Lucy Ewins, a businesswoman who has lived in Ireland for over 30 years, has applied to the High Court for injunctions to stop a financial fund and its receiver from trespassing on or selling her Galway City home at The Rise, Knocknacarra. She alleges that the defendants' agents entered her residence, changed the locks, and are attempting to market the property for auction. Ewins also claims that a representative of the defendants stayed overnight in the sitting room and that the defendants have harassed her for years. She says the property has been her principal private residence since 2014 and that she lives there permanently after her marriage ended. Ewins seeks orders restraining the defendants from selling the property and from any further trespass or interference. The case was adjourned to a later court sitting after the judge allowed her to serve short‑notice proceedings on the defendants.
Rodney de Khors, a 54‑year‑old former League of Ireland footballer, was sentenced to 16 months in jail after pleading guilty to one count of harassing a man he had never met. Between August 2019 and August 2020, de Khors used the Twitter account IrishSteve@BadboyDublin to post doctored images and false allegations, calling the victim a paedophile, sexual predator and danger to women and children. The victim, who had a child with the woman who encouraged the harassment, said the campaign was a "living nightmare" that caused severe anxiety, depression and PTSD. De Khors claimed he was acting as a "good Samaritan" for the woman, who alleged the victim was not providing adequate child support. The court noted de Khors had no prior convictions and was at low risk of re‑offending. Judge Martin Nolan imposed a three‑year sentence, suspending the final 20 months, and ordered psychiatric care while in custody.
An application seeking Gemma O'Doherty's possible committal to prison for alleged contempt of court has been adjourned for one week by Mr Justice Mark Sanfey in the High Court. The motion, brought by Edel Campbell from Kingscourt, County Cavan, alleges that Ms O'Doherty breached court orders by harassing Ms Campbell and using images of her late son Diego without consent. Ms O'Doherty was absent from proceedings on Monday, with the court informed she is currently out of the jurisdiction. The judge noted she had been made aware of the application through email service of court documents. Ms Campbell's counsel argued there could be no doubt of Ms O'Doherty's knowledge of the proceedings. The adjournment was granted to allow Ms Campbell's legal team to make submissions on whether email service suffices for a motion that could result in committal for contempt. Ms O'Doherty denies the allegations. The case also involves Ms Campbell's underlying claim that Ms O'Doherty unlawfully published her son's image in connection with Covid-19 vaccination claims.
A 23‑year‑old man, Taner Saricayir, was sentenced to 16 months' imprisonment and a lifetime ban on contact with a woman he had become infatuated with while they were students in 2019. He pleaded guilty to breaking into her home in Donnycarney on 19 June 2022, after a chance meeting in a Dublin Starbucks. He entered the house through an unlocked front door, rummaged through her underwear drawer, used a toothbrush with toothpaste on the sink and door, and held her dog while waiting for her to return. He later admitted he had entered through a window. The court considered a separate count of harassing her between 2021 and 2022. The judge noted the woman's distress and the seriousness of the break‑in, and imposed the 16‑month term and lifetime contact ban.
An accountant, Gerard Young, trading as Mara Young & Company, has denied all allegations of wrongdoing after NCS Autoparts Limited, its director Paul Lanigan and his wife Brenda Lanigan filed an injunction against him. The plaintiffs claim that Young is attempting to intimidate and harass them over an alleged €19,000 debt. They say that in early January, Martin 'the Viper' Foley, a convicted criminal, called their home and left a business card in an attempt to collect the debt on Young's behalf. Young has obtained a circuit court judgment against the plaintiffs but the plaintiffs are seeking to have that order set aside. The court adjourned the matter, with an undertaking that Foley will not communicate with the plaintiffs or attend their property until the case returns later this month. The plaintiffs also request an injunction restraining Young from instructing Foley or his debt‑recovery business to contact them.
In a January 2024 Employment Equality case before the Workplace Relations Commission, the adjudicator, Ms Lefre de Burgh, rejected all claims made by Ms Nicole Reekie against Liani Ltd. Ms Reekie, an Australian national who had worked as a deli assistant at the Cork City convenience store from 15 June 2022 for six weeks, alleged discrimination on civil status grounds, harassment, and a pay claim. She had requested Portuguese and Spanish interpreters, but the adjudicator deemed the request inappropriate because all parties spoke English and cited the cost to public funds. Ms Reekie claimed her civil status was "homeless" and that she was a single, older, foreign woman, but the tribunal found homelessness was not a protected status under the Equality Act. She also alleged racial discrimination because she was Australian, but the adjudicator held that the complaint could not change as the respondent responded.
A contempt of court application against Gemma O'Doherty has been adjourned to February 12th following a hearing in the High Court. The motion, brought by Edel Campbell from Kingscourt, County Cavan, seeks Ms O'Doherty's attachment and possible committal to prison for alleged breach of court orders restraining her from harassing Ms Campbell and from publishing images of Ms Campbell's late son. Ms O'Doherty was not present at Monday's hearing, having reportedly left the jurisdiction. Her solicitors formally withdrew from representing her in the proceedings. The underlying dispute concerns the alleged unauthorised publication of an image of Ms Campbell's son in media controlled by Ms O'Doherty, which the plaintiff claims caused her emotional harm. Ms O'Doherty denies all allegations and intends to contest the contempt claim fully.
