Brian Jackson, a university department head, has failed to have his two-year driving ban reduced on appeal after he caused a motorcyclist to be left in a coma and with permanent injuries by performing a dangerous u-turn. Jackson was convicted of careless driving causing serious bodily harm and fined €3,000. The motorcyclist sustained serious internal injuries, required a colostomy bag, and now has a permanent ankle injury. Jackson's appeal argued that the disqualification was too long given the conviction and that he had no previous convictions. However, the Court of Appeal upheld the two-year ban, noting the severity of the injuries and the fact that Jackson had a perfect driving record before the incident. The victim described the accident as "emotionally devastating" and a "life sentence" due to the permanent impact on his ability to live. The court ruled that the disqualification was within the sentencing judge's discretion and was not a disproportionate penalty.
A cybersecurity worker, Cian Ó Laoi, is pursuing claims of whistleblower penalisation and constructive dismissal against his former employer, Edgescan, after he raised concerns about an Israeli company having access to the firm's servers. Ó Laoi recorded a meeting where he was reprimanded for making remarks about the Israeli tech sector and the "genocide of the Palestinians." He claims he had a "moral and professional obligation" to raise these concerns. The company disputes the claims, arguing that the access issue was not within Ó Laoi's pay grade. During a disciplinary meeting, Ó Laoi was told he was engaging in "tinfoil hat stuff" and that his comments were "unacceptable." He maintains that his communication was protected and that his concerns were about supply chain risks related to Israeli military intelligence. The case is continuing before adjudicator Penelope McGrath, with the tribunal considering whether Ó Laoi's actions were protected disclosures or inappropriate rhetoric.
Matas Kuzevicius, a grocery thief, has been jailed for three and a half years after attacking supermarket staff with a syringe and claiming he had HIV. Kuzevicius was stopped by security staff while trying to leave a supermarket with stolen groceries and produced a syringe filled with a bloodlike substance. During the struggle, an assistant manager received a scrape to the hand. Kuzevicius, who has 33 previous convictions, claimed he had HIV, but testing showed he did not have the virus. He admitted to stealing groceries, assault causing harm, possession of a syringe, and threatening to injure with a syringe. The court heard that Kuzevicius had a history of drug addiction and homelessness. Judge Orla Crowe described the incident as a "very, very serious and dangerous situation" and set a headline sentence of six years, which was reduced to four years, taking into account his early guilty pleas, remorse, and rehabilitation in custody. The final six months of the sentence were suspended on conditions, including supervision by the Probation Service.
The Court of Appeal has heard an appeal against the sentence of Daniel Ramamoorthy, who was convicted of sexually exploiting a 13-year-old boy and possessing child sexual abuse material. Ramamoorthy pleaded guilty to the possession charge, which was proven, while maintaining his innocence regarding the sexual exploitation offence. He was sentenced to two years and four months by Judge Sinéad McMullen at the Central Criminal Court on March 24 last year. The judge imposed an 18-month sentence for the possession charge, ordered to run concurrently with the sentence for the exploitation charge. During the appeal hearing, Mr Justice John Edwards criticised character references, including one from a TD, for failing to mention the victim or the nature of the crime. Counsel for Ramamoorthy argued the sentence was excessive and that his exceptional background and public service were not sufficiently weighted. The State argued the sentence was appropriate given the breach of trust and the victim's ongoing distress. The court reserved judgment, with the decision expected early next week.
Philip Sullivan, a 63-year-old Kildare native, is to be returned to prison after breaching the conditions of his suspended sentence. In 2008, the late Mr Justice Paul Carney imposed two concurrent life sentences on Sullivan for the alleged rape and sexual assault of two young boys, aged nine and 11, between 2004 and 2006. Sullivan appealed this decision, and the Court of Appeal quashed the life terms, substituting them with concurrent 15-year sentences. The final two and a half years of this term were suspended for 10 years on strict conditions, including a prohibition on being in the company of minors. Prosecutors told the High Court that in February, gardai found Sullivan in the company of three teenage boys, aged 15, 16, and 17, at his south Dublin home. While there was no evidence the boys consumed alcohol or cannabis in Sullivan's presence, his association with minors constituted a breach. Sullivan's risk assessment was subsequently upgraded from medium to high. Mr Justice Paul McDermott noted that Sullivan was not candid when confronted by gardai. The judge activated 18 months of the previously suspended sentence, ordering Sullivan's return to custody to ensure public safety and uphold the fundamental tenet of his supervision.
