Ross Hutch, aged 30, pleaded guilty via videolink at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to two separate offences committed in August 2021. On 22 August, he allegedly slashed the face of his ex‑partner's boyfriend with a knife at Sheriff Street Lower, causing serious harm. The following day, 23 August, he allegedly assaulted his then girlfriend at The Holyhead Hostel on Gardiner Street, causing harm. The court heard that Hutch had been denied attendance at his child's communion for security reasons and that the slashing incident occurred as the boyfriend was leaving a pub in Dublin City centre. CCTV footage reportedly captured the assault on his girlfriend the next morning. Prosecutor Fiona McGowan requested victim impact statements for the two victims and others named in the indictment. Judge Martin Nolan set a sentence hearing for 29 March, remanded Hutch in custody, and vacated his earlier trial date. The case remains pending sentencing.
Haremi Limited, a clothing company co‑owned by fashion blogger Rosie Connolly Quinn and her husband Paul Quinn, has brought High Court proceedings against three parties it says have engaged in 'passing off' its trademarked brand 'The 4TH ARQ'. The claim arose after Haremi discovered hoodies, sweatpants and jumpers bearing its logo being sold at two fashion outlets – one in Dublin and one in Co Wexford – despite the company's policy that its goods can only be purchased through its website. Haremi alleges the items were supplied by Independent Clothing Ltd, a supplier it had rejected last year, and that the garments were inferior and substandard. The court granted Haremi permission to serve short‑notice injunction proceedings on the defendants and adjourned the matter to Friday's sitting. Haremi seeks injunctions restraining the defendants from selling, marketing or dealing in goods bearing its trademark, and orders to disclose the names and addresses of all suppliers of such goods.
A Donegal man has received a fully suspended sentence following his conviction for sexually assaulting his partner while she slept at their family home in February 2018. The 31-year-old pleaded guilty to sexual assault at the Central Criminal Court after two jury trials ended in disagreement on a more serious charge. Mr Justice Paul McDermott imposed a sentence of two years and six months, suspended in full, citing the guilty plea entered at the earliest opportunity, the man's lack of previous convictions, and assessed low risk of reoffending. The judge set a headline sentence of four years before mitigation. The victim told the court the offence had devastated her life and sense of security. Justice McDermott ordered three years of probation supervision and imposed a condition that the man have no contact with the woman. He also commended the complainant's courage in pursuing the case and cautioned against community attitudes that might target her.
At the Central Criminal Court in Dublin, a murder trial heard evidence concerning Stephen Silver's mental state in the hours before the fatal shooting of Garda Horkan at Castlerea, County Roscommon on 17 June 2020. Silver's sister, Marian Bruen, testified that she recognised her brother was unwell during a telephone call on 16 June 2020 and that the family planned to have him admitted to a psychiatric hospital. Dr Brenda Wright, interim clinical director at the Central Mental Hospital, gave evidence regarding her psychiatric assessment of Silver, who is aged 46 and from Aughavard, Foxford, County Mayo. The prosecution highlighted apparent inconsistencies in Silver's accounts, including a statement he later acknowledged as untrue when interviewed by consultant psychiatrist Professor Harry Kennedy. Silver has pleaded not guilty to capital murder but guilty to manslaughter. The trial, before Ms Justice Tara Burns, centres on Silver's mental capacity at the time of the shooting.
Douglas Glynn and his brother Anthony Glynn pleaded guilty at the Special Criminal Court to charges related to the possession of ammunition and drugs for an organised crime gang. Douglas Glynn admitted to conspiracy to possess 335 rounds of ammunition and various calibres of ammunition, as well as conspiracy to possess cocaine and cannabis valued over €13,000 for sale or supply. Anthony Glynn pleaded guilty to possessing the ammunition and drugs for an organised crime gang. The court heard that gardaí seized 20kg of cocaine, cannabis, and ammunition from a Dublin 15 business park in March 2017. Evidence included encrypted phone messages using code words for drugs and firearms, which identified Douglas Glynn as a manager of the operation. Douglas Glynn is already serving a six-and-a-half-year sentence for his role in a foiled Kinahan Cartel plot to murder James 'Mago' Gately, for which he was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years with the final year suspended. Mr Justice Hunt adjourned the matter to March 16 for sentence finalisation.
Paul Meehan, 47, of Dublin, pleaded guilty to burglary at Fit4Less gym in Finglas on 2 May 2020 during the first Covid‑19 lockdown. A woman passing the gym at 9.30 pm on 5 May 2020 saw Meehan removing an exercise bike from the closed premises and later gave a detailed description to the Gardaí. CCTV footage, recovered from a single hard drive, showed Meehan entering the gym as the front door was open and cutting the CCTV system. He was arrested on 6 May 2020 and, after two interviews, identified himself on the footage. The bike was not recovered. Meehan has 204 prior convictions, including over 20 for burglary. The court, after considering a medical report and his engagement with mental‑health services, imposed a 16‑month prison sentence fully suspended on strict conditions, including supervision by the Probation Service. The sentence was handed by Judge Martin Nolan.