In a decision published on 22 January 2024, the Workplace Relations Commission ordered Ability West to pay care worker Shannon Avril Holland €27,000 after finding the organisation liable for sexual harassment by a line manager. The harassment included lewd texts asking for "toe‑curling orgasmic sex" and demanding a "hand job", and unwanted touching. Holland was one of two workers to raise concerns in December 2019. The tribunal found Ability West's training on sexual harassment was insufficient, noting the former HR director admitted no such training had been recorded. Holland's complaint under the Employment Equality Act 1998 was upheld, and the commission highlighted that the organisation failed to provide adequate training or a written policy that was effectively implemented. The decision also noted the organisation's failure to give Holland a copy of the final investigative report. The tribunal's ruling imposed the €27,000 compensation, but the outcome of Holland's constructive dismissal claim remains unpublished.
A migrant chef, Jinxiu Zheng, who had borrowed money to work in Ireland, claimed he was subjected to humiliating and degrading treatment by restaurant operator Ming Feng Ltd. He said he was promised €15.78 an hour for a 39‑hour week but received only €300 in cash for 50‑60 hours of work, with minimal breaks. Zheng alleged that his employer questioned whether tax was paid on his behalf and threatened to cancel his work permit if he raised concerns. He also claimed he was forced to sign a resignation letter and that his last week's wages were thrown on the floor. The Workplace Relations Commission found discrimination on race grounds and harassment, awarding Zheng €15,000 for discrimination, €10,000 for harassment, €1,525 for minimum wage arrears, €250 for underpayment, and €1,800 for excessive hours and other breaches, totaling €28,275. The company denied the allegations and did not appear at the hearing.
A newly‑hired HR manager was dismissed while still on probation from an unnamed research foundation after a long‑serving employee, Ms X, refused to cooperate and posted large‑print signs in the reception area, including one that read "No Irish need apply." The manager, who was the only non‑Irish person on the administrative staff, claimed she was "steadfastly resisted" and that the board failed to support her during her probation review in October 2022. Ms X, described as a "law unto herself," had a history of rude and abusive behaviour toward senior board members and had previously encouraged women to be "aggressive, difficult and complicated." The Workplace Relations Commission found the dismissal unfair, noting that the posters were a form of harassment and that the board should have taken disciplinary action. The adjudicator, Michael McEntee, recommended the former employer pay the manager €55,000, equivalent to one year's salary, as compensation for the unfair dismissal.
Paul Boyle, a 46‑year‑old Scottish man, was caught by an off‑duty Garda taking "up‑skirt" pictures on the Luas in December 2019. A Garda search of his Dublin home uncovered hundreds of thousands of similar images, including 20,000 of women and girls' legs, groins and buttocks, and an "extremely explicit" child‑abuse video. Boyle pleaded guilty to harassment and possession of child pornography. Judge Martin Nolan originally sentenced him to five years for harassment and three years for child‑pornography, with the final two and a half years of the latter suspended. On appeal, Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy reduced the overall custodial term to five years and six months, suspending the last 16 months. The Court of Appeal found the original sentence excessive, noting no violence or threat of violence and no contact with victims. Boyle remains subject to post‑release supervision and a ban on contact with the victims.
In December 2023, a Court of Appeal hearing considered the appeal of Paul Boyle, a 46‑year‑old Scottish man, who had been sentenced to five‑and‑a‑half years' imprisonment for harassment and possession of child pornography. Boyle was caught by an off‑duty Garda on the Luas in December 2019 taking "up‑skirt" photographs of women and schoolgirls. A subsequent search of his Dublin home uncovered 275,800 images of women's groins, thighs and buttocks taken between June 2018 and January 2020, and a 2002 child‑pornography video described as "extremely explicit and disturbing." Boyle pleaded guilty in March 2022 to the harassment and possession charges. Judge Martin Nolan imposed a five‑year term for harassment and a three‑year term for child‑pornography, with the final two‑and‑a‑half years suspended and back‑dated to March 2021.
In November 2023 the Court of Appeal rejected a mother's attempt to set aside her guilty plea for harassing a doctor at Temple Street Hospital. Marlies Walsh, 51, had pleaded guilty in 2022 to one count of harassment after repeatedly contacting the doctor by phone and email between 2017 and 2020 while her son awaited a kidney transplant. She argued that she was under duress and that her lawyers had given ineffective assistance, but the appeal court found no evidence of coercion or inadequate representation. The court noted that Walsh had been under significant stress but had understood the implications of her plea. The judge also dismissed her claim that the Garda investigation was flawed, stating that such matters were for trial. Walsh will appeal the severity of her suspended two‑year sentence at a later hearing.
In a Workplace Relations Commission hearing, Brendan Ogle, a senior Unite official in Ireland, alleges discrimination and whistleblower penalisation by the union. He claims exclusion from promotion due to his cancer, discriminatory harassment, failure to provide reasonable accommodation, and penalisation for protected disclosures under the Protected Disclosures Act 2014, Health Act 2004 and Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2004. The union denies all allegations. The case is scheduled for eight days of evidence and pleadings, with over a dozen witnesses, including Unite's general secretary Sharon Graham, former general secretary Len McCluskey, former ICTU president John Douglas, and others. Ogle's legal team seeks time to submit a 16‑page legal submission and additional documents. The adjudicator has adjourned the hearing to a three‑day block in the new year, anticipating a lengthy process. Ogle is accompanied by his wife and supporters.