Two criminals with a combined 365 previous convictions have been jailed for seven and a half years for a "distressing" and "gratuitously violent" robbery, during which the victim was falsely imprisoned, strangled, and thrown headfirst onto LUAS tracks. The victim was approached by Conor Manning (30) and Jackie McElhaton (50), who struck him with a glass bottle and took his phone. Manning then threw the victim headfirst into LUAS tracks and attempted to strangle him. The victim lost consciousness multiple times and was later admitted to hospital for treatment. Both pleaded guilty to the robbery, and McElhaton also pleaded guilty to an earlier robbery. The court heard that the victim described the experience as deeply distressing and frightening, with lasting physical and psychological effects. Judge Martin Nolan noted the level of violence was gratuitous and reduced the headline sentence of 10 years to seven and a half years, taking mitigating factors into account.
A convicted murderer serving a life sentence for shooting his brother-in-law with a submachine gun has been given a three-year jail term for endangering a garda with his car. In June 2021, Christopher Devine (44) was driving his car when he suddenly took off, nearly running down a garda and causing €1,800 worth of damage to two vehicles. He was arrested following a separate pursuit and pleaded guilty to endangerment and criminal damage. At the time, he had six previous offences and was later convicted of murder. He now has 13 previous convictions. His defense highlighted his struggles with alcohol and drug abuse, and Judge Orla Crowe reduced the headline sentence of four years to three, taking mitigating factors into account.
Convicted killer Derek Moore (aka Hutch), who was banned from the roads, high on drugs, driving at 158km/h and pulling wheelies on his motorbike when he struck a Ukrainian grandmother in Dublin city centre, leaving her with serious injuries, has asked a court to allow him complete a detox programme. Moore of Champions Avenue, Dublin 1 has pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing serious harm to Valentyna Linck on May 27, 2022 at Amiens Street. Moore (42) also pleaded guilty to two counts of dangerous driving and a count of driving under the influence of an intoxicant on the same date. Further counts of dangerous driving are to be taken into consideration by the court. Moore has 44 previous convictions, including those for manslaughter, assault causing serious harm, attempted robbery and possession of drugs. His previous convictions also include eight for dangerous driving and one for endangerment. He was disqualified from driving for five years at the time of this offence, the court was told.
A father who assaulted an umpire at an underage GAA match, leading to the victim suffering a concussion at the hands of others, has been given a three-month suspended sentence. The actions of the defendant Michael Kelly – who has 20 previous convictions – at Clan na Gael club in March 2023 were 'not a true reflection of the GAA', Judge Orla Crowe said as she sentenced him today. The court was previously told how there were already tensions on the pitch during the match when Kelly ran at an umpire 'swinging punches' after his 17-year-old son got into a verbal disagreement with the victim. Kelly (41) of Sherrard St Lower, Dublin 1, pleaded guilty to assault at the GAA club in Irishtown on March 5, 2023. Kelly did not actually strike the umpire, Paul Keane, but put him in fear that he would be hit, which allows for a charge of assault under Section 2 of the Non-fatal Offences against the Person Act. It is an offence which carries a maximum sentence of six months.
A 39-year-old man has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to the attempted murder of his brother at the family home in Mullingar two years ago. Ms Justice Karen O'Connor at the Central Criminal Court today swore a jury of seven men and five women to hear the trial of Gary O'Shaughnessy. She told the jury it is alleged that Mr O'Shaughnessy attempted to murder his brother, Mark O'Shaughnessy, at Ailesbury House, Lynn Road, Mullingar Co Westmeath between May 15 and 16, 2024. The brothers were living at Ailesbury House at the time, she said. He is further charged with intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to his brother on the same date and at the same location. Mr O'Shaughnessy pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to both charges. Ms Justice O'Connor told the jury the trial will conclude by the end of this week.
A 39-year-old man from Gweedore in Co Donegal has been committed to the Central Mental Hospital following a special verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity in relation to the death of his grandfather. Derek Mulligan received the order at the Central Criminal Court on Monday after a jury returned majority verdicts on all counts in late March. The jury accepted psychiatric evidence that Mr Mulligan was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia when his grandfather, Derek Burns, aged 78, died at Carrickcoyle on 19 December 2023. A consultant forensic psychiatrist told the court that Mr Mulligan continues to suffer from the mental disorder and requires ongoing inpatient treatment. The defendant had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to murder and further charges relating to property damage and threats made two days prior, as well as two counts of assault. Justice Eileen Creedon accepted the medical evidence and committed him to the designated centre for continued care.
