Adam Roche, aged 27, was sentenced to ten and a half years in prison, with an 18‑month suspended portion, for a series of sexual offences committed between August 2015 and January 2018. He used 125,000 messages to pose as victims of online blackmail, threatening a young woman with harm to her pet or the release of intimate images unless she performed non‑consensual sexual acts with him. Roche also threatened to disseminate her photographs and coerced her into sending video proof of sexual acts. He pleaded guilty to rape, anal rape, oral rape, aggravated sexual assault and possession of child pornography. The judge noted the manipulation, the victim's trust in Roche, and the profound impact on her life, and imposed a sentence that reflected the seriousness and repetition of the offences while taking into account his guilty plea and remorse. The woman was ordered to be kept away from Roche and his associates permanently.
Former priest Denis Nolan, 71, was sentenced at the Central Criminal Court following his guilty plea to one count of oral rape and 36 counts of sexual assault committed between 1994 and 2000. The court found that Nolan abused a victim aged 11 to 17 in Dublin and Wicklow. Mr Justice Paul McDermott imposed a five-year sentence for the rape, to run consecutively to Nolan's existing terms, alongside concurrent three-year sentences for the sexual assault counts. Nolan is currently serving a 19-year aggregate sentence for previous convictions, including a 2022 case where the Court of Appeal quashed a suspended portion and substituted a consecutive six-year term. The judge noted Nolan's "predatory" conduct and "egregious betrayal" of trust, while acknowledging his guilty plea and remorse as mitigating factors. Nolan, in custody since 2014, was also directed to undergo five years of post-release supervision. The matter was finalised with the imposition of these additional custodial terms.
A jury was sworn in at the Central Criminal Court for the trial of Sean Murphy, 29, who is charged with the murder of Michael Olohan, 35, that occurred on 13 August 2020 on St Lawrence Road, Dublin. Murphy pleaded not guilty. The trial will start tomorrow before Justice Mary Ellen Ring and a jury of six men and six women and is expected to last up to five days.
Martin Hayes, a grave digger, was found not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter after a Central Criminal Court jury returned a majority verdict of 11‑1. Hayes admitted to using violence against Amadea McDermott, 27, and to having accessed her phone via a hidden app. He claimed she stabbed herself, a claim the jury rejected. The prosecution argued that Hayes inflicted a single stab wound to McDermott's abdomen without the intent to kill, and that evidence such as the absence of DNA on the knife, toxicology reports, and McDermott's text messages indicating fear of Hayes supported this view. The jury spent 13 hours and 22 minutes over four days deliberating. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for 21 November, with Hayes remanded in custody until then. The McDermott family will be allowed to speak at that hearing.
In a Special Criminal Court sentencing hearing on 13 November 2023, Judge Tony Hunt declined to exclude Aaron Brady's father, Tony Brady, from the public gallery. The decision followed an application by the Director of Public Prosecutions, who argued that an exclusion order would not prevent Brady from "propagating nonsense." Brady had previously been excluded during the trial of James Flynn, who was convicted of conspiracy to steal a car used in the Lordship Credit Union robbery that resulted in the murder of Garda Adrian Donohoe by Aaron Brady. Brady had published an online video accusing a Garda of perjury and contempt of court. The judge noted that such remarks do not affect the court's proceedings and allowed Brady to remain present. The hearing also covered the sentencing of James Flynn, who was acquitted of participation in the robbery but convicted of conspiracy to steal a Volkswagen Passat.
William Duffy, 40, of Dundalk, pleaded guilty in July to discharging a firearm recklessly at 11pm on 28 May 2019 in Marian Park, Dundalk, where he fired twice at Keith Shields, who was walking home. Duffy was seen on CCTV leaving a hospital four hours earlier and later arriving at the park. The Central Criminal Court judge, Ms Justice Caroline Biggs, sentenced Duffy to three years and six months' imprisonment, with nine months suspended, for causing "abject terror" to Mr Shields. The judge noted Duffy's 42 prior convictions, including affray, burglary and assault, and his history of substance abuse, but also his remorse, boxing coaching and positive prison governor's report. The sentence was based on a pre‑mitigation term of four years and eight months, reduced by a 25% mitigating discount. The attempted murder charge was withdrawn by the State.
Julie Maughan, 38, of Kimmage Manor, Terenure, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to a 15‑year‑old boy on 8 October 2022. She had mistaken the boy and his friends for people harassing her daughter and drove her van toward them, then exited with a cricket bat and struck the boy over the head. The boy was taken to hospital and received four stitches. No victim impact statement was given. Maughan was arrested that night after the boys called Gardaí. She denied involvement at the scene, but her mobile phone was seized and video showed her encouraging her daughter to cry in front of Gardaí. She has seven prior convictions, mainly traffic offences and one drug‑related offence from 2013. Judge Martin Nolan sentenced her to two years' imprisonment, suspended in full on strict conditions, after noting the assault was "reasonably bad" but that she did not deserve prison at this point.
