Paul Clarke, 40, of Muff, Kingscourt, Cavan, was sentenced at the Central Criminal Court for the rape of a woman in 2007. Clarke had denied the charge, claiming the victim fabricated the allegation to access his inheritance, but was convicted by a jury following a second trial after the first resulted in a hung jury. Ms Justice Karen O'Connor imposed a headline sentence of seven and a half years, which she reduced to six years, taking into account mitigating factors including Clarke's personal circumstances and a psychologist's report detailing memory issues from a 2002 car accident. The judge backdated the sentence to Clarke's initial custody in December and applied 18 months of post-release supervision. During the hearing, the judge acknowledged the victim's dignity and noted her horror that a member of Clarke's legal team had followed her on social media. The judge described Clarke's claim that the victim sought money as "unpleasant, hurtful and ugly." The court heard that the victim, then 22, was asleep in a friend's house when she was raped. She reported the incident in 2017 after years of anxiety and depression. The judge emphasized that the victim should have felt safe in her friend's home but was instead violated. The matter was concluded with the imposition of the six-year custodial sentence and supervision conditions.
Robert Ashmore, 54, was jailed for 16 months after an online vigilante group staged a sting operation, posing as a 13‑year‑old in WhatsApp chats. The groups, 'Child Protection Awareness' and 'Justice Reborn', supplied Gardaí with over 2,000 exchanges that were explicit and led to Ashmore's guilty plea at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for attempting to facilitate the sexual exploitation of a child between 3 March and 23 April 2018. He also admitted possession of 71 cartoon images of children aged eight to ten in sexual acts. Ashmore claimed he believed he was talking to scammers and had no notion of engaging with a minor. He was found to have no prior convictions, was deeply regretful, and is now on the sex offender register. The judge accepted his cooperation and the absence of witness statements from the groups, sentencing him to 16 months' custody.
Aaron Brady, aged 31, is awaiting a new trial for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, a charge that arose from attempts to persuade State witness Daniel Cahill not to testify in the murder case of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe. The Special Criminal Court postponed the trial to April 8 2024 to avoid conflict with Brady's October appeal of his murder conviction. Brady and co‑accused Dean Byrne, aged 29, are accused of conspiring between April 8 2020 and June 22 2020 to influence Cahill's testimony, and of recording a video of Cahill being interviewed by Gardaí between February 20 2020 and May 7 2020. The video, circulated on social media, was described by Judge Michael White as "the most outrageous contempt of court" and a "deliberate attempt to intimidate." Brady was convicted in August 2020 of murdering Garda Donohoe and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 40 years.
At Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, a defence barrister has proposed that a Brazilian woman alleging she was trafficked to work as a prostitute was in fact already a sex worker who chose to come to Ireland for that purpose. The complainant, giving evidence via video link with an interpreter, has previously stated she worked as a hairdresser in Brazil. During cross-examination on the second day, the defence counsel for Ivanilce Vailones Fidelis put multiple propositions to the woman, including that she was free to leave accommodation, controlled her own clients, and that her work profile was voluntarily managed. The defence also presented social media evidence from the woman's Instagram and Tinder accounts showing photographs from her time in Ireland. The complainant maintained she had no support network and was instructed to obey orders, with hopes of completing three months before being released. Natalia Nogueira Da Silva, of Drumlish, County Longford, has admitted charges including organising prostitution and money laundering but denied one human trafficking count. Vailones Fidelis pleaded not guilty. Da Silva pleaded not guilty.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 17 January 2023, a 72‑year‑old pensioner pleaded guilty to sending sexually explicit messages to a minor. The victim, a teenage girl who was the daughter of his son's partner, received the messages on Facebook Messenger in 2018. The texts were described by the judge as "depraved" and included references to licking, riding and the girl's "tight pussy." The offender, who is effectively the girl's step‑grandfather, was not previously convicted and had not attracted Garda attention. Judge Martin Nolan, after noting the incident was a one‑off and that the victim reported no physical contact, imposed a fully suspended prison sentence. The court considered the lack of prior convictions and the absence of threat or intimidation, and the sentence was set as suspended with no custodial time.
