturbances. Foran pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault and was sentenced to three years' imprisonment, with his name placed on the Sex Offenders' Register. The judge praised Cullen's courage in reporting the abuse and noted Foran's lack of prior convictions and remorse. Cullen's statement highlighted the lasting impact of the abuse on her life and her protective stance toward her own children.
Fayed Azeez, 20, of Lucan, was remanded in custody until 10 July after pleading guilty to one count of assault causing harm at Blanchardstown District Court on 6 September 2022. The incident occurred when a security guard warned that youths were fighting outside the courthouse. Azeez arrived with a hammer and a metal gas canister, raised his fists threateningly, and moved toward another male. The injured party, who was assisting a colleague, intervened, took the hammer, and placed Azeez under arrest. Azeez resisted, grabbing the victim's arm and attempting to pull her hands away, resulting in bruising on her left arm. No victim impact statement was available. Azeez had no prior convictions. The Director of Public Prosecution sought summary disposal, but the District Court refused jurisdiction. The investigating Garda and defence lawyer agreed that Azeez had not used or threatened the victim with the hammer and that he was attempting to help a cousin.
An 18‑year‑old, Josh Cummins, admitted to intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to Alanna Quinn Idris, who was blinded in one eye during an organised attack by a gang of four youths on Ballyfermot Road on 30 December 2021. Ms Quinn Idris, now 18, was struck in the face with the saddle of an electric scooter, resulting in unconsciousness, a shattered tooth, a broken cheekbone, a ruptured eyeball and permanent loss of vision in her right eye after multiple reconstructive surgeries. Cummins pleaded guilty before Dublin Circuit Criminal Court and will be sentenced on 14 November. In March, his co‑accused Darragh Lyons was sentenced to four and a half years for assault causing serious harm to Ms Quinn Idris, and for assault causing harm to Louis O'Sullivan and violent disorder in the same incident. Two other accused have also been charged.
Enoch Burke, a former teacher at Wilson's Hospital secondary school, secured a temporary High Court injunction halting the hearing of his dismissal appeal. The matter was adjourned until the following Tuesday. Burke, who represented himself, argued that ASTI General Secretary Kieran Christie, a member of the three-person appeal panel, should recuse himself due to alleged bias regarding transgender issues. He also claimed the panel failed to obtain a WhatsApp video clip from the school board, which he argued was crucial evidence. The other panel members are Sean Ó Longáin, the chair, and Jack Cleary, the Management Body representative. Justice Eileen Roberts granted the ex-parte application, ruling that Burke had raised fair issues but making no findings of fact on his claims. Burke had previously been jailed for 108 days in Mountjoy Prison for contempt of court after refusing to comply with an order restraining him from attending the school. He was later fined €700 daily for continued breaches. The school board had dismissed Burke for gross misconduct, a decision he denies, claiming his dismissal stems from his objection to using specific pronouns for a student.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing on 6 July 2023, Gardaí presented evidence recovered from the home of Conor Dolan, 33, accused of murdering his friend Neil Fitzgerald, 36, in Tallaght on 5 June 2016. The evidence included a partially burned yellow rubber glove and a partially burned Samsung mobile phone found smouldering in a fireplace at Dolan's apartment on Ashbrook Apartments, Navan Road, Dublin 7. Garda Christopher O'Leary, who executed a search warrant issued on 6 June 2016, described the fire‑log remnants and the subsequent extinguishing of the fire. A search team seized 28 items, including phones, clothes and a SIM card pack. Garda Conor Harrison reported that Dolan and a passenger were stopped in a BMW on Fortunestown Road the night before the body was discovered; the passenger was later identified as Fitzgerald. The trial, presided over by Ms Justice Eileen Creedon with a jury of twelve, continues with Dolan pleading not guilty.
Irish Distillers was ordered to pay €35,000 to Yvonne Foley after she was dismissed for being late 91 times and allegedly using offensive language toward a supervisor. The company claimed Foley was on a final written warning for a pattern of unacceptable behaviour, citing 91 late arrivals out of 118 occasions. Foley's solicitor argued she used alcohol as a crutch for an anxiety disorder and that the dismissal violated the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977 because the final written warning was not in force at the time. The Workplace Relations Commission found that Irish Distillers had improvised its disciplinary process and had misapplied its own handbook, which lists only a verbal warning, a written warning and a final written warning of 12 months. The commission upheld the complaint and awarded Foley €35,000 in redress.