Shane Ginty, 30, of St Stephen's Green, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for offences committed on O'Connell Street on January 31, 2023. He pleaded guilty to two counts of assault and one count of theft. Judge Orla Crowe noted that Ginty had 65 previous convictions and was serving a suspended sentence at the time of the offence. The court heard that Ginty assaulted a victim and Garda Alan Sexton, who was chasing him. Judge Crowe set a headline sentence of four years but reduced it to three years in prison, backdated to his custody date. She suspended the final six months for two years and ordered 12 months of Probation Service supervision post-release. The judge acknowledged mitigating factors including his early guilty plea, remorse, and good behavior in custody. The victim, a non-national, stated in an impact statement that he did not expect such violence in Ireland. Defense counsel highlighted Ginty's history of homelessness, drug addiction, and ADHD. The matter was finalized with the imposition of the custodial sentence and conditions.
The Central Criminal Court jury, consisting of eight men and four women, has paused its deliberations over the weekend and will resume on Monday at 10.30am. They have spent 11 hours and 39 minutes across three days considering the verdict in the murder trial of Martin Hayes, 34, who denies killing his partner, Amadea McDermott, 27, at her home in Coolock on 20 July 2017. The prosecution alleges Hayes stabbed McDermott and that she had previously been physically abused by him. Hayes claims the stabbing was self‑harm, citing a post‑mortem that the single abdominal wound could be consistent with self‑harm and that no DNA was found on the knife. The jury can return one of three verdicts: guilty of murder, not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter, or not guilty. Justice Paul McDermott has asked the jurors to reach a unanimous decision.
At the Central Criminal Court, a consultant psychiatrist told a jury that a man charged with murder disclosed he was "on a mission from God to kill" his wife during a mental health assessment conducted before her body was discovered. Dr Camilla Curtis of Mayo Mental Health Services stated the accused presented with acute psychotic symptoms and posed a significant risk to himself and others, yet she determined he could not be detained in the low-security adult mental health unit in Castlebar. The man, aged 50, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to the murder of Ms Valerie French Kilroy at their home in Kilbree Lower, Westport, County Mayo, between June 13 and 14, 2019. The court heard he was found running naked in a field outside Westport and subsequently confessed to gardaí, stating he had stabbed his wife in the throat with a kitchen knife. The trial continues before Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury at the Central Criminal Court.
Cathal Murphy, brother of the murdered Ashling Murphy, described the convicted killer Jozef Puska as a "vicious monster" who inflicted "incomprehensible violence" on his victim. Speaking at the Criminal Courts of Justice after Puska's conviction for the January 2023 murder of Ashling while she walked along the Grand Canal in Tullamore, Mr Murphy thanked the jury for their patience and resilience during the trial. He said the verdict delivers justice but will not bring Ashling back or heal the family's wounds, and urged the media to respect their privacy as they continue to grieve. Ryan Casey, Ashling's boyfriend, also thanked the family, friends, community, Gardaí, the prosecution team, the presiding judge Mr Justice Tony Hunt and court support staff for their support and for the thorough investigation that led to the conviction.
A man on trial for murder told gardaí he had killed his wife after being found naked in a field near Westport, Co Mayo, the Central Criminal Court heard. James Kilroy, aged 50, a park ranger, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to the murder of Valerie French Kilroy, an occupational therapist, at their home at Kilbree Lower between 13 and 14 June 2019. Gardaí discovered Mr Kilroy in a field in Derrygorman on the morning of 14 June, where he stated he was on a pilgrimage to Croagh Patrick. He was detained under the Mental Health Act. At Mayo University Hospital, Mr Kilroy told gardaí he wished to make a confession and said he had killed his wife. Gardaí subsequently found Ms French Kilroy's body in a campervan at the property, with evidence of a violent death. The trial, presided over by Mr Justice Paul McDermott, continues before a jury of seven women and five men. Psychiatric evidence will be central to the jury's consideration.
