James Kilroy, 47, of Kilbree Lower, Westport, Co Mayo, is accused of the murder of his wife, Valerie French Kilroy, 41, at their home in June 2019. The matter is currently at the pre-trial stage, with no plea entered, finding made, or sentence imposed. Mr Justice Michael White fixed a trial date of October 11 at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin. The trial is expected to last three to four days. The report does not specify any suspended portions, effective custody, conditions, or adjournments beyond the scheduling of the trial. All allegations remain unproven pending the outcome of the trial.
In 2018, a 54‑year‑old man pleaded guilty to 21 charges of rape, attempted rape, anal rape and sexual assault against his daughter, aged between five and 17, over a 12‑year period. He also pleaded guilty to three counts of assault causing harm. Sentenced to 18 years in prison with the final three years suspended, the judge described the offences as "at the very apex of seriousness" and noted a profound breach of trust. The daughter's victim impact statement described the father's manipulation and abuse. The man appealed, arguing the life sentence headline was excessive, but the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal, upholding the 18‑year sentence and the judge's assessment of the aggravating factors. The case involved repeated daily attacks, including rape, assault and intimidation, with the father claiming a "partner by night" relationship. The appeal was rejected, confirming the original sentence.
A trial date has been set at the Central Criminal Court for a British man accused of murdering an Irish boxing champion. Logan Jackson, aged 31 and with an address in Coventry, England, faces a charge of murder in connection with the death of Kevin Sheehy, a five-time Irish boxing champion, who died after being struck by a vehicle on Hyde Road in Limerick City on July 1st, 2019. Mr Sheehy's body was discovered in the road at approximately 4.40am. Mr Justice Michael White has scheduled the trial to commence on November 29th, 2021, at the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin. The proceedings are anticipated to extend over approximately three weeks.
In September, a woman, whose name is withheld for legal reasons, will stand trial at the Central Criminal Court in Waterford for the murder of a two‑year‑old child on 5 July 2019. The case, originally scheduled for February, was postponed due to Covid‑19 restrictions that halted jury swearing‑in. The court has indicated the trial could last up to four weeks. At the February hearing, an order was imposed to anonymise the accused following a defence application.
In a brief hearing at the Central Criminal Court, Alexandru Iordache, a 46‑year‑old Romanian, pleaded guilty to the murder of 78‑year‑old pensioner Rose Hanrahan, who was found dead in her Limerick home on 15 December 2017. Iordache, who had been extradited from Sussex, England, confirmed his guilt and expressed remorse. His family attended the hearing. Judge Michael White set a sentencing date for 5 July 2021 and invited the family to give evidence of the impact of Ms Hanrahan's death.
The Central Criminal Court will hold a trial in 2022 for Michael Scott, a 55‑year‑old from Gortanumera, Portumna, charged with the murder of 75‑year‑old Chrissie Treacy, also of Portumna. Treacy was found dead on 27 April 2018 at her farm in Boula, where she lived alone. The trial, originally scheduled for January 2021, was postponed due to Covid‑19 restrictions that halted jury swearing‑in. Judge Michael White set the trial date for 11 January 2022, with a potential duration of up to eight weeks.
In a Cork city house‑party murder trial, a 20‑year‑old chemical engineering student, Cameron Blair, was stabbed in the neck and later died at Cork University Hospital. Witness testimony before the Central Criminal Court described two teenage boys, aged 14 and 16, who were present outside the house with knives. The 16‑year‑old, whose name is withheld because he is a minor, is charged with producing a knife at the Bandon Road house on 16 January 2020. He has pleaded not guilty to producing an article capable of inflicting serious injury. Two other boys in the group have pleaded guilty to murder and violent disorder, and the State alleges all three had knives that night. The trial, presided over by Justice David Keane, continues tomorrow with a jury of eight men and four women. The case focuses on whether the accused produced a knife capable of serious injury during the dispute that led to Blair's death.
Paediatric nurse Deirdre Morley, aged 44, was found not guilty by reason of insanity for the murders of her three children—Conor (9), Darragh (7) and Carla (3)—in January 2023. A Central Criminal Court judge, Mr Justice Paul Coffey, ordered her commitment to the Central Mental Hospital (CMH) in Dundrum for further inpatient care under the Criminal Law (Insanity) Act. The order follows a jury verdict that accepted psychiatric evidence showing Morley was unable to appreciate the moral wrongness of her actions and could not refrain from them. The CMH will conduct a psychiatric assessment, and her condition will be reviewed every six months by the Mental Health Review Board. The case was adjourned to allow time for the psychiatric report, which was then considered by the court. The order effectively disposes of the case.