In a High Court hearing on 6 July 2023, Mr Justice Conor Dignam granted an attachment order to the Cabhrú Housing Association, a charitable organisation that owns a Dublin property at James McSweeney House, Berkeley Street, Dublin 7. The order requires Gardaí to arrest and bring before the court all persons who are refusing to vacate the building, which has been illegally occupied since mid‑May. Cabhrú claims the occupants are members of a group called the Revolutionary Housing League and that the occupation is in contempt of a prior court order to leave. The charity has attempted to identify the occupants and serve them copies of the vacate order in six languages, but has been unable to do so because the occupants wear masks and have barricaded themselves inside.
In the Central Criminal Court, a jury was sworn in for the trial of brothers Ian (34) and Daniel (43) Connaghan, who are accused of murdering builder Michael 'Mick' Mulvey. Mulvey, aged 55, died two weeks after a serious assault on November 14, 2019, when he was walking home. The brothers pleaded not guilty to the murder charge and to assault causing serious harm. The trial, set to begin before Mr Justice Paul Burns, is expected to last up to three weeks.
Orla Howe, a solicitor, claimed she was dismissed after notifying her employer of her pregnancy and heightened anxiety about working in the office during the COVID‑19 pandemic. The Workplace Relations Commission found that the dismissal was discriminatory under the Employment Equality Act 1998. The tribunal noted that the firm, HCA Law, had not reduced its headcount when Ms Howe was terminated and had instead recruited new staff, indicating the dismissal was not a genuine redundancy. The commission also rejected the claim that the firm breached the European Pregnant Workers' Directive, as Ms Howe had not been compelled to work in the office and could work from home. Ms Howe was awarded €30,000 in compensation for the discriminatory dismissal. The decision was made by adjudicating officer Marie Flynn.
In a 2023 decision, the Workplace Relations Commission awarded Garda Jacinta Kenny €50,000 after finding that the Gardaí had discriminated against her on the basis of disability. Kenny, who has migraine status, swallowing difficulties, borderline personality disorder, generalised anxiety disorder and agoraphobia, had applied for a sergeant's post in 2017 and was placed on the sergeant panel in 2019. A senior officer told her that promotions would be to frontline roles she could not perform and that her promotion was "held up because of medical grounds". The officer also alleged that Kenny had said she would self‑harm in a way that posed a danger to the public, an allegation Kenny denied. The WRC found the allegation unsubstantiated, concluded that the Gardaí had prevented her promotion, and ordered the force to treat her equally and provide her personnel file. The ruling was received by the parties' legal representatives but has not yet been published by the WRC.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, a 27‑year‑old Wexford man pleaded guilty to three sexual assault charges after repeatedly assaulting a 24‑year‑old woman at his Dublin home on 7 May 2018. The victim, who had previously had consensual sex with him, fell asleep and was digitally penetrated while she pretended to be asleep. She later fled to a hotel where staff and Gardaí assisted her. The court heard her victim impact statement, describing the assault as turning her world upside down and leaving her with lasting trauma. The man had sent apologetic messages and a letter, and had begun counselling. The judge adjourned the case to 28 July for sentencing, remanding the defendant on continuing bail. The hearing focused on the assault, the victim's statement, and the defendant's remorse and rehabilitation efforts.
During the inquest into the Stardust nightclub fire, former doorman John Furley testified that he did not kick the padlock off exit door five. He described seeing smoke and fire, hearing people push and kick the door, and feeling the bar rise after two attempts. Furley said he had no recollection of kicking the door and that the push bars may have been faulty. He denied seeing a chain or lock on the door and said he did not see any staff at exit five. Witnesses had claimed a bouncer had kicked the padlock, but Furley insisted they were wrong. He also stated he had never seen anyone let friends in for free through an exit door and that the manager did not like being bested. The inquest continues tomorrow.