Meta Platforms Ireland Ltd has applied to the High Court to overturn a €405 million fine imposed by the Data Protection Commission (DPC) for breaching the privacy rights of teenagers. The fine was issued in September 2022 following an investigation into Meta's processing of data from Instagram users aged 13 to 17 between May 2018 and September 2020, specifically the automatic publication of mobile numbers and email addresses under default business‑account settings. Meta argues that the DPC's decision is unconstitutional, citing breaches of the 2018 Data Protection Act, the Irish Constitution, the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights, and claims that the fine constitutes a criminal sanction and an improper exercise of judicial power. The company seeks to quash the fine, declare relevant statutory provisions invalid, and obtain a preliminary ruling from the Court of Justice of the European Union.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, a 20‑year‑old man pleaded guilty to distributing intimate images of his ex‑girlfriend without her consent. The offence occurred in September 2021, just months after the law criminalised such conduct. The man, who was 19 at the time, posted a collage of four intimate photos on Snapchat, where he had 1,100 followers, after the couple had broken up. The images were taken during their relationship, some when she was 17 and she was 18 at the time of the offence. Gardaí were alerted, and he was arrested in October 2021. He admitted the offence and made full admissions to the police. The victim did not attend the sentencing hearing, and a victim impact statement was submitted but not read. The judge, citing the immaturity and lack of foresight of the defendant, ordered a Probation Services report and adjourned the case for finalisation on 27 March next year.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing on 9 December 2022, a 22‑year‑old rape victim recounted that after her rapist, a 40‑year‑old Meath man, was arrested, his defence solicitor began following her on social media. She described the assault that occurred on 11 February 2007 while she slept in a friend's house, the years of anxiety and depression that followed, and her eventual decision to seek counselling and report the crime in 2017. The victim said the trial process intensified her distress, noting that defence counsel had suggested she was seeking money after the man's inheritance. She asked for an acknowledgement, explanation and apology from the accused, who denied the allegations and claimed she was lying. The judge adjourned the case for a further sentence hearing on 17 February, where mitigation will be considered. The unnamed woman was found guilty.
A 42‑year‑old man who sent his former partner more than 300 threatening and abusive messages over a two‑week period was given a suspended sentence of 22 months. Judge Elma Sheahan ordered him not to contact the woman, the mother of his children, in any way for two years, except through a nominated third party for Family Court matters. He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to one count of harassing the woman between 14 and 29 January 2021 and to two counts of breaching a safety order in January and February 2021. The court considered his seven previous convictions and the fact that he had accessed the woman's email via their son's tablet, finding sexual images and an image of another man. He threatened to send the images to her close family and, after being blocked on WhatsApp, used another messenger app to continue the harassment.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, a woman, protected under the 2018 Domestic Violence Act, recounted how her partner, Daniel Lynch (25), exercised coercive control from September 2020 to January 2022. Lynch accessed her mobile phone and social media, took her money each Monday, and verbally abused her, claiming no one loved her and hoping she would miscarry their unborn child. He threatened to kill her in a January 2022 WhatsApp voice message, breaching a prior protection order. Earlier, in September 2021, he allegedly threatened to "kick the baby out of her" and struck her with a broom handle. The victim described isolation, loss of self-worth, and drug use, including cocaine supplied by Lynch. Lynch pleaded guilty to coercive control and a threat to kill, with sentencing deferred to February. The court noted the victim's bravery and the impact of her statement.
A technical training company, Socrates Workforce Solutions Ltd, was ordered by the Workplace Relations Commission to pay former lecturer Kathleen Ryan nearly €90,000 after she was sexually harassed by a colleague, Mr A, in a classroom on 27 April 2021. The commission found the company vicariously liable for the harassment and sexual assault, noting a flawed investigation that left Ms Ryan confused and Mr A feeling vindicated. Ms Ryan's complaints alleged discrimination under the Employment Equality Act 1998 and penalisation under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005. The tribunal recorded that Mr A had entered the classroom uninvited, leered at Ms Ryan, and sexually assaulted her while she assisted a student. Mr A later harassed her via WhatsApp and LinkedIn. The company's internal investigation issued a written warning to Mr A, but the commission deemed the response inadequate.
In November 2022, the Workplace Relations Commission ruled that Bryan Murphy was constructively dismissed by West Cork Distillers. Murphy claimed he had been recruited for a marketing role in September 2020 but was instead assigned to the bottling line. He said the company promised a graduate marketing position, but no contract was issued until April 2020, when a draft contract was later removed by a director after Murphy pointed out missing promises. Murphy alleged that directors pressured him, belittled him in a WhatsApp group, and denied the marketing role. He resigned under what he described as intolerable pressure. The WRC found Murphy's evidence persuasive, noted a lack of employment contract, and ordered the distillery to pay €2,100 in redress and four weeks' pay for loss of earnings, acknowledging that Murphy found new work almost immediately after resigning.
In a case heard under the Industrial Relations Act, a human resources officer who had left a permanent role to join a social media company in January 2021 was sacked in May 2021 after raising a grievance about a performance review. The tribunal found that the firm had failed to provide a right of appeal for a probationary employee, violating fair procedure requirements. The worker, who represented herself, claimed the dismissal was unreasonable, shocking, and left her traumatised. The company argued the employee's performance was satisfactory but that she resisted constructive feedback, leading to termination. The adjudicating officer noted the lack of an appeal mechanism and recommended €30,000 compensation, citing the worker's trauma and the need for the firm to revise its grievance procedures to align with fair practice guidelines.