A Ukrainian war veteran, Hryhorii Sryotenko, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for attempting to murder his ex-partner, Viktoriia Pavlenko, by stabbing her 15 times in her bedroom. The court heard that the attack was halted only by the intervention of Sryotenko's son. Mr Justice David Keane described the incident as a "truly horrific" attack, noting the life-threatening and disfiguring injuries Pavlenko sustained. Sryotenko, who claims he was psychologically damaged during his military service, pleaded guilty to the attempted murder. The judge highlighted aggravating factors, including the severity of the injuries, the breach of trust in the victim's home, and the use of a long kitchen knife. Sryotenko's admission of guilt and lack of previous convictions were considered mitigating factors. The victim, who had to leave Ukraine due to the war, described the attack as a complete change in her life, leaving her with lasting physical and emotional scars.
Antoin Duffy, a 49-year-old man charged with murdering former Sinn Fein official Denis Donaldson, has been remanded in custody until June. He appeared by video link before the Special Criminal Court, which directed that two books of evidence be served on his solicitors on June 8. Duffy also faces charges connected with an alleged attempted murder and firearms possession in Donegal.
Computer engineer Cian Ó Laoi told the Workplace Relations Commission that Edgescan reprimanded him after he raised concerns about a tech firm with Israeli links having high-level access to its servers. He is pursuing claims of whistleblower penalisation and constructive dismissal against BCC Risk Advisory Ltd, trading as Edgescan. The company is contesting the complaints, and the hearing before adjudication officer Penelope McGrath was adjourned until Monday.
The Workplace Relations Commission ordered Nical Engineering Ltd to pay refrigeration technician Nathan Collins €1,650 in unpaid wages. Nical said it had a counter-debt claim after a company van was recovered from outside Collins's address under garda supervision, but adjudicator Penelope McGrath ruled that wages could not be withheld. McGrath said the use of garda resources to recover the vehicle was unacceptable.
Law Society director Antoinette Moriarty says legal professionals' approach to counselling and wellbeing support has undergone a sea change, but the profession's structure still needs review. She said heavy workloads, difficult case material and corporate demands can contribute to burnout and vicarious trauma. Moriarty also said around 90 per cent of trainees using the Law Society counselling service are psychologically, emotionally and mentally well.
A Workplace Relations Commission adjudicator rejected cleaner Donna Ash's unfair dismissal complaint against Skerries Golf Club after finding the redundancy was genuine. The decision said honorary secretary Donnacha Neary's credibility was somewhat undermined when he initially tried to swear an oath using a work diary instead of a Bible. Despite shortcomings in the process, the club showed a sizeable saving from outsourcing its cleaning function.
The Workplace Relations Commission dismissed former Wilson's Hospital School head of facilities Siobhan Rogers' complaint of whistleblower penalisation. Rogers said she reported alleged financial and governance irregularities, including suspected fraudulent timesheets, use of a fuel card and weak data controls. Adjudicator Brian Dolan found that she had made numerous protected disclosures but had not shown that she suffered a detriment.
Dún Laoghaire District Court dismissed a €200 keg-theft charge against Niall Kelly after Judge Anne Watkin found a gap in the CCTV chain of custody. Kelly was separately placed on a €500 peace bond for 12 months after being accused of abusive behaviour towards a hospital worker. His defence said symptoms of Huntington's disease could be mistaken for intoxication, while the judge accepted the medical circumstances as mitigation but not an excuse for abuse. Niall Kelly pleaded not guilty.
Diarmuid Aherne was fined €100 after pleading guilty to possessing a Stanley knife, while Judge Anne Watkin dealt with his separate resisting-a-garda charge by placing him on a one-year peace bond. The court heard that Aherne ran from gardaí and was found with the knife in his backpack. The judge warned that he could be jailed if he appeared before the courts again for similar conduct.
The Workplace Relations Commission awarded Xerotech founder and chief executive Dr Barry Flannery €420,172 after upholding his complaint of constructive dismissal. Flannery said the company cut off his systems and physical access before he resigned in December 2024. Adjudication officer Breiffni O'Neill found the actions completely undermined the employment relationship and ordered loss-of-earnings compensation through June 2027; Xerotech entered voluntary liquidation in February 2025.