In a High Court case on 5 July 2023, the Duddy Group—Duddy Hospitality Ireland Holdings Limited, Brendan Duddy and Lawrence Duddy—sued the Propiteer Group, comprising Propiteer Ireland Holdings Limited, DADAC Ltd, Propiteer Ltd, Colin Sandy and David Marshall, over a dispute about the division of assets from joint ventures they had owned, including the IBIS Red Cow Hotel in Dublin. The parties had been partners in several ventures, and after disagreements in 2019 they agreed in 2020 to split the assets. The Duddy Group alleges that the Propiteer Group breached those settlement agreements by securing borrowings for the IBIS companies, appointing receivers over the hotel and related assets, and attempting to replace directors on the hotel's boards. The Duddy Group also sued the receivers, Ken Fennell and Andrew O'Leary of Interpath Ireland, seeking orders to stop them acting as receivers and to prevent any board changes.
Lawyers for Qatari royals and Maybourne Hotels argue that Irish courts lack jurisdiction to hear defamation claims brought by Irish businessman Ronnie Delany. Delany alleges letters published in Ireland defamed him and were part of a conspiracy. He seeks damages, declarations of defamation and conspiracy, and an injunction. Defendants, represented by Marcus Dowling SC and Stephen Byrne BL, file pre‑trial motions to strike the actions, claiming the claims should be heard in the UK or France. Delany, represented by Paul McGarry SC, counters, asserting the letters were sent to Irish recipients, including associate Paddy McKillen, and thus the case is proper in Ireland. The motions are before Mr Justice Conor Dignam, with the hearing expected to last several days. The case involves letters dated 13 April 2021 and claims of unlawful damage to reputation.
In the second day of the murder trial of Conor Dolan, the jury was discharged by Ms Justice Eileen Creedon after an issue arose just before lunchtime. Dolan, aged 33, denies murdering Neil Fitzpatrick, aged 36, who was found dead on a country lane outside Dublin on 5 June 2016. Prosecutor Lorcan Staines SC argued that Dolan lured Fitzpatrick to the lane and that Fitzpatrick was "riddled" with bullets in an execution‑style killing. Staines said the prosecution would use circumstantial evidence to show that Dolan arranged to pick up Fitzpatrick from a pub in Tallaght before driving to the remote area where the body was discovered the following day. The trial, scheduled for a maximum of three weeks, will resume tomorrow with a new jury of six men and six women, and Staines will again give his opening speech. The case remains at the trial stage, with no verdict or sentencing announced. Conor Dolan pleaded not guilty.
On 7 March 2022 a double‑decker bus driven by 60‑year‑old aircraft maintenance engineer Francis Leonard crashed into a rail bridge on Moyne Road, Baldoyle, shearing off the top of the vehicle while 15 school children were aboard. No passengers were injured and the bridge sustained only minor chipping. Leonard, who had been asked to drive a double‑decker on short notice, had intended to take a different route but was forced to change course due to roadworks. He stopped the bus to allow a car to pass and was travelling at low speed when the collision occurred. He pleaded guilty to one count of driving a vehicle over the bridge's height limit. At a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing Judge Orla Crowe discharged him from the indictment after he had complied with a €500 fine, kept the peace and met other conditions imposed earlier. No further charges were brought.
Dumitru Sehleanu, a van driver, won €15,000 in compensation from Cordelia Foods Ltd following a Workplace Relations Commission hearing. The adjudicator found that the company committed longstanding breaches of the Organisation of Working Time Act, specifically regarding excessive hours and lack of breaks. Mr. Sehleanu alleged he worked 12 to 13-hour days, driving 600km to 900km routes, and was forced to urinate in a bottle due to the inability to take rest periods. The adjudicator accepted this evidence, awarding €7,500 for rest period violations and a further €7,500 for exceeding weekly maximum hours between May and August 2020. However, Mr. Sehleanu's claims for constructive dismissal under the Unfair Dismissals Act, penalisation under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, and a National Minimum Wage Act complaint were all rejected. The adjudicator ruled that while the working time breaches were significant, they did not constitute a repudiatory breach of contract because Mr. Sehleanu resigned without first raising the issues with his employer. The minimum wage claim failed due to procedural non-compliance. The total award was €15,000. Mr. Sehleanu has since secured new employment as a firefighter in Bray.