Glasgow-based Irish dancing teacher and judge Adrian Stewart is challenging a disciplinary decision by An Coimisiun Le Rinci Gaelacha (CLRG) in the High Court. The CLRG's Appeals Committee suspended Mr Stewart's registration for three years and fined him €1,000, overturning a prior written warning issued by the Disciplinary Committee. Mr Stewart alleges the suspension arose from comments posted on his Facebook page by his then-girlfriend, who admitted to making the posts without his consent. He claims the Appeals Committee's process was flawed, that it acted outside its powers by appealing the initial warning, and that its members had prior conflicts of interest. In these proceedings, Mr Stewart seeks an injunction to quash the suspension and fine, along with declarations that the CLRG breached its own procedures and that his actions did not violate its Code of Conduct. The matter was heard on an ex-parte basis before Ms Justice Siobhan Stack, who granted permission to serve short notice of the injunction proceedings. The case was adjourned and will return before the court later this month.
Three men – David Ostrowski (21), Daniel Stepien (26) and Dawid Michalik (37) – were found guilty of blackmailing a secondary‑school girl who had set up an OnlyFans account. Stepien threatened to release explicit photographs to her family and friends unless she paid €10,000. He sent her screenshots of her father's Facebook page and images of her home. Gardaí set up a sting operation; the victim was advised to leave the cash in a car in Clonsilla. Michalik later retrieved the envelope, while Ostrowski supplied the information that enabled the scheme. All three pleaded guilty. Judge Martin Nolan sentenced Stepien to 3½ years' imprisonment, Michalik to 2 years, and adjourned Ostrowski to a future hearing to decide on community service or a 21‑month term. The case involved possession of cannabis and other minor offences. The victim was a final‑year secondary‑school student who had blocked the account after receiving threats.
A 23‑year‑old former civilian call‑taker for An Garda Siochana, Lauryn McCann, was jailed for two and a half years after pleading guilty to corruptly agreeing to accept an inducement to access Garda intelligence and to obtaining and disclosing Garda intelligence files to a third party. McCann, who had no prior convictions, used her access to the Pulse system to take about 70 photos of sensitive information over a week in May 2020 and sent them via WhatsApp and Snapchat to an individual known to Gardaí, referred to as "R". She claimed she was offered €500 for information about R's brother and later €3,000, which she never received. Gardaí discovered the photos and messages, searched McCann's workstation and other locations, and found over 400 photos on her phone. McCann was suspended and resigned; she cooperated fully with investigators and pleaded guilty, and the court noted her psychological vulnerability and remorse.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, 35‑year‑old Bryan Kennedy pleaded guilty to soliciting a man, referred to as 'AL', to murder Canadian couple Stephanie Poirier and her partner Clara Houdebrummette. Kennedy claimed he was motivated by a sense of betrayal after discovering intimate Facebook messages between his then‑wife and the couple. He allegedly paid AL €8,000 and later demanded additional money, threatening his wife and children. Kennedy admitted to hacking his wife's messages to portray the couple as "to be killed" and to have them "painted". He also claimed he had backed out of the plan and intended to kill the couple himself. Kennedy faces a maximum of 10 years' imprisonment on both charges and is awaiting sentencing for possession of child pornography. The court ordered a probation report and care provisions for his three children. The matter was adjourned to 16 January 2023.
A jury of twelve was sworn in on 27 October 2022 to hear the murder trial of a 16‑year‑old teenage boy accused of killing Urantsetseg Tserendorj, a mother of two, on 29 January 2021. The alleged offence occurred on a walkway between George's Dock and Custom House Quay in Dublin 1, where Ms Tserendorj was walking home from work. The defendant, who cannot be named because he is a minor, pleaded not guilty. Judge Karen O'Connor informed the jury that the case involves a juvenile who was 14 at the time of the alleged offence and is now 16, turning 17 soon. She warned the jury to avoid discussing the case over the weekend, to refrain from researching the accused or the case, and to stay away from internet or social media. The trial will commence next Tuesday, 1 November, before Mr Justice Tony Hunt and is expected to last about a week.
Mr Hatem Mohamed, a job applicant, claimed he was denied a position at TikTok because of his age, alleging a question about working with a team leader in his twenties was asked during his third interview. The Workplace Relations Commission rejected his complaint under the Employment Equality Act 1998, stating the claim had no basis in fact. TikTok's legal team argued there was no discrimination, and interview notes showed no reference to such a question. The interviewer, Sohail Khan, confirmed he never asked about age or a younger team leader and that the question was not relevant to the role. The WRC found TikTok's recruitment process was robust and diverse, and Mr Mohamed failed to prove any discriminatory conduct. The complaint was not upheld.