A 78‑year‑old pensioner with more than 200 prior convictions was sentenced to three years' imprisonment for sexually assaulting a 16‑year‑old girl on public transport in County Dublin. He pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault on 14 February 2020 and to one count of public masturbation on 12 February 2020. Judge Martin Nolan imposed a three‑year term for the assault and a six‑month term for the public masturbation, both to run concurrently and back‑dated to 19 February 2020 when the defendant was remanded. The court noted the victim's fear and anxiety after the incident, which lasted about eight minutes, and the impact on her schoolwork. The defendant, who is married with two sons, has further convictions pending for a separate matter later this year. The judge emphasised that the court's role is punishment, not preventative detention. The sentences are to be served in custody.
A 49-year-old man from Westport, County Mayo has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his wife by reason of insanity at the Central Criminal Court. James Kilroy is charged with murdering Valerie French Kilroy, aged 41, at their home in Kilbree Lower between June 13 and 14, 2019. Ms French Kilroy, an occupational therapist employed by Mayo Mental Health Services, was a mother of three originally from County Cork. A jury of ten men and two women was sworn in to hear the trial before Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring. The court heard that witnesses are primarily from the Castlebar and Westport areas. The trial commenced and is expected to conclude by the end of the month.
At the Central Criminal Court, Martin Doyle, aged 53, of Esker, Knock, County Mayo, was convicted following trial of two counts of rape and 25 counts of sexual assault. The offences comprised the rape of his wife on two occasions in May 2009 and once in November 2011, and systematic sexual assault of his daughter between 2004 and 2011 while the family resided in County Meath and subsequently County Sligo. Justice Caroline Biggs imposed a sentence of twelve and a half years imprisonment, with two years post-release supervision to follow. The court heard evidence of assaults occurring in domestic settings and at Lough Gara, Gurteen. Doyle maintained his not-guilty plea throughout proceedings. The judge noted the absence of remorse while acknowledging his work history and lack of previous convictions as mitigating factors. She described the abuse as a systematic pattern causing near-complete destruction of the child victim's childhood. Martin Doyle pleaded not guilty.
Three men – Glen Keegan (41), Karl Keegan (31) and Thomas McAllister (48) – pleaded guilty to two counts of assault causing harm at Killinarden Heights, Tallaght, on 25 April 2017. The attack involved a balaclava‑clad armed group that struck an orange car carrying two children, damaged two motorists' vehicles, and caused a taxi driver to lose his car. The men had a combined 78 prior convictions. Judge Pauline Codd sentenced Karl Keegan and McAllister to four years' imprisonment, suspended in full on strict conditions, and Glen Keegan to a three‑and‑a‑half‑year term, also suspended. The judge noted the men's remorse, their progress in rehabilitation, and the family's forgiveness. No jail time was imposed, and the men were required to pay €6,000 as a token of remorse. The case was heard in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 6 March 2023.
Forbidden City Ltd, trading as Translation.ie, was ordered by the Workplace Relations Commission to pay €2,000 to interpreter Angela Nagle for unfair dismissal. Nagle, who had worked for the agency since 2009 providing Eastern European language services in courts, Garda stations and hospitals, was dismissed in December 2021 after the agency shifted her from payroll to invoicing, citing new Revenue guidance on self‑employment. Nagle claimed she had been an employee, having received employment slips and tax deductions, and that the agency had failed to provide a contract. The tribunal found evidence of mutuality of obligation, noting Nagle's frequent presence where directed and the agency's payroll practices. The adjudicator concluded Nagle was an employee and had been unfairly dismissed, awarding the €2,000 compensation.
An application to wind up Cloughwater Plastics Ireland Limited, a Dublin‑based plastics recycling firm employing 35 people, was formally withdrawn. The petition, originally brought by two creditors within the Van Werven Group, had been struck out after the Revenue Commissioners, who are also creditors, decided not to take over the application to appoint liquidators. The creditors had sought provisional liquidators due to concerns about the company's operations, but their claims were rejected by lawyers for director Shane Woods, who argued the matter was a shareholder dispute. Following out‑of‑court talks, the creditors withdrew the petition after shareholders entered into discussions about the firm's future. The court confirmed the strike‑out and upheld earlier cost orders. No liquidation or liquidation proceedings were ordered, and the company remains operational at Rosemount Park, Ballycoolin, Dublin 11. The case remains at the petition stage, with no further action taken by the court.
A 51‑year‑old pizza delivery driver, Earl McKevitt, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of 19‑year‑old Conor O'Brien, who was shot once in the chest on the evening of 26 August 2021 while McKevitt was delivering a pizza to O'Brien's studio in Enfield. McKevitt admitted to shooting the teenager after failing to read the delivery instructions and claimed that shooting people was part of his job. He was also found guilty of possessing a firearm and a knife on 31 August 2021 at the Talbot Hotel in Carlow, where he had retrieved the gun. Concurrent sentences of seven‑and‑a‑half years and two years were imposed for the firearm and knife offences. McKevitt's life sentence was back‑dated to 31 August 2021, the date he entered custody.