The Workplace Relations Commission upheld a constructive dismissal complaint by boxer Roy Sheahan against Kendra Civil Engineering (Ireland) Ltd pursuant to the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977. Adjudicating officer Valerie Murtagh found that Sheahan raised issues regarding heavy duties that exacerbated his hand injury and felt he had no option but to resign. The tribunal awarded Sheahan €6,000 in compensation, reducing the amount because his efforts to mitigate losses did not meet the standard of spending a reasonable amount of time each weekday seeking new work. Sheahan alleged his professional boxing career ended after his left hand was crushed by a digger bucket in January 2020. He claimed that upon returning to work in September 2020, he was assigned heavy duties despite a doctor's note recommending light duties as an initial lead-in. Kendra Civil Engineering's managing director, Dan Curtis, testified that he believed Sheahan was certified for unrestricted work and intended to provide lighter duties at a future site. The company's safety manager, Trevor Murtagh, stated that Sheahan never raised injury concerns during safety audits, though the firm failed to produce audit sheets for December 2020 and January 2021. A separate personal injury claim was noted as ongoing at the time of the hearing.
Megan Kenna, a pregnant tenant in Howth, claims her landlord Brendan O'Brien terminated her lease because she was pregnant, alleging discrimination under the Equal Status Act 2000. Kenna says the landlord's stress over her pregnancy forced her to have a caesarean section, citing a consultant obstetrician's statement. O'Brien accepted the medical opinion but disputes that his actions caused the stress. Kenna's case was heard by the Workplace Relations Commission, where recordings of a meeting on 9 April 2022 were played. In the meeting, O'Brien told Kenna he could not allow a child in the apartment, citing a supposedly unsafe spiral staircase, and offered alternative accommodation that Kenna deemed unsuitable. Kenna and her husband left the property after receiving notice of termination. The adjudicator will decide in months.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, a 25‑year‑old man pleaded guilty to one count of coercive control for a series of violent and threatening incidents against his partner between December 2019 and August 2020. The court heard that the man repeatedly struck, verbally abused, and threatened the woman, including calling her names, threatening to kill her and her family, and forcing her to urinate in a glass. He also threatened the woman's mother, calling her a "scumbag" and "rat" and saying he would shoot her and her family. The woman denied that coercive control had occurred, and no victim impact statements were submitted. The judge noted the woman remained in the relationship and that the man had 48 prior convictions. Judge Orla Crowe sentenced the man to two years, giving credit for time already served, and considered the threat to the mother a serious aggravating factor.
During the Stardust inquest, doorman John Furley, then 23, said he was told by senior staff that exit doors should remain locked, but he had not received any direct instruction. He described youths attempting to force open exit 5, which was partially blocked by a skip of empty bottles; after the skip was moved the door opened fully. Only 20‑30 people escaped through that door, while many others tried to exit through other dark, unlit exits. Furley noted that exit 1 and 6 were always chained and pad‑locked and that he had never opened them. He also recalled a prior incident where a door had been nailed shut while the disco was still running. The inquest heard that the Stardust had operated for three years before the February 13 fire, and that Furley had helped evacuate the Lantern Rooms after the blaze was noticed. The hearing continues tomorrow.
An 80‑year‑old grandfather, whose name is withheld to protect victims, has appealed six rape convictions for repeatedly raping his eldest granddaughter between 2014 and 2018. He was sentenced in June 2022 to ten years' imprisonment with one year suspended, and to five years for 81 other sexual assaults on the girl and her two younger sisters when they were aged five to fourteen. The appeal argues that the trial judge's charge to the jury was erroneous, claiming the defence failed to fully question the complainant on details from specialist Garda interviews that were shown on a DVD. The Court of Appeal will decide on 11 July. The case highlights the grandfather's abuse of trust and the impact on the three girls, who were present at the hearing. The judge noted the defendant's age but stressed the seriousness of the offences.