Gerard Culhane, 43, pleaded guilty to harassing Fine Gael TD Jennifer Carroll MacNeill with 13 messages, including three sexually explicit videos, between 13 January and 26 March 2020. The court found the harassment particularly disturbing because it occurred during the general election campaign when the TD was meeting the public. Judge Patricia Ryan imposed a one‑year custodial sentence suspended for 12 months on strict conditions and ordered Culhane to have no contact with the TD in person, by social media or through a third party for five years. He was also directed to stay away from the TD's workplace at Leinster House, her constituency offices and her residence. The sentence reflected mitigating factors such as the guilty plea, lack of prior convictions and cooperation with Gardaí, while aggravating factors included the volume of messages and the impact on the TD's safety and election activities.
Michael Lawrence, 55, filmed his daughter Jessica Maughan, 28, viciously beating his mother‑in‑law Mary Maughan, 65, as she left a doctor's appointment, and also recorded his other daughter Marie Stokes, 31, attacking Mary's daughter Rosie while Rosie waited in her car. The video was shared on social media and viewed 3,500 times. The court heard that the victims, though physically recovered, suffered psychological harm from the humiliation. Lawrence and the two daughters pleaded guilty to assault causing harm. Judge Martin Nolan sentenced each to a two‑year suspended sentence, ordered them to pay €1,000 to the Garda, and remanded Stokes and Lawrence in custody pending sentence while allowing Jessica Maughan to remain on bail. The judge described the assaults as disgraceful and vicious, noting the humiliation was aggravated by the footage's online presence. The court did not impose any custodial term on the father or the daughters.
The Workplace Relations Commission has ordered Ashton Dog Pound, trading as David Stone and Carol Stone, to pay €18,000 in compensation to applicant Conor Williamson. The adjudicating officer upheld Williamson's statutory complaint under the Protected Disclosures Act, finding that he was penalised for reporting alleged animal abuse to his employer and the gardaí. The decision characterised subsequent disciplinary actions against Williamson as an "orchestrated campaign" to intimidate him, noting that statements made by staff were "contrived" and "rehearsed." The tribunal found that Williamson's suspension constituted penalisation and that the investigation into him was flawed. While the adjudicating officer made no finding of fact on the underlying allegations of animal abuse raised by Williamson, she ruled that his complaint regarding retaliation was well-founded. Respondents argued that Williamson had been fairly disciplined for misconduct and social media breaches, but the tribunal rejected these submissions. The matter was concluded with the order for compensation, reflecting the finding that Williamson was treated to his detriment for making protected disclosures.
Aaron Brady, aged 31, and Dean Byrne, aged 29, are set to stand trial at the Special Criminal Court on charges of conspiring to pervert the course of justice. They are accused of attempting to persuade State witness Daniel Cahill not to testify during Brady's 2020 murder trial for the killing of Garda Adrian Donohoe. Brady's trial, which ran from January to August 2020, saw Cahill testify that he heard Brady admit to shooting a Garda. Brady is also charged with recording a video of a witness interview and distributing it on social media, an act described by Judge Michael White as "the most outrageous contempt of court." A phone recovered from Byrne's cell yielded WhatsApp exchanges offering intimidation to Cahill. The court set a trial date for October 2, 2023, with a mention scheduled for November 7, 2023.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Lateef Lawal, aged 24, was sentenced to three and a half years for assault and false imprisonment of Karl Duggan at the Peter McVerry Trust homeless shelter on 1 July 2021. The court heard that Lawal beat Duggan for over an hour and a half, stripped him of his clothing, held him captive, and posted a ten‑second Snapchat video of the assault. Lawal also stole Duggan's mobile phone, gym bag and six grams of cannabis, for which he accepted responsibility. The judge noted the seriousness of the assault and false imprisonment, describing the conduct as "totally unacceptable behaviour." Lawal's prior convictions for drug possession and sale were considered, but the sentencing focused on the assault and false imprisonment. The victim's impact statement was not read in court. The case highlighted the use of social media evidence in criminal proceedings. Lateef Lawal pleaded guilty.
Stephen Hearns, a former nightclub doorman, was found in possession of a video showing a girl of about 13 years old fully naked and engaging in explicit sexual behaviour. The video was sent to him in a 2015 WhatsApp group chat that also included other participants. Garda Stephen Kinneavy testified that Hearns had expressed liking the video and requested more. The footage surfaced during a global child‑abuse investigation that led to a search of a property in Swords, Co. Dublin, and the seizure of several mobile phones and computers. The operation ultimately resulted in the 2018 conviction of the primary suspect, Maddy Grant. Hearns admitted to joining the group but denied any physical contact with children. He was given a fully suspended one‑year prison sentence, and his security licence was revoked.
