In a 2015 burglary and criminal damage case at the Halligan household in Coolock, Dublin, 23‑year‑old Josh Byrne, assisted by two other men, used baseball bats to smash windows, a front door and various household items. The assault was carried out under the direction of Byrne's mother, Alice Byrne, who had a telephone argument with the mother of Byrne's girlfriend, Rebecca Halligan. Byrne's mother opened the house to the men, who wore balaclavas and demanded to see Dean Halligan, who was not present. Byrne had prior convictions for traffic offences and obstruction, the latter ending in July. He was sentenced to two and a half years' imprisonment, suspended on condition of engaging with the Probation Service, and a €2,000 compensation was offered to the victims. The mother's sentencing was adjourned pending a probation report. Josh Byrne was found guilty.
In a Cork case, Bulgarian circus worker Tsvetomir Velikov, aged 42, pleaded guilty to defiling a 16‑year‑old girl on 28 February 2015. The girl, almost 17, and a 15‑year‑old friend had arrived at the circus after drinking vodka. Velikov admitted he had been reckless about their ages. He was to be sentenced later that month. The case also involved Ivan Peev, another Bulgarian circus worker, who received a two‑and‑a‑half‑year prison sentence for a similar offence involving a 15‑year‑old on the same date. The court heard that the girls were given more alcohol, were intoxicated, and that the 16‑year‑old had vomited that night. The victim's impact statement described feelings of shame and unhappiness after the incident. The court adjourned the sentence until later that month.
Martin Aylmer, 31, was convicted in July for aiding a criminal organisation in the murder of Michael Barr, the manager of the Sunset House pub, on 25 April 2016. A mobile phone he had purchased two days earlier was found dropped beside the getaway Audi A6, linking him to the crime. CCTV showed Aylmer buying three prepaid phones at Ilac Shopping Centre and another three at a shop on Moore Street, all unregistered. The phone was used for calls after the shooting. Aylmer's fingerprints were found on a bleach bottle at a lock‑up premises visited by him on 24 April, where firearms and cleaning products were seized. He was arrested on 17 June, exercised his right to silence, and was remanded in custody until 15 October for sentencing. The case was the first prosecution under the 2006 organised crime legislation for this offence. Eamonn Cumberton, 30, had already been jailed for life for the same murder. Martin Aylmer pleaded guilty.
Frederick 'Freddie' Thompson, 37, of Dublin, was found guilty by the Special Criminal Court of the murder of David Douglas on July 1, 2016, on Bridgefoot Street. Thompson had pleaded not guilty to the charge. The non-jury court, presided over by Mr Justice Tony Hunt, determined that Thompson was involved in an intricate, pre-planned execution, specifically driving a Ford Fiesta used for surveillance and coordination, though the prosecution did not allege he fired the shots. The court rejected the defence argument that the circumstantial evidence was insufficient, noting that Thompson's failure to answer garda questioning regarding his movements and possession of vehicles and items constituted a significant factor. Thompson was sentenced to the mandatory term of life imprisonment, backdated to November 1, 2016, when he first entered custody. His legal representative, Michael O'Higgins SC, stated that Thompson intends to appeal the decision. Detective Superintendent Paul Cleary noted that the victim's family was satisfied with the verdict, while the investigation into the case remains ongoing.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing on 2 August 2018, a jury convicted 35‑year‑old Jason O'Driscoll of murdering 31‑year‑old Anthony Burnett and 25‑year‑old Joseph Redmond, two car thieves whose bodies were found fused together in a burned‑out Volkswagen Golf. The jury, after more than seven hours of deliberation, returned a verdict by a ten‑to‑two majority. O'Driscoll, who had pleaded not guilty, reacted angrily, claiming no evidence and calling the verdict a "fucking crook." The judge thanked the jury and exempted them from further duty for 15 years. Mr Justice Michael White was scheduled to impose a mandatory life sentence on 2 October, after the prosecution requested time to read impact statements from the victims' families. The case was based largely on circumstantial evidence, including CCTV footage, mobile phone records, and expert testimony linking O'Driscoll to the crime scene and the vehicles involved.
In a week‑long spree in November 2016, 21‑year‑old Jordon Boyle, of Sheephill Green, Blanchardstown, used large knives to rob an Esso garage on Navan Road, a petrol station in Castleknock, and attempted to hijack a Bentley in the same garage forecourt. During the first robbery he held a butcher's knife to a cashier's face, demanded money, stole a bottle of vodka and fled. The second robbery involved a woman in her 60s whom he grabbed from behind, held a machete to her face, and forced a cashier to hand over money. The third incident saw him jump onto a Bentley's hood, threaten the driver and try to open the door before the car was driven away. Boyle pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery, one of false imprisonment and one of attempted unlawful seizure of a vehicle.
