The Central Criminal Court trial of seven men accused of familial sexual abuse continues before Ms Justice Caroline Biggs. Complainant 2, a 26-year-old woman, testified that her older brother, Accused C (34), allegedly raped her when she was 16 and 19. Accused C has pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting her between 2005 and 2006, and to two counts of rape and one count of anal rape between 2016 and 2019. He also faces 46 further counts against two other sisters. His six co-accused, aged 32 to 55, deny a total of 98 counts regarding Complainant 1, a deaf woman, alleged to have occurred between 1996 and 2013. Accused A (55) denies one count of rape; Accused B (48) denies eight counts of rape, oral rape, and anal rape; Accused D (33) denies 19 counts of rape and three of anal rape; Accused E (32) denies nine counts of anal rape and seven of rape; Accused F (32) denies three counts of anal rape and two of rape; and Accused G (45) denies one count of rape. All accused deny the charges. The matter is at the trial stage and has not been finalised.
Iosif Ghergut, 50, of Galway, pleaded guilty to one count of oral rape and one count of sexual assault against Jade MacFarlane, a friend of his daughter, at his home on 10 October 2021. The court found aggravating factors including the victim's trust, a 27‑year age gap, and the assault occurring in a bathroom where she could not leave. Ghergut had no prior convictions. Justice Karen O'Connor sentenced him to five years and eight months for the oral rape and four years for the sexual assault, with both sentences running concurrently. The judge suspended the last six months of the longer term and back‑dated it to the date of his arrest. Ghergut will be supervised by Probation Services for 12 months after release. The case was heard at the Central Criminal Court in Galway.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 16 October 2025, 21‑year‑old Morgan Devlin of Tallaght pleaded guilty to one count of robbery and one count of assault causing harm for an incident on 8 May 2022 on Sean Whelan Road. Devlin, who has six prior convictions, was sentenced to three years' imprisonment. The court noted that the victim sustained a serious injury close to the femoral artery, suffered multiple blows, a knife stab from a co‑accused, and a bite wound. CCTV identified Devlin, who was the least culpable of the three assailants. The judge considered sentences of other co‑accused, including a minor who received five years with two and a half years suspended for a separate robbery. The case highlighted the victim's severe injuries and the defendants' varying culpability.
A 25‑year‑old man was sentenced to nine years' imprisonment, with the final year suspended for two years, by Mr Justice Paul McDermott at the Central Criminal Court for sexually assaulting his 13‑year‑old cousin. The court heard that the defendant lured the child to an abandoned shed, forced her into a sexual assault, and threatened to drown her in a river if she disclosed the crime. He also threatened the child's father, saying he would leave him looking like the horror‑movie doll 'Chucky'. The defendant pleaded guilty to the assault and to witness intimidation. He has 81 prior convictions, including theft, fraud, road‑traffic offences and criminal damage. The judge noted the victim's bravery and the aggravating nature of the threats, and ordered the defendant to engage with Probation Services, Tusla and a therapeutic group programme while in custody and for two years after release.
Patrick Lawlor, 59, a convicted bagman for an organised crime gang, has applied to the High Court for additional free legal aid to secure a quantity surveyor's valuation of his home as he contests a Criminal Assets Bureau bid to seize the property. Lawlor was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment in October 2022 for his role in a money‑laundering operation that generated almost €12 million in 2019. He and another convicted man were paid monthly by the gang to handle large sums of cash before their arrest. Gardaí seized just under €900 000 at Lawlor's home. In July, the High Court granted the Lawlors free legal aid to challenge the CAB's valuation of their Collins Avenue West house, approving €4 000 for a surveyor's report. At this week's hearing, Andrew McKeown BL requested an increase to €10 000, citing that nine surveyors had been contacted without success. The application was adjourned to November. Patrick Lawlor pleaded guilty.
Maria Moldovan, 51, pleaded guilty to stealing €610 worth of groceries from Dunnes Stores on 7 February and €300 worth of clothing from Penneys on 3 May 2024. Security staff stopped her after she placed items in bags and left without paying; Gardaí arrested her at the scene and she was taken to Tallaght Garda station. The items were recovered in resaleable condition. Moldovan, originally from Romania and living in Ireland for ten years, has no prior convictions. She claimed she "didn't know what came over her." The court ordered a probation report and adjourned sentencing to 9 January 2026.
Thomas Carlyle, 49, who is already serving a 12‑month sentence for burglary, was given a one‑month prison term that runs concurrently with his existing sentence after pleading guilty to stealing a €5.58 Buzzball can from a Spar store in Stillorgan on 27 September 2024. The offence was committed in breach of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 2001. Carlyle repeatedly interrupted the hearing at Dún Laoghaire District Court, prompting Judge Anne Watkin to ignore his rudeness and contempt, pause the case until he calmed down, and later hear his plea. Defence counsel Michael O'Brien highlighted Carlyle's long‑standing addiction struggles, recent bereavement, and lack of convictions between 1998 and 2021, noting his improved behaviour in custody. The judge noted the low value of the stolen item but imposed the one‑month sentence, to run concurrently with the existing term.