In a case heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, a 63‑year‑old man named Aidan Scanlon was found to possess five images of child pornography on his laptop. The illegal material was discovered after a Facebook "inappropriate image" alert was triggered when a user uploaded an image to the platform. Gardaí traced the email address linked to the Facebook account to Scanlon's home, obtained a warrant, and seized his laptop in August 2016. Scanlon admitted to possessing the images but denied knowingly holding them. He pleaded guilty in October 2016, was arrested in May 2019, and later pleaded guilty again before his trial. Judge Martin Nolan, sentencing him today, suspended in full a one‑year prison term, citing that Scanlon was "probably unlikely to reoffend." The judge also ordered him to keep the peace and be of good behaviour for a year. The case highlighted the role of social media alerts in uncovering child‑abuse material.
A woman who met a man on a dating website was subjected to coercive control, choking, repeated rape and threats of death by the man, Dean Ward, aged 36. He sprayed Mace in her face, tied her up, removed her contraceptive device, moved money in her accounts and sent hundreds of messages daily, including pretending to be her on Facebook. He also blocked and deleted many of her friends and demanded photographs to prove she was at work. The abuse lasted six weeks from May to July 2019, during which Ward threatened to kill her and forced her to have sex. He was arrested by armed Gardaí when he tried to flee. The woman testified that the ordeal left her with lasting fear, anxiety and paranoia. Ward, who has nine prior convictions, maintains his innocence and has not accepted the jury verdict.
Mr Gearoid (Gerry) Johnson, a secondary school teacher with over 26 years of experience, has launched a High Court challenge against the Teaching Council. He seeks to quash the Council's decision to refer a complaint against him to its Disciplinary Committee. The complaint stems from social media posts made between 2015 and 2016 regarding Islam, homosexuality, and transgender issues, which were subsequently deleted. Mr Johnson denies any wrongdoing, asserting that the posts expressed personal views and did not constitute professional misconduct. He claims the Council breached his constitutional rights to freedom of expression and private life, arguing the referral was unlawful, irrational, and failed to follow fair procedures. The Council alleged he lacked commitment to equality and inclusion. Mr Johnson also disputes a prior dismissal by the City of Dublin Education and Training Board (ETB) in 2020, which he claims was linked to the social media complaints and an alleged bullying investigation he denies. He states he has not been charged with any criminal offence. The case is at the pre-trial stage, with permission to bring the challenge granted on an ex-parte basis by Mr Justice Anthony Barr. The matter was adjourned and will return before the court in October.
The Court of Appeal heard that the posting of Aaron Brady's trial transcripts on social media is being kept under review by the Director of Public Prosecutions. Aaron Brady, 31, was jailed for life for the capital murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe, with a minimum term of 40 years. He was also sentenced to 14 years for the robbery of €7,000 at Lordship Credit Union, a sentence running concurrently with the life term. The transcripts, from the State's longest murder trial, were posted on Facebook by his father, Tony Brady, in support of Aaron's appeal against conviction. This action contravened instructions from Mr Justice George Birmingham, who had permitted transcript release solely for the appellant's use without further distribution. At a brief hearing, Lorcan Staines SC, for the DPP, stated that nothing further was required from the court at this time and that the matter was being kept under review. Michael O'Higgins SC, for Aaron Brady, accepted that the material should not have been posted and assured the court it would be removed. The appeal against the murder conviction was lodged in October 2020.
A jury has been sworn in to hear the trial of 20‑year‑old Dean Kerrie, accused of murdering 25‑year‑old fisherman Jack Power in Waterford on 26 July 2018 when Kerrie was 17. Kerrie pleaded not guilty to the single charge of murder. The trial will be heard by a panel of seven women and five men at the Central Criminal Court, with the prosecution opening the case tomorrow. Judge Paul McDermott warned jurors to avoid media and social media and focus solely on the evidence presented in court.
Sean Kershaw, 38, of Blanchardstown, pleaded guilty to harassment for a four‑month period from 1 January to 11 April 2021. He placed a tablet in his ex‑partner's kitchen to secretly film her and accessed her emails and WhatsApp. Garda Jessica Maguire testified that the device recorded for 36 days and that Kershaw had also accessed her laptop and copied messages. Kershaw admitted watching her from the kitchen window on three occasions and had approached her new partner, telling him not to disclose their encounter. He was arrested on 13 April 2021 and had a tablet and phone seized. Judge Martin Nolan imposed a three‑year jail sentence, suspended for three years on the condition of good behaviour, and ordered Kershaw to have no contact with his former partner except for child‑access arrangements. He was also ordered to destroy all recordings and hand over any other material to Gardaí.