In the trial of Jozef Puska, the prosecution presented evidence that Puska stalked and murdered Ashling Murphy on the Grand Canal towpath on 13 January. Puska allegedly dragged Murphy into briars, stabbed her 11 times in the neck and slashed her once, causing fatal blood loss. Witnesses, including teacher Jenna Stack, described seeing a man crouched over Murphy, holding her down, and Puska's DNA was found under Murphy's fingernails. Puska was arrested in Tullamore, questioned in hospital, and during the trial he repeatedly denied involvement, later claiming he had been stabbed elsewhere and that he had confessed to the murder. The court heard conflicting statements and the prosecution urged the jury to reject Puska's lies and convict him of murder.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, a Kenyan woman who had been a close friend of John Ndungu for almost 20 years defended herself after he violently attacked her in her Balbriggan home on 21 June 2020. Ndungu, 42, had been drinking heavily and, after a verbal altercation, grabbed the woman in a chokehold, punched her, and inflicted severe injuries. She elbowed him in the genitals, threw items, and eventually escaped to call the Gardaí. The assault left her with two lost teeth, a fractured eye socket and cheekbone, and a total medical cost of about €4,000. Ndungu pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to a woman. Judge Martina Baxter sentenced him to 30 months in prison, with the final 18 months suspended on the condition of good behaviour and engagement with Probation Services. The woman's victim impact statement highlighted the emotional and physical scars left by the attack.
At the Central Criminal Court, a jury has been presented with a bloodied and severely bent knife in connection with the death of Valerie French Kilroy at her rural home near Westport, County Mayo, in June 2019. Park Kilroy, aged fifty, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to the charge of murder. The prosecution has indicated that psychiatric evidence will feature prominently in proceedings. The court heard that following the discovery of the deceased's body in a camper van on the property at Kilbree Lower, the accused identified the knife as the instrument he had used. A post-mortem examination determined the cause of death to be ligature strangulation, blunt force trauma, and a stab wound to the neck. The defence's insanity plea requires the jury to consider whether the accused was suffering from a mental disorder at the time that prevented him from understanding the nature or wrongfulness of his actions. The trial, overseen by Mr Justice Paul McDermott, is expected to continue for approximately three weeks.
The jury, consisting of eight men and four women, is set to deliberate for a third day on Friday in the trial of Martin Hayes, a grave digger accused of murdering his partner, Amadea McDermott, at her home in Coolock on or about 20 July 2017. Hayes, aged 34, has pleaded not guilty. The prosecution alleges that Hayes told emergency services that McDermott had self‑harmed, but evidence from a former partner and a garda witness suggests he may have forced her to stab herself. Defence counsel Sean Gillane SC argued that the narrative of self‑harm was fabricated and that the post‑mortem indicated the single stab wound could be consistent with self‑harm. Ronan Munro SC noted no DNA from Hayes on the knife. The jury can return a verdict of guilty of murder, not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter, or not guilty. Judge Paul McDermott reminded the jurors that they must be unanimous.
Peter Lynch, 52, received a suspended 22‑month sentence after a violent neighbourhood row in Dublin. He pleaded guilty to assault, assault causing harm, producing a pen in a dispute and threatening behaviour. The incident began when Lynch, driving his van, clashed with a neighbour who was trying to record his registration number. The neighbour clung to the bonnet, and Lynch drove off with him still attached. Lynch had previously pushed a woman and spat at her, and had used a pen as a weapon. He was arrested that night and the case was captured on CCTV and phone footage. Judge Elma Sheahan noted his 24 prior convictions but also mitigating factors such as a 19‑year period of no offence and his business work. The sentence was suspended on strict conditions, with probation supervision for 12 months and a €1,500 offer to each victim within 28 days.
Ross Thompson, 24, of Ballymun, was sentenced to four years in prison for his role in a violent group attack at Mountjoy Prison in December 2018. The incident, which took place in the recreation area around lunchtime, involved Thompson kicking and stamping on an injured inmate who was also stabbed up to seven times, though Thompson was not involved in the stabbing. The court described Thompson's conduct as "utterly reprehensible and lawless" and noted that the victim was stamped 15 or 16 times on the head. Judge Orla Crowe originally set a headline sentence of seven years but reduced it to four years, backdated to July 7, due to Thompson's young age and guilty plea. Thompson also faces a three‑year driving disqualification for a May 2021 incident involving a scrambler bike and a mobile patrol.
In the Central Criminal Court, Judge Mr Justice Tony Hunt addressed a jury hearing the trial of Jozef Puska, who denies murdering 23‑year‑old school teacher Ashling Murphy. The judge reiterated the legal principles and guided the jury through the evidence presented, including an alleged confession by Puska, DNA found under Murphy's fingernails, interview evidence from Gardaí after his arrest, and eye‑witness testimony at the scene. Puska, 33, has pleaded not guilty to the murder that occurred on 12 January 2022 in Cappincur, Tullamore. The defence has questioned the reliability of Puska's alleged confession, recorded on 14 January when he was in St James's Hospital. The judge noted that while the words spoken were recorded, the defence raised concerns about their truth, accuracy and reliability, citing an expert who suggested Puska may have been confused or experiencing "subtle delirium" due to surgery, pain relief medication, the unfamiliar hospital environment and a language barrier.