In the Central Criminal Court, witnesses described a "stand‑off" involving a group of young people and a man carrying a baseball bat on the night of May 16 2014, when 20‑year‑old Joseph 'Jo Jo' Dunne was killed in Naas. Zoltan Almasi, 49, pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. Witnesses Natasha Kelly, Kristina Augonaiskene, Catherine Fisher, Maureen O'Neill, Ronan Flood, Maria Flood, and Michael Leonard all reported hearing shouting, seeing a man with a bat, and observing a man lying on the ground. Several described the scene as a brief confrontation that ended quickly, with the bat‑bearing man chased away. The trial, presided over by Mr Justice Michael White, continues on Tuesday.
During the second day of the Central Criminal Court trial, Darren O'Leary, the host of a pre‑drinks party on Bandon Road, testified that he saw the 16‑year‑old accused brandishing and waving a knife outside the house where 20‑year‑old Cameron Blair was murdered. O'Leary insisted he saw the knife "with my own eyes" and that the accused was the only boy in the group who held a knife. He described the accused as standing in shock at the front door after the incident and said he had identified the boy in a photograph. The defence argued that two other boys in the group had knives, but O'Leary maintained that only the accused was seen with a knife. The jury was told that the accused is charged with producing a knife capable of inflicting serious injury in a dispute. The trial continues before Mr Justice David Keane. The unnamed 16-year-old pleaded not guilty.
A witness, Darren O'Leary, testified that he held his friend Cameron Blair as Blair bled from a fatal neck stab. O'Leary described applying pressure to the neck and calling for an ambulance, but the paramedics arrived only after ten minutes. He said Blair was intoxicated and unaware of the wound. O'Leary also recounted that Blair had invited three teenagers to a house party on Bandon Road, one of whom later stabbed Blair. The witness claimed Blair told him the teens were "sound or tome" and that he was unaware of the knife. O'Leary's testimony was given in the trial of a 16‑year‑old accused of producing a knife capable of serious injury. The accused, 14 at the time, pleaded not guilty to that charge. The case is before the Central Criminal Court. The witness also described the party's escalation and the presence of other weapons. The trial continues.
The Central Criminal Court trial of a 16-year-old accused, who was 14 at the time of the incident, continues before Mr Justice David Keane and a jury. The accused, who cannot be named due to his age, has pleaded not guilty to producing a knife at a house on Bandon Road in Cork city on January 16, 2020. He is alleged to have produced an article capable of inflicting serious injury in a manner likely to unlawfully intimidate another person. Last week, the accused pleaded guilty to committing violent disorder with two other persons present, using or threatening unlawful violence that would cause a person of reasonable firmness to fear for their safety. The trial concerns the murder of 20-year-old Cameron Blair, a chemical engineering student at Cork Institute of Technology, who died at Cork University Hospital after being stabbed in the neck at a student party. Another juvenile has already pleaded guilty to Blair's murder. Witness Marcel Szulhan testified that the accused, the youngest of three boys, threatened to "shank" a party-goer while looking for a phone charger. Szulhan stated he saw a knife being raised and heard someone scream that "they all have knives." He described Blair turning around, holding his neck, and saying he did not want to fight. The trial continues tomorrow.
During the Central Criminal Court hearing of Zoltan Almasi, a 49‑year‑old Serbian‑born man charged with the murder of Joseph 'Jo Jo' Dunne, witness Alannah Piercy testified that she saw a man strike Dunne twice with a baseball bat. Piercy described the first blow to the back‑left of Dunne's head and a second strike to the same spot while Dunne was prone. She claimed the bat was black with a blue top and that she could not identify the attacker. The defense counsel, Mr Barra McGrory QC, challenged Piercy's account, arguing that her statement to Gardaí on 18 May 2014 mentioned only one strike and that she had altered her testimony. Piercy maintained that her evidence was truthful, denying the allegation that the second blow was fabricated. The court took a brief recess before proceeding with the cross‑examination. The trial, which includes a jury of eleven, is scheduled to continue for four weeks. Zoltan Almasi pleaded not guilty.
The Central Criminal Court trial of a 16-year-old accused, who cannot be named due to his age, continues before Mr Justice David Keane. The teenager, who was 14 at the time of the incident, has pleaded not guilty to producing a knife capable of inflicting serious injury in a manner likely to unlawfully intimidate another person. He has already pleaded guilty to committing violent disorder with two others at a house on Bandon Road in Cork city on January 16, 2020. The court heard evidence from Dave Sheehan, a friend of the deceased, Cameron Blair, a 20-year-old student at Cork Institute of Technology. Sheehan testified that he saw the accused holding a small knife in his left hand during an argument outside the house where Blair was subsequently stabbed in the neck. Sheehan stated he saw the knife "with my eyes" and described the accused as waving it while arguing with others. Another juvenile has already pleaded guilty to Blair's murder. The jury is tasked with determining whether the accused produced the knife in connection with the dispute. The trial is ongoing and was not adjourned or finalised during this session.