In a High Court application, Tomasz Blazejewicz, a sales executive from Killorgan, claims that a Garda officer fraudulently obtained his private data following a dispute over an online advert on Advert.ie. Blazejewicz alleges that after a heated exchange with the seller of an electric drone, identified as 'Appletartman', he received a threatening phone call and a WhatsApp message containing his personal information, including IP address, mobile number, and Adverts.ie user ID. He asserts that the Garda requested his data via a Data Request Form sent to Adverts.ie on 25 August 2021, five days before the phone call and two days after the forum exchange. Blazejewicz says no criminal investigation took place and that the Garda who made the request is either the seller or someone known to the seller.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, a 15‑year‑old schoolboy was found guilty of one count of harassment for sending sexually explicit material to his teacher over a year from August 2018 to October 2019. The boy, who had no prior convictions, sent anonymous images and videos, including photos of the teacher with semen and a video of someone ejaculating on her image, and threatened to stop unless she responded. He also impersonated her on fake social media accounts to obtain more images. The teacher, who was unaware of the sender's identity, suffered significant anxiety and avoided going out during the harassment. The boy pleaded guilty, expressed remorse, and was sentenced to two years' imprisonment, suspended on conditions that he have no contact with the teacher for life. The judge noted his age, mental health issues, and lack of criminal history as mitigating factors.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, a 34‑year‑old woman testified that her former partner, aged 41, sent her more than 300 messages over two weeks in January 2021, describing the harassment as having "destroyed the best part of me." The accused accessed the victim's email via her son's tablet while the children were with him, found sexual images and a picture of another man, and called her at 1.30 am to accuse her of texting another man and sending sexual images. He sent the images he claimed were found on her email, calling her a "slut" and "sleazy." Garda Padraig Guinan reported 300 WhatsApp messages and 34 text messages were sent daily between 14 and 29 January. The accused threatened to send the images to the victim's close family. He was blocked on WhatsApp but continued to text her on another messenger app. The unnamed 34-year-old pleaded guilty.
In a Central Criminal Court case, a 47‑year‑old man was sentenced to three and a half years' imprisonment for assaulting his partner in August 2018 after she texted an ex‑boyfriend about a family loss. He pleaded guilty to assault and was convicted of false imprisonment by a jury. The judge described the violence as calculated to instil fear, noting repeated slaps and a choking incident that caused the victim to bleed. The court suspended the final year of a four‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence on the condition that the offender undergo alcohol treatment and keep away from the victim, including on social media. The victim, who suffered physical and emotional pain, could not leave the house until 10 am and later walked 25 km home. The offender's guilty plea was taken into account in the sentencing.
A Mayo native has been sentenced to two years imprisonment, with sixteen months suspended, following his conviction for a sustained harassment campaign against a former tenant at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Thomas Armstrong, aged forty-six, of Addison Avenue, Glasnevin, Dublin, pleaded guilty to harassment of the complainant between August 2016 and August 2018. The court heard that following a rental dispute, Armstrong engaged in a calculated course of intimidation involving multiple forms of abuse. These included making anonymous complaints to Dublin City Council regarding the complainant's parents' property, creating a fraudulent social media account in her name with photographs and false posts, and advertising tickets using her contact details. Judge Melanie Greally described the offending as an "extreme violation" of the complainant's privacy and peace of mind. Armstrong brought four thousand euros to court as a gesture of remorse, which was redirected to Pieta House after the complainant declined it. He was issued a forty-year non-contact order and a five-hundred-metre exclusion zone from the complainant's residence and workplace.
A 35‑year‑old man was sentenced to four years in prison for a series of violent and harassing acts against his partner. He admitted to attacking her, fracturing her eye socket, threatening to kill her, and making over 1,000 abusive phone calls between December 2020 and January 2021. He also threatened to set her on fire and sent threatening messages on Facebook. The judge described the videos of his conduct as "disturbing, terrifying and frightening to watch" and noted his long history of offending, drug and alcohol abuse, and poor engagement with probation. He pleaded guilty to harassment, threats to kill, and assault. The court imposed a four‑year sentence, suspended the final year of a five‑year term, and banned him from contacting the victim, while also binding him over to keep the peace for two years after release.
In May 2022, Aaron Brady's trial transcripts were posted on Facebook by his father, Tony Brady, despite a court order prohibiting further dissemination. The Court of Appeal heard that the transcripts had been released to lawyers on both sides in July 2021, but the father had shared them online with commentary that the Director of Public Prosecutions described as "dubious" and potentially contemptuous. Lawyers for Brady acknowledged the mistake and agreed the posts would be removed by the end of the day. The case was adjourned until July 1, 2022. The matter arose after Brady, convicted of murdering Garda Adrian Donohoe in 2013, had previously released trial materials on social media as part of a campaign to free him. The court noted that Brady's appeal was pending and that the transcripts should be used only for that purpose. The incident highlighted the court's concern over the unauthorized public release of sensitive trial documents.