Three men have been sentenced to a combined 43 years imprisonment following their guilty pleas to manslaughter in connection with the death of a pensioner in Co Sligo. At the Central Criminal Court, Mr Justice Paul McDermott imposed sentences of 16 years on John Irving (31) of Shanwar, Foxford, Co Mayo, with the final year suspended, and 15 years each on Francis Harman (58) of Ballina and John Clarke (37) of Ballina, also with the final year suspended. The men attacked Tom Niland at his home in Doonflynn, Skryne on 18 January 2022. Despite suffering severe injuries, Mr Niland alerted neighbours. He was hospitalised but died from his injuries on 30 September 2023. The judge described the assault as "savage" and noted the men had targeted Mr Niland because he lived alone and was elderly. The three men stole approximately €800 and disposed of evidence. John Irving was convicted.
At the Central Criminal Court, families of two men missing since 2014 provided testimony in the murder trial of Ruth Lawrence. The 45-year-old, from Mountnugent in County Meath, has pleaded not guilty to the murders of Anthony Keegan and Eoin O'Connor, whose remains were discovered on an island in May 2014. Karen Roche, Mr O'Connor's former partner, told the court that he received an unsettling phone call on 22 April 2014 and departed their home shortly after, never to return. Rory O'Connor, the victim's brother, spoke to Eoin by telephone that evening but received no further contact after 8.45pm. The prosecution alleges Mr O'Connor was a drug dealer and that financial disputes over approximately €70,000 provided motive. The trial, before Mr Justice Tony Hunt and jury, continues. The State argues the accused woman and her boyfriend acted together in the killings.
The trial of Mark Lee, Anthony Delappe, and Connor Rafferty continues before Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring and a jury. The three men are accused of the murder of Josip Strok, who died on April 3, 2024, from blunt force injuries sustained in an alleged assault on March 30, 2024, at Grangeview Way in Clondalkin. Lee and Delappe have pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter, while Rafferty has pleaded not guilty to murder. All three have pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to witness David Druzinec. During cross-examination, Druzinec denied fabricating a story about racial abuse on a bus, stating he was in shock and told gardai what he remembered. Defense counsel suggested he invented the account to ensure someone was held responsible for his friend's death. The prosecution alleges the accused assaulted the two Croatian men after being told they had attacked a 17-year-old boy at a nearby bus stop. The trial is ongoing, with no final verdict or sentencing recorded at this procedural stage.
Craig Fitzsimmons, aged 51, had a two‑month jail term for sending "grossly offensive" messages replaced by a fully suspended sentence on appeal. He was convicted in the District Court for two counts of sending threatening or grossly offensive communication under the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020. The original sentence was two concurrent four‑month terms with two months suspended. Fitzsimmons appealed, arguing that he was "hated by people connected with Antifa" and that prison would be a hazardous environment due to alleged threats against his life. Defence counsel Edmund Shanahan said Fitzsimmons had received a barrage of threats and that the judge should have made special provisions. Judge Fiona O'Sullivan suspended the entire four‑month sentence for six months, conditional on Fitzsimmons keeping the peace and not contacting the injured party by any means, including social media. Craig Fitzsimmons pleaded not guilty.
The Criminal Assets Bureau seized a range of items from Jamie Geoghegan, a 29‑year‑old former footballer who was jailed for six‑and‑a‑half years for a 2023 assault involving dragging a victim into a Jeep, driving him to a caravan, tying him up, beating and stabbing him. At sentencing Geoghegan pleaded guilty to assault and false imprisonment and had 75 prior convictions, including theft, burglary, firearms and drug offences. He had represented Ireland at under‑age level and at the Homeless World Cup. In a High Court hearing on 15 October 2025, Geoghegan did not contest the CAB's application to seize assets deemed proceeds of crime. The court was told the CAB had identified 23 items – €4,000 cash, £2,000 cash, a VW Golf, a Skoda Superb, a modular home and a watch – seized from his Dublin home and another location.
The trial of seven men accused of familial sexual abuse continues before Ms Justice Caroline Biggs and a jury. Complainant 3, now 24, testified that she awoke at age 12 to find her brother, Accused C, anally raping her. Accused C, 34, has pleaded not guilty to this count and 49 other charges against Complainants 1 and 2. During cross-examination, he denied being influenced by his sisters' allegations, stating he identified his brother as the perpetrator. He accepted the incident may have occurred when he was ten, though he initially stated he was 12. He denied requiring medical treatment for bleeding discovered in the bathroom. Accused C also faces 45 counts against Complainant 1, including 22 rape and 23 anal rape charges, and four counts against Complainant 2. His six co-accused, aged 32 to 55, face 98 counts regarding Complainant 1, a deaf woman, alleged to have occurred between 1996 and 2013. Accused A, 55, is accused of one rape count. Accused B, 48, faces eight counts including rape, oral rape, and anal rape. Accused D, 33, pleaded not guilty to 19 rape and three anal rape counts. Accused E, 32, denied nine anal rape and seven rape counts. Accused F, 32, denied three anal rape and two rape counts. Accused G, 45, denied one rape count. All accused deny the charges. The trial is ongoing.
