In a murder trial, the jury heard that 16‑year‑old Melanie McCarthy McNamara was severely wounded when she arrived at Tallaght Hospital after being shot in the head. The court was shown a shotgun found by Gardaí near Brookview Way, where the shooting occurred. Daniel McDonnell, 19, was on trial for the murder and had pleaded not guilty. A hospital statement described the extent of her injuries, including a large wound to the temple, brain matter, and a protruding eyeball, and noted that resuscitation was stopped at 1 am after her condition deteriorated. A boy who witnessed the shooting described a black jeep and gunfire, and Sergeant John Schlay presented the shotgun, noting it had been altered for concealment. The trial proceeded before Mr Justice Paul Carney with a jury of twelve.
In a 2014 trial at the Central Criminal Court, Daniel McDonnell, aged 19, was charged with the murder of 16‑year‑old Melanie McCarthy McNamara. The prosecution presented evidence that McDonnell had written boastful graffiti on his cell wall, including the lines 'Two in the head. Your bitch is dead', and had sent two letters to a prison officer that contained references to the shooting. The letters, addressed to Lee McDonnell and Stephanie Tuite, described the intent to shoot and the use of a loaded 12‑gauge shotgun. McDonnell's defence pleaded not guilty. The jury was told that the victim was shot in the head while seated in the back seat of a car on Brookview Way, Tallaght, and that she was pronounced dead at Tallaght Hospital. The case was heard by Mr Justice Paul Carney with a jury of twelve.
In December 2012, Sean Connolly, aged 34, was charged before the Special Criminal Court with murdering veteran criminal Eamon Kelly on Furry Park Road, Killester, and also faced charges of IRA membership and firearm possession. Connolly declined to meet his counsel, Ms Siobhan Ni Chulachain, and requested a different solicitor. The court, presided over by Justice Paul Butler, postponed the case until the New Year, stating it would be listed again on January 21 for a video‑link hearing.
Ian Flanagan, 24, of Lenihan Avenue, Prospect, Limerick, was found guilty of two counts of assisting an offender by hiding the family's CCTV device to impede the apprehension of his brother Seán Flanagan (28) and uncle Paul Colbert (46) in the murder of Gerard McMahon, 43, who was stabbed to death on 18 January 2012. Flanagan had pleaded not guilty but a jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict. He admitted moving the CCTV device away from the house, storing it on waste ground, and later retrieving it. Detective Sergeant Denis Treacy testified that the device was disconnected after the killers entered the home, but neighbouring cameras captured their movements. Flanagan had previous convictions, including possession of a realistic imitation firearm, and was on bail for another offence when he hid the CCTV device. He was remanded in custody and sentencing was adjourned to 20 January 2024. The case was heard in the Central Criminal Court.
In a Special Criminal Court hearing, Sean Connolly, aged 34, was charged with the murder of veteran criminal Eamon Kelly, who was killed on 4 December 2012 at Furry Park Road, Killester. Connolly also faced charges of IRA membership and possession of a firearm. His counsel, Ms Siobhan Ni Chulachain, informed the court that solicitor Michael Finucane could not take instructions due to Connolly's illness. Consequently, the judge, Mr Justice Paul Butler, postponed the case for two weeks, with a new hearing scheduled for 13 December, and the prosecution requested a video link for the hearing.
A 58‑year‑old construction worker, Edward Winston of Montpelier Park, Dublin 7, was remanded in custody after being charged with unlawful possession of cannabis, cocaine and heroin, and possessing the drugs with intent to supply, following the seizure of about €200,000 worth of drugs in Dublin and Kildare. Detectives from the Garda National Drugs Unit seized cannabis at Ryebrook Business Park, Leixlip, and later recovered cocaine and heroin in Finglas, Dublin. Winston made no reply to the charges at Leixlip Garda station. Judge Ann Watkin noted that he was willing to stand bail but required time to meet the €30,000 surety condition. He was remanded to appear at Cloverhill District Court on 3 December. The operation also recovered over 250 rounds of ammunition and a double‑barrelled sawn‑off shotgun. A 20‑year‑old man arrested in the same operation was released without charge, and a file will be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Patrick McCann, aged 20, received a 20‑year sentence, with the final three years suspended, for the attempted murder of his friend Luke Wilson, aged 19, at Liffey Gaels GAA club in Inchicore on 13 January 2013. McCann pleaded guilty to attempted murder and to possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life. The court heard that Wilson was shot in the arm, neck and face, but the gun jammed twice and McCann fled. Wilson suffered serious injuries, including loss of an eye, cerebral stroke, and permanent arm palsy. McCann had prior convictions for drug possession, sale, theft and burglary, and was on bail at the time of the shooting. The judge noted McCann's long‑term drug and alcohol dependence and a dysfunctional family background as mitigating factors. The sentencing was described by the judge as reminiscent of a "Love/Hate" script.