During the murder trial of Zoltan Almasi, witness Michael 'Mikey' McDonagh testified that he placed his jacket under the head of his best friend, Joseph 'Jojo' Dunne, after Dunne was struck with a baseball bat. McDonagh described seeing the bat hit Dunne's back of the head once, though he believed Dunne had been struck twice. He recounted that Dunne was drunk, shouting, and had challenged a "big, tall hairy" man to a fight. The man, later identified as Almasi, allegedly struck Dunne with a bat, causing blood to come from Dunne's ears and mouth. McDonagh said people from a nearby restaurant performed CPR for 20 minutes before Gardaí arrived. The witness left the court during cross‑examination, later returning after a break. The trial continues under Mr Justice Michael White. Zoltan Almasi pleaded not guilty.
Three children, aged about 14, just under 13 and just under 12, were said to have been seriously neglected and sexually abused by their parents and relatives over a period from August 2014 to April 2016. The accused, seven adults aged 27 to 57, include the children's father and mother, the mother's sister and her partner, the mother's brother and his partner, and the maternal grandmother. All seven pleaded not guilty to various counts of rape, anal rape, oral rape, sexual assault, sexual exploitation and wilfully neglecting a child. The allegations were investigated by Gardaí after the children were taken into care and are now living with foster parents. The case is before Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury in the Central Criminal Court.
A hearing in the Deirdre Morley case was adjourned to 8 June to allow lawyers to review a psychiatric report. The court had been awaiting a report from a consultant forensic psychiatrist at the Central Mental Hospital. Mr Justice Paul Coffey, hearing via video link, said he had only received the report after 11 am and would consider it before the next hearing. Both defence and prosecution were to review the report. Ms Morley, 44, had been found not guilty by reason of insanity for the murders of her three children. The adjournment was to give time for the report to be prepared and for both sides to consider its contents before the next hearing. The case remains at the Central Criminal Court.
A jury at the Central Criminal Court must decide whether a 16‑year‑old produced a knife capable of serious injury during a dispute at a house party on 16 January 2020, the night 20‑year‑old Cameron Blair was stabbed in the neck and later died at Cork University Hospital. The teenager, whose name is withheld because he is a minor, has pleaded not guilty to the charge of producing the knife. He had previously pleaded guilty to violent disorder with two other juveniles, an offence that caused a person present at Bandon Road to fear for safety. The prosecution will present evidence that the accused was present at the party, that a knife was used by another juvenile who stabbed Blair, and that the accused allegedly produced a second knife during the confrontation at the front door.
In the Central Criminal Court, a jury heard CCTV footage of Zoltan Almasi, a 49‑year‑old Serbian‑born man, running after Joseph Dunne, a 20‑year‑old victim, with his hand raised above his head. The footage also shows Almasi leaving the scene carrying a baseball bat. The evidence was presented on the day of the trial, which is the third hearing in the case. Almasi has pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. Inspector Dara Diffily described the footage as showing the incident shortly after 10.15 pm, with Dunne running away and Almasi chasing him. The footage also depicts Almasi holding a bat in his right hand. The trial, presided over by Mr Justice Michael White, is expected to last four weeks.
A 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named due to his age, pleaded guilty to one count of violent disorder during a trial at the Central Criminal Court. The incident occurred on January 16, 2020, on Bandon Road in Cork city, and is connected to the murder of 20-year-old Cameron Blair, a second-year chemical engineering student at Cork Institute of Technology. Blair died at Cork University Hospital after being stabbed in the neck at a student party. The juvenile, who went on trial on two charges, admitted to committing violent disorder with two other persons, using or threatening unlawful violence that would cause a person of reasonable firmness to fear for their safety. However, he maintained his not guilty plea to the second charge of producing a knife, an article capable of inflicting serious injury, in a manner likely to unlawfully intimidate another person. Mr Justice Michael White noted the case would be treated as a juvenile court matter. Prosecution counsel John Fitzgerald SC began his opening speech to the jury, which is expected to last three weeks. Another juvenile has already pleaded guilty to Blair's murder. The trial is ongoing before Mr Justice David Keane at Croke Park, with Blair's family in attendance.
The jury in the third trial of Zoltan Almasi, a 49‑year‑old Serbian‑born man, examined maps and aerial photographs of Naas and the surrounding area where the murder of 20‑year‑old Joseph Dunne occurred. Almasi, who lives at Harbour View, Naas, pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. The case had already been tried twice. Judge Caroline Biggs SC opened the trial for a jury of seven men and four women, noting that Dunne lived in Athy with his family and was attending Fás. On the night of the incident, Dunne was with friends heading for a bus at about 10.30 pm when he had a brief altercation with another man. Almasi's parked Mercedes van was hit by Dunne as he passed. Almasi then emerged from his house, armed with a baseball bat, and pursued Dunne.