James 'Mago' Gately, a Hutch gang member, will have his Coolock house auctioned by the Criminal Assets Bureau after he spent €440,000 on refurbishments while not working since 2015. The High Court, with counsel David Dodd BL for the CAB, confirmed the sale on November 12, with a guide price of €295,000, and the case will return to court on November 19. Gately's former partner, Charlene Lam, a self‑employed beautician, is also a respondent; both denied wrongdoing. The property was seized in April, repaired after a court order, and the High Court found the home's equity largely derived from crime proceeds. Gately purchased the house in 2013 for €125,000, and the CAB alleges links to armed robberies, gangland murders and drug dealing, though he has never been convicted of serious offences. The sale will determine the distribution of the property's proceeds.
In a murder trial, 29‑year‑old David Druzinec, a Croatian immigrant, testified that he suffered memory loss after an assault that left his childhood friend Josip Strok, 31, dead. Druzinec said he felt a "strange feeling" of being followed after he and Strok disembarked from a bus near his Clondalkin home. He recalled telling Strok to "hurry up" when he saw more than three men behind them, but could not identify the attackers or their ages. Druzinec was attacked, received stitches above both eyes and on the top of his head, and could say nothing about the incident. The trial involves Mark Lee (44), Anthony Delappe (19) and Connor Rafferty (21), who have pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter and assault causing harm to Druzinec. The case is before Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring and a jury of twelve.
Dan Moorehouse, 26, of Richmond Park, Monkstown, Dublin, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to two counts of assault causing harm and one count of burglary at an address on Monkstown Road, south Dublin. The court heard that Moorehouse, who has 60 previous convictions, allegedly broke into the home and attacked two sisters who confronted him. Prosecution evidence stated he punched one woman in the face, bursting her lip and cutting her cheekbone, and struck the other in the nose. Judge Martin Nolan described the incident as a traumatic ordeal, noting that Moorehouse allegedly burgled the house to fund a drug habit. While acknowledging the defendant's difficult background and mental health issues, the Judge stated that Moorehouse knew right from wrong. Moorehouse was sentenced to a six-year custodial term. The Judge suspended the final 18 months of this sentence, resulting in an effective custody period of four and a half years. The matter was finalised at the sentencing stage.
Jonathan Vieira, a 31‑year‑old Brazilian, was sentenced to two years' imprisonment in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for importing cocaine into Ireland by swallowing 90 pellets of the drug. He pleaded guilty to possession for sale, possession of cocaine and importation of cocaine at Dublin Airport on 16 March 2025. Garda Avril Owens reported that Vieira was stopped by customs after flying from Brazil because he was deemed suspicious. He admitted swallowing 90 pellets, passing 71 while in custody, and that the pellets were worth an estimated €48,825 on the street. Vieira claimed he was an Uber driver who had borrowed €2,000 from a debt collector to buy a vehicle, and that he was forced to transport the cocaine to repay the debt within three days. He acknowledged that his actions were illegal but said he felt pressured.
Thomas Thompson, aged 59, was given a suspended two‑year sentence for burglary after entering a Dollymount house through an unlocked back door. He had rung the bell and asked to speak to the homeowner, but the teenage son, who was in a back room, told him the woman was asleep. A scuffle ensued when the son tried to remove Thompson from the house. Thompson claimed he had a knife, but no weapon was found, and the victim believed none existed. The homeowner's mother later confronted Thompson, who called her a "rat." Thompson had previously been reported for disturbances near the home. He pleaded guilty to burglary on 19 May 2024, has 28 prior convictions, and the court noted his PTSD diagnosis from the 1970s Dublin bombings. Judge Martin Nolan suspended the sentence on the condition that Thompson stay at least one kilometre from the victim's home.
Chloe Dunne, 29, of Finglas, was stopped by Gardaí for using her phone while driving in Clondalkin on 26 July 2023. Officers found a large carrier bag containing 973 grammes of cannabis in the front passenger seat, with an estimated street value of €19,750. Dunne admitted that someone had placed the drugs in her car and that her role was to deliver the bag to a specific address. She claimed she was unaware of the drugs' value and was seeking €300–€400 for her part. She had no prior convictions. At the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court she pleaded guilty to possessing drugs for sale or supply. Judge Martin Nolan imposed a two‑year sentence, suspended in full on strict conditions, citing her lack of experience and immediate admission of guilt.
