Three men have had their convictions upheld by the Court of Appeal following a vigilante attack on security personnel at a repossessed farmhouse near Strokestown, County Roscommon, in December 2018. Martin O'Toole, aged 60, of Claremorris, County Mayo; PJ Sweeney, aged 59, of Ramelton, County Donegal; and Paul Beirne, aged 58, of Boyle, County Roscommon, were each sentenced to fifteen years imprisonment after being convicted of fifteen charges including aggravated burglary, violent disorder, false imprisonment and assault causing harm. Mr Justice Peter Charleton described the offences as "the most barbaric violations of human rights", rejecting arguments regarding evidence admissibility and identification procedures. The judge noted that approximately thirty to forty people participated in the incident, during which armed assailants beat security staff, set vehicles alight, and fatally injured a dog. The court dismissed all appeals and affirmed the convictions.
A former Olympic swimming coach has been convicted and sentenced to ten years imprisonment at the Central Criminal Court for the rape and sexual assault of a teenage girl over three decades ago. Derry O'Rourke, aged 78, of Virginia Road, Cavan, pleaded not guilty to one count of rape and fifteen counts of indecent assault allegedly committed between October 1989 and June 1990 at a Leinster school. A jury unanimously convicted him of rape and eleven sexual assault charges following a six-day trial. The offences occurred when the victim was aged thirteen to fourteen. Justice Melanie Greally imposed concurrent sentences and described O'Rourke as a serial child abuser, noting aggravating factors including his abuse of authority as swimming coach, grooming behaviour, and the vulnerable age of the victim. O'Rourke has previous convictions dating from 1998 involving multiple victims, all entered through guilty pleas. The victim provided a detailed impact statement during sentencing.
A Dublin man is to stand trial before the Special Criminal Court in connection with the death of teenager Keane Mulready Woods. Stephen Carberry, aged 46 and residing on Sandymount Avenue, Dublin 4, faces three charges arising from the case. He is accused of transporting and disposing of body parts between January 13 and 15, 2020 at Trinity Terrace, Ballybough, Dublin 3, with the intention or recklessness of potentially enhancing a criminal organisation's ability to commit serious offences. He is also charged with obstructing the apprehension or prosecution of the teenager's murderer and with setting fire to a vehicle for the benefit of a criminal organisation. Keane Mulready Woods, aged 17, was last seen alive in Drogheda on January 12, 2020. His remains were subsequently discovered at multiple locations across Dublin and Drogheda throughout January and March 2020. Carberry will appear before the Special Criminal Court later this week.
Two men, Nathan McDonnell, 44, and James Leen, 41, are charged with offences related to the largest crystal meth haul in Irish history. Their trials will be heard at the Special Criminal Court, a three‑judge, non‑jury court, following an application by the Director of Public Prosecutions. Mr Leen faces five charges, including directing a criminal organisation's activities between 7 February 2023 and 16 February 2024, importing crystal meth into Cork Port on 16 October 2023, and possessing the drug at Ballyseedy Garden Centre, Tralee, from 27 October 2023 to 12 February 2024, in breach of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977. Mr McDonnell also faces five charges, including possession of crystal meth at Cork Port and Ballyseedy Garden Centre, and an alleged participation in activities that could facilitate the importation, sale and supply of a controlled drug by a criminal organisation, contrary to the Criminal Justice Act 2006. The court will hear the case later this week.
A French national, Yanis Soudani, aged 21, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for a smishing offence that involved the theft of luxury items worth over €52,000 from high‑end shops in Dublin city centre. The crime was carried out over five dates in January, using three victims' credit card details obtained through fraudulent text messages. The stolen goods included Cartier watches, a Dior shirt and trousers, a Louis Vuitton keepall, and a Gucci top, among other items. Garda David Dunne explained that the victims had received smishing messages asking for financial details, leading to withdrawals of more than €70,000 from one account and smaller amounts from the others. Soudani was arrested on January 22 after Brown Thomas staff recognised him on CCTV. He pleaded guilty, cooperated with investigators, and has no prior convictions.
Daryl Bolger, 32, of Kilcarrig Green, Tallaght, was jailed for endangerment after a high‑speed chase during the 2020 lockdown that ended in a head‑on collision with a Garda patrol car on Neillstown Road. He broke at least seven red lights, drove the wrong way around roundabouts, overtook dozens of vehicles on the wrong side of the road and reached speeds over 100 km/h in 50 km/h zones. No one was injured, but the patrol car was written off. Bolger pleaded guilty to endangerment and to driving without insurance at several locations in April 2020. He received a sentence of three and a half years, with the final six months suspended, and was disqualified from driving for five years. The court noted his 131 previous convictions, mostly for driving offences, and his participation in an enhanced prison regime. He has shown remorse in a handwritten apology, but the prosecuting Garda did not accept it.