Former 2FM presenter Chris Greene has brought complaints against RTÉ before the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) under the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977, the Protected Disclosures Act 2014, and the Payment of Wages Act 1994. At a preliminary hearing, Mr Greene's barrister, David Byrnes BL, alleged that his client was penalised and subsequently dismissed after reporting alleged sexual harassment and workplace impropriety to 2FM chief Dan Healy. Mr Byrnes further claimed that a referral to the Department of Social Protection's Scope section constituted a second protected disclosure. RTÉ, represented by Mairead McKenna SC, disputed that Mr Greene was an employee and argued that the penalisation claim was unclear. The adjudicator, Breiffní O'Neill, noted that the connection between the alleged disclosures and penalisation was not sufficiently detailed in the written submissions. He directed the complainant to provide further written submissions by mid-December, including specific dates and names, while noting that RTÉ had been 'caught on the hop' by the novel jurisdictional argument. The adjudicator gave RTÉ until mid-January to respond and adjourned the matter. The next hearing date is to be confirmed in due course by the WRC, with up to five witnesses expected to give evidence.
In a case involving Paradigm Plastics Ltd, trading as Future Plastics, the Workplace Relations Commission adjudicator found that ex‑engineering manager Michael Murphy was blameless and had acted reasonably when he resigned in December 2022. The tribunal heard that difficulties began after Murphy's new line manager, Padraig Shine, was appointed in 2019 and that an informal bullying complaint was first raised in January 2022. Murphy complained that Shine's behaviour, including calling him to his office and changing his role, was harassing. The company's HR representative, Paul McGlynn, and Shine held a meeting on 1 March 2022 that ended in a stand‑off after Murphy refused to sign a waiver. Murphy's formal grievance, lodged in May 2022 while he was on sick leave, was not investigated until October 2022, when an occupational health assessment found him fit to participate. The adjudicator ruled that the delay was entirely the company's fault and that Murphy's resignation was a constructive unfair dismissal.
Julie Maughan, 38, of Kimmage Manor, Terenure, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to a 15‑year‑old boy on 8 October 2022. She had mistaken the boy and his friends for people harassing her daughter and drove her van toward them, then exited with a cricket bat and struck the boy over the head. The boy was taken to hospital and received four stitches. No victim impact statement was given. Maughan was arrested that night after the boys called Gardaí. She denied involvement at the scene, but her mobile phone was seized and video showed her encouraging her daughter to cry in front of Gardaí. She has seven prior convictions, mainly traffic offences and one drug‑related offence from 2013. Judge Martin Nolan sentenced her to two years' imprisonment, suspended in full on strict conditions, after noting the assault was "reasonably bad" but that she did not deserve prison at this point.
A Workplace Relations Commission adjudicator ordered a hotel to pay €5,000 compensation to a Brazilian waiter for racial harassment under the Employment Equality Act 1998. The waiter alleged that after reporting a supervisor's positive Covid-19 test in November 2021, the hotel's chef verbally attacked him, followed him through the premises, and told him to "go back to Brazil." The adjudicator, Orla Jones, found that CCTV footage supported the waiter's account, noting that a colleague attempted to hold back the chef. She rejected the hotel's claim that the video did not support the complainant's version, stating the waiter appeared genuine and consistent, while the chef did not attend and his absence was unexplained. The adjudicator concluded the waiter was subjected to harassment connected to his race. She also found significant deficiencies in the hotel's investigation, including the failure to examine all relevant CCTV and the lack of a proper procedure for workplace equality complaints. Consequently, the employer could not prove it took reasonably practicable steps to prevent the harassment. The €5,000 award was deemed just and equitable. Identities were redacted due to overlap with a separate Industrial Relations Act 1967 complaint requiring private hearings.
An elderly shopkeeper, Tom O'Sullivan, owner of Tom's Lucky Trading, was ordered by the Workplace Relations Commission to pay €19,136 in compensation for sexual harassment after a former employee, Paul Uzell, alleged that O'Sullivan repeatedly touched his bottom and testicles and made sexually suggestive comments. The tribunal found that O'Sullivan's conduct, which he claimed was "funny" and encouraged, was in fact "unwelcome" and created an offensive working environment. O'Sullivan, aged in his late 70s, denied the allegations and argued the claim was opportunistic, noting that it was not raised while he was employed. The adjudicating officer, Brian Dalton, accepted the evidence as credible, noting that the behaviour occurred frequently and crossed personal boundaries. A separate unfair dismissal claim by Uzell was rejected, with the tribunal ruling that he had resigned. The decision also highlighted aggressive exchanges between the parties during a 2021 meeting.
In the trial of Jozef Puska, the prosecution presented evidence that Puska stalked and murdered Ashling Murphy on the Grand Canal towpath on 13 January. Puska allegedly dragged Murphy into briars, stabbed her 11 times in the neck and slashed her once, causing fatal blood loss. Witnesses, including teacher Jenna Stack, described seeing a man crouched over Murphy, holding her down, and Puska's DNA was found under Murphy's fingernails. Puska was arrested in Tullamore, questioned in hospital, and during the trial he repeatedly denied involvement, later claiming he had been stabbed elsewhere and that he had confessed to the murder. The court heard conflicting statements and the prosecution urged the jury to reject Puska's lies and convict him of murder.
