A man who led gardaí on a high speed car chase before crashing into cars waiting to collect children from school has been jailed for five and a half years.

Bernard Kelly (38) broke red lights and mounted the pavement outside the school. His partner and their three-month-old child were in the car.

Kelly claimed later that he kept driving during the 20 minute pursuit because he wanted to protect the child. He said he was afraid gardaí would ram into his car.

The incident happened in the middle of the day on December 21, 2018. Garda Mark Forsyth said the schools were ….read more

A locksmith who had over €70,000 in criminal cash hidden in a modified vehicle has been jailed for three years.

Ciaran Staunton (29) of Auburn Park, Castleknock, Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to handling the proceeds of criminal conduct on April 25, 2017.

Garda Eoin O’Donoghue told Siobhán Ní Chúlacháin BL, prosecuting, that on foot of confidential information garda obtained a warrant to search Staunton’s home.

During the search, Staunton arrived at the apartment block in a Jeep. He identified a second vehicle, a VW Passat, as his car but told gardaí the key for it was in a third ….read more

A court has ordered that a man who assaulted a psychiatric nurse while awaiting sentence for the attempted murder of a teenager camping in the Dublin mountains must remain under supervision for 15 years.

Michael Corbett (29) had pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to the attempted murder of the 17-year-old on June 27th, 2016 at the Hellfire Club on Montpelier Hill. He attacked a number of campers with a knife and used a piece of timber to strike one teenager about the head.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that as a result of this offence the father-of-one, with an address ….read more

By Declan Brennan and Jessica Magee

A young man who was caught with over €20,000 in drugs and cash has avoided a jail term.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that Daryl Conroy (22) was the driver of car stopped by gardai in Drumcondra, Dublin, on December 9, 2015.

Gardai became suspicious and carried out a search during which they found a Tesco bag with cannabis herb and resin, cocaine, eight mobile phones and four SIM cards.

They also found a digital weighing scales and bagging in a Dunnes Stores bag.

Tony McGillicuddy BL, prosecuting, told Judge Martin Nolan that the total estimated market value of ….read more

(Pictured: Mr Jonathan Gill. Credit: Collins)

The Director of Public Prosecutions has dropped all charges against a man accused of taking part in the “tiger kidnap” of a family in 2011.

Jonathan Gill (37) was accused of kidnapping a Drogheda postal worker, his partner and their 10-week-old baby daughter before robbing €660,000 from the man’s workplace. He denied all the charges.

A previous six-week trial in relation to the charges collapsed in 2017 amid concerns some jurors were getting information from outside the trial.

At Dublin Circuit Criminal Court today Vincent Heneghan SC, for the DPP, told Judge Karen O’Connor that the State was ….read more

A man has received a two and a half year sentence for the sexual assault of a 13 year old girl who was babysitting his grandchild.

The 62-year-old Dublin man had denied sexual assault of his neighbour on a date in August, 2001. A jury found him guilty after a trial last month at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

At the sentence hearing today Fionnuala O’Sullivan BL, prosecuting, told the court that the complainant wished to waive her anonymity but said there is a pending decision in the High Court around whether she can in fact do this.

In that case, lawyers for a ….read more

A man who repeatedly kicked his former partner in the face and head has received a prison sentence of three years with two suspended.

During a 45 minute long attack in her caravan home in Donabate, Co Dublin, Philip Kernan (48) told Angela Bissett “you like that do you, do you want more?”

She later told gardaí that Kernan kicked her in the face and head around 20 times after they came home from a night out drinking in a local hotel.

He also tried to strangle her with his hands around her throat and only stopped the attack when Ms Bissett pretended ….read more

A man who caused almost €2 million worth of damage when he burned down a Flyefit gym has been jailed for six and a half years.

Mark Harte (26) said that he carried out the arson in July 2016 for a criminal gang who he had built up a drug debt to because of his cocaine use.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that a car was driven through the front glass doors of the north Dublin gym and stopped at the security turnstiles inside the doors.

Harte had left the car before this and was holding a container. CCTV footage played to the ….read more