In July 2018, a homeless Dublin man, Alan Jackson, 32, set fire to an acquaintance's flat on Rathmines Avenue, causing damage exceeding €29,000. Jackson, who had no fixed abode and a history of 50 convictions, pleaded guilty to criminal damage by arson on 21 August 2017. He had previously received a four‑year suspended sentence for robbery. The victim, Patricia Martin, and her daughter were forced to leave their 17‑year home and seek emergency accommodation. Jackson threatened to burn the flat after a phone call and was found with a burning wooden stick, which he claimed was for protection. He later wrote a letter from prison expressing remorse and claiming he only wanted to "get back" at Martin. The court, hearing the victim's impact statement, remanded Jackson in custody and will finalize the sentence in December. The case highlights the severe breach of trust and the ongoing legal proceedings.
In a Central Criminal Court trial, a 46‑year‑old man was convicted of two counts of sexual assault and one count of rape against his younger sister, aged 11‑12, between August 1987 and September 1988. The court described the family home as "a house where sexual abuse was culture". The judge sentenced him to five years' imprisonment, with the final three years suspended, and noted no need for post‑release supervision. The case also referenced a separate trial in which the same man was convicted in January of four counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault against another sister between 1983 and 1990, receiving a ten‑year sentence with the last two and a half years suspended. The article reports the victim's impact statement, the judge's remarks on the family dynamics, and the defendant's continued denial of the allegations. No further legal outcomes are mentioned.
Donal O'Hara (26), of Glin Park, Coolock, Dublin 17, has been sentenced to three years imprisonment with one year suspended by the Special Criminal Court for his role in a coordinated intimidation and assault on June 9, 2015. O'Hara pleaded guilty to assaulting John Roche at The Towers, Garter Lane, Saggart, County Dublin, and to falsely imprisoning Martin Byrne at the same location. The court heard that O'Hara was part of a large group who confronted Mr Byrne following a deteriorated business relationship, subsequently assaulting Mr Roche when he attempted to prevent their entry to the complex. CCTV footage and forensic evidence linking O'Hara to the assault were presented. Mr Justice Tony Hunt noted O'Hara was the "brawn and not the brains" of the operation and considered his youth, early guilty pleas, and remorse as mitigating factors. The sentence is to run consecutively to a previous aggravated burglary conviction. O'Hara will be subject to probation supervision for two years upon release.
John Paul Gantley, 36, of The Coombe, Dublin, pleaded guilty in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to two counts of assault causing harm that occurred on 20 and 24 May 2017. He was sentenced to three years' imprisonment, with the final 12 months suspended for a two‑year period during which he may not contact his former partner. He will be supervised by the Probation Service for 12 months. Garda Gary Burke described how, on 20 May, Gantley texted his ex‑partner, arrived at her house, pinned her against a wall, held her by the throat, struck her face and brandished a kitchen knife, cutting her forearm. On 24 May he again went to her house, followed her onto the street, struck her face with a hand while holding a sharp object, cutting her face. The victim's impact statement said she was "always on the edge of fear of John Paul" and "fearful of the day he is released".
In a 2018 Dublin Circuit Criminal Court case, 24‑year‑old Daragh Brown was sentenced to a two‑and‑a‑half‑year suspended term for robbing a Centra shop at Old Bawn Shopping Centre, Tallaght, on 14 April 2017. Brown entered the shop armed with a knife, demanded money from the tills, and after failing to obtain cash fled with a quantity of John Player Blue cigarettes. He was pursued by two bread delivery men, Will Murray and Joe Daniel, who were stocking the shelves. During the chase Brown's trousers fell, revealing colourful boxer shorts, and he threatened the men with a knife, claiming that "ten lads" were waiting in a nearby estate. Gardaí, alerted by witnesses, described the robber and stopped him a short distance away on Allenton Avenue, where two packets of cigarettes and a knife were recovered. Brown pleaded guilty to robbery and making threats to kill.
In 2018, a 41‑year‑old woman recounted how a local horse trader, John Phelan, 54, ended her aspiration to become a vet by raping her during school holidays in 1992–1993. She had taken a summer job caring for animals on farms, hoping to prepare for her future, but Phelan abused her while she was 14–16. He pleaded guilty to four sexual assault charges and two rapes, and was already serving a seven‑year sentence for earlier abuse of a girl aged nine to eleven. The court heard that Phelan began with inappropriate questions, then progressed to kissing, fondling, and digital penetration. He also forced her to wear a one‑piece swimsuit to facilitate molestation. The victim, who had not spoken out until the trial, described lasting trauma, depression, and a loss of trust in men. She thanked Garda Michael Kennelly and others for their support. Phelan was remanded in custody, with sentencing pending. John Phelan was convicted.
Two Dublin men, Kevin Braney (44) and Ciaran Maguire (30), were convicted of IRA membership by the Special Criminal Court and sentenced to four years and six months and four years and eleven months respectively. The court found that on 13 July 2017 they travelled from Dublin to an estate in County Meath, where they threatened an accident victim, claiming to be the IRA and threatening to shoot him if he did not withdraw a claim. The victim, who had fallen from a roof and suffered fractures, had filed a claim against his former employer over unpaid wages and hospital bills. Evidence from CCTV and the National Surveillance Unit corroborated the men's travel and threat. The judge relied on belief evidence from Detective Chief Superintendent Tom Maguire, concluding beyond reasonable doubt that the men were IRA members and had threatened the victim. The sentences were back‑dated to 2 August 2017 when the men entered custody. Kevin Braney was acquitted.