In the Central Criminal Court, a jury of eight men and four women is in its second day of deliberations over the murder trial of Martin Hayes, 34, accused of killing his partner Amadea McDermott, 27, at her home in Coolock on or about 20 July 2017. The jury has spent 2 hours 35 minutes on the verdict so far and will return tomorrow at 10:30 am to continue. Hayes pleaded not guilty. Defence counsel Sean Gillane SC argued that the narrative of self‑harm was fabricated, citing a post‑mortem that the single stab wound could be consistent with self‑harm and that no DNA from Hayes was found on the knife. The prosecution, represented by Mr Hayes' counsel, maintained that the evidence pointed to a fatal injury inflicted by Hayes, describing his contempt for McDermott.
In a case heard on 7 November 2023, Judge Martina Baxter directed the Probation Service to assess Amy Bergin, 29, for suitability for community service following her guilty plea to one count of assault at the Cock and Bull Pub, Coolock, on 3 February 2019. Bergin, a former friend of the victim, claimed she and the victim were "reefing the head off each other" during a brief altercation that lasted less than ten seconds. The victim reported a flicking or scraping action, a thrown drink, and a push against her face, resulting in a cut and bruised head. No CCTV or witnesses were available. Bergin has 21 prior convictions, mainly for traffic offences, and no recent Garda attention. The court noted mitigation, including family support, a letter of apology, and a medical report, and adjourned the case to 12 February 2024 for finalisation, while ordering a restorative justice assessment.
A jury of seven women and five men has been sworn in at the Central Criminal Court for the trial of a man charged with the murder of his wife in County Mayo. James Kilroy, aged 49, pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to the charge of murdering Valerie French Kilroy at their home in Kilbree Lower, Westport, between 13 and 14 June 2019. Mr Kilroy, a park ranger, faces the single count of murder. Justice Caroline Biggs informed the jury that proceedings are expected to continue for approximately three weeks, with the trial commencing before Justice Paul McDermott at the Central Criminal Court.
In Waterford, Stephen Keane, aged 33, was convicted of the brutal murder of 60‑year‑old John Lowe on 13 December 2018 and sentenced to life imprisonment. Keane had pleaded guilty to manslaughter but not to murder. He claimed he struck Lowe once with a punch, that Lowe had approached him with a knife, and that he was intoxicated and had no legal advice when he made admissions to Gardaí. The trial judge ruled the Garda notebook entries of Keane's admissions admissible, and the jury found him guilty. Keane appealed, arguing that the admissions were made while he was intoxicated and should have been excluded. The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal, affirming the trial judge's decision that the evidence was admissible and that the judge had correctly applied the law on voluntariness and fairness. The conviction and life sentence remain in force.
In a murder trial heard on 6 November 2023, a 40‑year‑old man who died after a fatal stabbing was still conscious when Garda Colm McMenamin arrived and was able to point to his alleged attacker. The accused, Andrew 'Andy' Cash of Highrath, Clara, Co Kilkenny, is charged with the murder of John Cash at Hebron Road, Kilkenny City, on 3 May 2022. Cash, 30, is also charged with assault causing harm to his sister, Elizabeth Cash, and with producing a knife during a dispute at about 12.30 pm on the same day. He has pleaded not guilty to all three charges. Garda McMenamin described how he witnessed John Cash lying on the ground, still able to turn and point at Cash, and how Cash was arrested at 12.38 pm after shouting abuse. The trial, presided over by Ms Justice Eileen Creedon, is expected to last two weeks.
A 25‑year‑old man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for raping and assaulting his 24‑year‑old partner in their shared home in the West of Ireland on 6 October 2021. The court heard that during the attack the man held the woman in a headlock, beat, kicked and kneeled on her, retrieved knives from the kitchen, spat on her after raping her, and forced her to pull down her underwear to "check if she had sex". The woman, who gave a victim impact statement, described the assault as a savage attack that left her with facial injuries and missing hair. She feared for her life and the safety of her young daughter. The judge noted the man's guilty plea and remorse, and imposed a 10‑year sentence, citing the severity of the domestic assault and its impact on the victim's life.