In a High Court hearing on 4 July 2023, Mr Paul McGrath, a tenant at Mount Eagle Square, Sandyford, secured a temporary injunction preventing the Tuath Housing Association from evicting him over alleged anti‑social behaviour. McGrath, who has lived there for two years under a lease, claimed he was the victim of violent assault by several individuals in early June and that the landlord had given him only seven days to leave following a notice of termination alleging violent and threatening behaviour. He denied any anti‑social conduct and argued that the landlord had no grounds to terminate the lease. McGrath sought resolution through the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) and obtained the injunction on an ex‑parte basis, which restrains the landlord and its agents from evicting or entering the premises pending the RTB's determination. The judge, Ms Justice Eileen Roberts, accepted the evidence presented and set a return date for later that month.
Ms Justice Eileen Roberts extended Mareva orders freezing the assets of Volga-Dnepr Logistics BV, finding a strong case that the Russian-owned logistics firm is attempting to move assets out of Europe to frustrate a US$406m judgement registered by BOC Aviation Limited. The High Court judge clarified the powers of receiver Declan Taite over the defendant's 68.7% shareholding in its Irish subsidiary, Volga-Dnepr (Ireland), which holds estimated US$236m in assets, including three Antonov cargo aircraft in Germany. BOC, represented by Bernard Dunleavy SC and Ross Aylward BL, secured these unopposed interim orders to prevent asset dissipation following a New York Court award against the defendant and its subsidiary for alleged breaches of leasing agreements. The judge noted that while the defendant may challenge Irish jurisdiction, no instructions have been given to bring such a motion. She declined to order specific disclosures from Irish subsidiary directors, deferring that decision until a receiver's report is received when the case returns later this month. The Volga-Dnepr group, with assets of approximately US$3.5bn, is alleged to be headed by Alexey Isaykin, a sanctioned Russian businessman. BOC claims post-invasion restructuring, including a US$126m dividend to a Luxembourg entity, was designed to place assets beyond reach. The matter remains pending the full hearing of BOC's claim.
A 30-year-old man accused of raping his partner's 23-month-old toddler with an object has pleaded guilty to charges of reckless endangerment and child cruelty, two weeks into his Central Criminal Court trial. The man, who cannot be named to protect the identities of the children, initially pleaded not guilty to ten charges, including Section 4 rape, sexual assault, and child cruelty to the toddler and her brother between February and April 2018. However, a plea deal was reached, and he admitted to one count of reckless endangerment of the toddler between March 29, 2013, and April 5, 2018, and two counts of child cruelty towards the toddler and two counts of child cruelty towards her brother on April 5, 2018. The matter is currently at the appeal stage. The man will be sentenced for the reckless endangerment charge and the child cruelty charges on October 9. The charges carry a maximum sentence of seven years. The trial heard that the family was under investigation by gardaí at the time of the alleged offences and had been referred to Tusla the previous November after the girl, then aged 18 months, was taken to hospital covered in bruises. The children were immediately taken into care following the hospitalisation. The man fled the jurisdiction shortly after the girl was hospitalised and has been in custody since his return. He gave one voluntary interview to gardaí in January 2018, when the initial investigation into the girl's November 2017 hospitalisation was underway. The man had also pleaded not guilty to other charges, including sexual assault and failing to seek medical help for an injury to the girl's wrist. The children's mother pleaded guilty last year to two counts of recklessly endangering her children and was given a five-year jail sentence, which she is appealing in the Court of Appeal.
In a Central Criminal Court trial, the prosecution, led by Lorcan Staines SC, argued that Conor Dolan lured 36‑year‑old Neil Fitzgerald to a country lane outside Dublin, where Fitzgerald was shot six times in an execution‑style killing. Staines presented circumstantial evidence: Fitzgerald was picked up from Madison's Bar in Tallaght by Dolan, who drove in a purple BMW 3‑series that was later found washed at a Topaz garage with palm prints matching Fitzgerald. CCTV and mobile‑phone data showed Dolan's movements, including a stop by an unmarked garda car and an automatic number‑plate recognition ping of Dolan's vehicle. A "bin phone" linked to Dolan sent a message about a white van, and both men used dual‑SIM phones. The jury was told the evidence suggested Dolan arranged the meeting and that Fitzgerald was executed, but the jury would decide whether Dolan committed the murder. The trial continues before Justice Eileen Creedon. Conor Dolan pleaded not guilty.
