A Wexford man, Michael Furlong, aged 36, is on trial for the murder of his friend Patrick Connors, aged 37, who died between 28 and 29 April 2011 at CarraigTúr apartments. Furlong pleaded not guilty. He told Gardaí that he used a "sword or screwdriver" to open the sitting‑room door, which Connors had locked. He claimed he could have called an ambulance to break the door but Connors said he was fine. Furlong denied any argument earlier that evening, denied locking the door himself, and said he did not know why Connors did not want him to get the key. He also said he left the sword in the flat and did not remember how it ended up in the rear car park. The trial continues before Mr Justice Barry White and a jury, with post‑mortem evidence to be presented.
Patrick McCann, aged 20, pleaded guilty to attempted murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life after shooting his lifelong friend Luke Wilson, aged 19, at Liffey Gaels GAA club in Inchicore on 13 January 2013. McCann fired a shot that struck Wilson's neck, causing him to fall, and a second shot that hit Wilson's right arm. Wilson later reported being shot again but the gun jammed. Wilson suffered severe injuries, including the loss of his right eye, facial wounds, a cerebral stroke, and permanent arm palsy. McCann, who had prior convictions for drug possession, drug sale, theft, and aggravated burglary, was arrested the same day. He denied involvement and claimed he was coerced by drug debt. The court will sentence him next week, with the prosecution describing the offence as high‑level.
The Central Criminal Court trial of Michael Furlong, 36, of Enniscorthy, continued before Mr Justice Barry White. Furlong, who has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Patrick Connors, 37, at Carraig Túr apartments between April 28 and 29, 2011, faces charges alleging he caused fatal sharp and blunt force trauma to Connors' head, neck, and jaw. Prosecution counsel John O'Kelly SC highlighted evidence that Connors' injuries corresponded to two knives found in Furlong's apartment. Ballistics expert Detective Garda Janette O'Neill testified that she was satisfied the deceased was involved in a violent altercation, citing extensive bloodstains, an overturned table, and chaotic debris such as mayonnaise and ketchup. Under cross-examination by Michael Delaney SC, she acknowledged the possibility that events other than a struggle occurred. Garda Patrick Freyne testified that a sword was found in the apartment car park. The jury, comprising seven men and five women, heard that Connors had purchased wine prior to the incident. The matter was adjourned and is scheduled to continue on Monday.
Paramedics testified that the 43‑year‑old deceased was found in a pool of blood with puncture wounds all over his body. They were giving evidence to the Central Criminal Court in the trial of three men charged with his death. Seán Flanagan (28) and Paul Colbert (46) of Lenihan Avenue, Prospect, Limerick City are charged with murdering Gerard McMahon on 18 January 2012 at a house on Lenihan Avenue. They have pleaded not guilty to the murder charge. Ian Flanagan (24) of the same address has pleaded not guilty to two counts of assisting an offender on the same date, accused of removing a CCTV recording device from the house, knowing it might form evidence. The jury has heard that Seán and Ian Flanagan are brothers and that Mr Colbert is their uncle.
The trial of Seán Flanagan, Paul Colbert, and Ian Flanagan continued at the Central Criminal Court before Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan. Seán Flanagan and Paul Colbert, both of Lenihan Avenue, Limerick, have pleaded not guilty to the alleged murder of Gerard McMahon on January 18, 2012. Ian Flanagan, also of Lenihan Avenue, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of assisting an offender on the same date. He is accused of removing a CCTV recording device from the house, allegedly knowing it might form evidence in a prosecution against the other accused men. The State alleges that Seán Flanagan and Paul Colbert acted in joint enterprise to attack Mr McMahon. Witness Joe McEvoy testified that he opened his front door around 12.30am to find his cousin, Mr McMahon, bleeding from multiple stab wounds. Mr McEvoy stated he helped his cousin inside, where he collapsed, revealing stab wounds to his back. Garda Wayne Cahalan testified that he arrived at the scene at 12.38am, observing pools of blood and stab wounds on Mr McMahon's back, head, and neck. Mr McMahon was transported to Mid-Western Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 1.45am. The jury has heard that Seán and Ian Flanagan are brothers and that Mr Colbert is their uncle. The matter is ongoing and has not been finalised.