Luke Wilson, 23, from Ballyfermot, admitted to conspiring to murder Gary Hanley between 15 September and 6 November 2017. He was recorded by Gardaí in extensive discussions about the plot, stating he had "no problem" camping in the back of a van to "get" Hanley and that he wanted "money not jail." Wilson also pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a Beretta handgun with intent to endanger life on 6 November 2017. Gardaí monitored a Seat Leon with false plates, a white Nissan Primastar van and a white Volkswagen Caddy, and placed surveillance on Hanley and his partner's vehicle. Audio recordings captured Wilson and another man planning routes, escape vehicles, and the use of a van to approach Hanley's home. Wilson was found with a 9‑mm pistol, a silencer, 15 rounds, a black ski mask, and three petrol containers in the van. He has 36 prior convictions, including theft and traffic offences.
In a Special Criminal Court hearing, Jonathan Hawthorn, 45, of Ballintyre Downs, was convicted of membership in the Irish Republican Army (IRA) for September 14, 2016. He was photographed receiving a mock grenade delivery set up by Gardaí to resemble a real explosive, and he was found in possession of the dummy items in a sports bag when arrested later that day. Hawthorn's refusal to answer questions about the fake explosives was deemed sufficient evidence of his membership. His co‑accused, James Geraghty, 61, and Donal O'Ceallaigh, 33, walked free after the court found no evidence of IRA membership. The verdict was delivered by Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy, with Judges Gerard Griffin and Gerard Haughton, and Hawthorn will be sentenced next October. The case involved an FBI‑led dark‑web operation that monitored a user named Meat Cleaver, who ordered Semtex and other weapons to be disguised as Play‑Doh and delivered to Geraghty's address.
Dean Evans, 27, of Raheny, Dublin, received a mandatory life sentence at the Special Criminal Court for the murder of Peter Butterly. Evans pleaded guilty to shooting Butterly outside The Huntsman Inn, Gormanstown, Co Meath, in March 2013. He was extradited from Spain in April after failing to appear for a trial scheduled in January 2017. Evans expressed remorse, stating he made decisions as a younger man that he would not make today. The court heard from the victim's widow, who described the family's trauma. Evans is the third person to receive a life sentence for this murder, following convictions for Edward McGrath and Sharif Kelly. Frank Murphy, 58, of Bettystown, Co Meath, also appeared at the Special Criminal Court today, where he was charged with firearms offences arising out of the events at the Huntsman Inn. Previous firearms charges against Murphy were struck out. Three other men, Kevin Braney, Michael McDermott, and Frank Murphy, are due to go on trial later this year on the same murder charge.
Paul Brannigan, 27, of Finglas, was convicted of two assault charges after a March 18, 2014 incident at Fassaugh Avenue, Cabra, where he struck Jason Saunders, who later died at the scene. Brannigan pleaded not guilty to manslaughter, assault causing harm, and possession of a golf club during the assault. A jury could not reach a majority verdict on manslaughter. The Director of Public Prosecutions announced no third trial would be pursued. Brannigan claimed the headbutt was in self‑defence and that the golf club was used to scare Saunders. CCTV and witness evidence showed a headbutt and a golf club injury, with post‑mortem revealing a tulip‑shaped bruise and fractured rib. Brannigan, with ten prior convictions, was remanded in custody pending sentencing on October 22. The court had not yet received a victim impact report.
Kevin Hannaway, a 70‑year‑old from Belfast, was sentenced by the Special Criminal Court to three years and nine months in prison for aiding the IRA in interrogations that led to arrests. The court reduced the original six‑year sentence because of his age and serious PTSD, which includes anxiety attacks, heart problems, nightmares and physical symptoms triggered by prison conditions. Hannaway was one of several men interned at a secret base in Derry in 1971 where he endured inhumane treatment, including white noise and deprivation of sleep, food and drink. The European Court of Human Rights described that treatment as inhumane and degrading. The court also sentenced his co‑accused: Seán Hannaway to five years and six months, David Nooney to three years and nine months, Edward O'Brien to 16 months, and Eva Shannon to four years. All five were granted legal aid for appeal. Eva Shannon was found guilty. Kevin Hannaway was convicted.
A 28‑year‑old man with paranoid schizophrenia was sentenced to nine years in prison for attempting to murder a 17‑year‑old camper and assaulting two of the victim's friends. The judge suspended the final six years of the sentence on the condition that the offender live with his mother upon release and comply with strict conditions, including medication, abstaining from alcohol and drugs, attending probation and welfare appointments, and engaging with recovery services. He will be released after three years, remain under probation supervision for the remaining six years, and must not leave the family home without court consent. The mother, Margaret Corbett, agreed to manage the situation and to inform authorities if the offender stops taking his medication. The judge emphasised that the offender's severe mental illness significantly diminished his responsibility at the time of the attack. The sentence was imposed by Mr Justice Michael White. The unnamed 28-year-old pleaded guilty.