A Workplace Relations Commission adjudicator has dismissed a discrimination complaint filed by Ryanair flight attendant Fernando Oliveira against Ryanair DAC, finding the claim to be an abuse of process. Mr. Oliveira, a Portuguese national, alleged race and family status discrimination under the Employment Equality Act 1998, seeking €170,000 in compensation, the expungement of disciplinary records, and mandatory training for management. Ryanair denied the allegations, noting that Mr. Oliveira had received a final written warning and paid suspension following an investigation into complaints from other crew. The adjudicator, Patricia Owens, rejected the claim, stating that Mr. Oliveira failed to establish an inference of discrimination or provide cogent evidence for his claims of victimisation, harassment, or sexual harassment. The decision highlighted that Mr. Oliveira's legal submissions were rife with irrelevant, misquoted, and non-existent citations, including references to phantom determinations. Although Mr. Oliveira initially dismissed suggestions that he used artificial intelligence to generate his papers as a baseless attack, he later acknowledged he may have used AI. The adjudicator concluded that his reliance on these inaccurate citations wasted considerable time for the respondent and the tribunal, constituting an egregious abuse of process. Consequently, the complaint was denied, and no compensation or other remedies were awarded.
In the Mary Ward murder case, the Central Criminal Court has yet to make progress on a psychiatric assessment of Ahmed Abdirahman, a 31‑year‑old Somali national accused of killing his former partner, Mary Ward, on 25 September 2024 in Belfast. Three months after Judge Paul McDermott warned that the delay could not continue, the court still has no diagnosis of Abdirahman's fitness to plead. The judge required a "diagnostic clarification" from the Central Mental Hospital, which must admit the accused and allow an external psychiatrist to evaluate him. Defence counsel Oisin Clarke noted issues with the case and the need for the court to determine the accused's mental fitness. In July, the defence reported that Abdirahman was still in Cloverhill Prison and had not engaged with a psychiatrist.
In a Dún Laoghaire District Court hearing, a homeowner testified that two men tried to break into his south Dublin home on 1 October 2024, shouting for his phone. He described initially mistaking the noise for foxes, then hearing metal scraping, and seeing the men looking him straight in the eye. The homeowner, who was working late, had his phone ready to call emergency services. Gardaí arrived shortly after midnight, arrested the men, and one was identified as Madalin Lingurar, 26, of North Circular Road, Dublin 7, originally from Romania. Lingurar pleaded not guilty to trespassing under the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994. Judge Derek Cooney convicted him and sentenced him to four months' imprisonment with immediate effect, setting recognisance at €300. The charge of criminal damage to the front door was dismissed. The case was brought to court a year after the incident.
A man was arrested by Gardaí after drunkenly attempting to climb into his ex‑partner's Dublin home, following repeated breaches of a safety order issued in January 2024. He was convicted in the District Court of two counts of breaching the order under section 33(1) of the Domestic Violence Act 2018 and sentenced to three months' custody. On appeal, the District Court Appeals Court increased the custodial term to six months but suspended the entire sentence for one year, subject to the defendant's compliance with probation supervision, psychological counselling and alcohol‑abuse treatment. The appeal was based on the defendant's cooperation with Gardaí, his stated mental‑health struggles, sobriety, and family responsibilities, as presented by his counsel and the judge's remarks on the seriousness of the breaches and the impact on the victim's children.
The trial of seven men accused of familial sexual abuse is ongoing before the Central Criminal Court. Complainant 3, a 24-year-old woman, testified via videolink that her brother, Accused C, anally raped her when she was 12. Accused C, 34, has pleaded not guilty to this count, as well as 45 counts against Complainant 1 and four counts against Complainant 2. The other six accused men, aged 32 to 55, face a total of 98 counts relating to Complainant 1, a deaf woman. Accused A, 55, is accused of one count of rape. Accused B, 48, faces eight counts of rape, oral rape, and anal rape. Accused D, 33, has pleaded not guilty to 19 counts of rape and three counts of anal rape. Accused E, 32, has denied nine counts of anal rape and seven counts of rape. Accused F, 32, has denied three counts of anal rape and two counts of rape. Accused G, 45, has denied one count of rape. All accused deny the charges. The trial, presided over by Ms Justice Biggs with a 15-member jury, is set down for four months.
During the murder trial at the Central Criminal Court, Seoirse Ó Dúnlaing SC argued that the fact the victim, 31‑year‑old Josip Strok, was a foreign national was relevant to the case. He cited statements from accused Mark Lee (44), who told Gardaí two days after the assault that he had been walking "up and down with two dogs" outside an International Protection Accommodation Service centre, and that he had sent a voice note to a friend saying he had "just smashed Polish lads up and left them for dead." The prosecution contended these remarks showed the accused were aware of Strok's status as a foreigner. The trial also heard that Strok and his friend David Druzinec (29) were assaulted on 30 March 2024, with Strok dying four days later from blunt‑force injuries. Mark Lee, Anthony Delappe (19) and Connor Rafferty (21) have pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter and assault causing harm.