The Workplace Relations Commission directed Madhu Foods Limited, trading as Guru Indian Cuisine, to pay Vasantkumar Barot €79,213.72 after his employer entered no defence to his employment-rights complaints. Barot said he paid €15,000 for a work permit and worked more than 90 hours a week, with average hourly pay of €1.61 in 2024. Adjudicator Brian Dalton made awards for wage arrears and working-time breaches, and found that an inference of racial harassment had been raised and not rebutted.
Deloitte senior partner Brian Jackson denied allegations about toxic masculinity and said he had been completely and utterly misquoted while giving evidence to the Workplace Relations Commission. He was responding to Viviana Jakomin's constructive dismissal complaint. The case was adjourned for four further hearing days in September, when Jackson's cross-examination is due to continue.
The Workplace Relations Commission rejected Alan O'Connor's discriminatory-dismissal complaint against Byrne and King Meats Ltd, trading as Dempsey and Byrne Craft Butchers, after finding that no dismissal took place. The adjudicator accepted that the employer had genuine safety and insurance concerns and was seeking a safe and insurable pathway back to work. It nevertheless directed payment of €9,711.15 for unlawful deduction of wages and other employment-rights breaches.
The Workplace Relations Commission heard that Aer Lingus pilot Tom O'Riordan said he would go on hunger strike unless the airline disclosed fume-related issues to staff and met demands that included payments exceeding €3 million. Human resources legal case manager Carmel Byrne said gardaí were called during the February 2024 stand-off. Aer Lingus denies his allegations and says no passengers or crew were exposed to any safety risk. The evidence forms part of the airline's defence of O'Riordan's whistleblower penalisation complaint.
Fashion design tutor Sharon Darcy alleged that safety concerns at Project Fashion included children tripping over extension leads and needles going through their fingers. She says she was constructively dismissed after workplace grievances were not resolved and a promised pay rise was disputed. Project Fashion disputes her complaint. The adjudication officer closed the hearing and will issue a written decision.
Antoin Duffy, who was extradited from Scotland, appeared before the Special Criminal Court charged with the murder of former Provisional IRA and Sinn Féin official Denis Donaldson. He also faces a separate attempted-murder charge involving Liam McGinley and four firearms-related charges. The three-judge, non-jury court ordered that all six charges be tried there after the Director of Public Prosecutions certified that the ordinary courts were not adequate.
Judge John Brennan described as a very sad situation the case of a long-term couple heard at Tallaght District Court after a woman said her partner breached a protection order and insulted her. The judge accepted her evidence that she was followed into a kitchen and called vicious and a bitch. Taking account of the accused's age, health and lack of previous convictions, he applied section 1(1) of the Probation of Offenders Act and said he was satisfied the accused had learned his lesson.
A 55-year-old man who repeatedly sexually assaulted a four-year-old girl when he was aged between 12 and 13 pleaded guilty to three sample counts at the Central Criminal Court. The offending occurred at a house in Co. Offaly between September 1983 and October 1984, with 11 other sexual-assault charges taken into consideration. Justice Patrick McGrath set a 15-month sentence and suspended the final nine months, taking account of the defendant's youth at the time, guilty plea, remorse, health and low likelihood of reoffending.
A Central Criminal Court trial heard an uncle deny an allegation that he raped his deaf niece, while describing her as truthful and honest. Seven men, including four brothers and three uncles, deny wrongdoing on a combined 103 charges alleging sexual abuse between 1996 and 2013. Garda interview transcripts were read for Accused B, who faces eight counts comprising rape, oral rape and anal rape. The trial continues. The unnamed 55-year-old pleaded not guilty.
The High Court has awarded legal costs to the Coimisiún na Meán against X Internet Unlimited Company, following the platform's unsuccessful application for a stay on an ongoing investigation. Mr Justice Cian Ferriter granted the costs to the commission, represented by David Fennelly SC, after it successfully defended against X's stay request. X, represented by Neil Steen SC, had sought to quash the commission's decision to refer user complaints, made under the EU's Digital Services Act, to its internal supervisory team. The judge previously refused the stay, finding that X overstated potential prejudice and understated the public interest in the orderly operation of the complaints process under the Digital Services Act and the Broadcasting Act 2009. X argued that the investigation's continuation would cause serious harm and render its judicial review moot. However, the judge ordered costs in favour of the commission, rejecting X's argument that costs should not automatically follow given the stay issue could be revisited. The substantive judicial review, in which X claims the referral was unlawful while the commission denies this, is scheduled for a two-day hearing on July 2-3. Crucially, Mr Justice Ferriter placed a stay on the costs order itself, pending the determination of the overall proceedings in July.