In a Wexford murder trial, Michael Furlong, aged 36, pleaded not guilty to the killing of Patrick Connors, aged 37, which occurred between 28 and 29 April 2011 at Carraig Túr apartments. The jury heard that Furlong had a history of schizophrenia, while Connors had mental health problems, including depression and episodes of hearing voices. Witness Shauna Young, who had been engaged to Connors, confirmed his psychiatric hospitalisations and his attempts at self‑harm, though she denied knowledge of a 2010 suicide attempt. Dr Stephen Bowe testified that Furlong, at the time of the incident, had an odor of alcohol, claimed to have consumed two bottles of wine the previous night, and described a past schizophrenia diagnosis. He also noted scratches on Furlong's legs that were inconsistent with walking dogs, suggesting trauma. The case remains before Mr Justice Barry White and a jury of seven men and five women.
In a Wexford murder trial, the Central Criminal Court heard evidence concerning the death of Patrick Connors at Carraig Túr apartments, Enniscorthy, on 28–29 April 2011. The accused, 36‑year‑old Michael Furlong, pleaded not guilty. Garda Brian Phillips and Garda Antoinette Byrne arrived at the apartments at about 11.40 pm on 28 April, following a report of a man covered in blood. They found no one outside, no buzzer, and no response to knocks. Phillips claimed he shouted for the door to open, heard voices, and eventually forced the door after a loud bang. Inside, he met two men: one identified as Furlong, who appeared intoxicated and confused, and another as Paddy Connors, who refused medical help and asked the officers to leave. After a 15‑minute attempt to persuade them, the officers left. A shopkeeper, Mary Murphy, later testified that Furlong entered her shop after 8 am the next morning, saying "Paddy's dead.
Stephen "Rossi" Walsh, a 65‑year‑old former resident of Belgrave Road, Rathgar, is preparing to apply for bail while he appeals three separate convictions. He is currently serving a 10‑year sentence for raping a nine‑year‑old girl in 1990, imposed by Mr Justice Paul Carney in February 2010. In November 2010 Judge Patrick McCartan added a consecutive three‑year term for indecent assault of a seven‑year‑old girl in 1988. In December 2011 Walsh received another consecutive 12‑year sentence for sexual assault and defilement of a child on occasions in 2008 and 2009. All three convictions are under appeal. Walsh's earlier 15‑year arson sentence from 1993 was imposed by the Special Criminal Court. He is represented by Derek Burke Solicitors on two appeals but wishes to represent himself on the appeal against the 2009 rape conviction.
Three Limerick men—Seán Flanagan (28), Paul Colbert (46), and Ian Flanagan (24)—are on trial at the Central Criminal Court for the death of 43‑year‑old Gerard McMahon, who was stabbed to death on 18 January 2012. Seán and Paul pleaded not guilty to murder; Ian pleaded not guilty to two counts of assisting an offender. The prosecution alleges McMahon was attacked while heading to his cousin's house on Lenihan Avenue, receiving 16 stab wounds: seven to the back of the head, three to the side, and three to the back of the trunk, and a hatchet was also used. The State claims the men acted in joint enterprise, leaving the house armed with a common intention to attack McMahon. The trial will resume on Thursday before Justice Garrett Sheehan and a jury of eight women and four men.
A 36‑year‑old Wexford man, Michael Furlong, is on trial for the murder of his 37‑year‑old friend Patrick Connors, who died between 28 and 29 April 2011 at the Carraig Túr apartments in Enniscorthy. Furlong pleaded not guilty. In his opening statement, the prosecutor, Mr John O'Kelly SC, described how police received two calls on the morning of 29 April: first from a neighbour who said a man was dead, then from Furlong himself. Police entered the apartments, found Connors' body on the second flight of stairs, and noted blood on walls and floor. Furlong admitted that Connors had fallen after a night of drinking, but claimed he had given him clothing to soak up blood and covered him with a fleece. He said he woke the next morning to find Connors on the stairs, naked from the waist up.
A 36‑year‑old Wexford man, Michael Furlong of Meadowfield, The Moyne, Enniscorthy, pleaded not guilty to the murder of Patrick Connors (37) at the Carraig Túr apartments in Enniscorthy between 28 and 29 April 2011. He was arraigned before the Central Criminal Court, where a jury of seven men and five women was sworn in for a three‑week trial that will commence on Tuesday morning before Mr Justice Barry White.