A 17‑year‑old boy, who was 14 when he committed unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 15 in a public park on 31 December 2019, had a four‑year deferred sentence activated after breaching conditions set by the Central Criminal Court. The judge had originally imposed a four‑year detention order, deferred under the Children Act 2001, with conditions that the boy not commit further offences, follow all directions of the Probation Service and avoid contact with the victim. The boy pleaded guilty to defilement but denied unlawful sex, claiming the victim had instigated the acts and that they were consensual. At the hearing, the court found the boy had breached the conditions, activated 12 months of the four‑year period, and suspended the remaining three years for two years. The judge urged the boy to engage with probation services during his detention. The victim's impact statement described lasting trauma and a loss of trust.
The Court of Appeal has reserved judgment in a miscarriage of justice application by Declan Tynan, who was cleared of violent disorder after spending 11 months in custody. Mr Tynan, who pleaded not guilty to alleged violent disorder at a Tallaght bookmakers in 2012, was initially found guilty by a jury and sentenced to four years' imprisonment with the final year suspended in January 2017. His subsequent appeal was dismissed, but his conviction was quashed in April 2018 after another man came forward claiming responsibility. Counsel for Mr Tynan argued there was a "substantial and fundamental failure of process" due to the non-disclosure of an email exchange between Gardaí that identified potential suspects, which they alleged skewed the trial. The State's counsel contended that the identification evidence remained valid and that no grave error in the administration of justice was proven. The court allowed a seven-day window to determine if the man who came forward will give evidence before delivering its decision.
At the Central Criminal Court, a psychiatrist gave evidence that Stephen Silver displayed behaviour indicative of mental illness during garda interviews following the fatal shooting of Garda Colm Horkan at Castlerea, Co Roscommon on 17 June 2020. Dr Brenda Wright, interim clinical director at the Central Mental Hospital, told the court that Silver's conduct during five interviews was facetious, contemptuous and hostile, with incongruent and erratic behaviour including grandiose ideas and disinhibited actions. She stated that Silver's mental state at the time was consistent with a manic relapse of bipolar disorder caused by non-compliance with medication, and that this illness impaired his thinking and judgment. The psychiatrist noted Silver's belief that his companion was in MI6 and other indicators of psychological distress. Silver, aged 46, from Aughavard, Foxford, Co Mayo, has pleaded not guilty to capital murder but guilty to manslaughter. The trial continues, with the jury's main consideration being Silver's state of mind at the material time.
In a High Court decision on 3 March 2023, Ms Justice Eileen Roberts dismissed a woman's application for an injunction that would have prevented her public‑sector employer from terminating her contract. The woman, whose identity is protected because of a medical condition, had worked for the entity for less than a year and had sued for wrongful dismissal and breach of contract. She sought an injunction to restrain the termination, to keep the employer from commenting on her performance, and to require continued payment of salary, benefits and pension. The court found that she had not presented arguments strong enough to succeed at a full trial, and that the injunction would be inappropriate at this stage. The judge noted the employer's claim that dismissal occurred within the probationary period and that the woman's performance was unacceptable. The court also granted reporting restrictions to protect the woman's anonymity, and the case will be heard again at a later date.
Geido Voolain, 39, of Seagrave Terrace, Finglas, pleaded guilty to possessing cannabis for sale or supply after a police search uncovered a growhouse with 17 plants, 4.3 kg of cannabis, and €100,000 worth of the drug. Gardaí found a locked concrete shed containing a growhouse, 17 plants, lighting, irrigation, and vacuum‑packed bags of cannabis. Voolain claimed he had started growing as a hobby, later turning to profit after an accident left him unemployed. He denied cultivating the vacuum‑packed cannabis, stating he had bought it for €50,000 and sold it. Siobhan Myles, 44, his partner, pleaded guilty to knowingly permitting cultivation at the property. Judge Martin Nolan sentenced Voolain to three and a half years' imprisonment and Myles to a two‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence suspended on strict conditions. Both defendants cooperated with Gardaí and signed the notebook. The case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Patrick Kinsella, aged 44, of St Ronan's Gardens, Clondalkin, was sentenced to four years' imprisonment for endangerment, assault causing harm and driving without insurance after a 2022 incident in which he dragged a homeless woman beside his car. Kinsella, who has 174 prior convictions, had offered the woman a ride and later drove off with her. During the journey an argument erupted when the car hit a kerb and punctured a tyre. Kinsella blamed the woman, threatened to kill her, and sped up as she tried to leave, dragging her alongside the vehicle. Garda Kian Logan observed the woman hanging from the passenger door; she sustained soft‑tissue injuries to her left foot and right ankle. Kinsella pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, where Judge Martin Nolan, noting his guilty plea, remorse and work history, imposed a four‑year sentence back‑dated to 21 June 2022 and a four‑year driving disqualification.