During a 2022 sentencing hearing, Fine Gael TD Jennifer Carroll MacNeill recounted how 43‑year‑old Gerard Culhane sent her thirteen messages, including three sexually explicit videos, between January and March 2020. She described feeling a "cold sense of dread" and fearing for her safety amid the general election campaign. The videos were downloaded from a pornographic website and sent from a Facebook account named "Kevin Walsh." Carroll MacNeill expressed that the harassment disrupted her campaign work and personal life, and she declined to respond to the messages. Culhane pleaded guilty to harassing her at unknown locations in the State. The court adjourned the case to October 21 pending a probation report, and Culhane remained on continuing bail until then. The case highlighted the impact of unsolicited sexual content on a public figure's safety and professional duties.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, food‑delivery rider George Gonzaga Bento, 36, is on trial for the murder of 16‑year‑old Josh Dunne, who was stabbed on 26 January 2021 in East Wall, Dublin. Witness Guilherme Quieroz, a fellow delivery rider, testified that he was attacked by up to three men that night, sustaining broken teeth, a broken nose and a knee injury, and that he feared for his life. Quieroz described the Dublin 3 area as "very dangerous" for riders and said they used a WhatsApp group to share information about trouble spots, noting that riders wore North Face clothing to identify danger. He said he had seen Bento holding a knife during the confrontation, but did not witness the knife being used. The prosecution alleges Bento produced the knife in response to a threat from a man on a moped, and that the knife was used to stab Dunne.
In a 2022 case, Sherry Garden Rooms Ltd was found to have unfairly dismissed sales manager Kieran Murray, who had been told he was redundant in 2020. The company claimed the redundancy was genuine, citing a pandemic‑related downturn and a €6,744 lump sum payment. However, the court noted that the firm had posted a Facebook advert for a junior role in June 2020 and had not consulted Murray before declaring his role redundant. The judge highlighted that the company had experienced increased demand and had sold a garden room in April 2020, contradicting the claim of no work. Murray's claim of €45,000 loss was rejected; instead, the court awarded him €32,833.70 in compensation, plus two weeks' salary and €1,500 for an inaccurate start date. The decision also found breaches of the Employment (Information) Act and the Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Act.
In a three‑judge, non‑jury court, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Sean Gillane SC, argued that Lisa Smith, a former soldier aged 40 from Dundalk, travelled to Syria in 2015 to join the Islamic State, a terrorist organisation under Irish law. He described her journey as an "ultimate act of allegiance" and cited her viewing of violent ISIS videos, her online contact with a named fighter, and her pledge of loyalty to the caliphate. Smith's defence, led by Michael O'Higgins SC, contended that she was a vulnerable, depressed convert who did not intend to fight, and that she had not been a combatant or supporter of ISIS. The prosecution focused on her membership charge and a separate charge of financing terrorism by sending €800 to a named individual in May 2015. The court heard evidence of Smith's social media activity, her travel to Turkey and Syria, and her marriage to a Tunisian fighter. The unnamed accused pleaded not guilty.
The Central Criminal Court trial of four men accused of raping a then 17-year-old girl in the midlands on December 27, 2016, continued before Justice Tara Burns and a jury. All four accused, who cannot be named, have pleaded not guilty to the primary charge of rape. The first accused (22) also faces charges of two counts of sexual assault and false imprisonment; the second accused (24) faces two counts of sexual assault, oral rape, and false imprisonment; the third accused (24) faces an additional count of rape, two counts of sexual assault, and false imprisonment; and the fourth accused (23) faces three counts of sexual assault. The prosecution case alleges the complainant was driven to a location where she was raped by the four accused and a fifth man not before the courts. During the trial, the jury heard memos of gardaí interviews. The first accused stated he deleted messages and blocked the complainant on Facebook because he was scared. He admitted to touching her but claimed he did not have sex with her, stating he did not have the guts. He expressed a desire to ask the complainant to forgive him. The second accused denied having sex with the complainant, claiming she consented to kissing and that he did not complete oral sex because he found it nasty. He stated that letting the complainant into the car was his biggest regret. The matter is currently at the sentence stage of the trial proceedings, with the trial continuing.
In March 2022 the Special Criminal Court heard that former Irish soldier Lisa Smith, aged 40, had warned her family to become Muslims before it was too late. Smith, who denies membership of ISIS, sent Facebook Messenger messages to her sister Lorna in December 2015 while she was in the Islamic State in Syria. She told Lorna that she would never return home and that she would meet her family in heaven if they converted. Smith has pleaded not guilty to membership of an unlawful terrorist group, Islamic State, between 28 October 2015 and 1 December 2019, and to financing terrorism by sending €800 to a named man on 6 May 2015. The court considered thousands of messages exchanged via Telegram and Facebook Messenger between 2013 and late 2015, and the prosecution presented evidence of Smith's contact with jihadists and her view of ISIS atrocities. The prosecution was expected to finish its evidence the following day.