In a Central Criminal Court sentencing hearing, the families of Michael Mulvey, a 55‑year‑old victim who died 13 days after being attacked, said the two brothers, Ian (34) and Daniel (43), had shown no remorse. The brothers, from Cabra, Dublin, had denied murder of Mulvey in a 2019 Navan Road attack. A July trial found them not guilty of murder, but guilty of manslaughter (Ian) and of intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm (Daniel). The court heard that Ian stepped onto a pedestrian crossing, shouted threats, and struck Mulvey with blows and kicks, while Daniel joined, wrapped his arms around Mulvey's neck, and punched him repeatedly. Witnesses described the assault as violent, with Mulvey sustaining facial fractures, rib fractures, and a hemopneumothorax that contributed to his death. The brothers' prior convictions and lack of remorse were highlighted by the prosecution, and the case was remanded for sentencing on 4 December.
In the trial of Jozef Puska, who denies murdering 23‑year‑old teacher Ashling Murphy, the defence has finished its evidence. Dr Johann Grundlingh, an accident and emergency specialist, testified that Puska's alleged confession may have been unreliable because he was in a post‑operative state, receiving opioid painkillers, and possibly experiencing subtle delirium. He also raised concerns about language barriers and the unfamiliar hospital environment. Dr Grundlingh noted that no formal assessment of Puska's fitness to be interviewed was carried out. Judge Tony Hunt told the jury that they would hear the prosecution's closing speech on Tuesday, followed by the defence and the judge's charge, and that the case would be handed over to the jury on Wednesday afternoon. Puska, aged 33, remains not guilty of the murder of Ms Murphy, which occurred on 12 January 2022 in Tullamore, Co. Offaly. The trial is proceeding before Mr Justice Hunt and a jury of nine men and three women.
Sean Johnston, 22, and an unnamed 20‑year‑old were sentenced at the Central Criminal Court to a combined 13½ years for a pre‑meditated stabbing that left a 16‑year‑old victim with 14 wounds. Johnston pleaded guilty to assault causing serious harm and to six threats to kill another teenager; his co‑accused pleaded guilty to causing serious harm and to a threat to kill or seriously injure a teenager. Both were initially charged with attempted murder but the State dropped those charges. The judge, Mr Justice Hunt, imposed a headline sentence of 16 years for Johnston and 13 years for the second youth, then reduced each by a quarter for guilty pleas. Johnston's 12‑year term had four years suspended for eight years; the second youth's 8‑year term had two‑and‑a‑half years suspended for five‑and‑a‑half years. The sentences were back‑dated to 30 September 2021 and 28 January 2022 respectively.
Three brothers aged 39, 40 and 41 were sentenced to 11, 15 and 16½ years for raping and sexually abusing their sister, niece and male cousin between 1999 and 2005. The 41‑year‑old received 15 years for 19 rapes of his sister, four sexual assaults and three oral rapes, plus two anally rapes of his niece and one rape of her. The 39‑year‑old was jailed for 16½ years for 20 rapes of his sister, four sexual assaults, six oral rapes, two anally rapes of his niece and two anally rapes of his male cousin. The 40‑year‑old received 11 years for 20 rapes of his sister, five sexual assaults and three oral rapes. A 64‑year‑old mother was jailed for two years for assisting her son in an anally rape of her granddaughter and for assaulting the same child. The unnamed 41-year-old was found guilty.
A 71‑year‑old Carlow pensioner has lodged an appeal against his conviction for two counts of rape of his niece and multiple counts of indecent assault on other female relatives. The appeal argues that the trial judge erred by refusing to sever the indictment into separate trials for each complainant and by refusing to withdraw the case from the jury after the State's evidence. The appellant contends that the passage of time and the unavailability of witnesses prejudiced his case, as the alleged offences occurred in the 1970s and 1980s and witnesses could only identify limited time periods. He also claims that extensive pre‑trial communication between complainants should have led to severance. The Court of Appeal has reserved judgment, with the Director of Prosecutions defending the judge's decisions and stating the law is well settled. The unnamed 71-year-old pleaded not guilty.
In a murder trial in Kilkenny, Andrew 'Andy' Cash, 30, is accused of stabbing his brother‑in‑law, John Cash, 40, to death on 3 May 2022 at Hebron Road. The prosecution alleges that Cash, who shouted "he had it coming for 20 years" and "you have been riding other women," attacked John in broad daylight, causing two stab wounds that penetrated the heart. Cash is also charged with assault causing harm to John's wife, Elizabeth Cash, and with producing a knife during the dispute. He pleaded not guilty to all three charges. The court heard witness testimony of a physical altercation, the discovery of a small steak knife, and that Cash was intoxicated and deemed unfit for interview for six hours after his arrest. The trial, presided over by Ms Justice Eileen Creedon, is expected to last two weeks.