A Danish‑Somalian man, Mohamed Mahamed, aged 48, was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment for unlawfully assisting a woman's entry into Dublin Airport on 28 January. The woman, who had been refused asylum in Greece, arrived on a Ryanair flight from Luxembourg without any travel or identity documents, having been given a passport for someone else by Mahamed and instructed to leave it in the plane toilet. Mahamed, a Danish citizen of Somalian origin living in Aarhus, claimed he needed the money to travel back to Somalia to visit family while on disability benefit in Denmark. He pleaded guilty, had no prior convictions, and was given a reduced sentence after the court considered a psychological report detailing his PTSD from childhood war trauma. The court set a headline sentence of three years but reduced it to 18 months due to his personal circumstances.
During a billiards tournament at the Royal St George Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire on 29 September 2023, 70‑year‑old software company owner Steven Gillman felt his refereeing abilities were belittled by a fellow club member. In a fit of anger, Gillman punched the victim repeatedly in the face, then again after the victim fell. The assault caused the victim a fractured eye socket, a dislocated eye lens, and ongoing medical issues including double vision and tinnitus. Gillman pleaded guilty to one count of assault causing harm. He has no prior convictions and was described by his defence counsel as a "model citizen." He has since resigned from the yacht club, paid €5,000 as a token of remorse, and is awaiting a probation report. The court adjourned the matter to 24 November, noting that a higher sum of €15,000 would be more appropriate.
A 59-year-old Meath man was sentenced to 12 years in prison after being convicted of one count of anal rape and 31 counts of sexual assault. The offences, which occurred between June 2005 and March 2013, involved the abuse of his son, who was aged between five and 13 at the time. Following a trial at the Central Criminal Court in April, the defendant was found guilty. Mr Justice Paul McDermott imposed a headline sentence of 12 years for the rape charge and concurrent sentences of 10 years for the sexual assault charges. The sentence was backdated to May 1, when the defendant entered custody. The judge declined to suspend any portion of the term, citing the defendant's continued denial of the offences and lack of remorse. He also imposed five years of post-release supervision and ordered that the man have no contact with the victim. The court noted the defendant's low risk of sexual re-offending but moderate risk of general re-offending, while highlighting that his attitude creates its own risk. The judge emphasized that the shame for the offences lies entirely with the offender, not the victim, who stated that the abuse dominated his childhood and teenage years.
Dr Idriss Jebari, a lecturer in Near and Middle Eastern Studies at Trinity College Dublin, claimed that after raising concerns about an uneven distribution of teaching duties, he was penalised by being assigned a double teaching workload for the spring term. He said the increased load, which he calculated at nearly 650 hours, caused severe burnout, leading to medical leave. Jebari also alleged that his tenure application, which he secured in February 2024, was threatened by the head of department's refusal to support his request for a research sabbatical and a lack of supervisory meetings. He further contended that the conflict in Gaza and a campus occupation heightened his stress, requiring him to exercise extra caution in his teaching. The case is pending a decision by the Workplace Relations Commission.
In a Central Criminal Court hearing on 30 July 2024, a 32‑year‑old defendant pleaded guilty to nine counts of sexual assault against his younger brother between 2000 and 2002, when the victim was aged 14‑16 and the defendant 9‑11. The abuse, described as occurring weekly in the family home in Dublin, included mutual masturbation and an incident where the defendant forced the victim to give oral sex. The court heard the brothers grew up in a household of widespread neglect, with their mother later jailed for serious crimes. The victim's impact statement highlighted ongoing depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation stemming from the abuse. The judge, Justice Karen O'Connor, sentenced the defendant to two years' imprisonment, suspending the final four months on conditions, after noting the significant age disparity and the lasting impact on the victim. The defendant had previously admitted the abuse in a family meeting in 2017 and had undergone counselling.
Barry O'Donnell, 37, of Cromlech Fields, Ballybrack, was sentenced to three years and three months in prison for two separate assaults on his sister. The first incident on 22 March involved O'Donnell stabbing her in the back, arm and knee after an argument over loud music, and then beating her with her own crutch while she was recovering from hip surgery. The second assault on 30 August saw him again armed with a knife, kicking her in the ribs and stabbing her multiple times. He fled the house after each attack. Judge Orla Crowe suspended the final nine months of the sentence on strict conditions, including engagement with the Probation Service, victim‑focused work and treatment for alcohol addiction. O'Donnell has been in custody since the arrests and has a prior 2011 drug possession conviction. The victim, who declined to seek emergency treatment, described lasting physical scarring and emotional trauma. Barry O'Donnell pleaded guilty.