The Workplace Relations Commission ordered An Garda Siochána to pay €65,000 to Sergeant David Haughney, who claimed disability discrimination after a new superintendent, Adrian Gamble, confined him to station duties and barred him from driving, wearing a uniform, and training. Haughney, who had lost 70% of sight in his left eye in 2015, had been a roads policing sergeant, public order trainer and tactical advisor under three superintendents until 2019. After medical leave for a detached retina, Gamble blocked his return to training and driving, citing a medical report. Haughney was transferred to a traffic office where he was denied training and advisory work, leading him to describe the situation as "sit and rot." The tribunal upheld his claim, noting that Gamble had withdrawn reasonable accommodations previously granted, and awarded the compensation. The tribunal found no well‑founded harassment claim from the 2020 meeting.
In a case brought under the Employment Equality Act 1998, multimedia journalist Kasia Czernik claimed that RTÉ discriminated against her after she was sexually harassed by veteran night‑shift anchor Noel Fogarty. The harassment, consisting of texts, emails and attempted phone calls from 18 May to 21 June 2021, led to Fogarty's dismissal in September 2021. Czernik alleged that RTÉ failed to assure her that the harassment would not continue and that it breached the Act by not disclosing the disciplinary sanction imposed on Fogarty. She sought €300,000 in compensation, half for the mental, emotional and physical impact of the harassment and half for five years' worth of her salary. The Workplace Relations Commission rejected her complaint, finding that while she was sexually harassed, RTÉ had not discriminated against her. The tribunal concluded that RTÉ had acted appropriately by investigating the complaint and taking reasonable steps to prevent further harassment. The case was decided by WRC adjudicator Maria Kelly.
Thomas Phoenix, 61, of Saint Anne's Square, Blackrock, was sentenced to four years' imprisonment by the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for a series of harassing and threatening offences. He pleaded guilty to harassing a woman at a pub in Blackrock in June 2019, to harassing a neighbour between 18 and 26 March 2022, and to making threats to kill or cause serious harm. Phoenix also threatened a shop manager on 26 March 2022. The court heard that he had sent about 60 threatening WhatsApp messages to a neighbour, had thrown eggs at a family, and had threatened to kill a partner. He had previously served 13 convictions, including threats to kill. Judge Pauline Codd imposed a four‑year term, with the final 18 months suspended for the shopkeeper case, and an additional consecutive 18‑month term for the harassment of the woman, for a total effective custodial period of four years under strict probation conditions.
Marlies Walsh, 51, of Pedlers Cross, Clonakilty, pleaded guilty on the first day of her trial to one count of repeated harassment of a Temple Street Hospital doctor in 2018 and 2019. She had contacted the doctor and other hospital staff by phone and email from December 2017 to August 2020 while her 21‑year‑old son, a kidney transplant patient, was cared for at the hospital. The judge found that Walsh had engaged in repeated harassment and imposed a two‑year sentence, fully suspended on strict conditions, and barred her from contacting the doctor or approaching his residence or workplace for 20 years. At the Court of Appeal, Walsh, representing herself, claimed she was under duress and that her guilty plea was made to prioritise her son's care. The appeal was dismissed, with the court reserving its judgement.
In the High Court, Tuesday Edel Campbell, the plaintiff, secured disclosure orders directing Twitter to identify the operators of two accounts alleged to have breached a court injunction. The defendant, Gemma O'Doherty, confirmed to Mr Justice Brian O'Moore that she controls the '@irishlightpaper' account but denied involvement with the other two accounts, '@cavandrugwatch' and '@michaelmg3'. Ms O'Doherty denies all wrongdoing and intends to contest the allegations. The court granted the orders to allow the plaintiff's legal team to determine who controls the remaining accounts, after which Ms Campbell may decide whether to bring a motion for alleged contempt of court. The case stems from Ms Campbell's claim that Ms O'Doherty, publisher of The Irish Light, unlawfully used an image of her late son, Diego Gilsenan, in an article linking his death to the Covid-19 vaccination. Ms Campbell alleges this constitutes harassment and a breach of her constitutional rights. A previous injunction restrains Ms O'Doherty from harassing the plaintiff, publishing images of the plaintiff or her son, or inciting others to intimidate her. This injunction remains in place pending the final outcome of the action. The matter was adjourned to allow for the disclosure of the identities of the other account controllers.
Niall Kennedy, a former soldier from Newbridge, Co Kildare, has lost his appeal against his conviction for rape and harassment. In December 2021, a jury at the Central Criminal Court convicted Kennedy of 12 counts of rape on eleven occasions in August 2017, as well as multiple counts of harassment and threats to kill or cause serious harm. The trial judge described the conduct as a "cynical and cold campaign of rape and harassment" and imposed a sentence of 12 years, with the final two years suspended for five years on strict conditions. Kennedy, who denied the charges, argued on appeal that the trial judge should have issued a corroboration warning to the jury regarding the complainant's evidence, citing alleged inconsistencies in her testimony. He also contended that the concept of recklessness regarding consent was not adequately explained. The Court of Appeal, led by Mr Justice George Birmingham, dismissed both grounds. The court found that the trial judge was fully aware of the relevant authorities and that the decision to decline a corroboration warning was open to him. The appeal was rejected, with the court stating it was not persuaded that the trial was unfair or the verdict unsafe. The matter was adjourned for the finalisation of the appeal process, though the conviction and sentence stand.