Christopher Judge was sentenced to life in prison for murdering 27-year-old Steven Ring, whose body was tied up and dumped in Carrigfoyle Quarry, Wexford. The Central Criminal Court heard that Judge had taken Ring's phone and offered it for sale while the search was under way. Judge pleaded guilty, while co-accused Jane Corcoran was jailed for six years after admitting she helped move the body. Linda Ring told the court her family would never forgive the murderer.
A native Irish speaker, 39-year-old Derek Mulligan, has been found not guilty of murdering his grandfather by reason of insanity following a majority verdict by a Central Criminal Court jury. The jury accepted the evidence of two psychiatrists who testified that Mulligan was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the incident. Mulligan had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to the murder of his grandfather, Derek Burns, who died from severe injuries sustained on December 19, 2023. The court also heard that Mulligan was found not guilty by reason of insanity on additional charges, including damaging property, making threats, and assaulting two individuals. The trial revealed that Mulligan had a history of mental health issues and had experienced significant trauma, including sexual abuse in his childhood. The court ordered Mulligan's commitment to the Central Mental Hospital for psychiatric assessment, with a return date scheduled for March 31. The judge exempted the jury from service for the next five years due to the difficulty of the case.
Christopher O'Sullivan appealed the life sentence imposed for his manslaughter role in the killing of Timothy Hourihane. At the Court of Appeal, his counsel argued that the offence did not fall into the most serious sentencing category and that the disparity with James Brady's sentence was unjustified. The prosecution said the sentencing judge was entitled to consider O'Sullivan's previous convictions. Judgment was reserved. Christopher O'Sullivan pleaded guilty.
Tomasz Rozpeda, who had originally been charged with murdering Maciej Nowak, pleaded guilty to manslaughter at the Central Criminal Court. The charge concerns the unlawful killing of Nowak at Ballycranna, Kilross in Co Tipperary on or about December 26 or 27, 2023. Ms Justice Karen O'Connor adjourned the matter to May 18, directed a victim impact report and remanded Rozpeda in custody. The State will not proceed with the murder count after sentencing.
Mr Justice Tony Hunt ruled that Riad Bouchaker is fit to stand trial over charges arising from the Parnell Square East incident, including the attempted murder of two girls and one boy and assault causing serious harm to a care worker. The judge said Bouchaker has cognitive limitations but can understand the charges and mount a defence with accommodations. A three-week Central Criminal Court trial was set for June 8, with fitness to remain under review.
Kestutis Buivydas pleaded guilty after more than 52,000 cigarettes with no excise-duty stamp were seized from his Carnmore home and a Tuam Road storage unit. The court heard he bought them online and sold them through a network; his one-year prison sentence was suspended in full, with €1,050 directed to Jigsaw Galway.
Michael O'Reilly admitted setting fire to a van outside VP Motors after a dispute with the business owner, in an attack the sentencing judge described as premeditated spite. He received six years with the final three suspended, plus probation supervision and extensive no-contact and exclusion conditions. Michael O'Reilly pleaded guilty.
Richard Kamson, 24, pleaded guilty at Galway Circuit Criminal Court to possession of drugs for sale or supply at locations in Doughiska and Merlin Woods on September 14, 2021. The court heard that cocaine with a street value of just under €24,000 and cannabis valued at €57,000 were recovered from his bedroom and nearby woods. Although Kamson had no previous convictions and his defense counsel argued he was at low risk of reoffending, the prosecution noted he is currently under investigation for other alleged offences. Judge Brian O'Callaghan stated that Kamson had engaged in the Restorative Justice Programme, claiming he was changing his life and had developed victim awareness. However, the judge noted that Kamson came to the attention of gardai during this period, contradicting the probation report. Rejecting arguments regarding the defendant's athletic achievements, the judge remarked that he did not care if Kamson was running from Galway to Donegal for charity. The judge found that Kamson had committed a serious crime and remanded him in custody. The finalisation of the case was adjourned until June 10 next to allow for additional information from the Probation Service.