A man has been convicted at the Central Criminal Court of raping and sexually assaulting a schoolgirl in Cavan during the late 1980s. Derry O'Rourke, aged 78, of Virginia Road, Cavan, was found guilty of one count of rape and eleven counts of indecent assault following a six-day trial. The offences occurred between October 1989 and June 1990 when the complainant was aged thirteen to fourteen years old. O'Rourke, a former Olympic swimming coach, had pleaded not guilty to one rape charge and fifteen indecent assault charges. The court heard he singled the girl out during school swimming sessions and subjected her to abuse under the guise of conducting muscle checks in a room adjoining the pool, before raping her in a boiler room in September 1990. At sentencing hearing, the now forty-eight-year-old victim delivered an impact statement describing the "brutalisation" she suffered and its lasting effects on her life. Justice Melanie Greally remanded O'Rourke in custody pending sentencing. The prosecution submitted the case warrants a sentence of between fifteen years and life imprisonment.
Two former Cleandata Limited employees, Anoushka Anilkumar Parmar and Tushar Joshi, won over €45,000 after a Workplace Relations Commission hearing in December 2023. They had quit in June 2022 after receiving only €2,000 in wages between January and June 2022, far below the €2,500 monthly salary they were entitled to. Parmar was owed €10,500 and Joshi €14,500 in back wages. Both claimed constructive dismissal, having handed in notice on 3 June 2022 and waiting more than six months to lodge claims because the former CEO promised re‑employment and relocation to France. The WRC found Cleandata breached the Payment of Wages Act 1991 and the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977. Parmar received €2,500 in compensation for four weeks' wages, while Joshi was awarded €18,288 for loss of earnings. The total awarded against Cleandata was €45,788. Further Employment Equality Act complaints were not pursued.
Karl Humphries, 40, of Bishopstown, Cork, was convicted in July 2021 of three counts of possession of cannabis worth about €58,000 for sale or supply. The case stemmed from a Garda sting on 25 July 2012 when a bag of 9.74 kg of cannabis resin was found concealed in a ditch at Watergrasshill. Humphries claimed he was in the area hunting rabbits, but the jury rejected this defence by a ten‑to‑two majority. Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin sentenced him to ten years' imprisonment, with the final two years suspended. In the Court of Appeal, Humphries' counsel argued the judge over‑emphasised aggravating factors and failed to consider his lack of prior convictions. The Director of Public Prosecutions countered that the Misuse of Drugs Act required a minimum ten‑year sentence absent exceptional circumstances. Judge Michael MacGrath upheld the original sentence, dismissing all appeal grounds. The case remains at the appellate stage. Karl Humphries pleaded not guilty.
Eoin Hannan, aged 50, was convicted in April 2022 of harassing a woman at various locations between February 14 and August 25 2020, and in July 2022 of harassing her father between January 20 and February 13 2021. The court heard that Hannan repeatedly contacted the victim despite Garda warnings in 2017 and 2019, sending Valentine cards, wine, chocolates, a watch, a bracelet, a teddy bear, a lollipop and a letter with a threatening phrase. He claimed the offences were "romantic rather than sinister" and a case of mistaken identity. Hannan, who has 44 prior convictions, argued that his bipolar affective disorder should have mitigated the sentence. Mr Justice Seamus Woulfe found no error in the sentencing judge's approach, noted that the judge had considered Hannan's mental health, and dismissed all grounds of appeal. The appeal was rejected, leaving the four‑year prison sentence in place. Eoin Hannan pleaded guilty.
Jason 'Jay' O'Connor, aged 46, was found guilty of conspiracy to murder Charlie Cooper, a victim of a December 2016 shooting that left him seriously injured but alive. O'Connor, linked to the Kinahan cartel, admitted helping plan the attack, which involved ten shots fired in Cooper's kitchen. He also faced charges for possessing a 9mm firearm and ammunition, and for facilitating drug supply. O'Connor's defence highlighted that the death of his friend Keith Walker in 2015, whom he believed he was targeted for, had caused him severe mental distress, leading to suicidal thoughts and psychiatric treatment. He pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge, and the court noted his 70 prior convictions, including assault and burglary. The Special Criminal Court adjourned sentencing to 14 October, with a maximum penalty of 15 years' imprisonment. The case underscored O'Connor's involvement in the Kinahan organisation and his alleged role in the 2016 murder plot.
Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring handed down five life sentences at the Central Criminal Court to family members convicted of murdering Thomas Dooley at Rath Cemetery, Rathass, Tralee, Co Kerry, on October 5, 2022. The defendants, including Patrick Dooley, Thomas Dooley Senior, Thomas Dooley Junior, Michael Dooley, and Daniel Dooley, had all pleaded not guilty to the murder charge. The judge described the killing as an "honour killing" involving "medieval violence" and noted that no explanation for the death had been proffered. Thomas Dooley Junior was additionally found guilty of assault causing harm to Siobhán Dooley. He was sentenced to four-and-a-half years for this offence, backdated from his custody on November 16, 2022, with the term running concurrently to his life sentence. The life sentences for the five adults were backdated to their respective custody dates. A sixth defendant, a male teenager, was not sentenced today as he is expected to seek a judicial review; his matter was adjourned for a mention on October 29. The court heard a victim impact statement from Siobhán Dooley, who stated her husband's last act was telling her to run to save herself. The judge emphasized that the only innocents were the victim, his wife, and their children.