David Thomas, 33, has sued his mother Breda Thomas over a Co Kilkenny property that includes a guesthouse and 85 acres of land at Ballyduff, Thomastown. He alleges that he is the rightful owner, having inherited the property from his late grandmother and that it was held in trust for him and his sister. Thomas claims that the property was legally transferred to him in 2010 but that his mother concealed this fact, leading to a breakdown in their relationship. He seeks possession of the dwelling house and farm, registration of his legal interest, damages for trespass, breach of duty and unjust enrichment, and an injunction against his mother's alleged trespassing and harassment. Breda Thomas denies all allegations, stating she loves and cherishes her son, has never abused him, and that the property was willed to him and his sister by their grandmother in 1993.
The Workplace Relations Commission heard that Sankalpa CLG settled a dismissal claim with an unnamed male employee, who withdrew statutory complaints under the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977 and Employment Equality Act 1998 pending implementation of agreed terms. The settlement followed evidence that the charity supported the "outlandish claims" of a female colleague, identified as Ms A, while shelving the male worker's complaints of a "campaign of lies and false accusations." A witness described Ms A as a "Walter Mitty" who allegedly targeted the complainant with harassment since May 2020, including unfounded allegations of serious sexual misconduct. Although the charity's solicitor requested time to review a 42-minute recording of a board meeting, the matter was resolved on the day. The complainant signed papers instructing the WRC to close his case within weeks, contingent on payment and implementation of the settlement. This follows a separate earlier decision where adjudicating officer Kevin Baneham found that former director Edel Ambrose was subjected to whistleblower retaliation, resulting in an €83,000 award. The charity is currently appealing that award to the Circuit Court. The WRC granted anonymity to the charity's directors and staff in these proceedings.
David Thomas, 33, has sued his mother Breda Thomas in the High Court, claiming she unlawfully occupies an 85‑acre farm and dwelling at Ballyduff, Thomastown, Co Kilkenny, which he says was willed to him by his late grandmother Barbara Thomas in 1993. Thomas alleges that the property was transferred to him in 2010 by trustees, but his mother withheld the full meaning of the transfer and continued to manage the farm, benefiting from its profits. He says his mother has physically attacked him, threatened to burn the property, and excluded him from his bedroom and household facilities. Thomas claims he has no other accommodation and has been staying with an aunt. He seeks possession of the house and farm, registration of his legal interest, damages for trespass and unjust enrichment, and an injunction restraining his mother from trespassing or harassing him.
The High Court has granted orders preventing Gemma O'Doherty from harassing Edel Campbell, the mother of Diego Gilsenan, a teenager who died by suicide. The orders were issued by Mr Justice Conor Dignam following a hearing on Friday evening. Edel Campbell alleges that Ms O'Doherty has engaged in a campaign of harassment, including the unauthorized use of images of her late son in an article linking unexplained deaths to the Covid-19 vaccination. The court has ordered Ms O'Doherty to refrain from harassing Ms Campbell, publishing images of her or her late son, or sharing personal and confidential information about them. She is also prohibited from encouraging others to intimidate the plaintiff. The court has required Ms O'Doherty to remove any images of Ms Campbell or her son from her media. These orders will remain in place pending the final outcome of the ongoing legal action. Ms O'Doherty was not present in court, and no representations were made on her behalf. In emails to the plaintiff's lawyers, Ms O'Doherty denied the allegations and stated she was on holiday and had received insufficient notice of the hearing. The case, which involves complex legal issues including freedom of speech, will return to court at a later date. The action was launched by Ms Campbell, represented by David Kennedy SC and Paul Comiskey O'Keeffe BL, with Ciaran Mulholland as the solicitor.
Edel Campbell from Kingscourt, County Cavan, brought proceedings before the High Court alleging that she has experienced intensified online harassment and intimidation following her legal action against Gemma O'Doherty. Ms Campbell claims that Ms O'Doherty, described as a journalist and publisher of The Irish Light newspaper and associated website, has defamed her and directed abuse at her legal representatives. The dispute centres on Ms O'Doherty's alleged use of images of Ms Campbell's late son, Diego Gilsenan, who died in August 2021, in articles Ms Campbell contends contained false claims. Ms Campbell sought injunctions restraining Ms O'Doherty from publishing material about her or her son, and from harassment. Justice Brian O'Moore granted permission on an ex-parte basis to serve short notice of the proceedings. Ms Campbell has also filed a complaint with An Garda Síochána. The matter was adjourned for return to the High Court later that month.