Three men are set to appear before the Central Criminal Court in Limerick. Sean Flanagan, aged 28, and Paul Colbert, aged 46, both from Lenihan Avenue, Prospect, have pleaded not guilty to the murder of Gerard McMahon on 18 January 2012. Ian Flanagan, aged 24, from the same address, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of assisting an offender on that date. The trial is scheduled to begin tomorrow and is expected to last four weeks.
A 46‑year‑old Polish welder and mechanic, Waldemar Solowiow, was found guilty of murdering his 37‑year‑old girlfriend, Mary Ryan, who was discovered unconscious in his Dublin bedsit on 18 May 2012. Ryan died from neck compression and blunt force trauma to the head. Solowiow pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter, claiming a physical fight the night before and that he did not intend to kill her. He admitted slapping, pushing and grabbing her, and that she fell onto a coffee table and hit her head. Gardaí had been called to the flat on several occasions due to the couple's drunken behaviour. The Central Criminal Court heard that Solowiow had initially told authorities that Ryan had been assaulted by three men the previous night, a story he later abandoned. The jury, after four and a half hours of deliberation, returned a majority verdict of 11 to 1, finding him guilty of murder.
The jury was discharged in the trial of three men charged with the death of Gerard McMahon in Limerick. Sean Flanagan (28) and Paul Colbert (46) pleaded not guilty to murder, while Ian Flanagan (24) pleaded not guilty to two counts of assisting an offender. Judge Paul Carney announced that no judge was available to hear the case this week, causing the jury to be discharged. A new jury will be empanelled for the trial on Monday.
Sean Connolly, 34, of Bernard Curtis House, Bluebell, was charged before the Special Criminal Court with the murder of veteran criminal Eamon Kelly on 4 December 2012 at Furry Park Road, Killester, and also faced charges of IRA membership and firearm possession. His counsel, Siobhan Ni Chulachain BL, requested additional time to review a large amount of evidence disclosed the previous week. The defence asked the court to reschedule the case for mention on 29 November, and Judge Paul Butler ordered Connolly to remain in custody until that date.
In the Central Criminal Court, the prosecution argued that the injuries sustained by Mary Ryan were inconsistent with her boyfriend Waldemar Solowiow's account of a brief struggle. An autopsy revealed death by neck compression and blunt force trauma to the head. Solowiow, a 46‑year‑old unemployed welder and mechanic, pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. He claimed a physical fight the night before, stating he did not intend to kill her. The prosecution highlighted the severity of the injuries and evidence of a prior alcohol problem, questioning whether a slap could cause such harm. The defense contended that Solowiow's intent was absent, citing provocation and the possibility of a manslaughter verdict. Judge Patrick McCarthy instructed a jury of eight men and four women to deliberate on the case.
Three men are on trial at the Central Criminal Court for the 2012 killing of Gerard McMahon in Limerick. Sean Flanagan, 28, and Paul Colbert, 46, both from Lenihan Avenue, Prospect, plead not guilty to murder. Ian Flanagan, 24, also from the same address, pleads not guilty to two counts of assisting an offender. The trial began Thursday and is expected to last up to six weeks.
The Special Criminal Court has found Vincent Ryan and Darragh Evans not guilty by direction of the court regarding the alleged possession of an AKM assault rifle and a Webley-make revolver MkV1. Both men, who had pleaded not guilty, were released from custody after the court ruled there was an insufficient evidential basis for a conviction. The charges related to an incident on September 15, 2011, at Clonshaugh Walk, Coolock, Dublin 17, following a firearm discharge in Clongriffin. While forensic evidence linked DNA profiles to the weapons, the court accepted defence arguments that the DNA could have been deposited via secondary or tertiary transfer and that the specific time and place of possession were not sufficiently proven. Justice Paul Butler directed the verdicts, noting that the evidence did not meet the threshold for a jury trial. In a separate finding, co-accused Alan Ryan was acquitted. The court commended the Garda investigation as thorough and professional, despite the outcome. The matter was concluded with the directed not guilty verdicts for Ryan and Evans and the acquittal of Alan Ryan.