Gerard O'Riordan, a 37-year-old father from Killarney, appeared before the Central Criminal Court in an appeal regarding the potential revocation of the suspended portion of his 2009 manslaughter sentence. O'Riordan was previously convicted of the manslaughter of James Brazier in 2007, receiving a 14-year term with the final 18 months suspended. After his release in June 2019, he entered a good behaviour bond. However, he was subsequently convicted of threatening to kill gardai, an allegation where he allegedly threatened to stab officers who entered his home. He also faced a separate fine for trespass and public order offences after threatening staff at an off-licence. Defence counsel Dean Kelly SC highlighted O'Riordan's rehabilitation, noting he has attended 24 anger management sessions and become a father. Mr Justice Michael White acknowledged these efforts but expressed concern over O'Riordan's history as a 'violent and dangerous' individual. The court did not revoke the suspended sentence immediately. Instead, the matter was adjourned for one year to monitor O'Riordan's behaviour. He agreed to return to court in May of next year, with the judge noting that the delay allows him to continue confronting the issues that have blighted his life.
A 17‑year‑old, who cannot be named because he is a minor, was sentenced by the Central Criminal Court to life detention with a review after eight years for the murder of 39‑year‑old Romanian national Claudio Robu. The boy, who was 16 at the time of the offence, pleaded guilty and was found to have used "extreme violence" by repeatedly kicking Robu to death in a laneway off Madison Road, South Circular Road, Dublin 8 on 14 September 2020. The sentencing judge, Mr Justice Paul McDermott, noted the offender's high moral culpability, his knowledge of the act, and the disturbing fact that he returned hours later to continue the fatal attack. He also highlighted the youth's volatile nature, lack of empathy, and history of neglect and abuse, while acknowledging mitigating factors such as his age, guilty plea, and demonstrated remorse.
At the Central Criminal Court, four men admitted to offences related to the attempted murder of gangland figure Wayne Whelan at Griffeen Glen Park, Lucan, on September 4, 2019. Cailean Crawford (25), of Ballyfermot, pleaded guilty to conspiring to murder Whelan. His barrister, John Fitzgerald SC, applied for reporting restrictions citing a separate trial scheduled for June 2022. However, Mr Justice White rejected the application, ruling that Crawford could be named, stating he had great faith in the jury system. Wayne Ryan, of Longford, also pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of Whelan. Darren Henderson (30), of Ballyfermot, and a fourth man, who remains unnamed, pleaded guilty to conspiring with Crawford to murder Whelan. All four defendants were originally charged with attempted murder and were due to stand trial together on June 21, a date vacated following their guilty pleas. Whelan, who survived the initial shooting, was later killed in a separate incident in November 2019. Mr Justice White remanded the four men in custody until July 12 for a sentence hearing.
Edmundas Dauksa, 51, was sentenced to the mandatory term of life imprisonment for the murder of Ingrida Maciokaite at the Central Criminal Court. The sentence was backdated to September 18, 2018, when he entered custody. Dauksa had pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter; however, a jury unanimously convicted him of murder. The court heard a victim impact statement from the foster carer of the couple's two children, who described the scene as "unspeakably horrific" for the six-year-old daughter who witnessed the attack. The statement noted the child's ongoing trauma and that the son would never remember his mother. Defence counsel Michael Bowman SC stated that Dauksa expressed remorse and deep regret. Mr Justice Paul McDermott delivered the sentence following the conviction. The trial established that Dauksa stabbed Maciokaite 19 times in front of their daughter days after a District Court order placed the child in the mother's custody. The jury rejected the defence that Dauksa lacked murderous intent, accepting the State's case that he intended serious harm or death. No adjournments or suspended portions were recorded in the finalisation.
The Central Criminal Court heard the third trial of Zoltan Almasi, a 49‑year‑old Serbian‑born man, charged with murdering 20‑year‑old Joseph Dunne in County Kildare. Almasi pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. The State argued that Almasi intended to kill or seriously injure Dunne, citing the post‑mortem finding of a comminuted, depressed skull fracture caused by a baseball bat. The prosecution described the incident: Dunne was on his way to a bus at 10.30 pm when he collided with Almasi's parked van, after which Almasi pursued him with a baseball bat and struck him on the head, causing death. The defence accepted that Almasi caused the death but disputed the intent. The jury, composed of seven men and four women, heard the case on Wednesday, with the trial set to continue before Mr Justice Michael White for an expected four‑week duration.
