Courts News Ireland
A 47-year-old Waterford man will be sentenced next week for attempting to murder his elderly mother while keeping vigil by her death bed in a nursing home.
Veronica (Vera) Vollrath (83) was pronounced dead on January 9, 2012 at Killure Bridge Nursing Home, Killure, Co Waterford. Her death was expected.
However, her son, Gerald Vollrath, was charged with her murder, after he admitted holding a pillow over her face.
Mr Vollrath of Tramore Heights, Tramore pleaded not guilty to her murder, but the murder charge against him was dropped in December, and the Austrian resident pleaded guilty to attempted murder instead.
Paul O’Higgins SC, ….read more
by Anne Sharkey
The Court of Criminal Appeal has reserved judgement in the case of a Dublin man who was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2011 for shooting a man in front of his family.
Keith Wilson (25) from Cremona Road Ballyfermot was found guilty of fatally shooting Daniel Gaynor (24) in Finglas in August 2010.
Keith Wilsons barrister Dominic McGinn SC today told the Court of Criminal Appeal that it was wrong to rely solely on DNA evidence in the absence of other connecting evidence.
He said that Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan had told the jury they were the deciders. However, Mr McGinn ….read more
A 46-year-old Tipperary man has pleaded not guilty to murdering another man in the county two years ago.
John Hannigan of River House, New Quay in Clonmel is charged with murdering Anthony Fallon (46) in Clonmel on January 18, 2012.
He is also charged with assaulting Mr Fallon, causing him harm, on the same date at a flat on Abbey Street in the town.
He was arraigned before the Central Criminal Court in Dublin today.
Dressed in a grey sweater and black shirt, he stood and pleaded not guilty to both charges.
Mr Justice Paul Carney then swore in a jury of eight men and ….read more
by Anne Sharkey
A Polish National has been sentenced to life imprisonment after being found guilty of murdering a Romanian man who was guarding two prostitutes in a Co. Cavan brothel last year.
Przemyslaw Trebacz (35) of Bramble Rise, Killynebber, Cavan had pleaded not guilty to the murder of Costel Catalin Cretu (38) at Connolly Court, Connolly Street, Cavan between October 13 and 14, 2012.
He had pleaded guilty to criminal damage to a door belonging to Brendan Cosgrove at Connolly Court on October 13, 2012.
The Central Criminal Court heard Mr Cretu was stabbed once in the chest and once in the back ….read more
The jury has been discharged in the trial of a 21-year-old accused of murdering a man in north Dublin three years ago after failing to reach a verdict.
Michael Kinsella of Swiftbrook Close in Tallaght had pleaded not guilty to murdering Adil Essalhi (31) at Tyrrelstown, Co. Dublin on January 6, 2011.
The Central Criminal Court heard that his uncle, Wayne Kinsella, was convicted of the murder in 2012.
The jury of seven women and five men was told just before lunchtime today that a majority verdict could be returned.
But after five hours of deliberation the jury told the judge it could not ….read more
The jury is deliberating in the trial of a 21-year-old accused of murdering a man in north Dublin three years ago.
Michael Kinsella of Swiftbrook Close in Tallaght has pleaded not guilty to murdering Adil Essalhi (31) at Tyrrelstown, Co. Dublin on January 6, 2011.
The jury has now been considering its verdict for almost two hours and has suspended it deliberations for the weekend.
The Central Criminal Court has heard that the accused’s uncle, Wayne Kinsella, was convicted of the murder in 2012.
The court was told that Mr Essahli met Wayne Kinsella and another woman in a pub in Dublin city centre ….read more