John Coughlan, 33, of Moyross, was found guilty of murdering Daniel Treacy, 35, at a Limerick petrol station on 22 February 2010. Coughlan pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter; the prosecution rejected the plea and a jury heard a two‑week trial. Treacy, who regularly visited the station for tea, was shot three times in the head and once in the groin. Coughlan claimed he was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time, a defence that was not accepted. The jury, after 3½ hours of deliberation, returned a unanimous verdict of guilty. Mr Justice Paul Carney imposed a mandatory life sentence, back‑dated to 1 March 2010, and thanked the jury before excusing them. The case was heard in the Limerick County Court.
Lawyers for Eric Eoin Marques, a 28‑year‑old Irishman wanted in the United States for conspiring to distribute and advertise child pornography, are challenging his extradition in the Irish High Court. Marques, who lives in Mountjoy Square, Dublin, faces four U.S. charges that could carry a cumulative sentence of up to 100 years. He claims he wants his case heard in Ireland and has submitted a Section 15 application to the Director of Public Prosecutions. The court has previously denied bail, citing Marques' alleged flight risk, possession of a false U.S. passport, and attempts to destroy evidence. The case will be heard again before Mr Justice John Edwards in three weeks. The FBI alleges Marques owned and administered the anonymous site Freedom Hosting, which hosted extremely violent child‑pornographic images and had a U.S. bank account and a Las Vegas mailing address. The court has found the evidence against Marques strong and the charges serious.
A 37‑year‑old Cork mother of three, Catherine O'Connor, was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of her 42‑year‑old neighbour, John Forrester, on 12 November 2011. O'Connor pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court. Forrester's body was found on 15 November 2011 in the River Bandon, wrapped in carpet and tied with a belt from O'Connor's cardigan. The autopsy revealed blunt force trauma, asphyxia, a broken hyoid bone, bruising to the throat, a fractured skull, broken ribs, a broken hip and lacerations to the head and mouth. Evidence included O'Connor's fingerprints on a broken Man Utd cup and Forrester's blood on a mobile phone in her flat. O'Connor had been in custody since 28 January 2012 and had 55 prior convictions, including a previous murder. Mr Justice Paul Carney imposed a mandatory life sentence, and O'Connor was led away in a grey hooded jacket, black trousers and boots.
The Special Criminal Court ruled that evidence of Garda interviews with Vincent Ryan (22) and Darragh Evans (23) concerning the possession of an AKM assault rifle and a Webley revolver is inadmissible. The court held a voir dire to assess whether Section 18 b(iii) of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 was properly invoked. The section allows inferences from an accused's failure to account for an object. The judge found that the section was not properly invoked because it was necessary to establish that the accused possessed the magazine or rifle, a point the court deemed circular. The prosecution case was deemed concluded. The investigation began after a firearm discharge on Marsfield Avenue, where a Saab 95 was searched and an AKM rifle, an AK‑47 magazine, a Webley revolver and a Pringles lid were recovered.
The jury is set to begin deliberations in the Limerick murder trial of John Coughlan, a 33‑year‑old electrician from Pineview Gardens, Moyross. Coughlan pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter for the fatal shooting of Daniel Treacy, 35, at Topaz garage, Caherdavin, Ennis Road, on 22 February 2010. The court rejected the plea, and a jury of seven women and five men was sworn in for a two‑week trial. Prosecutor Ms Úna Ni Raifeartaigh SC described the case as complex, noting a planned shooting and a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia, while highlighting the earlier killing of Coughlan's brother, Darren, by Treacy's brother. She urged the jury to consider CCTV footage and the accused's alleged hearing voices. Defence counsel Mr Brian McCartney QC argued for diminished responsibility, citing psychiatric evidence of schizophrenia, and urged a manslaughter verdict.
A 50‑year‑old British national, William Joseph O'Connor, was extradited to France where he had been convicted in absentia of murdering Jean Jacques Berteloot on Halloween night 2002. The High Court in Ireland sentenced O'Connor to 30 years' imprisonment for the killing, a sentence that was imposed while he was serving a sentence in the UK. He was arrested in March 2013 under a European Arrest Warrant issued by French authorities. The court noted that if he is returned to France he will be guaranteed a retrial and may be granted bail. O'Connor maintains his innocence, claiming he was set up by his co‑accused, Barry Finch. The case involves allegations that O'Connor stabbed Berteloot multiple times while attempting to steal his car and phone, after which both men fled to Amsterdam. The High Court ordered his surrender to France, where he will face a new trial. The proceedings are ongoing and no final verdict has yet been reached.