A Dublin man has been sentenced to eight years imprisonment by the Special Criminal Court for possessing a 9mm Beretta handgun and silencer. Andrew O'Keeffe, aged 29, from Drumcliff Road, Cabra West, Dublin 7, pleaded guilty in June to the offence at Kylemore Way in Inchicore on 6 September 2017. The incident occurred during a confrontation with armed gardai in which an officer discharged seven rounds after a jeep drove towards officers restraining O'Keeffe on the ground. Mr Justice Tony Hunt noted a headline sentence of twelve years but reduced it to nine years with one year suspended, taking into account O'Keeffe's early guilty plea and longstanding drug addiction. The judge remarked on O'Keeffe's extensive criminal history spanning seventy-one previous convictions. The sentence was backdated to 6 September 2017 when O'Keeffe entered custody. The court heard O'Keeffe was not the driver of the vehicle from which the weapon was discarded.
A 35‑year‑old man was sentenced to eight years in prison for raping and attempting an anal rape of his former partner at their Dublin home. He pleaded guilty to the 2010 rape and 2011 attempted rape. The victim, whose identity is protected, reported panic attacks, flashbacks and nightmares, and said she could not trust people or have a sexual relationship since the offences. The judge noted the victim's vulnerability and past abusive relationships, and that the man committed the crimes under the influence of alcohol and drugs. He was given an eight‑year sentence with the final 18 months suspended, conditional on probation, a sex‑offender treatment programme, addressing alcohol and addiction issues, and a three‑year post‑release supervision. The man was also ordered to stay away from the victim. The case was prosecuted by Sean Gillane SC.
In a Co Cork town, Bulgarian circus worker Ivan Peev, aged 34, pleaded guilty to defiling a 15‑year‑old girl in February 2015. The victim, who was heavily intoxicated, was taken to a tent or caravan where Peev lifted her onto a bed, undressed her and had sex with her. She described feeling "pissed" and "three quarters asleep" and later said she could not bring herself to scream about the incident. Peev had travelled with a circus for nine months a year and returned to Bulgaria with his family. He had no prior convictions. Mr Justice Michael White, hearing the case at the Central Criminal Court, imposed a two‑and‑a‑half‑year custodial sentence, back‑dated to October 2014 when Peev first entered custody. The judge noted the offence had caused the victim great difficulty and that Peev's guilty plea had spared her the ordeal of giving evidence and cross‑examination.
In a 2018 Central Criminal Court verdict, a 49‑year‑old man from Co. Waterford was sentenced to five years' imprisonment for the persistent sexual abuse of his younger sister. The jury convicted him on 56 counts of rape and 15 of indecent assault committed between December 1983 and December 1986, when the victim was aged seven to twelve and the perpetrator was fourteen. The judge, Justice Eileen Creedon, described the abuse as "persistent" and noted that the brother threatened the girl with a shotgun, threatened to shoot their mother if she disclosed the abuse, forced her to watch pornography and re‑enact scenes, and coerced her into sexual acts. He had not been previously convicted, had integrated into society, and was married with three children. The judge acknowledged his late admission of responsibility, which vindicated the victim, and suspended the final 12 months of the sentence on strict conditions, including completion of a sex‑offender programme in custody.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, 65‑year‑old Bartholomew Prendergast pleaded guilty to two counts of rape and 13 counts of indecent assault against his sister‑in‑law, Stephanie Hickey, aged 12‑15 at the time, and to one count of indecent assault against Deirdre Fahy, aged 13‑14, and two counts of indecent assault against a third woman, aged 9‑12. The offences occurred between 1979 and 1991 in County Waterford and County Tipperary. Prendergast, a former Waterford County Council worker and local musician, had recently retired and had no prior convictions. The court adjourned the case to 26 November for sentencing, after the judge remanded him in custody and revoked his bail. The hearing included victim impact statements from the three women, who described the abuse and its lasting effects. No further legal actions were announced at this stage.