In the Munster Abuse case, the Court of Appeal quashed the original 15‑year sentence for the father, who had been convicted of rape, sexual exploitation, sexual assault and child cruelty, and imposed a life sentence. The judge noted the father's position of trust and the egregious nature of his abuse, describing the victims as vulnerable children who were raped, violated and subjected to acts of depravity for his sexual gratification. The mother's original nine‑year term was increased to 12 years, and the uncle's original 15‑year term was reduced to 18½ years after a headline of 20 years was set. The appeal was brought by the Director of Public Prosecutions, who argued the original sentences were unduly lenient given the severity and prolonged nature of the abuse that occurred between August 2014 and April 2016. The court's decision reflects the gravity of the offences and the impact on the children's emotional, physical and psychological well‑being.
Robert Duffy, a former IRA member aged 52, was convicted in 1996 for the murder of John Gibson in Belfast and sentenced to life imprisonment. He was released after four years under the Good Friday Agreement in 2000. In 2007, Duffy attempted to murder Colin O'Neill at the Emerald Bar in Dundalk by firing a shotgun at O'Neill's face, for which he was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2008 after pleading guilty. In 2023, the Northern Irish authorities sought his extradition to return him to prison for breaching the release terms by attempting the murder. A High Court hearing in June 2024 dismissed objections to the extradition, ordering his surrender to Northern Ireland. The order will be executed within 15 days, with an additional 10‑day extension, and will lapse if not carried out. Duffy remains in a South Irish prison awaiting release or parole before extradition can occur.
A 70‑year‑old man, John Sheridan, was given a fully suspended sentence for assaulting his wife, Ann Sheridan, over a ten‑year marriage. Sheridan pleaded not guilty to four counts of assault occasioning bodily harm and three counts of assault causing harm, committed between 1994 and 2002. The court found that the abuse began with verbal insults from the first day of marriage and escalated to physical violence, including repeated hits with an open hand, a closed fist, and kicks with a steel‑capped boot. Sheridan admitted to hitting his wife but denied kicking her. He had no prior convictions. The judge, citing Sheridan's transfer of his interest in the family home to the victim, imposed a headline sentence of three years, reduced to 18 months, and suspended it entirely. Sheridan was also ordered to stay away from the victim and his children and to hand over his interest in the family home.
Aaron Barwell, aged 29, was sentenced to 20 years in prison, with a two‑year suspended portion, for a series of violent sexual offences committed against three escort victims between January and August 2021. He pleaded guilty to one count of oral rape, one of rape and one of attempted rape. The court described the offences as "abysmal" and noted that Barwell had arranged for each victim to come to his residence, where he used violence, threats and a screwdriver to coerce sexual acts. He also faced a separate charge of possession of cocaine for sale or supply, for which he received a suspended sentence. The judge imposed four years of post‑release supervision, prohibited contact with the victims and required him to commit no further sexual offences. The sentence reflects the seriousness of the crimes and the need for rehabilitation.
James O'Neill, aged 57, was convicted of causing serious harm to Patrick Hansard, aged 78, after a pre‑meditated assault in a stairwell near Hansard's home on 17 August 2019. O'Neill, wearing a "V for Vendetta" mask, waited in the stairwell and struck Hansard with a shovel, inflicting a fractured cervical spine, skull fractures, lacerations, a haematoma and a traumatic brain injury. Hansard was hospitalised from August 2019 until May 2020 and remains impaired. O'Neill's prior convictions include a suspended sentence for actual bodily harm in 1992. Gardaí recovered a phone containing a "selfie" of O'Neill in the mask and holding the shovel, taken about 15 minutes before the assault. The court, after a jury trial, imposed a headline sentence of 13 years, reduced to 11½ years on mitigating factors such as intoxication and cooperation with the investigation. The sentence reflects the unprovoked nature of the attack and the significant impact on Hansard's life.
Diego Dos Santos Carvalho, 33, of Goldsmith Street, Phibsborough, Dublin, was sentenced to six years in prison for drug offences and a concurrent four‑year term for money laundering. He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possessing €80,165 worth of cannabis and €341,000 in cash, which he admitted were proceeds of crime. The cash was found in a shoebox behind a kickboard under a wardrobe in a small bedroom that served as an office in his apartment, while a smaller amount of cannabis, €3,933, was found in his vehicle. Judge Elva Duffy noted that the drug dealing was carried out in the family home in the presence of his very young children and that Carvalho had cooperated with Gardaí, showing officers where the drugs and money were hidden. He had no prior convictions and had been working in Ireland for ten years since arriving from Brazil.