Eimantas Valteris, Patrick McDonagh, and Park Vale were charged before the Special Criminal Court with the unlawful possession of a .32 inch auto (7.65mm) calibre IZH 79-8 model Baikal semi-automatic pistol, serial number TPB358706. Valteris is alleged to have possessed the firearm at Balmoral Industrial Estate, Navan, Co. Meath, while McDonagh is alleged to have possessed it at Main Street, Castlebellingham, Co. Louth, both on June 10, 2013. McDonagh is additionally charged with membership of an unlawful organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army. The matter is at the trial stage, with all charges alleged or contested. During a bail variation hearing, counsel for Valteris requested an amendment to his curfew conditions to accommodate employment as a security guard. The court, presided over by Mr Justice Paul Butler with Judges Margaret Heneghan and William Hamill, granted the variation, adjusting the curfew to 6am to 7am with gardai consent. The court remanded the accused men on continuing bail until December 12. No pleas, findings, sentences, or finalisations were recorded in this report.
Patrick McCann, aged 20, pleaded guilty to attempted murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life after shooting his lifelong friend Luke Wilson, aged 19, at Liffey Gaels GAA club in Inchicore on 13 January 2013. McCann fired a shot that struck Wilson's neck, causing him to fall, and a second shot that hit Wilson's right arm. Wilson later reported being shot again but the gun jammed. Wilson suffered severe injuries, including the loss of his right eye, facial wounds, a cerebral stroke, and permanent arm palsy. McCann, who had prior convictions for drug possession, drug sale, theft, and aggravated burglary, was arrested the same day. He denied involvement and claimed he was coerced by drug debt. The court will sentence him next week, with the prosecution describing the offence as high‑level.
A 45‑year‑old man named Stephen Hendrick of Ballymun, Dublin, was charged with membership of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and possession of ammunition. He was arrested in July at a yard in Cloghran by the Special Detective Unit and the Crime and Security Section. At an out‑of‑hours sitting of the Special Criminal Court, he was formally charged with IRA membership and with possessing ammunition in suspicious circumstances. The State served a book of evidence on him, and the court will remand him on continuing bail until December 6, when the case will be listed for mention.
Sean Connolly, 34, of Bernard Curtis House, Bluebell, was charged before the Special Criminal Court with the murder of veteran criminal Eamon Kelly on 4 December 2012 at Furry Park Road, Killester, and also faced charges of IRA membership and firearm possession. His counsel, Siobhan Ni Chulachain BL, requested additional time to review a large amount of evidence disclosed the previous week. The defence asked the court to reschedule the case for mention on 29 November, and Judge Paul Butler ordered Connolly to remain in custody until that date.
The Special Criminal Court has found Vincent Ryan and Darragh Evans not guilty by direction of the court regarding the alleged possession of an AKM assault rifle and a Webley-make revolver MkV1. Both men, who had pleaded not guilty, were released from custody after the court ruled there was an insufficient evidential basis for a conviction. The charges related to an incident on September 15, 2011, at Clonshaugh Walk, Coolock, Dublin 17, following a firearm discharge in Clongriffin. While forensic evidence linked DNA profiles to the weapons, the court accepted defence arguments that the DNA could have been deposited via secondary or tertiary transfer and that the specific time and place of possession were not sufficiently proven. Justice Paul Butler directed the verdicts, noting that the evidence did not meet the threshold for a jury trial. In a separate finding, co-accused Alan Ryan was acquitted. The court commended the Garda investigation as thorough and professional, despite the outcome. The matter was concluded with the directed not guilty verdicts for Ryan and Evans and the acquittal of Alan Ryan.
The Special Criminal Court ruled that evidence of Garda interviews with Vincent Ryan (22) and Darragh Evans (23) concerning the possession of an AKM assault rifle and a Webley revolver is inadmissible. The court held a voir dire to assess whether Section 18 b(iii) of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 was properly invoked. The section allows inferences from an accused's failure to account for an object. The judge found that the section was not properly invoked because it was necessary to establish that the accused possessed the magazine or rifle, a point the court deemed circular. The prosecution case was deemed concluded. The investigation began after a firearm discharge on Marsfield Avenue, where a Saab 95 was searched and an AKM rifle, an AK‑47 magazine, a Webley revolver and a Pringles lid were recovered.