Jozef Puska, aged 33, gave evidence at the Ashling Murphy trial claiming he was a witness to her murder. He testified that he was stabbed three times by the same attacker who killed the 23‑year‑old teacher. Puska described being pushed off his bike, stabbed in the stomach, and later seeing the attacker assault a woman before fleeing. He said he tried to help Murphy, using her shawl to cover injuries, but left after a few moments. Puska admitted lying to Gardaí about being stabbed in Blanchardstown and apologized, citing fear for his family. He denied confessing to murder in St James's Hospital and said he could not recall such admissions. The trial continues with further witnesses to be called. Jozef Puska pleaded not guilty.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing on 2 November 2023, 34‑year‑old grave digger Martin Hayes, accused of murdering his 27‑year‑old partner Amadea McDermott, took the stand to deny stabbing her. He claimed the relationship was "toxic" but that he had done everything to save her. Hayes said he had thrown her onto a sofa when she wouldn't let him go to work and that he had no right to hit back if someone hit him. He denied confessing to girlfriend Niamh Higgins that he had stabbed McDermott, calling her a liar. Hayes also denied that McDermott had self‑harmed, stating he had called emergency services three times and held a towel over a wound. The trial heard witnesses describing bruises on McDermott's body and alleged physical abuse. The case remains in progress before Mr Justice Paul McDermott with a jury of eight men and four women. Martin Hayes pleaded not guilty.
A 43‑year‑old man, Neilus Cooney, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for repeatedly punching a woman in her own home and threatening to slice and kill her. He also threatened to kill two Gardaí who came to the woman's aid after she fled and called for help. Cooney, who was armed with scissors, threatened a Sergeant from the Emergency Response Unit and claimed to have a firearm. He pleaded guilty to assault, causing harm, and threatening to kill the woman and a Garda. The judge imposed a headline sentence of four years, reduced to three years with six months suspended, and ordered him to keep the peace, undergo probation supervision for one year, and attend addiction services. The court noted his significant medical issues, remorse, and early plea as mitigating factors. The case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Jozef Puska, aged 33, took the stand in his own defence at the Ashling Murphy murder trial. He denied any intent to harm the 23‑year‑old teacher, stating he had "no bad intention whatsoever" when he was cycling behind Annemarie Kelly, a witness who claimed Puska was following her. Puska explained that he had left his home in Mucklagh at 11:30 a.m. on a push bike, travelled to Tullamore, and moved around the town, looking for his brother. He described the bike he rode—a black Falcon Storm push bike with a green needle—as the one found near the murder site. Puska also said he would not comment on questions about his DNA found under Murphy's fingernails or his presence at the scene, after being interviewed by Gardaí under the Criminal Justice Act 1984. The prosecution closed its case, and Puska's testimony will continue tomorrow. Jozef Puska pleaded not guilty.
During a trial for the murder of school teacher Ashling Murphy, the accused, Jozef Puska, told Gardaí that he had never seen her. He repeated this denial when questioned by detectives six days after the stabbing. Puska, 33, had earlier admitted to the murder in a hospital bed, stating "I did it, I murdered, I am the murderer" and that he had "cut" Murphy. He has pleaded not guilty. Garda detectives interviewed him five times over two days following his arrest on suspicion of the murder. In the current hearing, the prosecution presented an email from a different individual claiming responsibility for the murder, but Gardaí found no link to Puska. The trial proceeds before Mr Justice Tony Hunt and a jury of nine men and three women.
Conor Dolan was sentenced to life imprisonment by Ms Justice Eileen Creedon at the Central Criminal Court for the murder of Neil Fitzgerald. Dolan, who has 32 previous convictions, pleaded guilty to the charge on July 4 of this year, having originally pleaded not guilty. The court heard that Fitzgerald was shot six times in an execution-style killing on Hills Lane, Crooksling, Tallaght, on June 5, 2016. Prosecution counsel stated that Dolan allegedly lured his friend to the location, where he was paid €10,000 to commit the act. Evidence included CCTV footage, mobile phone data, and a confession Dolan allegedly made to his ex-girlfriend while under the influence of cocaine. The sentence was back-dated to May 15, 2020, when Dolan was arrested at Dublin Airport upon his extradition from the UK. The judge noted that the only sentence open to the court was life imprisonment and extended sympathy to the victim's family. The matter was concluded with this mandatory life sentence.
The Court of Appeal upheld the conviction of a 14‑year‑old who murdered Urantsetseg Tserendorj, keeping his life sentence in force. The teenager, now 17, had denied the murder but pleaded guilty to manslaughter. He was found guilty by a majority jury after two trials, the first ending in a jury disagreement. The appeal argued that the trial judge erred by allowing evidence of a prior attempted robbery and a comment by prosecuting counsel that the teenager "went for the jugular." The Court rejected these claims, stating the evidence was relevant and the comment was not prejudicial. The appeal also challenged the admission of a dying declaration by Tserendorj's husband, which the Court found met the legal test. Finally, the Court dismissed an allegation that the judge's attitude was negative toward the juvenile. The conviction and life sentence remain unchanged.