A 72‑year‑old former Christian Brother teacher, already serving a sentence that will end in September 2030 for indecent assaults on boys at a Kilkenny primary school, was sentenced today to five years' imprisonment for the indecent assault of four boys between September 1976 and June 1977. The jury found him guilty on 23 counts after a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court trial in June. The judge, Elma Sheahan, described the offences as a "significant breach of trust" and noted the defendant's long history of similar conduct. The five‑year term was back‑dated to the June conviction, meaning he will not spend additional time in jail for these particular offences. Victim impact statements highlighted the lasting psychological harm, with one boy describing the teacher as a "monster" and the abuse affecting him into adulthood. The defendant, who has no other complaints from his subsequent teaching career, has pleaded not guilty and has further matters pending in court.
A 37‑year‑old Romanian, Cristian Gogosiou, was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment, with the last two years suspended, for raping a 31‑year‑old homeless woman in a Limerick alley on 26 September 2019. He pleaded not guilty to one count of rape and one count of oral rape, but was convicted by a Central Criminal Court jury. The victim, who could not be named, was living in homeless accommodation and had addiction issues. Gogosiou admitted to having sex with her, claiming she offered it for money, and said he preyed on vulnerable women because it was easy. He was found to have used a knife and a condom was discovered on the ground. The judge reduced a headline sentence of 12 years to 10 years, citing mitigating factors such as his status as a Romanian national and time already served, and placed him on the sex offenders' register.
An unnamed 35-year-old defendant appeared at the Central Criminal Court for sentencing after pleading guilty to charges related to the death of his four-year-old son in March 2021. The man admitted to wilfully causing or procuring the child's assault, wilfully neglecting him by failing to provide medical aid, and recklessly endangering the child. He also pleaded guilty to reporting the cause of the boy's injuries as an accidental fall to a garda station with intent to impede the apprehension of another person he believed guilty of murder. The court heard that the child died from traumatic head injury and blunt force trauma to the abdomen. While the defendant's co-accused pleaded guilty to manslaughter, the Director of Public Prosecutions did not accept that plea, and her trial date remains unfixed. The defendant, who previously received a suspended sentence for violent disorder, was not sentenced today. Mr Justice Paul McDermott adjourned the case until October 11 and remanded the defendant in custody until that date.
Three students – Margaret Eyong Taku, Wendy Briggs and Christina Igweze – have filed High Court proceedings to overturn their expulsions from Dundalk Institute of Technology. The expulsions followed internal disciplinary proceedings over alleged incidents on campus on 30‑31 January, including an aggressive physical altercation among the students. The college suspended the students, then a disciplinary committee recommended expulsion and campus bans in February. Appeals to the college's Appeals Committee in April were rejected. The students argue the college acted beyond its powers, with disproportionate findings, lacking adequate reasons and failing to consider relevant factors. They seek orders quashing the expulsions, re‑admission to their programmes, damages, and declarations that the college's actions were unlawful and irrational. Ms Justice Niamh Hyland granted ex‑parte permission for the cases, which will return in October for further hearings.
James Kilroy was sentenced to life imprisonment at the Central Criminal Court today following his conviction for the murder of his wife, Valerie French, at their home in Kilbree Lower, Westport, County Mayo, between 13 and 14 June 2019. Kilroy had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but a jury rejected that defence. The State Pathologist determined that Ms French died from ligature strangulation combined with blunt force trauma and a stab wound to the neck. During sentencing, Ms French's family called for legislative change to prevent convicted murderers from retaining parental rights over their children, citing similar protections in the United Kingdom. The victim's brother told the court that Kilroy has demonstrated no remorse and attempted to avoid accountability for the killing. Ms French's family emphasised the widespread impact on relatives, friends and the community, and urged women experiencing abuse to contact gardaí.
In July 2019, two take‑away workers, Dawei Zhang (37) and Han Chung Tang (45), fought violently over a dispute about who was the better chef in the kitchen of Jumbo Wok takeaway in Kimmage, Dublin. Tang struck Zhang with a meat cleaver, after which Zhang repeatedly stabbed Tang with a knife. Tang was found in the back yard of the restaurant with severe blood loss and multiple stab wounds, while Zhang suffered lacerations to his scalp, chest and shoulder. Both men pleaded guilty to assault causing harm and to producing a knife in the course of a dispute. The Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, hearing the case in 2024, sentenced each man to 240 hours of community service in lieu of prison terms—Zhang in lieu of a two‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence and Tang in lieu of a two‑year sentence. The judge noted the violence was gratuitous and that neither man had prior convictions.