In a 2018 sentencing hearing, a Laois woman whose brother‑in‑law was convicted of raping her in 1983 was heard as a survivor, not a victim. She described herself as a 15‑year‑old with no knowledge of sex when the 59‑year‑old man raped her at his home. The court found the offence a "brutal predatory rape" and sentenced him to nine years, suspending the final three and a half years because of his lack of prior convictions and failing health. The woman had disclosed the rape to family, a doctor and a charity function in 2014, after which she received a defamation threat from the accused. She testified in detail, noting the lasting impact on her confidence, self‑esteem and sleep, and the court acknowledged the offence's damage to her developing personality. The judge emphasised that true rehabilitation requires acknowledgement of the wrong done. The unnamed 15-year-old pleaded not guilty and was acquitted.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Christopher Lenihan, aged 28, was sentenced to three years' imprisonment, with the final 12 months suspended, following a 2017 assault on his ex‑partner Grace Brady at the Plaza Hotel, Tallaght. Lenihan held Brady down, punched her repeatedly, grabbed her hair, and covered her mouth to silence her. He later threatened to release personal photographs of her if she did not comply. After the attack, Lenihan sent over 200 harassing texts and emails, and was arrested for harassment in January 2017. He pleaded guilty to false imprisonment and assault causing harm, and admitted further harassment between 13 and 31 January. The judge noted Lenihan showed no remorse and had limited insight into the impact of his actions. Lenihan must complete probation supervision for 18 months, offence‑focused work, and a domestic‑violence programme if suitable. He has a prior conviction for breach of a barring order in February 2016.
In a 2018 robbery at Dolphin's Barn, 41‑year‑old Mark Dwyer broke a woman's finger while smashing the window of her car and seized her handbag containing €920. Dwyer pleaded guilty to one count of robbery and was sentenced to three years in prison, with the final 18 months suspended. The judge noted the victim, Christine Pollard, suffered both physical injury and emotional distress, and that the robbery occurred in full public view. Dwyer's prior convictions included assaults, drug misuse, burglaries and possession of a weapon. He had previously served a three‑year sentence in 2013 for firearm possession. The suspended portion of the sentence was conditioned on his engagement with the Probation Service for two years. The case highlighted the victim's ongoing treatment for a broken ring finger and her feelings of vulnerability after the incident. The stolen goods, valued at €990, were not recovered.
Two organised crime 'foot soldiers', Gary Gleeson (34) and Stephen Dunne (39), have been sentenced to 12 years each, with one and two years suspended respectively, for their involvement in a 'shambolic' and 'ill-prepared' plot to murder Dublin man Michael Frazer. The sentences were handed down at the Special Criminal Court following guilty pleas in May to possession of a 9mm Luger semi-automatic pistol and 10 rounds of 9mm calibre ammunition with intent to endanger life. The court heard that during an operation targeting organised crime in Dublin in August 2017, armed detectives intercepted the men's van, which contained a loaded firearm 'ready for use'. The court was told that the men had discussed aiming for 'head shots' or they would not get paid, and that a transcript of their conversation was described as a 'disturbing document' containing a 'graphic description' of their intentions. The judge noted that the men's drug use was clearly audible on secret recordings. Defence counsel for both men highlighted mitigating factors, including their guilty pleas, Gleeson's violent offending history, and Dunne's long-term heroin addiction and mental health issues. The sentences were backdated to August 7, 2017, when the men were arrested. The court also heard that Dunne's DNA was found on a SIM card linked to a tracking device under Mr Frazer's van, and that the men had been contracted and paid to carry out the attack by senior figures in the organised crime group.
Luke Wilson, 23, from Ballyfermot, pleaded guilty in the Special Criminal Court to conspiring to murder Gary Hanley between 15 September and 6 November last year, and to unlawful possession of a Beretta handgun with intent to endanger life on 6 November at Philipsburgh Avenue, Fairview. Alan Wilson, 39, Liam Brannigan, 37, and Joseph Kelly, 35, were also charged with conspiring to murder Mr Hanley on the same occasion. Alan Wilson and Joseph Kelly faced additional charges of conspiracy to murder an unknown person or persons at the 74 Talbot public house between 11 and 15 September last year. Joseph Kelly was also charged with possession of a Beretta handgun and fifteen rounds of ammunition with intent to endanger life on 6 November at Philipsburgh Avenue. A trial date for Alan Wilson was set for 7 October 2019, while Brannigan's case will be mentioned on 8 October and Kelly's hearing was adjourned to October.
A 52‑year‑old man was found guilty of attempting to rape his seven‑year‑old cousin in January 1984 and of raping her on a weekly basis between mid‑1985 and mid‑1986. The Central Criminal Court sentenced him to nine years, with the final year suspended if he participates in the Building Better Lives programme for sex offenders. The judge noted the man's youth at the time of the offences and his otherwise "blameless life" when reducing the headline sentence of 13 years to nine. The victim, now 42, gave a victim impact statement describing the lasting physical and psychological harm, including suicidal thoughts, anxiety and depression. She said her health and emotional well‑being improved after the conviction, and she no longer takes medication. The court heard that the man maintains his innocence and that he had no prior convictions.
In January 2018, Bayarsaikhan Davaatseren, a 45‑year‑old former Mongolian policeman, stabbed his former wife four times in their Dublin apartment, inflicting a broken sternum and a potentially fatal chest wound that filled her cavity with blood. He urged her to inform the Gardaí, and she managed to escape before collapsing outside. Davaatseren, who was heavily intoxicated and later admitted himself to the Garda station, pleaded guilty to intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm. Judge Martin Nolan, noting the severity of the injuries and the lack of a defence for intoxication, imposed an eight‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence. The victim underwent surgery and remained in hospital for two months; she later described the attack and her fear of dying. The case highlighted Davaatseren's prior convictions and his subsequent refusal of asylum.
