(Pictured: Mr Vincent Banks. Credit: Collins)

The Special Criminal Court trial of a Dublin man accused of IRA membership has been listening to a day of legal argument.

Defence lawyers at the trial of Vincent Banks (47), who the prosecution allege purchased the car that was later used in the fatal shooting of Northern Irish prison officer David Black, are objecting to the legality of the accused man’s arrest.

Mr Black, a 52-year-old father of two, was shot dead on November 1st 2012. He was driving to work at Maghaberry prison when the incident occurred.

Mr Banks, of Smithfield Gate Apartments in Dublin ….read more

A Limerick man has gone on trial accused of threatening to shoot a man and burn his “house to the ground”.

Larry McCarthy Jnr (37), with addresses at the Old Cork Road and Cornmarket Villas in Limerick, is charged with threatening to kill Noel Moore and threatening to damage Mr Moore’s property at Windsor House, Donoughmore, Limerick on July 28, 2015.

Arraigned on the charges before the non-jury Special Criminal Court today, Mr McCarthy Jnr pleaded not guilty to both counts.

Opening the State’s case this afternoon prosecuting counsel, Diana Stuart BL, told the three-judge court that Mr McCarthy Jnr’s sister, Laura, was ….read more

(Pictured: Mr Vincent Banks. Credit: Collins)

The Special Criminal Court trial of a Dublin man accused of IRA membership has been adjourned until tomorrow morning.

Defence lawyers at the trial of Vincent Banks (47), who the prosecution allege purchased the car that was later used in the fatal shooting of Northern Irish prison officer David Black, are objecting to the legality of the accused man’s arrest.

Mr Black, a 52-year-old father of two, was shot dead on November 1st 2012. He was driving to work at Maghaberry prison when the incident occurred.

Mr Banks, of Smithfield Gate Apartments in Dublin 7, has pleaded ….read more

A Louth man found guilty of IRA membership has been jailed by the Special Criminal Court for three years.

Michael Connolly (45) of Grange Drive in Dundalk had been observed driving in convoy with another man, who was then found with two improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

Last month, the three-judge, non-jury court convicted Connolly, who had denied the charge, of membership of an unlawful organisation, styling itself Oglaigh na hEireann, otherwise the Irish Republican Army, otherwise the IRA on December 16th, 2014.

The court had heard that Connolly and another man were seen together in the Ardee area that morning. ….read more

The Special Criminal Court trial of a Dublin man accused of IRA membership has heard a day of legal argument.

Defence lawyers at the trial of Vincent Banks (47), who the prosecution allege purchased the car from which Northern Irish prison officer David Black was shot dead, are objecting to the legality of the accused man’s arrest.

Mr Black, a 52-year-old father of two, was killed on November 1st 2012. He was driving to work at Maghaberry prison when the incident occurred.

Mr Banks, of Smithfield Gate Apartments in Dublin 7 has pleaded not guilty to membership of an unlawful organisation ….read more

(Pictured: Mr Vincent Banks. Credit: Collins)

The Special Criminal Court trial of a man accused of IRA membership has heard that he was arrested as part of investigations into the killing of Northern Irish prison officer David Black.

Mr Black, a 52-year-old father of two, was shot dead on November 1st 2012. He was driving to work at Maghaberry prison when the incident occurred.

Vincent Banks (47), of Smithfield Gate Apartments in Dublin 7 has pleaded not guilty to membership of an unlawful organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army, otherwise Oglaigh na hEireann, otherwise the IRA on December 18th 2012.

Opening the prosecution ….read more

The Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission must apply to the High Court for transcripts relating to appearances before the Special Criminal Court of Adrian Crevan Mackin, who shot dead Garda Anthony Golden in 2015 before killing himself.

The Special Criminal Court was told on Monday that a “public interest investigation” has been launched by GSOC following complaints it received about “the nature of some interactions it is alleged members of An Garda Siochana had with Mackin both prior and subsequent to his arrest in January 2015.”

The court heard that the investigation is currently ongoing.

Counsel for GSOC, Mr Ronan Kennedy BL, applied on ….read more

Three Dublin men accused of IRA membership will face trial next year at the non-jury Special Criminal Court.

Jonathan Hawthorn (44) of Ballintyre Downs in Ballinteer, James Geraghty (60) of Dolphin House in Dolphin’s Barn, and Donal O’Ceallaigh (32) with an address on Beach Road, Sandymount are all charged with membership of an unlawful organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army, otherwise Oglaigh na hEireann, otherwise the IRA on September 14th, 2016.

Mr Justice Tony Hunt, presiding, sitting with Judge Martin Nolan and Judge Flann Brennan, fixed a trial date of July 2nd, 2018.

The trial is expected to last three weeks.

The ….read more

A Limerick man has been found guilty today at the non-jury Special Criminal Court of assaulting another man.

Larry McCarthy (37) was among a number of people who threatened to use “unlawful violence” and assaulted David Foran (33), who earlier that month had been knocked down and then offered compensation by a motorcyclist.

McCarthy, with an address at Tower Lodge, Crossgalla, Old Cork Rd in County Limerick had pleaded not guilty to assaulting Mr Foran at Cornmarket Villas on November 25th, 2014.

He had also denied that he and two other people threatened to use “unlawful violence” at the same place ….read more

The Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission has applied to the Special Criminal Court for transcripts relating to appearances before the court of Adrian Crevan Mackin, who shot dead Garda Anthony Golden in 2015 before killing himself.

The court was told that a “public interest investigation” has been launched by GSOC following complaints it received about “the nature of some interactions it is alleged members of An Garda Siochana had with Mackin both prior and subsequent to his arrest in January 2015.”

The court heard that the investigation is currently ongoing.

Counsel for GSOC, Mr Ronan Kennedy BL, applied for the court transcripts and ….read more