Sandra Sandaraite, 39, was sentenced to five and a half years' imprisonment for the manslaughter of her on‑off partner, Zbigniew Czech, 47, who was found dead on the stairwell of their Academy Street apartment on 10 December 2022. The Central Criminal Court, presided over by Ms Justice Caroline Biggs, described the relationship as toxic and volatile, with alcohol contributing to repeated violent incidents. Sandaraite had earlier pleaded guilty to manslaughter with excessive force in self‑defence, a plea accepted in March. She claimed that, if she had not taken a chef's knife from a closed box, she would have been beaten. The knife was found in Czech's hand, and a pathology report identified a fatal stab wound to his upper left lung. The judge accepted her early plea, reduced the sentence by three years, and suspended the final six months for two years to encourage rehabilitation. The sentence was back‑dated to the date of her initial arrest.
A care worker at a nursing home for dementia patients claimed she was repeatedly subjected to unwanted intimate physical touching by a supervisor who often worked while drunk. She reported the incidents to the Workplace Relations Commission, citing a first incident on 30 December 2022 when the supervisor hugged her and rubbed her breast in front of patients, and a second on 24 February 2023 when he touched her buttocks while assisting a resident. The worker also found an empty rum bottle in the supervisor's bag and recorded it. The employer's internal investigation deemed the complaints unfounded, citing lack of evidence and witnesses. The WRC adjudicator found the worker's evidence persuasive and credible, ruling that she was sexually harassed on two occasions and suffered constructive dismissal. The tribunal awarded €25,000 for sexual harassment and €15,000 for constructive dismissal, totaling €40,000.
In a Court of Appeal hearing on 29 July 2024, a 46‑year‑old mother was sentenced to three years' imprisonment for wilful neglect and sexual abuse of her toddler son. The judge, Ms Justice Tara Burns, overturned a previously fully suspended sentence, citing the child's severe neglect, inability to use utensils, drink from a cup, dress himself, and poor language skills. The child had been placed in foster care before age five. The mother had been convicted in June 2022 of neglect from September 2010 to June 2015, and of sexual assault and exploitation between September 2013 and June 2015. She received a three‑year sentence for each of the sexual offences and one year for child cruelty, with all sentences running concurrently and no suspended portion. The mother denied the allegations and showed no remorse. The child remains in state care. The unnamed 46-year-old pleaded not guilty.
Leon Sharlott, 34, of Fordstown, Navan, was convicted in 2022 of possessing two handguns and ammunition under Section 27A(1) of the Firearms Act. He received a seven‑year sentence, with the final 12 months suspended, at Wexford Courthouse. The weapons and matching ammunition were found in a Volkswagen Golf at a council yard near Gorey, and additional items such as runners and gloves were discovered in the boot. Sharlott's appeal argued that the trial was unsafe because the prosecution relied on a "defect to his ear" for identification. His counsel claimed that no formal identification parade had occurred and that the ear defect had contaminated the process. The Court of Appeal rejected these arguments, stating that the evidence, including the ear defect, was circumstantial and admissible. The appeal was dismissed, leaving the conviction and sentence intact.
Mary O'Donnell, 33, told the court she is "one of the lucky ones" for surviving a prolonged abusive relationship with Mark Leonard, 30. Leonard was jailed for 10 years after a Central Criminal Court jury convicted him of seven assault charges, a false imprisonment charge and several sexual offences. He pleaded guilty to the assault charges but denied the assault causing harm, false imprisonment and sexual offences. Leonard accepted the verdict, wrote an apology letter and was sentenced to 11 years concurrent, with the final year suspended on strict conditions, including probation and no contact with O'Donnell. O'Donnell read a victim impact statement describing the abuse as "sinister" and the lasting fear it caused. The judge expressed sympathy and noted her support from a loving husband. The case highlighted the prolonged campaign of physical and sexual abuse she endured.
Matthew Fadeyi, 34, was sentenced to six and a half years in prison, with the final year suspended, after a re‑trial in May 2024. He was convicted of one count of rape for assaulting a 20‑year‑old woman he had given a lift to in August 2018. The court heard that Fadeyi, who had previously been convicted of a minor road traffic offence, offered to drop the woman home, became flirtatious, and after she declined to have sex, forced himself on her in the back seat of his car. The victim, who described the experience as traumatic, had previously made a formal complaint to Gardaí in January 2019. Fadeyi, a father of three, was found to have no additional violence beyond the act itself, and the judge noted the victim's relative youth and lack of experience. The suspended year is subject to a number of conditions.
Aaron Brady, already serving a life sentence for the murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe, was sentenced by the Special Criminal Court to an additional three years for conspiring to pervert the course of justice. Brady admitted responsibility for recording a video of an interview between Garda officers and witness Ronan Flynn, in which Flynn claimed Brady had admitted to shooting Donohoe three times. The video was later posted on social media, accusing Flynn of "touting" and calling him a "rat." Brady's co‑conspirator, Dean Byrne, aged 31, received a two‑year sentence for persuading a witness not to give evidence. Byrne had been due for release later that year after a 14‑year sentence for aggravated burglary. The judge noted that the offences struck at the heart of the administration of justice but did not involve violence, threats or inducements, and therefore the sentences were reduced from the headline years to the final terms.