A 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named due to his age, has been arraigned at the Central Criminal Court and is set to go on trial for violent disorder and the production of a knife in connection with the murder of Cameron Blair. The defendant pleaded not guilty to both charges. He is accused of committing violent disorder with two named males on Bandon Road in Cork city on January 16, 2020, using or threatening unlawful violence that would cause a person of reasonable firmness to fear for their safety. He is also charged with producing a knife, an article capable of inflicting serious injury, in a manner likely to unlawfully intimidate another person during the same incident. Mr Justice Michael White addressed the jury panel, noting the accused is a juvenile and the case relates to a tragic situation where Blair, a second-year chemical engineering student at Cork Institute of Technology, died after being stabbed in the neck. The judge confirmed that another juvenile had already pleaded guilty to Blair's murder, violent disorder, and possession of a knife in accordance with that incident. A jury of eight men and four women was sworn in. The trial is scheduled to begin on Friday morning at Croke Park before Mr Justice David Keane and is expected to last three weeks. Witnesses and gardai are based in Cork city.
In 2021, a man convicted of eight sexual assault and four rape offences against a child aged six to eleven between 2003 and 2008 lost an appeal. The Central Criminal Court had sentenced him to 12 years in prison in 2014. The victim, the daughter of the defendant's partner, had reported the abuse to social services in 2008 and was interviewed by specialists in 2010; the recordings were used as evidence. She claimed the perpetrator warned her that if she disclosed the abuse she would be "going ten feet under." The defence argued that the death of the victim's grandmother, who had testified in a prior trial, damaged the defence, and that the trial judge erred by allowing the interview DVDs and video‑link testimony.
A 49‑year‑old Hungarian man, Zoltan Almasi, will be tried again for the murder of Joseph Dunne, a 20‑year‑old man, in Harbour View, Naas, on 16 May 2014. Almasi, who lives at Harbour View, was arraigned at the Central Criminal Court and pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. The jury, composed of seven men and four women, has been informed that this is the third trial in the case. The trial is scheduled to last four weeks and will commence on Wednesday afternoon.
A man from Longford has admitted attempting to murder gangland figure Wayne Whelan in a shooting in west Dublin in September 2019. Wayne Ryan, aged 41 and with an address in St Michael's Road, Longford, pleaded guilty to the attempted murder at Griffeen Glen Park, Lucan on September 4, 2019. Three co-accused, including Darren Henderson of Dublin, also entered guilty pleas to conspiracy to murder Whelan within the State between May and November 2019. The men were arraigned before the Central Criminal Court on May 24, 2021. Whelan survived the initial attack but was fatally shot two months later in November 2019. The four defendants were remanded in custody pending a sentence hearing scheduled for July 12.
At a sentence hearing in the Central Criminal Court, the court heard that David Fortune, 33, of Rutland Grove in Crumlin, was jailed for eight years in 2006 for manslaughter after he fatally stabbed 31-year-old Michael Murphy outside the 'Buddha Bar' in Dublin west. The court also heard that Fortune was re-arraigned following legal discussions and pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter in the killing of his father, Gerry Fortune, 62, on August 19, 2018. The Director of Public Prosecutions accepted the plea. Sean Gillane SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, told Ms Justice Eileen Creedon that the killing of Gerry Fortune in 2018 falls in the upper end of seriousness for manslaughter and the defendant should be jailed for up to 15 years. Defence counsel Michael Bowman SC said his client had a 'very close bond and friendship' with his father and had 'no animus whatsoever' towards him. He asked the court to place the offence in the mid-range and to consider suspending a portion of the sentence to allow Fortune to continue his education and rehabilitation. Leona Lambe, David Fortune's half-sister and daughter of the deceased, told the court that there are 'no winners' regardless of the sentence imposed. She added that David will have to live with what he did for the rest of his life, knowing he took the life of a man who only ever showed him love, and that is worse than ten life sentences. Ms Justice Creedon adjourned sentencing until June 28.
A 31‑year‑old Gerard Lynch of Pallaskenry, Co. Limerick, pleaded guilty to the murder of his brother Willie Lynch on 30 December 2017 at Main Street, Pallaskenry. Lynch, wearing a black t‑shirt and black tracksuit bottoms, was represented by barrister Mark Nicholas SC, who described the case as a "tragic case" involving a family. The mandatory penalty for murder is life imprisonment, but Mr Nicholas indicated he would present certain matters to the court that might be considered in a different forum in the future. A sentence hearing is scheduled for Monday, 11 October.
Paediatric nurse Deirdre Morley, 44, was found not guilty by reason of insanity for the murders of her three children, aged 9, 7 and 3. Two forensic psychiatrists testified that she suffered a mental disorder at the time of the killings and could not appreciate the moral wrongness of her actions or refrain from them. The jury accepted the defence's claim that the case was a "tragedy of enormous proportions" and returned three verdicts of not guilty by reason of insanity. The court ordered Morley to be committed to the Central Mental Hospital for psychiatric assessment, with a hearing scheduled for 31 May. No other verdicts or sentencing details were given in the article.