A 21‑year‑old Dublin man, who cannot be named to protect the victim's identity, will be sentenced for having sex with a 14‑year‑old neighbour. Garda Campbell Brennan said the man had been in a relationship with the girl and had been affectionate when alone. The girl told the school chaplain, who notified her family and Gardaí, and the offence came to light after she reported it. The man pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to sexual intercourse with a child under 17 on a date between 1 and 24 July 2014. He has 47 previous convictions for assault, drugs offences, false imprisonment, criminal damage and road traffic matters. The victim's impact statement described depression, suicide attempts, drug and alcohol addiction, school withdrawal and family distress. The man admitted he did not know the girl's age and later admitted having sex with her once in his bedroom.
John Wheeler, 49, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to attempting to rob a post office on Botanic Road on 13 October 2017. He entered the shop with a plastic bag that concealed a sweeping brush, which he claimed was a gun. The post office owner, 72, heard a banging noise, checked a safe, and later saw Wheeler banging on the counter and demanding money. The owner pressed a panic button and called Garda Barry Brennan, who reviewed CCTV and identified Wheeler. Wheeler later admitted to the Garda that he had tried to rob the post office "as a joke" and had no intention to actually commit robbery. He denied having the brush during the attempt. Wheeler had 55 prior convictions, including assault, robbery, theft, larceny, forgery, dangerous driving and drunk driving. He was sentenced to four years, with 18 months suspended, for a final effective custodial term of two and a half years.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court trial, a 46‑year‑old man was convicted of 24 counts of sexually assaulting one girl and one count of assaulting her younger sister, all while the children were staying at their grandmother's home. The first victim, aged six or seven, was assaulted between July 2000 and July 2002 when she slept on the man's date, and the second victim, also aged six or seven at the first assault, was assaulted from 2005 to 2010 while she slept in her bedroom. The man pleaded not guilty to 33 charges; a jury convicted him on 25 counts and the judge acquitted him of eight. Judge Martina Baxter described the acts as "gratuitous, depraved and exploitative," noted the family's division, and imposed an eight‑year sentence with the final 12 months suspended. The sentence was partially suspended, leaving the man to serve eight years in custody.
A man from Strokestown, County Longford, has been sentenced to four years in prison for causing over €50,000 in damage to Oberstown Children Detention Campus during four separate incidents in 2016. The 18-year-old, who was 16 at the time, pleaded guilty to four counts of criminal damage at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The incidents involved stand-offs with staff spanning between three and four hours each. One incident included a fire being set in a multi-purpose room. Judge Patricia Ryan imposed the sentence with the final year suspended, and ordered two years' probation supervision upon release. The court acknowledged Ward's efforts at rehabilitation while in detention and his expressions of remorse, but noted the incidents were violent and aggressive, causing significant anxiety to staff and residents. Two further counts of assault and theft were taken into account.
Ryan McLoughlin, aged 22, was found guilty of assaulting Scott Byrne on the Tallaght bypass on 26 May 2013. McLoughlin followed Byrne after a night out, stabbed him in the buttock and stomach, and during the attack sliced an artery in his own left hand. Byrne was treated at Tallaght Hospital while McLoughlin was later taken to the hospital on a trolley with his injured hand. McLoughlin, who has prior convictions for drug offences and traffic matters, pleaded guilty on his trial date. The prosecution noted delays in the case and presented a victim impact statement and medical report. The court remanded McLoughlin in custody until December, when a sentence will be finalised, and ordered updated psychological and probation reports.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Karl Sutton, aged 33, received a suspended sentence for a violent assault on his girlfriend, Tiffany Curtis, on 16 August 2003. Sutton accused Curtis of cheating before attacking her, striking her head against walls and floors, kicking her, and threatening their infant son who was in a Moses basket nearby. The court noted the extreme violence, the couple's turbulent relationship, and that they had two children together, one of whom died in 2010. Curtis had written to the court expressing remorse for Sutton's potential imprisonment. Judge Melanie Greally set a headline sentence of five years, then imposed a four‑year term entirely suspended on strict conditions, including two years of probation and participation in an intervention program for intimate‑violence perpetrators. Sutton pleaded guilty, showed remorse, and had no prior convictions. The case ended with the suspended sentence and probationary conditions.
The Central Bank was granted access to the transcripts and exhibits from the trial of former Anglo Irish Bank CEO David Drumm. The application was made before Judge Karen O'Connor at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after written submissions and relevant case law were submitted last Tuesday. The application was not contested by the Director of Public Prosecutions or Drumm. Drumm, aged 51, was jailed for six years last month for his role in a multi‑billion‑euro bank fraud scheme in 2008. The jury returned unanimous guilty verdicts on conspiracy to defraud and false accounting after just over ten and a half hours of deliberations. The State alleged that Drumm conspired with former Irish Life & Permanent CEO Denis Casey, Anglo's former financial director Willie McAteer and former Head of Treasury John Bowe, among others, to carry out €7.2 bn in fraudulent circular transactions to inflate Anglo's customer deposits figure.