A Workplace Relations Commission adjudicating officer has ruled that a part-time postal clerk was subjected to ageist harassment under the Employment Equality Act 1998. The complainant alleged that her supervisor made a discriminatory remark in 2020, stating that a Gilbert O'Sullivan song playing on the radio was "more [name of complainant]'s vintage." The supervisor admitted making the comment but described it as a light-hearted joke, expressing regret that the worker was offended. Adjudicating officer Davnet O'Driscoll found that the remark constituted harassment on age grounds, noting the complainant was close to retirement, and awarded her €1,000 in compensation. The WRC rejected the worker's other complaints, including claims of victimisation, disability discrimination regarding reasonable accommodation, and penalisation for reducing sick pay. The adjudicator determined there was no evidence of victimisation and that the pay reduction was consistent with the employer's attendance management policy. Additionally, the tribunal dismissed complaints under the Payment of Wages Act and the Terms of Employment (Information) Act. The decision upholds the single discrimination complaint while rejecting the broader series of employment rights grievances brought by the applicant against the government agency.
Dermot Carr, 51, a former Dublin bus driver, was sentenced to nine years in prison, with the final year suspended, for a series of sexual offences spanning from 2001 to 2018. He pleaded guilty to harassment of a nine‑year‑old boy, sending explicit images and requesting naked photographs, and to multiple counts of sexual assault against five girls aged 11 to 17. Carr's conduct involved persistent grooming, text messaging, providing drugs and alcohol, and forcing the girls to masturbate or engage in sexual acts in his car or apartment. The judge noted a pattern of deliberate, persistent grooming over many years and imposed consecutive sentences for the six victims, ordering Carr to pay €10,000 in compensation to the first female victim and to engage with probation and counselling upon release. The case highlighted the long‑term impact on the victims, who described trauma, nightmares, and lasting psychological effects.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Judge Martin Nolan imposed a new three‑year sentence on Brendan Doolin, 41, for a single count of harassment committed between August 2018 and August 2019. The sentence was suspended for three years on strict conditions and will run consecutively with the suspended portion of his earlier five‑year sentence, which had two years suspended. Doolin had previously been jailed in November 2019 for harassing six female journalists, sending them hundreds of abusive online messages from May 2012 to February 2018. He admitted breaching bail conditions by contacting the victims and was warned that any further breach would bring him back before the court and result in prison time. The court noted Doolin had not reoffended since his release in December 2021 and that the new sentence would take effect in December. The hearing heard that the victims had submitted impact statements but were not present in court.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Brendan Doolin, aged 41, was found to have breached bail conditions by continuing to harass six female journalists while awaiting trial. Doolin, previously jailed in 2019 for five years with two years suspended, had admitted sending hundreds of abusive online messages to Sarah Griffin, Kate McEvoy, Sinead O'Carroll, Christine Bohan, Roe McDermott and Aoife Barry between May 2012 and February 2018. While on bail, he posted harassing content from email addresses mimicking the victims' names, accessed their social media accounts, and sent threatening messages. Gardaí discovered a laptop and a concealed smartphone containing photos of the victims. The victims, who were not present, submitted impact statements expressing a wish for Doolin to receive help. The judge noted Doolin's guilty plea, cooperation and remorse, but also highlighted the severity and persistence of his harassment. The decision was adjourned for a later hearing.
Niall Kennedy, a former soldier, was convicted in December 2021 on twelve counts of rape and additional charges of harassment and threats. He was sentenced to twelve years' imprisonment, with the final two years suspended for five years on strict conditions. Kennedy, aged 32, denied the charges. His appeal argues that the trial judge failed to issue a corroboration warning to the jury about the uncorroborated evidence of the complainant, who admitted to lying about her relationship with Kennedy and about a male friend's drug use. The appeal also contends that the judge should have warned the jury about Kennedy's state of mind and the alleged consensual nature of the intercourse. The Court of Appeal will consider whether the absence of such a warning affected the jury's deliberations. The case remains at the appeal stage.
In a High Court pre‑trial motion, Mr Justice John Jordan ruled that Garda Keith Harrison is entitled to receive 16 documents that the Gardaí and the State had claimed were withheld on public‑interest grounds. The documents include screen printouts from the Garda Pulse system, which Harrison seeks as part of his personal‑injuries claim against the Garda Commissioner, the Minister for Justice, Ireland and the Attorney General. The judge held that Harrison was not entitled to 72 other documents, such as correspondence between the DPP, State Solicitors and the Gardai, because they were protected by legal‑professional, litigation or public‑interest privilege. Harrison, who has been suspended from duty since 2021, is pursuing damages for alleged negligence, breach of duty, bullying, harassment and emotional suffering during his employment. The High Court had previously directed the defendants to provide documents mainly from 2008 to 2014, but almost 90 documents were withheld on privilege grounds.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 12 May 2023, a 27‑year‑old man pleaded guilty to threatening to kill his former partner, burn her house, and "dance" on her face over access to their baby daughter. The offences, committed between June and July 2022, included threatening to kill the woman, damaging her home, harassing her, and violating a Family Court order by repeatedly contacting her. The man had been in a relationship with the woman for about a year and they share a child. A care order gave the mother full custody and the right to decide the father's access. The man sent harassing emails and WhatsApp messages, calling the woman a "selfish c***" and threatening violence. He remains under supervised access to his daughter, is barred from contacting the woman except for child‑access matters, and is required to pay maintenance. He has two prior assault convictions from 2017.