The Workplace Relations Commission heard legal argument in a test case involving 750 to 800 former Debenhams staff represented by the Mandate trade union. The applicants allege that Debenhams Retail Ireland Ltd and its liquidators, Andrew O'Leary and Kieran Wallace of KPMG, failed to provide relevant information or conduct meaningful consultation under the Protection of Employment Act. Counsel for the union, Brendan Kirwan SC, argued that the obligation to consult was triggered by an April 8, 2020, board meeting and a subsequent letter from director John Bebbington. He cited the CJEU case of Fujitsu Siemens Computers Oy to assert that consultation must occur before decisions are finalized. Conversely, counsel for the respondents, Kelley Smyth SC, maintained that directors were taken by surprise when their UK parent cut credit lines and that no master plan for redundancies existed. She argued the consultation began in good time given the crisis. The hearing also addressed whether workers could pursue two sets of claims against the company and the liquidators separately. The tribunal is to issue a written decision in due course.
Paul Storey, a 36-year-old civil servant from Clondalkin, Dublin, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to possession of cocaine and diamorphine for sale or supply. The charges relate to an incident on April 24, 2021, at Baronrath, Straffan, Co Kildare. Gardai discovered 3.3kg of cocaine and 560g of diamorphine, valued at over €310,000, inside a Honda Accord located in a container at a property subject to a search warrant. Although Storey was not present during the search, he was arrested later and initially denied knowledge of the drugs. Prosecution evidence indicated he was holding the substances for a third party, a characterization agreed upon by the investigating garda, who noted Storey was low down the chain and lacked trappings of wealth. Defence counsel Anne Marie Lawlor SC argued that Storey's involvement stemmed from a desire to help a partner with a drugs debt, describing it as a serious misjudgement rather than primary criminal intent. She highlighted his early guilty plea, remorse, full-time employment, and support for his parents as mitigating factors. Judge Martin Nolan acknowledged Storey's reduced culpability due to acting on behalf of another, while noting his previous convictions for minor drug and road traffic offences. Taking into account his early plea and good work history, the Judge imposed a four-year prison sentence.
Martin Maughan, aged 30, was sentenced to 20 months in prison by the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for assault causing harm and criminal damage. He attacked his pregnant former partner, who was five months pregnant, with an electric cord, a lamp, and his fists, causing soft‑tissue injuries to her arms, head and shoulder. The assault lasted about an hour and included kicking, punching, whipping, and striking her head against a wall. Maughan had previously pleaded guilty to the charges and had 26 prior convictions, including 11 public‑order offences. He was known to have alcohol and mental‑health issues. The court noted his guilty plea and remorse as mitigating factors, but also highlighted the aggravating factor of the victim's pregnancy. The sentence reflects the seriousness of the attack on a pregnant woman in her own home.
An Bord Pleanála has conceded a High Court challenge to its decision permitting Abbott Ireland to extend its manufacturing facility near Dromore, Co Monaghan. The board's approval, which allowed the company to add approximately 2,661 square metres of laboratory, office, car park and warehouse space, has been quashed. John Morehart, owner of Bellamont Castle and surrounding lands near Cootehill, Co Cavan, sought judicial review on environmental grounds. He contended the board failed to properly assess the development under EU Environmental Impact Assessment requirements, noting the facility processes over 100 tonnes of raw material daily. Mr Morehart also claimed the board breached EU Habitats Directive obligations. Monaghan County Council had initially granted permission, which was appealed by both Mr Morehart and An Taisce. The High Court granted a formal order quashing the board's decision after it conceded the proceedings this week before Mr Justice Charles Meenan.
The Workplace Relations Commission ruled that a van driver's coughing incident during the Covid‑19 pandemic was not alone sufficient for dismissal, but his subsequent defamatory Facebook post was. Piotr Prezbiela was accused of an act of physical assault when he allegedly coughed or spat in the face of a colleague on 8 October 2020 at Bedroom Elegance Sales Ltd. Prezbiela claimed he only coughed into his hand as a joke and did not cough into the colleague's face. The company's disciplinary and appeals officers accepted his account of the coughing. Prezbiela was also investigated for refusing to wear a mask and for a negative post on social media. He denied coughing at the colleague, later admitted pretending to cough as a joke, apologized, and said he understood the dangers. The investigation found gross misconduct, and the dismissal was upheld on appeal.
Michael Scott, 58, denies murdering his 76‑year‑old aunt Chrissie Treacy. He was said to have been "enraged" when a letter from her solicitor suggested a land division at their jointly owned farm in Derryhiney, Portumna. Witness Joseph Carty testified that Scott reacted angrily, saying "this will end badly." Scott later told Gardaí he was "in fair debt," having spent about €120,000 on sheds, a silo and fencing. State Pathologist Dr Linda Mulligan testified that Treacy died almost instantaneously, within seconds, of being run over by an agricultural teleporter, with no evidence of assault before the crush injuries. The trial heard that the farm was held as tenants in common, with each party owning 50 % of every blade of grass. The case continues before Ms Justice Caroline Biggs and a jury. Michael Scott pleaded not guilty.