In the Deirdre Morley trial, two psychiatrists testified that the accused, a 44‑year‑old nurse, suffered from a mental disorder at the time of the killings. Dr Brenda Wright, for the defence, described her as having bipolar affective disorder and believed she thought it morally right to kill her children, who were aged 9, 7 and 3. Dr Mary Davoren, for the prosecution, said she had a severe depressive disorder and, although she knew she was killing the children, her depression impaired her ability to appreciate the wrongness of her actions. The jury, after an hour and 28 minutes of deliberation, will return tomorrow to decide whether a special verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity applies. The trial continues before Mr Justice Paul Coffey.
The Court of Appeal has heard appeals from Matthew Cummins and James Davy against their convictions for the murder of Thomas Dooley. Sean Davy, the third convicted person, previously failed in a 2018 bid to overturn his conviction. All three men were found guilty by a unanimous jury at the Central Criminal Court in 2016 and sentenced to life imprisonment for the 2014 killing of the 64-year-old Offaly man. During the trial, the accused offered conflicting accounts, with Cummins and Davy blaming each other for the fatal blows, while Davy denied involvement. In the current appeal, counsel for Cummins argued that the trial judge's directions on joint enterprise were biased and that the indictment should have been severed. Counsel for Davy similarly contended that the judge's directions were confusing and that his client's reasonable excuse of fear was not properly addressed. The prosecution, represented by Patrick Treacy SC, maintained that all three men were intrinsically involved in the savage attack. The Court of Appeal, presided over by Justice George Birmingham with Justices John Edwards and Isobel Kennedy, reserved its judgment on these applications.
A man has been sentenced to nine years in prison by the Central Criminal Court for the rape of a woman in her Donegal home on August 9, 2017. The 38-year-old pleaded guilty to oral rape during an attack lasting approximately ninety minutes. Additional charges of attempted rape, two counts of sexual assault and criminal damage were taken into consideration. Mr Justice Michael White described the offence as falling into the most serious category, citing the breach of trust between long-standing friends, the level of violence employed and the extended duration of the assault. The court noted a second man was present during the incident. The woman provided a victim impact statement detailing the psychological harm she has sustained. The defendant was also imposed a one-year post-release supervision order.
In the Central Criminal Court, Dr Brenda Wright testified that 44‑year‑old Deirdre Morley, a renal‑specialist nurse, was suffering from bipolar affective disorder and believed it was morally right to smother her three children, whom she claimed had been irreparably damaged. She had attempted to drug them with morphine and codeine the night before the killings, but the children resisted. The next day she used tape, plastic bags and cushions to suffocate them, two of whom died in a play tent. Dr Wright said Morley did not know her actions were wrong due to her psychotic state and was unable to refrain from them, meeting the criteria for a special verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity. The trial continues with the jury hearing evidence of her mental state on 24 January and her belief that ending their suffering was necessary.
A jury at the Central Criminal Court is continuing deliberations in the trial of a Sligo man charged with murder. Rafal Karaczyn, aged 35, of Crozon Park, Sligo, has admitted killing his wife Natalia but denies murder. He has pleaded guilty to manslaughter. The death occurred on 29 April 2018 at their home address. Ms Justice Eileen Creedon instructed the jury of twelve that they may return a verdict of guilty of murder, guilty of manslaughter, or not guilty of murder. She outlined the legal distinction between the offences and addressed the potential defence of provocation. The judge explained that provocation, where applicable, would reduce a murder conviction to manslaughter. She emphasised that the defence does not apply where an ordinary person in similar circumstances could exercise self-restraint. The jury had deliberated for more than two hours when the report was filed and were to resume their consideration the following day.
Richard O'Mara, 31, of Tallaght, Dublin, appealed his conviction to the Court of Appeal regarding two counts of rape committed in Co Clare in 2015. O'Mara had previously pleaded not guilty but was found guilty by a Central Criminal Court jury. He was sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment, with the final two years suspended on strict conditions, resulting in an effective custody period of 12 years. The appeal, argued by Michael Delaney SC, contended that the trial should have been halted because Gardaí failed to examine the crime scene at Ballymulcashel, Kilmurry, Sixmilebridge. Defence counsel cited a forensic report suggesting semen could have been detected on a sofa nine months after the incident, arguing this missing evidence deprived O'Mara of a realistic defence. The DPP, represented by Maurice Coffey SC, countered that the appellant had not met the necessary legal test for the absence of evidence to warrant a stay. The court, presided over by President George Birmingham, reserved its judgement. The matter was adjourned pending the decision.