An African national aged 28 was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to two former partners by infecting them with HIV between November 2009 and June 2010. The victims, both women, testified that the man repeatedly told others they would not want to be with them because of their HIV status, that he pestered them, and that he followed and texted them, revealing their infection to anyone they spoke to. One victim described being forced into unprotected sex, hospitalisation, suicide attempts, and ongoing medication. The other victim reported being close to overdosing on HIV medication and struggling to leave bed after diagnosis. The judge described the man's behaviour as "grossly reprehensible" and noted his remorse, youth, and difficult upbringing. The case was the first of its kind in Ireland, with the Director of Public Prosecutions giving no indication of seriousness. The unnamed man pleaded not guilty and was convicted.
Patrick Nevin, aged 36, has had his sentencing adjourned at the Central Criminal Court. Nevin was convicted in December 2017 of sexually assaulting a Brazilian student after driving her to the UCD campus on 23 July 2014, a charge he had denied. He later pleaded guilty to raping a woman in a parked car in Bellewstown, Co. Meath on 12 July 2014, and to sexually assaulting a second woman at an unknown location in Co. Meath on 16 July 2014. The offences were linked to first dates arranged via the dating app Tinder. Nevin, a former UCD student and father of two, has been in custody since his December conviction. Justice Eileen Creedon agreed to postpone his sentencing to 19 November, when all evidence will be heard, and remanded him in continuing custody. The adjournment was requested by his defence team. The case remains at the sentencing stage.
Neil O'Brien, 62, of Rathbeggan, Dunshaughlin, Co. Meath, pleaded guilty to forging cheques, transfer instructions and withdrawals from bank accounts in the names of his former wife and daughter between 2002 and 2008, and to false accounting between 2009 and 2013. He admitted fraudulently obtaining €721,000, largely used for family expenses, including a credit card not in his name and a €3,000 cheque drawn by his daughter. The court heard that O'Brien had no previous convictions, was estranged from his family, had serious mental health issues and no financial means. Judge Karen O'Connor, noting exceptional circumstances, imposed a three‑year fully suspended sentence on the condition that O'Brien continue psychological services and medication. The sentence was granted without a custodial term, reflecting the court's view that a custodial sentence would not benefit the victims. The case involved no evidence of greed or gambling, and the prosecution highlighted O'Brien's financial inadequacy and early guilty plea.
Marian Minarik, a 40‑year‑old Slovakian national living in Ireland for 12 years, was arrested after Luxembourg authorities reported his downloading of child pornography from a specific website. Gardaí seized a laptop and hard drive from his Mountjoy Square home, uncovering 39,792 images and 404 videos of child pornography. Minarik admitted to gardaí that he first began downloading such material at age 15 and that he sometimes derived sexual gratification from viewing the images, though he denied any compulsion to have sex with children. He pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of child pornography between March 2009 and July 2010. Judge Cormac Quinn remanded him on continuing bail until November 9 for sentencing and ordered a probation report. No prior convictions were recorded. The forensic psychologist's report highlighted concerns about Minarik's lack of insight and recommended a specialist treatment programme. He is on medication for depression.
A Dublin man has been sentenced to three and a half years imprisonment after pleading guilty to dangerous driving causing serious harm to a teenage pedestrian from Donegal. At Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, the court heard that John Maguire, aged 38, struck a young man with his van on Memorial Road, Dublin on 18 March 2017, despite medical advice to refrain from driving for twelve months following an epileptic seizure two months prior. The victim, who had travelled from Letterkenny to attend an event in the city, was crossing at a green pedestrian light when struck. He sustained serious injuries including skull fractures and brain damage, leaving him dependent on family care for the remainder of his life. Maguire pleaded guilty to driving whilst suffering from a condition rendering him a danger to the public. Judge Martin Nolan imposed the sentence whilst acknowledging Maguire's early guilty plea and remorse, but found he bore serious moral culpability for ignoring a known risk. A six-year driving disqualification was also imposed.
In a Dublin burglary on 28 November 2017, Matthew Fahy (40) and two accomplices, disguised as Gardaí, entered a family home in Castleknock. They presented themselves as police, produced an imitation handgun, and demanded cash from the occupants, who included the homeowner, his wife, their seven‑year‑old son, the homeowner's brother, the brother's partner and a lodger. Fahy escaped through the back door, pursued the child who had run out, and forced him back into the house. The burglary lasted about two minutes and no one was injured. Fahy pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary and possession of an imitation firearm. On 25 July 2018, Judge Melanie Greally sentenced him to seven years' imprisonment, with the final 18 months suspended, to run consecutively with a term he was already serving. The sentence reflected Fahy's guilty plea, cooperation, drug‑addiction history and the trauma inflicted on the family. No other arrests were made.