Alex Masuku, 34, was sentenced at Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to assault causing harm and possession of a weapon. The offences occurred at Cloonishlawn, Ballina, Co Mayo, on November 21, 2023. Judge Eoin Garavan noted that Masuku assaulted his friend in front of the victim's two-year-old daughter, causing facial injuries that required stitching, and threatened him with a hammer. Although Masuku claimed the attack was provoked by a video, the judge found no evidence such a video existed, describing the behaviour as baseless. Judge Garavan set a headline sentence of three years but reduced this to two years, fully suspended, citing mitigating factors including Masuku's 22-year crime-free record in Ireland and a probation report indicating low risk of re-offending. Masuku was ordered to pay €3,000 to the victim within six months and complete a MOVE course. He must also keep the peace for three years, undergo Probation Service supervision for one year, and undertake any advised mental health treatment. The court acknowledged the victim's ongoing stress and anxiety, as well as the trauma experienced by the child witness.
Dean Teeling, 36, of Ballymun, Dublin, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for violent disorder and assault causing harm arising from a Mountjoy prison incident on December 18, 2018, and a separate assault causing harm during a knife attack on Fownes Street in Temple Bar on January 8, 2022. Teeling pleaded guilty to all charges. Judge Martin Nolan described the prison assault as "pretty savage" and imposed three-year custodial sentences for each offence, ordered to run consecutively, resulting in a total of six years. The court noted Teeling's history of offending, including prior knife assaults. Brad Dempsey, 24, of Crumlin, Dublin, also pleaded guilty to affray at Mountjoy prison for his involvement in the 2018 melee, where he allegedly kicked the victim. Judge Nolan sentenced Dempsey to 18 months imprisonment for this offence. Dempsey is currently serving an eight-year term for firearms offences imposed in 2022. The sentences for both defendants were finalized at this procedural stage.
Kieran O'Dea, aged 40, was sentenced to four years and nine months in custody after pleading guilty to possession for sale or supply of cannabis at Dublin Airport on 18 August 2024. He travelled to Thailand to collect drugs to repay a debt of €8,000 and was told by creditors that failure to comply would have consequences. O'Dea claimed he believed the bag contained clothing and a small amount of cannabis, but customs officers found 24 kg of cannabis, worth an estimated €480,000. He had a history of drug addiction since 2017, had previously been convicted of drug dealing and possession, and had attempted rehabilitation. The judge noted his efforts to overcome addiction but highlighted the substantial quantity of drugs involved in this offence.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, 24‑year‑old Jake Higgins pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of drugs for sale or supply. Garda Michael Brislane testified that Higgins was carrying a backpack with ketamine and MDMA, worth €3,642 and €1,260 respectively, and a weighing scale. Higgins claimed the drugs were for personal use but later admitted the charges. Judge Martin Nolan, noting Higgins' lack of prior convictions and employment, suspended a two‑year prison sentence on the condition of good behaviour and keeping the peace.
A suspended sentence was imposed on Gedas Bertulis (34) during an appeal stage at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Bertulis pleaded guilty to possessing 35 videos of child sexual abuse material at his home in Mulhuddart in March 2022. The videos involved children aged between five and 13 years old in various sexual activities, including five videos of children in sexually explicit poses. Bertulis admitted to the charges and expressed remorse, stating he was glad he was caught and that his behaviour made him feel sick. His defence, Karl Monahan BL, explained that during the lockdown, Bertulis began drinking heavily and downloaded the material from websites designed to obscure user identity. Bertulis, a Lithuanian national with no relevant previous convictions, has not come to adverse garda attention since the offence. Judge Martin Nolan referenced the 2006 'DPP v Loving' judgment, which advised that in the absence of aggravating factors such as distribution or prior offending, a non-custodial sentence should be considered. As such, the judge imposed a two and a half year suspended sentence, conditional on Bertulis keeping the peace and being of good behaviour for that period.
The High Court has granted leave for an ex parte application by a 16-year-old, acting through his father, to challenge a July 2025 Dublin District Court sentence. The teenager was sentenced to a fully suspended three-month prison term after the District Court judge stated he was precluded from imposing a Probation Residential Supervision Order (PRSO) due to the absence of available hostel residences for minors. The applicant seeks to quash the sentence as allegedly unlawful, arguing that the judge's discretion was fettered by the State's failure to provide certified hostels under Section 126 of the Children Act 2001. The action is brought against the District Court judge, the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Minister for Justice, Ireland, and the Attorney General. It demands a declaration that the State failed to protect the boy's constitutional rights and comply with statutory obligations, and requests details on available hostel capacity. The boy, who has faced multiple charges including drug offences and theft since 2023, is alleged to have been eligible for a PRSO but was denied one because no suitable premises existed. Ms Justice Mary Rose Gearty granted leave for the application and adjourned the matter to November.