Rafal Karaczyn, 35, of Sligo, is currently on trial at the Central Criminal Court for the unlawful killing of his wife, Natalia Karaczyn, on April 29, 2018. Mr. Karaczyn has pleaded guilty to manslaughter but not guilty to murder. The jury must determine whether he intended to kill his wife or was provoked to the extent that he temporarily lost self-control. Prosecution counsel Conor Devally SC argued that the victim's wish to end the marriage was not a provocative act, citing a Supreme Court decision that sexual jealousy or possessiveness cannot reduce murder to manslaughter. He described the alleged trigger—a slap and being pushed from a room—as "pathetically mild." Defence counsel Brendan Grehan SC countered that Mr. Karaczyn was not a cold-blooded killer but a devoted father who lost control in the heat of the moment. He highlighted the absence of a weapon, a planned disposal site, or prior history of domestic violence. The trial has heard that Ms. Karaczyn returned home after having sex with another man, leading to a confrontation. The matter is at the trial stage, with the judge set to deliver her charge to the jury tomorrow.
A 37-year-old man, Sameer Syed of Grosvenor Lodge, Rathmines, Dublin 6, accused of murdering his wife Seema Banu (37), his daughter Asfira Riza (11), and son Faizan Syed (6) at Llewellyn Court, Rathfarnham, Dublin 16 on October 28 last year, will stand trial at the Central Criminal Court in June next year. The accused was charged with three counts of murder at Dun Laoghaire District Court on November 30 last year. At that time, arresting officer Detective Sergeant John White informed Judge Ann Watkin that reporting restrictions under Section 252 of the Children Act applied because two of the deceased were juveniles. The matter was adjourned and is now at the appeal stage. Mr Syed appeared via video-link for today's hearing and was remanded in custody until the trial date. The trial is expected to last five weeks, and the case was sent forward to the Central Criminal Court on April 28 after the accused was served with the book of evidence. Free legal aid was granted, and there was no State objection. The Children (Amendment) Act 2021 has been signed into law, which removes the restriction on naming deceased children except in certain exceptional circumstances.
Rafal Karaczyn, 35, of Crozon Park, Sligo, is on trial at the Central Criminal Court for the death of his wife, Ms Karaczyn, at their family home between April 29th and May 1st, 2018. He has pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. The trial heard that Mr Karaczyn demonstrated to gardai how he strangled his wife with both hands after she slapped him. He admitted to Detective Garda Pauline O'Neill that he unlawfully killed her and accepted he alone caused her death. Although he initially provided false accounts, including a claim of a gun threat, he later confessed to the truth after speaking with his sister-in-law. The defence called witness Piotr Korozan, who described the accused as mentally destroyed by marital difficulties. The prosecution noted the accused has no prior convictions or history of domestic violence. The matter was adjourned to continue on Monday before Ms Justice Eileen Creedon and a jury.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, Mr Justice Paul Coffey lifted a reporting restriction that had previously barred the publication of the identity of Deirdre Morley, a 44‑year‑old mother charged with murdering her three children. The restriction had been imposed after a Court of Appeal ruling that Section 252 of the Children Act 2001 prohibited identifying child victims, including deceased ones. Morley, who lives in Parson's Court, Newcastle, Co. Dublin, faces charges for the deaths of her sons Conor (9) and Darragh (7) and daughter Carla (3), whose bodies were found at their family home on 24 January. The Children (Amendment) Act 2021, which came into force last week, removed the blanket prohibition on naming deceased children, allowing the court to grant the order. The defence had originally applied for the protection, and the Director of Public Prosecutions had not objected.
At the Central Criminal Court, a jury has heard evidence of exchanges between Natalia and Rafal Karaczyn in the months before her death. Text messages and Facebook communications were presented showing Ms Karaczyn repeatedly rejecting her husband's attempts at reconciliation, telling him to leave her life and forbidding him from entering their Crozon Park home in Ballymote, Sligo. Two days before her death, she stated he could "never set foot" in the house again. Detective Sergeant Oliver McHale testified about these communications. Rafal Karaczyn, aged 35, has pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. He admits unlawfully killing his wife by strangling her at their family home between 29 April and 1 May 2018. During garda interview at Ballymote station, he denied causing her death and described an alleged threat from unknown individuals. The trial before Ms Justice Eileen Creedon continues.