A 20‑year‑old man from Lisanalta, Dooradoyle, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for an unprovoked attack that left a 16‑year‑old schoolboy with permanent brain damage. The assault, captured on CCTV, involved 65 kicks, 26 punches and several stamps to the boy's head, chest and body, and continued after the victim had stopped moving. The victim was left on the forecourt in a pool of blood and later required eight days on life support before transfer to the National Rehabilitation Hospital. The man, who was a teenager in HSE care at the time, was originally charged with attempted murder but pleaded guilty to intentionally causing serious harm. He has appealed the sentence, arguing that mitigating factors such as his youth, guilty plea and expressions of remorse were insufficiently considered. The Court of Criminal Appeal has reserved judgment on the appeal, to be delivered in due course.
Michael Igbosonu, aged 25, was originally sentenced in March 2012 to two years' imprisonment with one year suspended for a predatory sexual assault on a woman who fell asleep beside him on a Nitelink bus. He denied the offence but was found guilty by a jury after a four‑day trial. The Court of Criminal Appeal, hearing the case on Monday, ruled that the sentence was unduly lenient. The appeal was successful, and the sentence was increased to five years' imprisonment with two years suspended for a period of three years. Igbosonu was released from prison on 29 October last year and was ordered to surrender to Mountjoy Prison on 21 October. The appeal was brought by the Director of Public Prosecutions. The court noted the assault was predatory, sordid, and traumatic, and that Igbosonu had a record of 11 previous convictions. The new sentence reflects the seriousness of the offence. The case remains at the appeal stage.
In a High Court hearing on 13 September 2013, Mr Justice John Edwards refused bail to Eric Eoin Marques, a 28‑year‑old Irishman, for a second time. Marques is wanted in the United States on charges of conspiring to distribute and advertise child pornography and of advertising and distributing child pornography. The FBI alleges he facilitated and hosted anonymous websites containing extremely violent, graphic images of pre‑pubescent children, including infants, and that he had administrator access to one site. Evidence presented included a computer examination by Gardaí showing Marques' involvement, his use of a fraudulent U.S. passport to seek foreign hosting services, and financial records indicating $1.5 million passing through a single bank account. The court noted Marques' lack of prior convictions, his family ties in Ireland, and the freezing of his U.S. bank accounts, but concluded he posed a flight risk and a danger of evidence tampering.
The High Court has allowed a 28‑year‑old Irishman, described by an FBI special agent as "the largest facilitator of child porn on the planet," to submit a fresh bail application. Justice John Edwards, after careful consideration, concluded that the interests of justice required that Eric Eoin Marques be permitted to proceed with a new bail request. The United States seeks Marques' extradition on charges related to images on more than a hundred anonymous websites that allegedly contain extremely violent, graphic child‑pornographic material, including rape and torture of pre‑pubescent children. The websites reportedly have thousands of members who have posted millions of images, some involving infants, according to the FBI. Marques, who holds both Irish and U.S. citizenship, was arrested in Dublin on a provisional extradition warrant issued by a U.S. court on 29 July. The first bail hearing, held by Justice Paul Gilligan, denied bail pending the determination of the extradition request.
The High Court heard that the United States alleges Ali Charaf Damache, an Algerian‑born Irish citizen aged 48, conspired from early 2008 to July 2011 with others to devise a violent jihad organisation aimed at targeting US and Western European citizens. The FBI claims Damache, who used the online alias "the black flag," also participated in a conspiracy to transfer a stolen US passport to a Pakistani individual believed to be an Al Qaeda member. The US alleges Damache worked with American woman Colleen LaRose, known online as "Jihad Jane," and others to create a terror cell in Europe. If extradited and convicted, Damache could face a 45‑year sentence and possible incarceration in the ADX super‑maximum‑security prison in Florence, Colorado. The case is adjourned for a separate application for judicial review of the extradition proceedings, with Damache's counsel arguing that the State's decision not to prosecute him in Ireland breaches his constitutional rights.