Lawyers for Declan Tynan, who spent 11 months in jail before his conviction was quashed, argued that Gardaí gave a false impression of a spontaneous identification of the accused at a Ladbrokes bookmakers attack in Tallaght on 13 December 2012. Tynan, 33, maintained his innocence and was convicted on the basis of a single visual identification by a Garda from CCTV footage. He was sentenced to four years' imprisonment, with the final year suspended. After an appeal was dismissed, a new witness came forward claiming to be the third attacker, leading to a Court of Appeal hearing in April 2018 that quashed the conviction under Section 2 of the Criminal Procedure Act. In the current appeal, counsel alleged that Gardaí circulated a bulletin and later sent an internal email that identified Tynan as a suspect, but this was not disclosed at trial. The appeal is set to continue tomorrow before a three‑judge panel. Declan Tynan pleaded not guilty.
The High Court heard that Twitter, Facebook (Meta) and other social media platforms have cooperated with Munster Technological University (MTU) to prevent the publication of 6 GB of confidential data that was released by a suspected Russian‑based hacking group after MTU refused to pay a ransom. Mr Justice Brian O'Moore granted an extension of an injunction that bars anyone who knows of the order from publishing, making available or sharing MTU's data. The order also requires any holder of the data to return it to MTU. MTU's President Margaret Cusack testified that the court's order was "great assistance" and that platforms such as Reddit, Pinterest and Meta had worked with the university to keep the data off their sites. MTU's advisors at KPMG monitor the internet for references to the breach, and the university remains in contact with the Data Protection Commission, Gardai and the National Cyber Security Centre.
Saleban Abdisahar, a 30‑year‑old Swedish‑Somalian man with no fixed abode, was sentenced to three years' imprisonment for illegally trafficking five people into Ireland. He pleaded guilty to three counts of facilitating illegal entry on flights into Dublin Airport on 23 January, 29 January and 18 February 2023. The court found he had moved five individuals who subsequently sought international protection. Abdisahar was paid up to €1,000 for each person smuggled. Judge Martin Nolan described him as the "middle cog" of the operation, noting his early plea, cooperation with Gardaí, lack of prior convictions and low likelihood of reoffending. The sentence was back‑dated to the day he entered custody, 18 February 2023. The case highlighted the role of immigration officers and mobile‑phone evidence in uncovering the smuggling scheme.
The trial of Patrick Sweeney, Martin O'Toole, Paul Beirne, and David Lawlor continues at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court before Judge Martina Baxter. The four men, who have pleaded not guilty to a total of 53 charges, are accused of participating in an attack during the Strokestown repossession case. The State alleges that on December 16, 2018, a group armed with various weapons assaulted four security guards, caused criminal damage, committed aggravated burglary, false imprisonment, arson, robbery, and animal cruelty. Each defendant is separately charged with 17 of these offences. During cross-examination, witness Ian Gordon, who testified to being forced to eat dog faeces, identified himself in bodycam footage from an eviction five days prior to the alleged assaults. Gordon stated his unlicensed security company was hired to execute a court order at the McGann family property. He described lifting a resident out of a seat to escort him out, denying any use of reinforced knuckle gloves or physical abuse beyond necessary restraint. The jury viewed this footage, which showed the resident being moved while his sister protested. The trial is ongoing and will resume on Monday.
In a 2023 decision by the Workplace Relations Commission, a divorced father was found to have faced sexist discrimination when a school kept a photo of him for "child protection" purposes but did not do the same for his son's mother. The tribunal confirmed the school had validly enrolled the child without the father's consent, citing a signed enrolment form and no court order to the contrary. However, the father was denied a photo and key information on his son's file, which the school had redacted. The adjudicator ruled that the father was treated less favourably on the basis of gender, awarded €2,000 for the discrimination, and ordered the school to provide him with all relevant information about his son. The case highlighted the school's practice of accepting enrolment from one parent and the lack of evidence that the mother was required to provide a photo.
A man with ninety previous convictions has been sentenced to four years imprisonment at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court following an assault in the city centre. Jonathan Donovan (37) pleaded guilty to assault causing harm after the State accepted the lesser charge in lieu of the original allegation of assault causing serious harm. The incident occurred on Gardiner Street on 13 February 2022, when Donovan attacked a man, inflicting a fifteen-centimetre wound extending from ear to cheek. The victim sustained ten injuries, including chest lacerations resulting in internal bleeding, and was hospitalised with no recollection of the attack. Gardaí identified Donovan through CCTV footage and recovered evidence linking him to the assault. His criminal history includes previous convictions for assault causing serious harm and assault causing harm. Judge Martin Nolan imposed the sentence, which was backdated to February 2022 when Donovan entered custody, noting the vicious nature of the attack and his established pattern of serious violence.