Michael Nolan, aged 54, pleaded guilty in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to indecent assault of a child between November 1984 and September 1985, when he was 14‑15 and the victim 4‑5. He had no prior convictions. The court heard that Nolan's parents and the victim's parents met after the offences were discovered, and that both children were referred to therapy. The victim's impact statement described lasting physical, emotional and psychological harm, including PTSD, anxiety and nightmares, and her motivation to report the abuse to prevent further victims. Judge Pauline Codd noted the offence's seriousness and the victim's enduring suffering. She considered the passage of time, Nolan's rehabilitation, his guilty plea, remorse, and €6,500 contribution to counselling costs. The judge imposed a headline sentence of four years, suspended for three years, and placed Nolan on the sex offenders register for two years, avoiding custodial imprisonment. The case was concluded with no further convictions or charges.
Jonathan Diggins, 47, a former student of Jill Biden, was caught with €330,000 worth of ketamine in a suitcase at Dublin Airport in 2023. The suitcase, which had missed a connecting flight from Brussels to San Francisco, was found to contain seven packs of ketamine with a street value of €330,000. Diggins was arrested a few weeks later when he returned to Ireland to search for the lost suitcase. He pleaded guilty to one count of importing drugs on 6 November 2023. He has no prior convictions. His defence counsel argued that the drugs were simply in transit from Belgium to the United States and that Diggins had no intention of importing them into Ireland. The court adjourned the matter for finalisation on 31 July 2024. The case was heard in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The prosecution was represented by Jane Horgan-Jones BL, and the defence by James Dwyer SC.
The Director of Public Prosecutions has dropped charges against a 42-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman, who were accused of female genital mutilation and child cruelty of their infant daughter. At Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, senior counsel John Byrne informed the court that nolle prosequis were entered on all charges, meaning they are no longer being pursued. This decision follows a new expert report prepared for the DPP, which agreed with the defence expert that no FGM took place. The couple, who pleaded not guilty to one count of FGM and one count of child cruelty each, had previously been convicted in 2020. Judge Elma Sheahan sentenced the man to five-and-a-half years imprisonment and the woman to four years and nine months. However, the Court of Appeal quashed these convictions in November 2021, citing a breach of fair trial rights due to mistranslation. A subsequent re-trial last year ended with a jury unable to agree on a verdict. Defence counsel described the situation as an "appalling miscarriage of justice," with one lawyer requesting a formal acquittal. The matter was adjourned until October 25 for mention before Judge Patricia Ryan.
In a High Court hearing on 26 July 2024, Crann Ard Developments Ltd sought orders to halt the presence of horses on its Ardgeeha Upper land in Clonmel, County Tipperary, where it intends to build a €55 million residential development of 114 units. The company claims that Mr William Reilly has left his horses on the site without permission, thereby trespassing and preventing the commencement of construction. It requests an injunction restraining Mr Reilly from entering or interfering with the land, blocking access, and compelling him to remove all livestock. Mr Reilly's solicitors alleged continuous possession of the land since 2007, but the company rejects any entitlement. The court granted the company permission to serve short‑notice injunction proceedings, with the matter set to return next week. The company plans to start groundworks in August and September but fears financial loss if construction is delayed. The judge was Mr Justice Mark Sanfey.
The High Court has set a hearing date for a lead challenge, a "test case," concerning primary school placements for children with autism. Families have filed judicial review actions against the Minister for Education and the State, arguing that they have been unable to secure suitable school places despite contacting many schools. They claim this failure breaches the children's constitutional right to adequate education and fear regression if the children remain outside the school system. The judge, Ms Justice Niamh Hyland, deemed the matters urgent and scheduled the test case for mid‑November, with other related actions to be heard in October. The Minister's counsel noted that extra classes and places have been sanctioned, but enrolment decisions rest with schools. The applicant families' counsel highlighted that clients have sought places since March, received only generic responses, and remain unaware of details about the new places.
A 22‑year‑old serial sex offender, who was on bail for defilement of a 15‑year‑old, was sentenced to seven years and four months in prison for raping a 13‑year‑old girl and falsely imprisoning her 16‑year‑old friend. The offence occurred on 22 June 2023 in County Tipperary when the offender drove the girls to buy cannabis, then took the younger girl out of the car, locked the older girl inside, and forced the rape. He had previously admitted the defilement charge and pleaded guilty to the rape. The judge noted the large age disparity, the pre‑meditated nature of the crime, and the impact on the victim's mental health. A psychological report placed him at high risk of reoffending; he must serve about two years of a prior suspended sentence before the new term, remain drug‑free, attend mental health and probation services, and be listed on the Sex Offenders' Register.