The Workplace Relations Commission awarded Charlotte O'Brien €50,440 in compensation after finding that her employer, Deadline Direct Ltd trading as Deadline Couriers, failed to implement harassment prevention measures. Adjudicating officer Breiffni O'Neill determined that the company's handling of the incident did not mitigate its liability. Ms O'Brien alleged that a male colleague, identified as Mr X, attempted to pull down her trousers in an open-plan office on 27 May 2021. The officer accepted her evidence as credible, noting that Mr X subsequently joked about the act to other staff. The company, represented by Century Law, argued that the incident was unforeseeable and that Ms O'Brien failed to engage with their grievance process. However, the tribunal found no documentary evidence that a clear sexual harassment policy had been provided to her or that staff received prior training. The company's appointed investigator, accountant Austin Bergin, left the hearing before giving evidence. The officer concluded that the alleged investigation did not mitigate the employer's failure to take preventative measures. Consequently, the maximum compensation of two years' pay was ordered. The matter was concluded with this final award.
Stephen Spenneberg, 55, an American actor and podcast host, was sentenced to two years in prison with 12 months suspended for harassing an Irish woman he met 20 years ago. The harassment spanned from May 2020 to January 2023 and included repeated phone calls, emails, social‑media messages, voicemails, and attempts to contact her through various platforms. Despite being told by Gardaí, Kentucky police and other authorities to stop, he persisted. He also travelled to Ireland in December 2022, visited a commercial premises linked to the woman's family, and was arrested on 7 January 2023. The court imposed a permanent no‑contact order, forbidding any direct or indirect contact with the woman, her family, friends, co‑workers or professional cohort, and prohibited publishing any identifying details about her. The sentence was back‑dated to 7 January 2023. The 12‑month suspended portion is subject to a three‑year period of supervision. Stephen Spenneberg pleaded guilty.
A factory worker who is a recovering alcoholic brought a discrimination claim to the Workplace Relations Commission, alleging that colleagues had taunted him by leaving beer bottles and pint glasses around the workplace. He said he was suspended for allegedly smelling of drink after a spillage incident on 17 September 2019, and that he was later transferred to other duties. The employer argued the bottles were litter from a nearby nightclub and that the worker was sent home without pay for health and safety reasons under the company's alcohol and drugs policy, not suspended. The tribunal found the worker's evidence inconsistent and concluded that he had not been discriminated against or harassed on the grounds of disability, dismissing the complaint. The decision was fully anonymised. The case involved a dispute over a spillage, verbal abuse, and allegations of taunting by colleagues. The tribunal noted the worker had resigned in December 2019.
The Workplace Relations Commission has ordered landlords Lisa and Michael Furlong to pay €12,000 in compensation to tenants Joselyn King and Piotr Pedzisz for discrimination on the housing assistance ground. The adjudicator found that the landlords' refusal to accept a Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) was the initiating factor in a campaign of harassment described as "egregious." The tribunal heard evidence that after the tenants requested HAP in November 2020, they faced intimidation, including an agricultural trailer parked against their front door, sand placed in the driveway, and electricity cuts. On 27 October 2021, gardaí were called to remove masked men carrying large tools from the property in Kilmuckridge, Co Wexford. The adjudicator, Michael McEntee, noted that the Residential Tenancies Board had previously found that family members significantly interfered with the tenants' peaceful occupation. Although the landlords argued that HAP was irrelevant and that their actions were acceptable on their own property, the tribunal upheld the discrimination complaint. The €12,000 award, equivalent to approximately one year's rent, was deemed a sizeable sum reflecting the severity of the respondents' behavior. This decision follows a separate RTB determination that ordered Lisa Fanning to pay €1,741 for breaching the Residential Tenancies Act.
A Workplace Relations Commission adjudicating officer ordered a creche to pay €5,000 in compensation to a gay employee for discriminatory harassment under the Employment Equality Act 1998. The hearing, brought under the Equal Status Act 2000, found that the complainant was effectively "outed" at work after a colleague, Ms A, persistently questioned her about her romantic interests. Although the officer found no intentional targeting based on sexual orientation, he determined that Ms A's conduct constituted unlawful harassment, noting the complainant was "deeply upset" and that the creche lacked adequate sexual harassment training beyond written policies. The officer also rejected a second complaint of victimisation regarding alleged roster changes, which the respondent argued were based on business needs during the pandemic. The creche's solicitor denied discrimination, arguing the incident was handled sensitively and that the complainant failed to establish a prima facie case. The complainant's legal team argued that the manager's response undermined the employer's harassment policy. The decision was fully anonymised, with neither the creche nor the worker identified. The matter was concluded with the award of compensation for the harassment claim.
A bin‑man with medical obesity, asthma, diabetes and gout, Kieran Glynn, who had worked for Ray Whelan Ltd for 22 years, brought an unfair dismissal claim to the Workplace Relations Commission after refusing to attend medical appointments arranged by his employer. Colleagues alleged he refused to empty bins and fell asleep in the lorry cab, and the line manager testified that he had to be taken out of the cab after falling asleep. Glynn's lawyers argued he was fit to work and that the company's actions constituted harassment. The tribunal found that Glynn had not been dismissed or forced to quit, that the company had legitimate concerns about his health, and that the disciplinary process was not a sham. Consequently, the tribunal dismissed Glynn's complaints under the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977 and the Employment Equality Act 1998 as not well founded.