In a Special Criminal Court hearing, a prosecution barrister argued that three Dubliners—Jonathan Keogh (32), Regina Keogh (41) and Thomas Fox (31)—planned and executed the murder of Gareth Hutch (36) on 24 May 2016. The barrister claimed the accused believed Hutch posed a threat to their safety and that the killing was pre‑planned, not a spur of the moment act. He presented evidence that Keogh threatened to kill Hutch the evening before, that Fox and Keogh were involved in planning, and that Keogh and another man, AB, were the shooters. The prosecution also alleged that Regina Keogh helped secure a flat for surveillance and that Mary McDonnell, a protected witness, identified the gunmen. All three accused pleaded not guilty. The court heard evidence of a heated exchange between Keogh and Hutch the day before, and of the accused's presence at McDonnell's flat the night before the shooting.
Martin Aylmer, 31, of Casino Park, Marino, Dublin 3, pleaded guilty today to facilitating the murder of Michael Barr, 35, the manager of the Sunset House pub in Dublin 1, which occurred on 25 April 2016. Aylmer admitted that between 23 and 25 April 2016 he participated in or contributed to activities that could facilitate the commission of the murder by a criminal organisation or its members. He also admitted reckless conduct that could facilitate the murder. The prosecution, led by Dominic McGinn SC, presented the first count to the Special Criminal Court, where Aylmer was arraigned and pleaded guilty. Judge Tony Hunt remanded him on continuing bail until his sentencing hearing on 1 October, noting that his guilty plea would be treated as an early plea with significant credit. The case is the first prosecution under the 2006 organised‑crime legislation. Eamonn Cumberton, 30, was jailed for life in January for the same murder.
The High Court has reserved judgment in the third legal challenge brought by an unnamed Algerian man against the Minister for Justice's refusal to revoke his deportation order. The man, who has been in Irish custody since 2016, fears torture if returned to Algeria, citing Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights. He was convicted of terrorism offences in Algeria and France, having previously used multiple identities. In the 1990s, he was convicted of several offences in Algeria, receiving three life sentences and two death sentences, which are no longer carried out. He was also jailed for eight years following his 2002 arrest in France after being found guilty of charges including membership of a criminal organisation preparing an Act of Terrorism. Additionally, he was jailed in Ireland for attempting to travel on a false passport. The Minister issued the deportation order in 2016, citing security concerns. The State argues that human rights protections in Algeria have improved since 2016, including constitutional changes and the disbanding of the DRS intelligence agency. The man denies involvement with groups like Al-Qaeda, claiming his risk stems from political views. The case was remitted for reconsideration after previous High Court rulings quashed earlier refusals due to procedural failures. Mr Justice Richard Humphreys reserved judgment following submissions from both sides.
A Dublin man has pleaded guilty to assault and false imprisonment at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin. Donal O'Hara (26), of Glin Park, Coolock, Dublin 17, admitted assaulting John Roche and causing him harm at The Towers, Saggart on 9 June 2015. He also admitted falsely imprisoning Martin Byrne at locations in Rathcoole and Saggart on the same date. The court heard that Mr Byrne was forcibly removed from a meeting and brought to his residence where Mr Roche was subsequently dragged from a nearby house and assaulted by multiple men. CCTV footage was presented to the court, and forensic evidence linked O'Hara to the assault. His defence counsel acknowledged the gravity of the offence but urged leniency given his age. O'Hara, who has previous convictions for assault and aggravated burglary, was remanded in custody pending sentencing on 31 July.
Stephen O'Connor, a 19‑year‑old from Castle Manor, Newcastle, Co Wicklow, stole two bags of cash totalling €12,480 while employed by G4S Cash Services Ltd. He pleaded guilty to theft of €4,890 on 31 October 2017 and €7,590 on 2 November 2017 at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. O'Connor claimed the money was needed to repay a €6,000 drug debt that had risen from an original €4,000 "taxed" debt. He admitted hiding the bags under his jumper and that he had been on sick leave after the second theft. G4S detected the loss via CCTV analysis and an internal investigation led to his admission. Judge Karen O'Connor sentenced him to an 18‑month prison term, suspended in full on strict conditions, noting his cooperation, lack of prior convictions, and family support. The sentence was imposed with the expectation that he would not return to such conduct.
In a Special Criminal Court hearing, Kevin Braney (44) and Ciaran Maguire (30) were found guilty of IRA membership. The men had denied membership on August 2, 2017, but evidence from Detective Chief Superintendent Tom Maguire and CCTV showed they travelled from Dublin to an estate in County Meath on July 13, 2017. There, they threatened an accident victim, claiming to be the IRA and saying they would shoot him if he did not withdraw a claim against a former employer. The victim, who had suffered a fall and injuries, had filed a claim for unpaid wages and hospital bills. The court, satisfied beyond reasonable doubt of the men's IRA membership, found the threat a planned, joined enterprise to intimidate. Both men were remanded in custody until sentencing on July 31. The offence carries a maximum sentence of eight years. The court noted the men's family circumstances and prior convictions but did not yet impose a sentence.