The 48‑year‑old defendant, whose name is withheld to protect the victim, was convicted of rape at his home in the midlands on 7 August 2018. The Central Criminal Court in Tullamore found him guilty after a February trial, and he received a nine‑year jail sentence for the rape, with a four‑and‑a‑half‑year term for assault and false imprisonment, the final year suspended. He appealed, arguing that two "goading" videos taken on his phone before the alleged rape were inadmissible and prejudicial. The Court of Appeal heard the case on 26 July 2024, with counsel for the State maintaining the videos were admissible for credibility, while the defence claimed they were irrelevant and highly prejudicial. The court will decide after the summer break. The defendant continues to deny the offence and has shown no remorse or rehabilitation.
A Palestinian man, who has sued the State for failing to provide accommodation after seeking international protection, has not responded to a settlement offer. The High Court heard that the man, who is unwell and cannot be named, arrived in the State in April and has spent recent months sleeping in a tent or in others' homes. He has brought judicial review proceedings against the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the Attorney General, seeking orders for accommodation, a vulnerability assessment and declarations that the Minister breached his EU rights to international protection. The State's counsel said a settlement offer had been sent to the man's legal team, but no reply has been received. The case was adjourned to September. The man, aged in his 40s, claims he was a former political prisoner who endured torture in an Israeli jail and was later attacked by settlers.
The Central Criminal Court trial of Brian Ibe, aged 23, collapsed after the judge ruled that the defence could not call additional witnesses who were not classified as experts. Ibe, who had no fixed abode and was formerly of Moore Park, Newbridge, was accused of murdering retired Peter Kennedy, 65, who had offered him and his mother a place to stay. Ibe denied murder but admitted causing Kennedy's death, and pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. He also faced a separate assault charge against Garda Brendan O'Donnell. The judge explained that the court could not accommodate the defence's request for non‑expert witnesses and that it would be unfair to keep the jury empanelled for an extended period. Consequently, the jury was excused for five years and the case was postponed. The trial, which had been scheduled to last up to two weeks, was therefore abandoned.
Cliona Holt, a group commercial accountant at Veolia Energy Services Ireland Ltd, was suspended after an email she circulated in April 2023 revealed she had discussed a tender with an employee of a contracting firm. Veolia argued the email breached its anti‑bribery and corruption policy and that Holt had disclosed confidential information. Holt claimed she had been encouraged by Veolia to discuss such matters. The Workplace Relations Commission found that while the suspension was "unreasonable", Holt's conduct after the suspension was "entirely unreasonable". She had refused occupational health appointments, demanded her grievance be heard before medical clearance, and resigned abruptly. The WRC rejected Holt's claim for constructive dismissal under the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977, concluding she had not met the legal standard for constructive dismissal. The decision was issued by adjudicator Breiffni O'Neill.
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Garda William Ryan (41) was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault and one count of false imprisonment after a jury deliberated for about three and a half hours. The case centred on an incident at Aughrim Garda Station on 29 September 2020, when a woman sought help to retrieve her son's car. Ryan allegedly prevented her from leaving the station, slapped her bottom, groped her breasts, and sexually assaulted her again by digitally penetrating her vagina. He claimed the encounters were consensual, citing a prior phone conversation and the woman's Snapchat photos. The prosecution described his testimony as implausible and "badly‑written erotica." Ryan was remanded in custody until a sentencing date of 7 October, with the judge noting his status as a serving Garda and his family responsibilities. The trial concluded with the jury issuing a unanimous guilty verdict. William Ryan pleaded not guilty.
A jury at the Central Criminal Court has unanimously convicted James Kilroy of the murder of his wife, Valerie French Kilroy, at their home in Kilbree Lower, Westport, County Mayo, in June 2019. The conviction marks the conclusion of his third trial since 2021, with previous proceedings having collapsed due to unforeseen difficulties. Kilroy had mounted an insanity defence, claiming he was suffering cannabis-induced psychosis when he fatally beat, stabbed and strangled his wife. The jury of eight women and four men rejected this claim after deliberating for approximately two hours. Expert psychiatric evidence was divided on whether cannabis-induced psychosis constitutes a valid defence under the Criminal Law (Insanity) Act, though the prosecution's consultant psychiatrist argued such conditions fall within the definition of intoxication rather than mental disorder. Mr Justice Tony Hunt, presiding, stated the verdict represented the correct outcome, noting that self-induced scenarios cannot serve as defences. Kilroy will receive the mandatory life sentence at sentencing on the following Monday, when the victim's family will be afforded the opportunity to address the court.
The trial of Garda William Ryan, 41, has entered its final stages. Ryan has pleaded not guilty to three sexual assault charges and to one false imprisonment charge relating to a woman held at Aughrim Garda Station on 29 September 2020. Judge Elma Sheahan delivered her charge to the jury, who deliberated for two and a half hours before returning home, with deliberations to resume tomorrow morning.