A 48‑year‑old former Romanian soldier, Constantin Maxim, was sentenced to five years' imprisonment in Dublin for possessing 1,458 images of child pornography and distributing hand‑drawn images and videos of child sex abuse. He admitted to posing as a 15‑year‑old girl named Christina on Facebook and Snapchat, sending explicit messages to three children aged 10 to 12 and requesting sexualised images. When Snapchat closed his accounts, he created new ones. Gardaí found his phone contained about a thousand images of child sexual activity, 450 images of children exposing genitalia, and 12,000 adult and bestiality images of uncertain age. Maxim denied sexual attraction to children and claimed he had no real‑life intent. He had no prior convictions in Ireland but had four Romanian convictions for sexual corruption and abduction of a minor. Constantin Maxim pleaded guilty.
In a discrimination claim under the Employment Equality Act 1998, Sergeant David Haughney, a former public‑order trainer who lost 70% of sight in his left eye in 2014, alleges that Superintendent Adrian Gamble failed to provide reasonable accommodation and subjected him to discriminatory harassment. Haughney's complaint, heard by the Workplace Relations Commission, focuses on a fitness‑to‑work meeting in which he claims Gamble waved a medical document and that he was nearly in tears. Gamble denies being confrontational or arrogant, stating he did not see Haughney upset and that he followed the Chief Medical Officer's advice to restrict Haughney to strictly non‑confrontational duties. The hearing included testimony from retired inspectors and a discussion of internal complaints, with the commission expected to issue a decision within six weeks.
Michael Scott, aged 58, denies murdering his aunt Chrissie Treacy after a land dispute. He had been renting 40 acres at Kiltormer from Treacy and jointly owned 140 acres at Derryhiney. In early 2017, agricultural consultant Declan McHugh was hired by Treacy to lease the Kiltormer land. Two weeks before Treacy's death in April 2018, McHugh instructed Scott not to request farm payments for three portions of the Derryhiney land, which Treacy intended to claim. McHugh warned that losing 110 acres would reduce Scott's herd by 110 cows and cut EU single farm payments, causing significant financial hardship. The prosecution alleges Scott deliberately ran over Treacy in a tractor; his lawyers claim it was a tragic accident. The case is heard before Ms Justice Caroline Biggs with a jury of 15. Michael Scott pleaded not guilty.
The trial of David Lawlor, Martin O'Toole, Paul Beirne, and Patrick Sweeney continues before Judge Martina Baxter and a jury. The four defendants, who have pleaded not guilty to 53 charges including aggravated burglary, false imprisonment, arson, robbery, and animal cruelty, face allegations of a violent attack on security guards at a property in Falsk, Co Roscommon, in December 2018. Witness Ian Gordon testified that he was forced at gunpoint to eat dog faeces and identified Lawlor's voice during the incident. Under cross-examination, Gordon acknowledged his former service with the Ulster Defence Regiment and admitted his security company, GS Agencies Ltd, operated without a company licence, for which he previously entered a guilty plea. Defense counsel suggested Gordon was mistaken in identifying Lawlor, but Gordon maintained he was 100% certain of the identification. The State alleges a group of approximately 30 armed men assaulted four guards, set fire to vehicles, and beat a guard dog unconscious. The defendants are charged with criminal damage, assault causing harm, and violent disorder. The matter is currently at the trial stage, with proceedings ongoing.
Jonathan Whelan, aged 48, was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison for a prolonged assault on his neighbour. The victim was beaten, stripped to her underwear, repeatedly forced to vomit and threatened with death. Whelan also took her keys, ransacked her apartment, and demanded money. He and a friend used a metal rod, a knife, scissors and a razor blade to threaten and beat her for hours. The assault took place in Whelan's flat on North Great Charles Street, Dublin 1, on 4 April 2021. He had previously pleaded guilty to assault causing harm and to possessing cannabis for sale, receiving four‑year and four‑and‑a‑half‑year sentences respectively, which ran consecutively. The court reduced the headline sentence to eight and a half years on mitigation. The case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 1 March 2023.
Derek Kavanagh, 48, turned himself in after RTÉ's Crimecall aired CCTV of him assaulting a homeless woman on James Street, Dublin 8, on 7 May 2022. He claimed he was approached, panicked, and thought he was being mugged, leading him to punch and choke the victim, who was living in hostel accommodation. Kavanagh admitted the woman was not threatening and had kept a reasonable distance. He pleaded guilty to assault and causing harm, and was given a three‑year fully suspended sentence. He paid €2,000 in compensation and was ordered to pay an additional €3,000 within six months, to be given to the victim or a local charity if she declined. The court noted his remorse, lack of prior convictions, and his efforts at anger‑management and alcohol‑abuse courses. The judge considered his mitigating circumstances and deemed him unlikely to reoffend.