Rafal Karaczyn, 35, is on trial at the Central Criminal Court, having pleaded not guilty to the murder of his wife, Natalia Karaczyn, but guilty to her manslaughter. The alleged killing occurred at their family home in Crozon Park, Sligo, between April 29th and May 1st, 2018. Mr Karaczyn admits to unlawfully strangling his wife and accepting sole responsibility for her death. Chief State Pathologist Dr Linda Mulligan testified that Ms Karaczyn died from asphyxiation due to pressure applied to her neck. She noted bruises on the chin, eyes, scalp, and left arm, with the arm injury potentially defensive. Dr Mulligan stated death was not instantaneous but could not determine the duration of pressure. The jury heard text messages from December 2017 to March 2018, where Ms Karaczyn told her husband she wanted her own life and asked him to leave her alone, while he repeatedly pleaded for forgiveness. Det Garda Oliver McHale presented these messages, describing them as bickering. The trial is ongoing before Ms Justice Eileen Creedon and a jury of eight women and four men. Det Garda McHale's evidence was adjourned to continue the following day.
In May 2021, Oliver Kane, 41, who was homeless and suffering from mental health issues, voluntarily appeared at a Garda station to confess that he had attempted to rape a 21‑year‑old woman in Ardee on 16 November 2020. Kane explained that he had approached the woman with the intention of forcing her into a secluded area, but she resisted and escaped. He admitted the assault and expressed regret. The victim, who has suffered ongoing mental health problems, stated that the incident had caused nightmares, sleep difficulties, and depression, and that she had taken time off work and begun counselling. Kane has a prior conviction for a public order offence. At the Central Criminal Court, the case was adjourned to 14 June to allow for a psychiatric assessment, and Kane was remanded in continuing custody. The prosecution noted that the victim's anonymity was maintained, while the defence highlighted Kane's untreated depression and psychosis. Oliver Kane pleaded guilty.
A murder trial at the Central Criminal Court heard that the accused man described lying beside his wife's body for ten to fifteen minutes after strangling her with his bare hands. Magdalena McMorrow, the victim's sister, told the court that Rafal Karaczyn made this admission at Ballymote Garda Station four days after Natalia Karaczyn's death in May 2018. Ms McMorrow said the accused initially gave her false accounts, claiming not to know what had happened to his wife and later alleging involvement by a Traveller family. The witness described searching for her sister on the morning she went missing and the accused's anxious behaviour during that search. Karaczyn, aged thirty-five, of Crozon Park, Sligo, has pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. The trial heard evidence that Natalia had been with another man the night before her death. The case continues before Ms Justice Eileen Creedon and jury.
In a Central Criminal Court trial, a jury found Edmundas Dauksa, a married Lithuanian man, guilty of murdering his former partner, Ingrida Maciokaite, by stabbing her 19 times in front of their six‑year‑old daughter. The killing occurred on 18 September 2018 at Bridgewater Mews, Dundalk, after a court had placed the child in Maciokaite's custody. Dauksa had pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. The jury rejected his defence that he was not "fuelled with murderous intent" and that he had been wronged by the court system. They accepted the State's case that he intended serious harm or death when he repeatedly plunged a 15‑cm blade into Maciokaite's body. The verdict was unanimous, with the jury deliberating for 3 hours 51 minutes over two days. The judge will impose a mandatory life sentence on 24 May and remand Dauksa in custody until then.
An application by RTE to lift a court order preventing the public identification of a convicted child murderer and his victim has been adjourned. The order remains in place despite the recent commencement of an amendment to Section 252 of the Children Act. Mr Justice Paul Coffey stated that although the matter appeared "irresistible" given the legislative change, he would adjourn the hearing until Monday "out of an abundance of caution." This allows the Director of Public Prosecutions to be represented by counsel and the accused's lawyers to take instructions. The 28-year-old appellant, who admitted murdering his 11-year-old nephew in 2019, was sentenced to a mandatory term of life imprisonment. His identity was anonymised at the Central Criminal Court following a Court of Appeal ruling on the interpretation of Section 252. The Children (Amendment) Act 2021, signed into law last week, rectified a loophole that previously prohibited the identification of child victims in unlawful killing cases. RTE's counsel, Tom Murphy BL, sought leave to lift the restriction, noting the law no longer applies to such proceedings. The accused's lawyer, Yvonne Quinn BL, indicated no legal objection but lacked formal instructions from her client in custody. A State solicitor requested the adjournment to ensure proper DPP representation. The matter was adjourned and is not concluded.
A murder trial opened at the Central Criminal Court on May 6th, 2021, concerning allegations that a Sligo man killed his wife following her return home from another man's house. The accused, aged 35 and resident at Crozon Park, Sligo, has pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. The prosecution alleges the victim, aged 30, arrived home in the early morning hours after consensual sexual activity elsewhere, whereupon an argument ensued in the bedroom and she was strangled. The defence acknowledges the accused unlawfully killed his wife by strangulation and accepts sole responsibility for her death. The central issue for the jury concerns the accused's mental state at the time. The couple, originally from Poland, had lived together in Sligo with their three children despite an unhappy marriage, sleeping separately. The trial continues before Ms Justice Eileen Creedon and a jury of twelve.