Michael McDonagh admitted stealing €17,000 from Cadell bar after entering through a rear door, with CCTV and a subsequent search linking him to the burglary. He received a four-year sentence with the final year suspended, alongside probation supervision and a five-year exclusion from the premises; insurance covered the unrecovered cash. Michael McDonagh pleaded guilty.
Dean Whittaker (33), an appellant with an address in Ballymun, Dublin, has appealed against the severity of his ten-month prison sentence for possessing cocaine and diamorphine for the purpose of unlawful sale and supply, contrary to section 15 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977. Whittaker was initially charged with possession of controlled drugs and obstructing or impeding a garda member on March 28, 2023. He was convicted in the District Court and later lodged an appeal. Garda Pierce O'Dwyer testified that Whittaker initially resisted arrest before being restrained and later admitted to dropping off drugs for sale and supply, while possessing a burner phone. Whittaker has 84 previous convictions, including drug-related, assault, and obstruction offences. Defence counsel stated that Whittaker has taken significant steps to change his behaviour, including engaging with the Star Project and the job centre, and has been clean of substances for 12 months. She requested the judge to consider suspending the jail term to provide motivation for Whittaker to turn his life around. Judge Cephas Power noted that the offending was at the 'top end' of the District Court level and was not inclined to interfere with the sentence at this stage. The case was re-mentioned for Whittaker to provide additional letters and urine analysis. The matter was adjourned for further mention in the new court term.
Gary Riordan's three-month sentence for stealing a backpack containing medication from the Mater Hospital emergency room was reduced on appeal. The court also took other theft, bicycle and drug matters into consideration, while noting his treatment and education in custody; the two-month term will run concurrently with another sentence. Gary Riordan was convicted.
A 16-year-old boy who sexually assaulted a care worker and threatened staff with a screwdriver and knife at a care home pleaded guilty to false imprisonment, sexual assault, attempted oral rape and making threats to kill or cause serious harm. Mr Justice Paul McDermott imposed four years' detention and suspended the final 18 months for two years. Conditions include continued engagement with the Probation Service and no direct or indirect contact with the victims. The boy cannot be identified because of his age.
A Galway man who sexually abused his three sisters when they were children pleaded guilty to rape and two indecent assaults. The victims described decades of trauma after the abuse became known, while Mr Justice Paul McDermott imposed a global two-year sentence with the final six months suspended and post-release supervision.
Former prison officer Aaron Sheridan received a fully suspended sentence after pleading guilty to unlawful possession of prescription drugs for sale or supply and having proceeds of criminal conduct. Gardaí found more than 900 Alprazolam tablets and cash at his Ballymun home. A separate allegation concerning €118,000 in allegedly unexplained bank-account movements was taken into consideration without a plea. Judge Orla Crowe imposed two years, suspended for four years on strict conditions, and called it a chance of a lifetime.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that Michael Kelly ran at an umpire swinging punches during an underage hurling match in Irishtown. Kelly pleaded guilty to a section 2 assault after causing Paul Keane to fear he would be struck, although the court heard he did not strike him. Unidentified people later assaulted Keane, causing concussion; the court heard those injuries were not attributable to Kelly. Judge Orla Crowe continued Kelly's bail and adjourned sentence to April 13 while an apology and €1,000 payment are considered.
Defence counsel told a Central Criminal Court jury that a just and humane society should treat people who are unwell rather than punish them, in the trial of Derek Mulligan. Mulligan has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to murdering his grandfather Derek Burns at Carrickcoyle, Derrybeg, and to other charges. Two psychiatrists told the trial he was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and met the criteria for the special verdict. The jury was expected to begin deliberations the following day.
Karl Phipps pleaded guilty to possessing €260,000 of cannabis for sale or supply after helping move boxes intercepted during a surveillance operation. The court heard he had a lesser role in a transnational organisation's importation effort; a five-year sentence was imposed with the final year suspended and backdated to his custody date.
David Doyle admitted theft, criminal damage, public intoxication, threatening behaviour, resisting arrest and two counts of failing to appear in court. Despite a negative probation report, Judge Derek Cooney deferred custody, imposed a probation bond and ordered full engagement with probation, warning that further offending would mean prison. David Doyle pleaded guilty.
Solicitor Joseph McNally told the Workplace Relations Commission that staff shortages after a law-firm merger left him dealing with upset clients instead of business development. Ferrys partner Barry O'Donoghue disputed McNally's account, while Ferrys Solicitors LLP denies the alleged sham redundancy; the complaint under the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977 was adjourned to May.