Corporal Darren McNelis, an applicant and army reservist, secured €400 in compensation from the Minister for Defence following a Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) hearing. The adjudicator found that Cpl McNelis was entitled to reimbursement for full-time training under the Payment of Wages Act 1991. He alleged that systemic, policy-driven delays left him short €4,799.25 between November 2024 and January 2025, causing severe financial hardship. While the State initially argued the WRC lacked jurisdiction due to the voluntary nature of reserve service, senior counsel later conceded a limited jurisdictional basis. The adjudicator noted there was no dispute that Cpl McNelis did not receive several weekly payments due in late 2024 until January 2025. She directed the Minister for Defence to pay the €400 compensation, deeming it reasonable in the circumstances. However, the adjudicator stated she had no jurisdiction to grant Cpl McNelis's other requests, including a formal written apology from the Department of Defence. The decision is noted as significant because compensation awards exceeding the economic value of unpaid wages are rarely granted by the employment tribunal.
The Court of Appeal heard an appeal by the Director of Public Prosecutions against the sentence imposed on Ian Doyle, who pleaded guilty to assaulting a woman causing her harm and threatening to kill or cause serious harm to her in February 2023. Doyle, who was on bail for assaulting a different partner at the time, was sentenced by Judge Orla Crowe to a headline term of five years, reduced to three years and six months with the final six months suspended. This sentence runs consecutive to a term expiring in April 2026. The State argued the sentence was too lenient, contending it represented a gross departure from the norm and that the sentencing judge erred by failing to adequately reflect aggravating factors, including Doyle's 74 previous convictions and the fact he committed the offences while on bail. Counsel for the DPP argued the threat to kill should have been the gauge offence rather than the assault, and that excessive weight was given to the late guilty plea. Doyle's counsel argued the sentence was within the available range and that the judge correctly treated the assault as the primary offence. The court reserved its judgment on the appeal.
In Dún Laoghaire District Court, a husband was granted bail after his wife, the safety order applicant, expressed that she was happy for him to return home. The husband was arrested at 9.30pm the previous evening in Dublin for allegedly breaching a safety order issued the prior Wednesday. Garda Andrew Hughes reported that the accused became verbally aggressive and physically assaulted his wife during the incident, and when cautioned he made no reply. The wife chose not to give formal evidence but spoke from the public gallery, describing the altercation as an "alcohol‑fuelled row" that might have escalated after the husband shoved her. Judge Derek Cooney noted that breaches of safety orders can carry up to 12 months in prison, but he granted bail on a €300 bond with no lodgement, on the condition that the accused complies with the safety order. The case was adjourned until 15 December for disclosure.
In a double‑murder trial, the jury was sent home until Thursday morning after the judge learned that a key witness was in a medical situation. The case involves Ruth Lawrence, 45, who is accused of killing Anthony Keegan, 33, and Eoin O'Connor, 32, between 22 April and 26 May 2014. Mr Justice Tony Hunt told the 12 jurors that the witness's condition was significant to both sides and that the parties would need to decide whether the trial could proceed without the witness. He said he would return with further information on Thursday. The prosecution, led by Michael O'Higgins SC, argued that Lawrence shot O'Connor and that she and her boyfriend, South African national Neville van der Westhuizen, worked together to kill the men and dispose of their bodies, which were later found bound and covered on Inchicup Island. The judge urged the jury not to speculate until more details were available. Ruth Lawrence pleaded not guilty.
Jordan Grimes, 27, had a three‑month jail term for dangerous driving and driving without insurance overturned on appeal, replaced by a suspended six‑month sentence. He remains under a four‑year driving disqualification and a six‑year, three‑month prison term for driving without insurance, which now runs concurrently with the suspended sentence. Grimes was caught joy‑riding an e‑scrambler bike on the Royal Canal Greenway on 5 January 2024, driving at speed toward Garda Gerard Hanahoe and a colleague. The Garda reported that Grimes narrowly avoided hitting them and that he claimed to be travelling only 70 km/h. He was already serving a 20‑year driving ban at the time of the incident. The court required Grimes to enter probation supervision and comply with drug counselling, while his driving disqualification remains in force. Jordan Grimes was convicted.
In October 2025, a 27‑year‑old Dublin man was sentenced to 21 months' imprisonment for wilfully ill‑treating or neglecting a child. He failed to seek medical care for his girlfriend's nine‑month‑old baby after noticing injuries in March 2024. The baby suffered fractures, bruising and other non‑accidental injuries. The man pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. He had prior convictions for knife possession, public order and criminal damage. Social workers had been involved with the mother and child, and a safety plan had been put in place. The man had been warned not to be alone with the child unsupervised. Gardaí found the home in disarray and the baby's mother had called emergency services on 19 March 2024. The judge noted the child's serious injuries and the man's failure to act, resulting in the 21‑month sentence.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Judge Elva Duffy sentenced an 83‑year‑old former Christian Brothers teacher to four and a half years in prison for sexually assaulting nine primary school boys during a 30‑year teaching career. The offences, occurring between 1980 and 1995 in a Dublin city school, involved boys aged 8 to 13, with most between 11 and 13. The court heard that the teacher would call boys to the top of the class, place them on his knee, slap them—often with an implement—and then indecently assault them by rubbing their buttocks or groin. Victims recounted being slapped hard, being forced to lie on the teacher's knee, and being threatened with punishment if they reported the abuse. The teacher, previously convicted in the 1960s and 1970s, denied wrongdoing and did not accept jury verdicts. He is already serving a four‑year term for other offences.
