The Court of Appeal has upheld a 13-year-jail term imposed on a man for raping a woman four times in a single incident after inviting her to his home on the pretext of helping him with some painting.

The 40-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was convicted by a Central Criminal Court jury of two charges of rape, two charges of anal rape and assaulting the woman causing her harm at his Laois home on July 19, 2012. He had pleaded not guilty to the charges.

He was sentenced to 14 years imprisonment with the final year suspended ….read more

(Pictured: Marek Krol. Credit: Collins)

A man spared jail for sexually assaulting a comatose women, who had parted company from her friends while out socialising, will be sent to jail on Monday following a finding that his original suspended sentence was “unduly lenient”.

Polish national Marek Krol (54), with an address at Clarence Apartments, St Luke’s Cork, had pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting the 25-year-old woman in Cork city centre on February 1, 2016.

He was given a wholly suspended two year sentence by Judge David Riordan at Cork Circuit Criminal Court on November 2 last.

The Director of Public Prosecutions successfully sought a ….read more

A man jailed for routinely raping his daughter over a four year period has lost an appeal against his conviction in which his lawyers criticised interviews with the victim conducted under the specialist process for children who make complaints of sexual abuse.

The 37-year-old Lithuanian man, whose details cannot be published to protect the victim’s identity, was found guilty by a jury at the Central Criminal Court of 23 counts of raping and sexually assaulting his daughter within the State on dates between 2008 and 2011. His daughter was aged between seven and ten at the time of the abuse.

The man ….read more

A “cottage industry” has grown up around “lawyers challenging the definitions or alleged vagueness of criminal offences”, according to a High Court judge.

Patrick McNamee, a man with 164 previous convictions, is charged with being unlawfully at large, by way of breaching a condition of temporary release from Mountjoy Prison that he be of good behaviour.

Some six days after his release from prison, in December 2015, Gardaí allege that McNamee was witnessed trespassing on residential property. He is said to have replied after caution: “I wasn’t doing any burglaries, I wasn’t doing any of that”.

His lawyers sought to prohibit his prosecution ….read more

A wheelchair dependent man, jailed for sexually abusing a teenager whose family he visited from America over several summers, has had his prison sentence cut on appeal.

The 78-year-old resident of the United States, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, pleaded guilty at Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court to two counts of sexual assault, two counts of possessing child pornography and one count of attempted buggery of a person under the age of 17 at various locations on dates between 2000 and 2005.

He was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years imprisonment by Judge Rory McCabe on June 14, 2016.

The man, who is largely ….read more

A raider jailed for robbing a post office in Carlow has had his prison sentence increased following an appeal by prosecutors.

Keith Chrystal (28), with an address on Neilstown Drive, Clondalkin, Dublin 22, had pleaded guilty at Carlow Circuit Criminal Court to robbery, assault causing harm, possession of an imitation firearm, unlawful use of a vehicle and criminal damage arising out of an incident at Leighlinbridge Post Office on March 3, 2016.

He was given an effective two-and-a-half year jail term by Judge Carmel Doyle on July 20, 2016.

The Director of Public Prosecutions successfully sought a review of Chrystal’s sentence today on ….read more

The Director of a construction company wanted in the UK over his role in a £5 million tax fraud will seek to argue ‘Brexit’ prevents his extradition to the UK to serve a prison sentence.

Thomas Joseph O’Connor (49), with an address at Cloughbeirne, The Walk, Roscommon, was sentenced in his absence to four-and-a-half years in prison for defrauding the British revenue more than a decade ago in January 2007.

After being convicted following a six-week trial at Blackfriars Crown Court, O’Connor, who was on bail, did not attend court for the sentencing hearing. He had returned to Ireland but was ….read more

“Time and tide wait for no man” and “neither do the courts,” according to a High Court judge, who dismissed a man’s challenge to a District Court judge’s decision to sentence him for driving offences in his absence.

Mervin White, described as a “veteran of the criminal justice system”, pleaded guilty in the District Court on October 1, 2014, to drunk driving, dangerous driving, driving without insurance, and driving without a licence.

Sentencing had been adjourned to October 29, 2014, when the District Court was told that Mr White’s partner was having a baby and he could not attend.

Sentencing was adjourned again ….read more

(Pictured: Tadhg O’Dalaigh. Credit: Collins)

A retired priest whose conviction for indecently assaulting a schoolboy in the 1970s was quashed has been awarded legal costs for his successful appeal.

The Catholic Church had funded Tadhg O’Dalaigh’s legal representation, according to lawyers for the Director of Public Prosecutions, who had opposed the costs application on grounds that he was “not out of pocket himself”.

Last week, The 73-year-old, of Woodview, Mount Merrion Avenue, Blackrock, successfully appealed his conviction for indecently assaulting a schoolboy at Colaiste Chroi Naofa boarding school in Carrignavar, Co Cork in the 1970s.

O’Dalaigh had been found guilty by a jury ….read more

A man who defiled a 14-year-old schoolgirl, who was sleeping over at her friends house, has had the final year of his prison sentence suspended on appeal.

The 42-year-old man, who details cannot be published to protect the victim’s identity, pleaded guilty to five counts at Naas Circuit Criminal Court including defilement of a child and sexual assault at a location in Co Kildare on dates in January and February 2014.

He was given an effective eight year sentence by Judge Michael O’Shea on December 4, 2015.

The Court of Appeal suspended the final twelve months of his eight year term today after ….read more