An 18‑year‑old Spanish au pair who worked for a Dublin couple claimed that the host father made sexual advances and touched her without consent while his wife was away. She said the father placed his hands on her armpits and tickled her, then rubbed her legs, and that she repeatedly told him to stop. The couple denied the allegations, saying they had recruited her through a Facebook group and that the arrangement was a cultural exchange. They claimed she had not performed her duties well and that she had been dismissed for performance reasons. The Workplace Relations Commission found the evidence of harassment compelling and ordered the couple to pay the au pair €9,100 in compensation for sexual harassment and discrimination. The au pair also sought unpaid wages, but the claim was rejected. The case was decided by adjudicating officer Jim Dolan.
In the Special Criminal Court, former Irish soldier Lisa Smith, aged 40, pleaded not guilty to membership of the Islamic State and to financing terrorism. The court heard private Facebook messages exchanged by Smith with other Muslims before her 2015 travel to Syria. The messages included discussions on Islam, marriage, the role of women, and the mass executions of Iraqi soldiers by ISIS. Smith's interlocutor claimed it was acceptable to execute enemies and that Shia victims deserved punishment. Smith also referenced a YouTube video depicting ISIS killings and a news article condemning Abu Bakr al‑Baghdadi's caliphate. The court also considered exchanges with an American jihadist, John Georgelas, and Smith's husband, a Tunisian. The proceedings will continue with further review of the Facebook exchanges.
In a case heard at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Louise Heaney, aged 49, received a fully suspended 18‑month sentence for publishing photographs of the two boys convicted of murdering Ana Kriégel. Heaney posted a picture on Facebook that identified the boys as "Boy A" and "Boy B" and later removed it. She admitted that the post was made in a "momentary lapse of judgement" and that she was "probably overcome with emotion" after the murder trial, which reminded her of a friend's son who had also been murdered. Heaney had no prior convictions and had been aware of the court order prohibiting the publication of any identifying material. The judge, Martin Nolan, noted that the offence was at the lower end of the scale and that very few people had seen the photograph. The sentence was suspended on strict conditions, and Heaney expressed regret and apologized to the Gardaí. Louise Heaney pleaded guilty.
In a Special Criminal Court hearing, Mr Justice Tony Hunt ruled that Facebook messages exchanged between Lisa Smith and known jihadists in Syria and Australia could be admitted as evidence in her trial for membership of the Islamic State and financing terrorism. Smith's lawyers had sought to exclude the messages, arguing that their use violated her privacy rights and that the material was obtained without proper protocols. The judge rejected these arguments, stating that the right to privacy must be balanced against society's right to investigate and prosecute serious crime. He noted that Smith's use of Facebook implied consent to data retention and that the warrants used by the gardai were valid. The decision also addressed the admissibility of expert testimony from Dr Florence Gaub regarding ISIS's operations and recruitment tactics. The case remains ongoing. Lisa Smith pleaded not guilty.
In the Special Criminal Court, counsel for the State, Sean Gillane SC, defended the use of Facebook messages as admissible evidence in the trial of Lisa Smith, a 40‑year‑old from Dundalk charged with membership in the Islamic State and financing terrorism. Gillane argued that the Data Protection Act does not render privacy rights absolute and that Gardaí acted lawfully when they obtained a warrant to seize Facebook messages exchanged between Smith and known Islamist terrorists in Australia and Syria. He noted that the messages were initially provided by U.S. authorities investigating John Georgelas, a Smith associate, and later seized from Facebook's Dublin headquarters under an Irish warrant. Gillane maintained that the evidence was gathered on a police‑to‑police basis, that Facebook's retention of data was not directed by the State, and that the right to privacy must be weighed against the context of the investigation. The court will decide the application on Tuesday. Lisa Smith pleaded not guilty.
In a Special Criminal Court hearing, lawyers for Lisa Smith, aged 40 from Dundalk, argue that Facebook's indefinite storage of private messages constitutes a wholesale breach of privacy rights. Michael O'Higgins SC objects to the admissibility of messages exchanged between Smith and known Islamist terrorists in Australia and Syria dating back to 2012. He contends that the court must protect individuals' rights against a corporation that records every utterance. The case involves messages initially seized by Gardaí from American authorities investigating John Georgelas, a known associate of Smith who was wanted in the US for terrorism charges and is presumed dead in Syria. Gardaí later obtained a warrant to access the same messages from Facebook's Dublin head office. Smith has pleaded not guilty to membership in the Islamic State between 28 October 2015 and 1 December 2019, and to financing terrorism by sending €800 via Western Union on 6 May 2015.