A 36‑year‑old man, on bail for a prior assault, broke into his former partner's home on 5 January 2021 and attacked her in front of her child. He claimed the victim was at fault because she had changed her phone password, which he said made him paranoid. The man pleaded guilty to criminal damage, endangerment, assault and trespass. He had previously been convicted of assault causing harm and two counts of criminal damage, for which he received a three‑year prison sentence with six months suspended. The victim's impact statement described ongoing PTSD, panic attacks and a sense that the house was no longer safe. The court adjourned the case to 6 February 2024 for finalisation of the sentence. The man was described by counsel as a model prisoner who has attended anger‑management classes while in custody.
In the Central Criminal Court trial of grave digger Martin Hayes, a toxicologist testified that Amadea McDermott, aged 27, had a post‑mortem blood concentration of 0.34 micrograms per milliliter of cocaine and an alcohol level roughly three times the drink‑driving limit. The expert explained that cocaine can be taken in various forms and that its effects depend on individual tolerance, noting that combined use with alcohol can produce unpredictable behaviour. Hayes, aged 34, denies murdering McDermott, claiming she stabbed herself and that he had left her after a fight. A woman in a later relationship with Hayes testified that he had helped her stab McDermott, while a Garda witness reported past physical abuse. The trial is set to continue before Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury. Martin Hayes pleaded not guilty.
The Court of Appeal has quashed the fully suspended sentence imposed on Brian Haig, finding it unduly lenient. Haig, a 40-year-old from Roscrea, County Tipperary, pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault committed on March 10, 2019. The original sentencing judge, Cormac Quinn, had imposed an 18-month suspended sentence at Tipperary Circuit Court in January 2023. The DPP appealed, arguing the headline sentence of two and a half years was too low given aggravating factors, including that the victim was asleep and her clothing was cut off with a sharp blade. The three-judge panel, led by Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy, agreed the offending fell within the mid-range of gravity and displayed premeditation. Consequently, the court set a fresh headline sentence of five years, reduced to three and a half years in prison. The final 12 months of this term are suspended for a period of two years. Haig's counsel had argued for leniency based on his guilty plea, a letter of apology, and a probation report noting a difficult background, but the court determined the custody threshold should have been crossed.
In a Mountjoy Prison group attack on 18 December 2018, Ross Thompson, 24, was found by the court to have kicked and stamped on an inmate in the recreation area, while the victim was stabbed up to seven times by around six individuals, including Thompson. CCTV footage showed Thompson's kicking and stamping; he was not involved in the stabbing and investigators found no evidence he knew a weapon would be used. Thompson pleaded guilty to violent disorder and to separate charges of dangerous driving, driving without a licence and driving without insurance on 18 May 2021. He has 61 prior convictions, including assault, threats to kill, drug possession and road‑traffic offences, and is currently serving a three‑year, three‑month sentence for reckless firearm discharge. The court noted that Thompson accepted his role in the prison disciplinary process, lost privileges, and that the case was delayed until this year.
Two Limerick brothers, aged 29 and 28, were convicted in November 2021 of raping a 14‑year‑old girl and sentenced to 11 years' imprisonment. The younger brother also received an eight‑year sentence for sexual assault, to run concurrently. Both denied the rape, claiming the girl was 16 and that they were victims. The trial took place at the Central Criminal Court. The appeal, heard by Mr Justice John Edwards, was dismissed. The judge upheld the original convictions, noting that the jury had been properly instructed that questions asked of the accused were not evidence. The appeal argued that a re‑charge was too late and insufficiently specific, but the court found no procedural error. The case remains at the conviction stage, with no change to the sentences or the status of the charges. The unnamed 14-year-old pleaded not guilty.
A 45‑year‑old man, David Bolger, was sentenced to nine years in prison for the manslaughter of his friend Przemyslaw Klimczuk, who was 43, in a house on Greenville Lane, Enniscorthy, on 1 May 2020. The incident occurred during a Covid lockdown when the defendants were drinking heavily. Bolger denied a murder charge but was found guilty of manslaughter, with the judge noting that his intoxication removed the intent required for murder. The judge reduced the headline sentence of 14 years to ten years and six months, suspending the final 18 months on the condition of good behaviour and peace‑keeping. Bolger will serve 12 months under probation supervision after release and must comply with probation conditions or serve the suspended portion. The sentence was back‑dated to 6 July to account for time already served. The case was heard at the Central Criminal Court, where victim impact statements from Klimczuk's children were read.