Killian McNay, 40, of Ardilaun Green, Mullingar, Westmeath, was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison by Judge Martin Nolan at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. McNay admitted to possessing 40 kilograms of cocaine for sale or supply at Dublin Port on 22 September 2024 and to having imported the drugs, valued at €2.8 million, concealed under a Lego shipment destined for Lidl stores. The cocaine was hidden in specialised containers in the base of a flat‑bed trailer that had been carrying legitimate Lego goods. McNay had hired a driver and travelled to Holland to ensure proper loading; the driver remains before the courts. McNay was under significant financial pressure and had a history of minor road‑traffic convictions. He was interviewed six times and admitted his presence during loading. The court noted his debt‑driven circumstances and his role in the haulage industry. Judge Nolan described his actions as a grievous misjudgement and sentenced him accordingly.
Aaron Barwell, 30, of Coldcut Park, Dublin, pleaded guilty to one count of oral rape, one of rape and one of attempted rape against three escort victims between January and August 2021. He lured each victim to his home, used violence and threats, and in the first case forced oral sex and used a hammer. In the second case he threatened with a screwdriver and forced oral, vaginal and anal sex. In the third case he threatened to kill her and used a screwdriver, but the victim resisted and escaped. Gardaí seized a knife, cable ties and a silver hammer during a search of his apartment. Barwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison, with the final two years suspended. The Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal, upholding the 20‑year term and the suspended portion. The case remains at the appellate stage.
A Ukrainian lawyer, Oleksii Oleksiyovych Lytvynenko, 42, who fled Ukraine and sought refuge in Ireland, lost his appeal against a High Court order to extradite him to the United States. He faces charges of conspiracy to commit computer‑related fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, linked to a ransomware campaign that targeted a government entity and two businesses in Tennessee between 2020 and 2022. Two victims paid a combined $634,000 in cryptocurrency. Lytvynenko had been in custody for two years and had applied for temporary protection in Ireland in September 2022. He argued that the extradition breached his right to a fair trial and his human rights, citing loss of access to evidence and the lack of equivalent protection in the US. The Court of Appeal, led by Ms Justice Tara Burns, dismissed the appeal, upholding the extradition order. The court granted Lytvynenko a week to consider the judgment before implementation.
Three men with a combined 106 previous convictions pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Tom Niland at the Central Criminal Court on Monday. John Irving (31) of Foxford, Co Mayo; Francis Harman (58) of Ballina, Co Mayo; and John Clarke (37) of Ballina attacked the 82-year-old at his home in Skryne, Co Sligo on January 18th, 2022, stealing approximately €800 from his wallet. Mr Niland suffered severe injuries including brain trauma and multiple fractures. He was hospitalised but his condition deteriorated, and he died from his injuries in September 2023, some 20 months after the assault. The State Pathologist attributed his death to blunt force trauma. All three were initially charged with murder but the Director of Public Prosecutions reduced the charges to manslaughter. Harman and Clarke pleaded guilty on the first day of trial; Irving initially pleaded not guilty but changed his plea during proceedings. The prosecution submitted that sentences between 15 and 20 years were warranted. Justice Paul McDermott will sentence the defendants on Thursday.
Online news outlet Gript Media Limited has been granted permission by the High Court to challenge the Press Council's decision to uphold a June 2025 ruling that an article titled "Inside the DCU SPHE Course – Fisting, writing sex scenes, porn terms examined" breached journalistic codes. Gript seeks to quash the Press Council's decision and obtain a re‑hearing, arguing that the Council applied the wrong standard of review and denied Gript a fair oral hearing. The article, published on 4 October 2024, described a viral video and the responses of Minister for Education Norma Foley and the funding context for the DCU SPHE/RSE graduate diploma. The Press Ombudsman found that Gript had no evidence that DCU had instructed teachers to replicate sexually explicit exercises in classrooms. DCU's complaint was upheld, and the High Court adjourned the matter to November. The case involves the Press Council, the Press Ombudsman and Dublin City University as notice parties.
During a sentence hearing in March, Chloe Loran, aged 16 when the relationship began, delivered a victim impact statement describing the emotional trauma of being raped twice by Martin Harte, 33, in 2019 and 2022. She said the assaults left her feeling as if she had been murdered and that her body remained while her life was destroyed. Harte, of Marian Hill, pleaded guilty to defilement in 2013 and to the two rapes. The court imposed a nine‑year prison term, with the final year suspended indefinitely under strict conditions, and a four‑year post‑release supervision order. Harte was also directed to avoid any contact with Loran and to comply with all probation directions. The judge noted the aggravating factors of the offences occurring in Loran's home and the breach of trust. The sentence reflected Harte's global offending and the mitigating factors presented by his defence.