Four senior executives of Custom House Capital have been directed to appear before Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 8 March following guilty pleas to fraud-related charges. Between October 2022 and January 2023, former chief executive Harry Cassidy, former head of private clients John Whyte, head of finance Paul Lavery, and non-executive director John Mulholland entered pleas of guilty to conspiracy to defraud investors and neglectful discharge of directorial duty. The pleas relate to allegations that the executives intentionally misled clients regarding asset placement between October 2008 and July 2011. Publication of the pleas was delayed pending the trial of co-accused Ciara Kelleher, senior portfolio relationship manager, whose jury failed to reach a verdict at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Judge Orla Crowe adjourned proceedings pending the defendants' appearance next week.
A psychiatrist has given evidence at the Central Criminal Court regarding the mental health history of Stephen Silver, aged 46, of Aughavard, Foxford, County Mayo, who is charged with the murder of Garda Colm Horkan at Castlerea, County Roscommon on June 17, 2020. Dr Brenda Wright, interim clinical director at the Central Mental Hospital, testified about multiple hospital admissions spanning from 2010 to 2019, during which Mr Silver experienced psychotic episodes, paranoid delusions, and aggressive behaviour. Dr Wright told the jury that in interviews conducted after the shooting, Mr Silver described experiencing disturbed sleep, increased alcohol consumption, and paranoid thoughts in the days preceding the incident. Regarding the shooting itself, Mr Silver stated he believed he was struggling for his life and that Gda Horkan had a weapon. Dr Wright concluded that Mr Silver's mental capacity was significantly impaired at the time of the shooting. Mr Silver has pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. The trial continues before Ms Justice Tara Burns.
A jury in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court could not reach a verdict on the case of Ciara Kelleher, a former financial services manager accused of conspiring to defraud investors in Custom House Capital Ltd. The trial, which lasted over 15 hours across five days, focused on allegations that Kelleher, aged 51, helped conceal the true location of client money by issuing incorrect valuations between October 2008 and July 2011. The prosecution, led by Lorcan Staines SC, presented evidence that the firm's CEO and finance head used client funds for property investments and that Kelleher was aware of these misappropriations. Kelleher denied wrongdoing, claiming she was unaware of any fraudulent activity. The judge, Orla Crowe, accepted that the jury could not agree on a verdict and remanded Kelleher on continuing bail, with the case scheduled for mention on 8 March. The trial highlighted the firm's liquidation in 2011 and the regulatory concerns that had been raised in 2009. Ciara Kelleher pleaded not guilty. Custom House Capital pleaded not guilty.
Lawyers for Fair City actor Tony Tormey have filed further submissions with the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) in his employment rights claim against RTÉ. The WRC adjourned the matter to March 22 for an update. Tormey, who has played Paul Brennan since 1989, alleges he should be recognised as an employee under the Protection of Employees (Fixed‑Term Work) Act 2004, claiming a right to an indefinite‑duration contract from 2004. His lawyers intend to present 18 years of tax records and evidence from former executive producer Niall Mathews about the level of control RTÉ exercised. RTÉ argues Tormey was an independent contractor and has requested full audit details to examine other earnings. The case remains at the WRC, with no final decision yet.
Lisa Dalton, a former lifeguard supervisor dismissed by Donegal County Council in November 2021, brought a complaint under the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977 before the Workplace Relations Commission. The council alleged she failed to ensure regular ring-buoy inspections were logged in a mobile app, citing broken trust over safety-critical duties. Dalton disputed this, stating her personal inspections were 100% completed and that she lacked adequate digital access to monitor lifeguard logs. She also noted she was absent with Covid-19 during key summer months. The council admitted it could not produce her line manager, David Friel, or the decision-makers to give evidence. Adjudicator Emile Daly stated she was not persuaded by the council's argument that Dalton was still on probation and thus unprotected by the Act. The matter has been adjourned for Ms Daly to consider her decision.
Dylan Reddington, aged 27, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for two counts of endangerment after leading Gardaí on a high‑speed chase on 27 February 2015 when he was 19. He pleaded guilty in December 2022. Reddington has 54 prior convictions, including dangerous driving, endangerment, firearms possession and drug offences, and has spent much of his adult life in prison. He has been in residential rehabilitation since shortly after his release and is required to remain there for the duration of the programme. Judge Martin Nolan ruled that Reddington's sentence will commence on 31 July 2023, allowing him to finish his current stay in rehab before the custodial term begins. The judge noted Reddington's reckless driving and the seriousness of his convictions but also acknowledged his efforts to reform. The sentence is intended to start after the completion of the rehabilitation programme.
The jury in the trial of former financial services manager Ciara Kelleher, accused of conspiring to defraud investors in Custom House Capital, asked the judge whether the absence of evidence of motive could be a legitimate doubt. Kelleher, 51, pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy to mislead investors about the location of their assets between 2008 and 2011. Judge Orla Crowe, after the jury's fourth day of deliberation, clarified that the question of motive falls within the jury's decision-making scope and is not a defence. She explained that motive may be relevant to show a reason for the crime but does not constitute a defence, whereas intention is a mental element required for conspiracy. The trial continues.