Amadea McDermott, 27, was found dead from a stab wound at her home in Coolock on 20 July 2017. A week before her death she had a black eye and a make‑up artist, Jade Deacon, who had worked with her, testified that McDermott described her relationship with the accused, Martin Hayes, as "toxic". Deacon also said McDermott had told her she loved Hayes but wished he would leave her. A forensic scientist, Dr Ciara Kelly, matched McDermott's DNA to a swab taken from the murder weapon, but found no DNA from Hayes. Hayes, 34, pleaded not guilty to the murder. He was arrested on 8 October 2020 and charged on 4 April 2022. The trial is before Mr Justice Paul McDermott with a jury of eight men and four women. The case remains an ongoing murder trial.
Paschal Kelly, aged 57, has failed in his appeal against conviction for a €92,000 post office robbery committed in September 2014. The Court of Appeal dismissed his challenge on all grounds, upholding his 18-year sentence imposed by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court in 2018. Kelly, with last addresses in Cootehill, County Cavan, and Castlepollard, County Westmeath, was convicted of offences including false imprisonment, robbery, burglary and threatening to kill three women during the crime. The gang entered the home of postmistress Susan Lawlor in Malahide, bound her, her daughter and a student guest with cable ties, and transported them to Bayside Post Office in Sutton where the robbery occurred. Mr Justice John Edwards upheld the trial judge's admission of CCTV evidence and garda identification testimony, finding the evidence reliable and the conviction safe. Kelly's legal team indicated a sentence appeal remains pending. He has 60 previous convictions including robbery and assault.
In the Central Criminal Court, a grave digger, Martin Hayes, 34, pleaded not guilty to the murder of his partner, Amadea McDermott, 27, who was found dead at her home in Coolock on 20 July 2017. The jury heard that Hayes claimed Amadea had stabbed herself, but evidence from a woman who later dated Hayes suggested he had helped her insert a knife into her stomach. A social worker, Ciara Lumsden, testified that Hayes told her he had found evidence on Amadea's phone that she was in an incestuous relationship with a relative. Garda emails and screenshots from Amadea's phone were presented, showing text messages in which she accused Hayes of abuse and denied being abused. Witnesses described a history of physical conflict, alcohol use, and bruises on Amadea's body. The trial also covered Hayes' statement to Gardaí, his work as a grave digger, and his relationship with Amadea, including their children and use of drugs.
In Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, 32‑year‑old Christopher Coakley pleaded guilty to an attempted knife robbery of a woman's €500 e‑scooter on O'Connell Street on 4 February 2021. Coakley held a knife to the victim's throat and demanded the scooter, but was shoved to the ground, lost the knife and fled. He was arrested and detained by gardai. Judge Patricia Ryan noted that Coakley committed the offence to obtain drugs and warned that without rehabilitation he would return to court repeatedly. She cited aggravating factors such as the robbery being part of a spree and the lasting psychological harm to the victim, and mitigating factors including his guilty plea. The judge imposed a five‑year sentence, back‑dated to his March 2023 custody, while he remains serving an eight‑year term for assault causing serious harm and a separate four‑year term for another robbery on the same day.
During the Central Criminal Court hearing, Dr Lorna Flanagan presented DNA evidence linking Jozef Puska to Ashling Murphy's murder. Swabs taken from under Murphy's fingernails yielded a Y‑chromosome profile that matched the Y‑STR profile from Puska's blood and swabs collected when he was in custody at Tullamore Garda Station on 18 January. The probability of an unrelated match was estimated at about one in 14,000. Puska, aged 33, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Murphy, who was killed on 12 January 2022 in Cappincur, Tullamore. The trial is proceeding before Mr Justice Tony Hunt with a jury of nine men and three women. The court has not yet reached a verdict.
A 41‑year‑old Dominican Republic national was sentenced to ten and a half years' imprisonment, with an 18‑month suspended portion, for violently sexually assaulting his former sister‑in‑law in her Dublin home on 16 July 2021. The court found that he entered her bedroom at about 2 a.m., subjected her to a five‑hour assault in which he repeatedly penetrated her, threatened to stab her 50 times with a metal turkey baster, and physically choked, pulled, and pushed her. He also took her phone when she tried to call for help. The victim, who was found with bruising and abrasions, later escaped at 7:30 a.m. and was taken to a sexual assault treatment unit. She described lasting panic attacks and a "perpetual state of fear and anxiety." The judge noted the prolonged nature of the offence, the multiplicity of sexual violations, and the threats to kill as aggravating factors. The unnamed 41-year-old pleaded guilty.