Dariusz Skowronski, 47, was given a 12‑month suspended sentence after he drove over a three‑year‑old girl while reversing into a driveway. The child, who was not visible above the rear window, sustained life‑changing injuries, including a severe brain injury and skull fractures. Skowronski stopped briefly after the first impact but continued reversing, causing the charge of careless driving causing serious bodily harm. He pleaded guilty on 17 May 2022 and had no prior convictions. Footage of the incident was shown to Judge Martin Nolan, who noted the lack of aggravating factors such as alcohol, drugs or phone use. The judge expressed sympathy for the family and, after considering the circumstances, imposed a one‑year sentence suspended in full. The child's parents were present, and victim impact statements were submitted but not read out in court.
Nadine Lattimore, a legally blind former Paralympian who has used a guide dog since 2017, brought an equality claim against Centra on Parnell Street in Dublin 1 under the Equal Status Act 2000. She alleged that on 18 December 2024 she was stopped at the shop entrance for 15 seconds because staff said dogs were not allowed, and that she was denied access. The WRC found that the incident was a brief lapse that was immediately corrected; the shop had a policy to restrict dogs due to past incidents with aggressive dogs, and staff were trained on the policy. The adjudicator agreed that the brief incident did not amount to discrimination and rejected the claim, ruling that the shop did not engage in prohibited conduct. The decision was published on 13 October 2025.
In October 2025 the State appealed a four‑year jail sentence for Gerard Nevin, who pleaded guilty to 22 counts of sexual assault against his stepdaughters, Catalina and Alexa Grancea, between 2012 and 2020. Nevin, aged 42, was sentenced by Judge Sinéad Ní Chúlacháin to a global term of six years, with the final two years suspended. The victims, aged between seven and sixteen during the offences, waived anonymity. The appeal, presented by Caroline Latham BL for the Director of Public Prosecutions, argued the sentence was inadequate, disproportionate and unduly lenient, citing the systematic and frequent nature of the abuse, the victims' ages, and the lack of evidential basis for the suspended portion. Nevin's counsel, Tim O'Leary SC, countered that the judge had correctly applied mitigating factors, including Nevin's guilty plea, lack of prior convictions, and expressed remorse. The court has reserved judgment on the appeal.
A Mayo woman seriously injured when struck by a Bus Éireann van in Ballina last May has expressed no ill-feeling towards the driver. At Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court on Friday, the court heard that Ann Bourke was briefly trapped beneath the vehicle on Kevin Barry Street on 14 May 2024, sustaining fractures to her wrist, shoulder blade and ribs. She spent two months hospitalised and required surgical intervention, though she told the court she is making good recovery. John Regan, aged 41, of Mountain View, Ballybrooney, Killala, pleaded guilty to careless driving causing serious bodily harm. Judge Eoin Garavan imposed 150 hours community service in lieu of a seven-month sentence, describing the incident as a serious lapse of judgment that could have proven fatal. The judge commended both parties, noting that Regan, a family man with no previous convictions, had completed a pro-social driving course and that the two had met cordially for the first time at court.
An intensive care nurse at Mayo General Hospital has received a fully suspended sentence at Castlebar Circuit Court for forging prescriptions to obtain painkillers. Sinéad Donohoe, aged 42, of Scrigg, Ballyhaunis, pleaded guilty to two counts of theft and four counts of forgery, representing 112 charges overall. Between September 2019 and February 2021, she stole three prescription pads and used forged prescriptions across pharmacies in Ballyhaunis, Ballaghdereen, Claremorris, Castlebar, Castlerea, Knock, and Kiltimagh to obtain Solpadol. Judge Eoin Garavan imposed a headline sentence of two years, suspended in full for 16 months, citing mitigating factors including her low reconviction risk and positive employment history. The judge noted Donohoe's struggle with endometriosis and workplace stress during the Covid-19 pandemic, describing her as dealing with addiction whilst employed in challenging frontline conditions. Her nursing registration has been suspended and she is currently not working. She has no previous convictions and is a married mother of two.
Evan Moore, aged 20, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to rioting, setting fire to a Luas tram and damaging its windows on 23 November 2023. The incident followed a stabbing of a five‑year‑old in Parnell Square and led to a 24‑hour suspension of Luas services and an estimated €5 million in tram damage. Court hearings revealed CCTV footage of Moore's involvement from 7.05 pm to 7.40 pm, including moving burning material onto the tram. Moore, who had no prior convictions and was 18 at the time, was found to have been influenced by anti‑immigrant sentiment and social media. Judge Orla Crowe imposed a headline sentence of eight years, reduced to four years with the final year suspended, requiring good behaviour and probation supervision. The sentence reflects the seriousness of the riot and the damage caused.