A pensioner jailed for abusing a teenage boy 30 years ago has lost an appeal against his conviction.

John Barrow (74), with an address in Crolly, Co Donegal, had denied six counts of indecently assaulting the then 14-year-old boy in the county between August 1989 and September 1990.

Donegal Circuit Criminal Court heard that Barrow and the boy had an interest in a particular past-time, and the abuse was alleged to have occurred after they had engaged in this hobby together.

Barrow was found guilty by a jury and was sentenced to six years imprisonment with the final two years ….read more

One of three violent burglars jailed for breaking into a rural home and threatening the family has had his conviction quashed by the Court of Appeal.

Alan Freeman (38) from Pearse Park, Tipperary Town, was found guilty of violently breaking into, and restraining the occupants of, the Garvey family home in Pallasgreen, Co Limerick on April 16, 2012.

Limerick Circuit Criminal Court heard that four men had gained entry into the Garvey home on the date in question, armed with various implements including a sawn-off shotgun, sledgehammer and baseball bat.

Gerard Garvey was kept downstairs where he was handcuffed while lying ….read more

The owner of a clothes-recycling company has had his conviction for money laundering quashed by the Court of Appeal.

Henry Alinta (44), with an address at Ashbrook Mews, Newry, Co Down, had pleaded not guilty to money laundering contrary to Section 7.1 of the Criminal Justice Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing Act 2010.

Trim Circuit Criminal Court heard that Alinta was stopped at the M1 Toll Plaza outside Drogheda, while he was a passenger in a BMW X6, driven by his wife. Gardaí searched the vehicle and found cash in the sums €127,000 and £146,940 in the boot.

Alinta told the ….read more

A man who helped the Kinahan crime group commit a “cold-blooded assassination” must wait to hear whether his prison sentence will be increased on foot of an appeal by the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Martin Aylmer (32), of Casino Park, Marino, Dublin 3, bought six pre-paid mobile phones in the run up to the murder of Michael Barr (35) at the Sunset House pub in Dublin’s north inner city on April 25, 2016.

The Special Criminal Court heard that one of the phones was found beside a burned-out car used as the getaway vehicle in Mr Barr’s murder. Aylmer was ….read more

A pensioner jailed for abusing a teenage boy 30 years ago must wait to hear the outcome of an appeal against his conviction.

John Barrow (74), with an address in Crolly, Co Donegal, had denied six counts of indecently assaulting the then 14-year-old boy in the county between August 1989 and September 1990.

Donegal Circuit Criminal Court heard that Barrow and the boy had an interest in airplanes, and the abuse was alleged to have occurred after they had gone flying together.

Barrow was found guilty by a jury and was sentenced to six years imprisonment with the final two years ….read more

The Court of Appeal has rejected an “unusual” argument that a man’s alcoholism diminished his responsibility for murdering an ex-girlfriend, but added that the issue may need to be explored in the future.

Michael McDonald (56), an alcoholic with an address at Barnhill, Castledermot, Co Kildare, had admitted killing Breda Cummins (31) in Athy, Co Kildare on May 13, 2010, but denied it was murder.

The Central Criminal Court heard that McDonald had been in a five-year relationship with Ms Cummins that ended five weeks before he stabbed her six times in the chest as she lay in bed.

The ….read more

A violent criminal who sent “laughing emojis” to friends after savagely beating a 54-year-old man “to a pulp” and stripping him of his clothes has lost an appeal against his conviction for murder.

Anthony Walsh (32), of no fixed abode, had admitted killing Dermot Byrne at North St, Swords, Co Dublin on July 16, 2017, but denied it was murder.

The Central Criminal Court heard that Mr Byrne suffered more than 150 injuries as a result of Walsh’s savage beating following a drunken row over a cigarette.

Walsh claimed Mr Byrne attacked him, cornered him and kept coming at him, trying ….read more

A man who stabbed a taxi driver and callously left him to die alone on a country road, has been given an extra two years in prison after a finding that his original six-year jail term was too lenient.

Joseph Hillen (25), with an address at Glendasha Road, Forkhill, Co Armagh, had admitted killing Martin Mulligan (53) in a rural area near Dundalk, Co Louth in the early hours of September 28, 2015, but denied it was murder.

The trial heard that Hillen initially denied all knowledge of Mr Mulligan’s death, but ahead of his trial he made a voluntary ….read more

The Court of Appeal is to seek clarification from the European Courts on legislation governing fishing regulations in Irish seas.

The case concerns the skipper of a Dutch factory ship, who was convicted of having equipment on board his vessel that was capable of returning fish to sea within the Irish exclusion zone, near Cork, on February 11, 2015.

Klass Meijvogel, with an address at Jan Tooropstraut, 9 Katwick in the Netherlands, had pleaded not guilty to the single fishing offence, but was found guilty by a 10-2 majority jury verdict following a trial at Cork Circuit Criminal Court that ….read more

A 69-year-old man sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for abusing two generations of his family has had his jail term shortened, in light of the fact he was likely to “die in prison”, in the words of his barrister.

The man, who cannot be named to protect the anonymity of his victims, was convicted by a Central Criminal Court jury of indecently assaulting and raping his grandson from 2004 to 2015 when the boy was aged between four and fifteen years old.

He subsequently pleaded guilty to indecently assaulting three of his daughters, raping one of them and attempting to rape another ….read more