In April 2023 the Workplace Relations Commission ordered Causeway Hospitality Ltd to pay €20,000 to Nadine Harty after finding that the Greenway Manor Hotel failed to conduct a full investigation into her complaints of sexual harassment by the executive chef, Mr M. Harty, who began working as a prep chef on 29 June 2021, alleged that Mr M made lewd comments, blew in her ear, grabbed her waist and wrists, and bit her shoulder. She first raised the matter informally with her line manager, the head chef Mr B, and later filed a written complaint in July 2021. The hotel's management, including a company director, monitored the situation for nearly four months, then decided that Mr M, aged 66, should retire or leave. Harty was told he had left, but no action was taken against him. The tribunal found the hotel's lack of a full investigation and failure to protect Harty constituted gender‑based discrimination, and ordered the compensation.
The High Court heard evidence on the third day of an action brought by Wilson's Hospital School against Enoch Burke, who was dismissed for allegedly intimidating a colleague and breaching a student's confidence. The school seeks a permanent order directing Burke to stay away from the premises. Evidence from staff member Freda Malone and Deputy Principal John Galligan detailed Burke's conduct during board meetings and school events, including allegations that he shouted over colleagues and publicly opposed the school's direction to use a student's preferred name and pronouns. The court noted that following Burke's refusal to leave the school premises during his suspension, High Court injunction proceedings were brought, which ultimately resulted in Burke being jailed for contempt of court. Burke, who denies wrongdoing, has brought a counterclaim arguing the disciplinary proceedings were unlawful. He was excluded from the courtroom by Justice Alexander Owens for interrupting the proceedings and failing to comply with rulings regarding documents. The judge stated Burke could return if he undertook to comply with court rules. The matter is currently at the sentence stage regarding the injunction, with the broader case expected to conclude on Friday.
A security company was ordered to pay €8,500 to a guard who claimed she was sexually harassed by a colleague, Mr K, and then denied information about the outcome of a company investigation. The guard, who had recently started work at an industrial site, reported repeated unwanted verbal, non‑verbal and physical conduct, including Mr K rubbing her back and telling her she was beautiful, and later pressing her in an explicit way and suggesting they go somewhere quiet together. She said she was pressured to forgive him and move on after an informal meeting. The company launched a formal investigation but kept the outcome confidential, which the guard said made her feel not taken seriously. The Workplace Relations Commission found the guard had suffered discrimination on the basis of gender and ordered the company to compensate her for the effects of that discrimination.
John Buckley AKA Maughan, 28, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to sample counts from 94 charges, including four counts of harassment and the remainder of making demands with menaces against four named victims. Judge Martin Nolan imposed concurrent sentences totalling five years and ordered Maughan to have no contact with any of the injured parties for 20 years. The court heard that Maughan extorted over €14,000 from his victims, all of which was transferred to his Boyle Sports gambling account. Prosecution evidence alleged that Maughan threatened one man in his 60s that he would falsely accuse him of being a paedophile and share these untrue allegations on social media. In a separate series of offences, Maughan allegedly threatened a woman with whom he had a relationship that he would send intimate photos of her to her boyfriend, and he harassed and extorted €2,000 from her. Judge Nolan described the false paedophile allegation as "hugely insidious and damaging" and "morally reprehensible," noting that Maughan had caused huge trauma and distress to his victims. In mitigation, the judge noted Maughan's remorse, his guilty plea, his co-operation, and that he had engaged in this behaviour as a way to deal with his gambling debts. Defence counsel highlighted Maughan's gambling and drug addictions, his stable relationship, and his two children, one of whom suffers from severe autism, arguing that a custodial term would be felt keenly by his family.
A senior Trinity College manager, Brendan Leahy, who was sacked after pleading guilty to sexual assault, has been informed by the Workplace Relations Commission that the Probation Act does not provide employment protection. Leahy's dismissal was upheld by the employment tribunal, which rejected his claim under the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977. The tribunal heard that Leahy's District Court conviction on 24 March 2021, which resulted in a three-month suspended prison sentence and a €1,000 fine, was widely reported in the media. This was followed by a further allegation of sexual harassment against him by a former employee, identified as Ms X. Leahy admitted to the sexual assault charge and was given the Probation Act in July 2021. However, the tribunal found that his failure to inform his employer of the charge before the hearing left the college with only the information of his guilty plea and the Probation Act. The tribunal ruled that Trinity College was entitled to consider the sequence of events as serious misconduct and upheld the finding of sexual harassment in respect of the second allegation. The matter was adjourned and never described as concluded or finalised.
In a discrimination claim under the Employment Equality Act 1998, Sergeant David Haughney, a former public‑order trainer who lost 70% of sight in his left eye in 2014, alleges that Superintendent Adrian Gamble failed to provide reasonable accommodation and subjected him to discriminatory harassment. Haughney's complaint, heard by the Workplace Relations Commission, focuses on a fitness‑to‑work meeting in which he claims Gamble waved a medical document and that he was nearly in tears. Gamble denies being confrontational or arrogant, stating he did not see Haughney upset and that he followed the Chief Medical Officer's advice to restrict Haughney to strictly non‑confrontational duties. The hearing included testimony from retired inspectors and a discussion of internal complaints, with the commission expected to issue a decision within six weeks.