A man with 86 previous convictions, including for domestic violence, has had his custodial sentence doubled following a Court of Appeal ruling. Jason Doyle (28) of Tower Hill, Ballymote, County Sligo, pleaded guilty to one count of assault causing harm against his then partner at their home on 10 January 2021. Sligo Circuit Criminal Court had imposed a two-year sentence with 15 months suspended. The State appealed on grounds of undue leniency. The victim sustained injuries including bleeding to the head, bruising to the jaw-line, and blows to the back of her head and body during the overnight incident. Justice Isobel Kennedy, delivering the Court of Appeal's judgment, found the lower court had erred in principle by applying an excessive mitigation discount. The court substituted a headline sentence of three years with nine months credited for the guilty plea and nine months suspended, resulting in an 18-month custodial term.
A 22-year-old man charged with two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder in Sligo has changed his senior counsel ahead of trial. The accused appeared via video link from Castlerea Prison in Roscommon at the Central Criminal Court today. He is charged with the murder of two men in April 2022 and the attempted murder of another man the same month, all occurring in Sligo. Brendan Grehan SC was released from the case and Michael Bowman SC was appointed in his place. The trial is scheduled to commence on 13 November at the Central Criminal Court and is expected to last three weeks. The court heard that outstanding matters include records from the Central Mental Hospital and Castlerea Prison, along with other minor administrative issues. A case review was set for 19 July.
In a case brought before the Workplace Relations Commission, Elamir Elamdkhoum, a migrant fisherman, secured an order against R&E Fish Ltd for failing to pay the minimum wage under the National Minimum Wage Act 2000. The tribunal found that Elamdkhoum, who worked on a 24‑foot prawn boat from December 2019, was entitled to the national minimum hourly rate for 39 hours each week, even when the vessel was tied up. The employer had not provided a proper employment contract or a written statement of terms, and had failed to supply records of Elamdkhoum's working hours. The adjudicating officer, Conor Stokes, accepted the trade union's calculation and ordered R&E Fish to pay €11,540.78 in pay arrears, €408 for a holiday entitlement breach, and an additional week's pay for the lack of a written statement, bringing the total to €12,500.78.
A man granted refugee status in Ireland despite a prior UK sexual assault conviction has been sentenced to ten years imprisonment at the Central Criminal Court for the rape of one woman and the attempted abduction of another in County Sligo. Tayyab Salah Uddin pleaded guilty to raping a woman on 15 September 2018 and to falsely imprisoning a second woman the following day. The court heard that both victims were intoxicated and alone when Uddin approached them in a town centre. After raping the first woman, he returned the next evening and attempted to force a second woman into his car before gardaí intervened following surveillance footage. The court noted Uddin's predatory behaviour in targeting vulnerable, isolated women and his lack of remorse. Mr Justice Paul McDermott imposed consecutive sentences with three years post-release supervision, having assessed Uddin as presenting a high risk of reoffending. Uddin, a Pakistani national with ocular albinism, arrived in Ireland in 2018 and was granted refugee status.
In a Court of Appeal hearing on 3 July 2023, John D Fitzgerald SC argued that Edmundas Dauksa, 53, was provoked when his former partner, Ingrida Maciokaite, 31, decided not to bring their six‑year‑old daughter to his home on the day of the murder. Dauksa had been convicted in May 2021 of murdering Maciokaite by stabbing her 19 times in a darkened archway in front of the child. The defence claimed the decision to withhold the child, made after a District Court granted her sole custody, caused Dauksa to become "very distraught" and "destroyed as a human being." Fitzgerald said the phone call from Maciokaite at about 2 pm was the trigger and could amount to provocation, even though it was not a face‑to‑face confrontation. The judge, Mr Justice John Edwards, noted Dauksa was in a self‑induced state of intoxication and that the court would reserve judgment on the provocation claim. Edmundas Dauksa pleaded not guilty.