In a drunken altercation in Dublin's Temple Bar on 11 August 2021, a 16‑year‑old girl, later identified only as a minor, used a broken vodka bottle to slash a woman's face, leaving a two‑inch cut. The incident began when the girl and a friend approached a group of young adults for a cigarette, which was refused. A member of the group pushed the girl, causing her to fall and break the bottle. In the ensuing melee, she struck the woman with the broken bottle. Gardaí found the girl intoxicated and she was taken to a garda station for a responsible adult to collect her. She pleaded guilty to one count of assault causing harm to a woman. Judge Martin Nolan ordered a peace bond until July, stating that if the Probation Service deems her suitable, she will be sentenced to community service.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, solicitor Brendan Hyland testified that he had represented Chrissie Treacy and her brothers for decades, and in 2017 he wrote to Michael Scott urging him to stop threatening and intimidating Treacy over a 42‑acre farm she rented to Scott. Hyland described how Scott had interfered with the letting of the land, damaged fencing, and threatened Treacy's home help, and warned that legal action would follow if he did not cease. He also detailed a dispute in which Scott's solicitor claimed an agreement that Treacy's land would pass to Scott upon her death, which Hyland denied. Treacy's death in 2018, allegedly by Scott's alleged deliberate running over her, is the subject of the trial, with Scott pleading not guilty. The court heard Hyland's evidence on the land dispute and the threats he had documented. The hearing will continue before Ms Justice Caroline Biggs and a jury.
A 76‑year‑old pensioner from the southwest, whose identity is protected, has lodged an appeal against a six‑year conviction for sexually abusing three of his granddaughters, aged eight to eleven. He was found guilty on all 13 assault charges by a unanimous jury at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court in June 2021, with a two‑year suspended sentence. The appeal argues that no evidence justified the long gaps between the abuse and the girls' complaints. The first granddaughter reported inappropriate touching to her teacher in January 2014 and to Gardaí in 2016; the second and third girls made complaints in 2016 after confiding in a school friend. The appellant's counsel contended that the court had no basis to assess the reasonableness of the delays, citing a "doctrine of recent complaint." The judge noted that reasonableness, not speed, should guide the assessment, and the court would reserve judgment. The unnamed man pleaded not guilty.
Four men are standing trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 53 charges arising from an alleged attack on security personnel during a property repossession at Strokestown, County Roscommon, in December 2018. Patrick Sweeney of Ramelton, County Donegal, Martin O'Toole of Claremorris, County Mayo, Paul Beirne of Boyle, County Roscommon, and David Lawlor of County Meath have each pleaded not guilty to charges including aggravated burglary, false imprisonment, assault causing harm, arson, criminal damage, violent disorder, robbery and animal cruelty. A security guard testified that approximately 30 masked individuals arrived at the property armed with weapons, assaulted four security staff, set vehicles alight and fatally injured a guard dog. The witness further told the court of previous hostile encounters with one of the defendants at other eviction sites. The trial is ongoing.
The Court of Appeal has dismissed the appeal of Daniel O'Callaghan, a former All-Ireland winner, who was convicted at the Special Criminal Court for his role in a cross-border gang involved in ATM thefts. O'Callaghan, who pleaded not guilty to 16 offences including attempted theft and possession of stolen cash, was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment in March. His legal team argued that the identification of O'Callaghan by an NSU garda was flawed due to distance and time constraints. However, Mr Justice Birmingham, presiding, rejected this, stating the officer was a reliable witness with a clear view and that DNA evidence supported the identification. The court affirmed the Special Criminal Court's conviction, noting the strength of the evidence. O'Callaghan's co-accused, who pleaded guilty, were also sentenced. Stephen Duffy received four years for possessing stolen cash. Gerard Duffy and Ciaran Duffy were each jailed for seven years and nine months for attempted ATM theft and criminal organisation offences. Niall Finnegan was sentenced to four-and-a-half years, with the final 18 months suspended, for possessing proceeds from the thefts. The appeal was dismissed, upholding the original convictions and sentences.
Anthony Byrne, 28, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to a 16‑year‑old boy on 4 January 2022 at Camden Lock, Ringsend, Dublin 4. He struck the boy with a baseball bat, hitting him on the left side of his face, head, legs and left middle finger, causing a swollen lip, fractured finger and bruising. The boy was treated at St Vincent's Hospital and required finger surgery. Byrne was identified by CCTV, arrested and admitted the assault. He claimed he feared a trespasser and wanted to protect his family, but the footage showed no intruder. Byrne has three prior convictions, including two minor drug offences. The court, led by Judge Orla Crowe, deemed the act "very serious" and adjourned the case to 6 June for a probation report and risk assessment. The boy expressed fear and worry about a repeat incident. Byrne offered an apology and requested a suspended sentence. The court will consider these factors before sentencing.