A 31‑year‑old Limerick man, Gary Yeung, was granted bail by the Special Criminal Court after being charged with unlawful possession of two handguns – a .455 Colt "New Service" revolver and a .455 Webley Mark 6 revolver – and with possession of ammunition at his home. He was also charged with possession of a .22‑250 calibre Sako round and a .357 Mag CBC round. Yeung's co‑accused, 65‑year‑old Patrick Kennedy, was charged with membership of an unlawful organisation styled the Irish Republican Army. Yeung's bail conditions include an independent surety of €20,000, a personal bond of €100, curfew from 11 pm to 7 am, surrender of his passport, prohibition on travel outside the jurisdiction, residence at his Limerick address, and restrictions on communication with witnesses and other offenders. He must also provide a mobile phone number to the Gardaí and keep it in use at all times.
Patrick Kennedy, 65, and Gary Yeung, 31, were arrested on 14 September 2013 on James' Street, Dublin, for unlawful possession of a .455 Colt "New Service" revolver and a .455 Webley Mark 6 revolver, and for membership of an unlawful organisation styled the Irish Republican Army. Yeung was also charged with possession of one round of .22‑250 Sako ammunition and one round of .357‑mag CBC ammunition at his Limerick home. The Special Criminal Court granted bail to Kennedy on conditions including a €10,000 surety or two €6,000 sureties, a €100 personal bond, daily reporting to Garda Station, a curfew, surrender of passport, and restrictions on travel, phone use, and contact with witnesses or other offenders. Kennedy must remain at his home address and cannot associate with Yeung except with legal counsel. Kennedy was remanded in custody with consent to bail and will appear again on 14 November.
Two men, Patrick Kennedy, 65, and Gary Yeung, 31, appeared before the non‑jury Special Criminal Court on Monday, charged with unlawful possession of two handguns. Both were arrested by gardai on Saturday afternoon on James Street, Dublin 8, as part of investigations into dissident republican activity in Dublin and Limerick. The charges include possession of a .455 Colt "New Service" revolver and a .455 Webley Mark 6 revolver with serial number 324736, both found on James Street on 14 September 2013. Yeung, who lives at Bawnmore View, Crossagalla, Limerick, was also charged with possession of one round of .22‑250 calibre Sako ammunition and one round of .357‑Mag calibre CBC ammunition at his home on the same date. Kennedy, residing at South Earl Street, Dublin 8, faced an additional charge of membership in an unlawful organisation, namely the Irish Republican Army (IRA).
Two men, Patrick Kennedy, 65, and Gary Yeung, 31, appeared before the Special Criminal Court on Monday, charged with unlawful possession of two handguns: a .455 Colt "New Service" revolver and a .455 Webley Mark 6 revolver with serial number 324736, seized on James Street, Dublin 8, on 14 September 2013. Yeung, who lives in Limerick, was also charged with possession of one round of .22‑250 calibre Sako ammunition and one round of .357‑Mag calibre CBC ammunition found at his home on the same date. Kennedy was additionally charged with membership of an unlawful organisation, the Irish Republican Army (IRA). Garda Detective David Kiely arrested Yeung at Orchard Lane, Clondalkin, and later cautioned him; he had no comment. Kennedy was cautioned after being arrested at South Earl Street, Dublin 8. Both men were remanded in custody to appear again on 20 September 2013, when bail and legal aid applications are expected.
A Trinity College graduate, Ursula Shannon, and three men – Colin Brady (23), John Troy (33), and John McGreal (36) – are to be arraigned in the Special Criminal Court after the summer recess. They are charged with unlawful possession of two handguns, 32 rounds of ammunition, and a stun gun, all found at Tullybeg, Rahan, Co Offaly on 27 November 2012. The firearms include a 9mm Taurus PT92 pistol, its magazine, a 9mm Walther P5 pistol, and a ZGJY stun gun/flashlight. They also possess 25 rounds of 9mm ammunition and 7 additional rounds. Troy and McGreal face an additional charge of membership in an unlawful organisation, the Irish Republican Army (IRA). All four were granted bail by the non‑jury Special Criminal Court in December, though Brady did not take his bail. The court will set an arraignment date for 8 October in the new term.
A Trinity College graduate, Ursula Shannon, and three men – Colin Brady, John Troy, and John McGreal – are charged with the unlawful possession of two handguns, 32 rounds of ammunition, a stun gun, and additional ammunition. The weapons include a 9mm Taurus PT92 pistol, a compatible magazine, a 9mm Walther P5 pistol, and a ZGJY stun gun/flashlight. They also face charges for possessing 25 rounds of 9mm ammunition and 7 rounds of 9mm ammunition. Troy and McGreal are additionally charged with membership in an unlawful organisation, the Irish Republican Army (IRA). The group was found at Tullybeg, Rahan, Co Offaly on 27 November 2012. All four were granted bail by the Special Criminal Court in December, except Brady who did not take bail. The court set an arraignment for 8 October 2013.