Courts News Ireland
A man who denies shooting dead a dad-of-one as he pushed his four-month-old son in a pram is either guilty of the murder or is the “most unlucky person ever”, a barrister has told a jury at the Central Criminal Court.
Prosecution counsel Bernard Condon SC delivered his closing speech this morning, telling the jury that he is asking them to infer that Wayne Cooney is the man who fired eight bullets, three of which “catastrophically injured Jordan Davis”.
Counsel said the “succession of coincidences and strange events that have collided in this case are such that either it is Wayne ….read more
A hotel manager accused of breaching his employer’s cash handling rules to make payments to workers off-payroll has been awarded €50,000 by the Workplace Relations Commission for unfair dismissal.
An adjudicating officer found that a “threatening and patronising” letter he sent in a bid to “extract” a bigger termination settlement wasn’t up for consideration during disciplinary proceedings – and that the alleged petty cash matters weren’t a sacking offence.
Fergal Ryan, the former general manager of the Clayton Hotel in Sligo, complained against Dalata Hotel Group PLC under the Unfair Dismissals Act – a complaint which was upheld in a decision published ….read more
A former scout who was acquitted of indecently assaulting two boys 50 years ago has had his application for legal costs refused.
The 73-year-old Dublin man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had pleaded not guilty to three charges of indecent assault on dates sometime in 1969 to 1970.
After a trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court last May a jury acquitted him of all charges.
On June 22, 2022 his lawyers brought an application, on his behalf, for his legal costs in defending the prosecution. The application was heard by the trial judge, Judge Orla Crowe.
After hearing evidence and legal submissions ….read more
A speed camera van operator who said his mental health was affected by obesity has lost a discrimination claim over being refused changes to his roster to allow him take up MMA training.
The man told the Workplace Relations Commission that he went ahead and started the training programme without waiting for approval – and that it ultimately “saved his life”.
Desmond Murphy took a claim against Road Safety Operations Ireland Unlimited, trading as Go Safe, alleging he was discriminated against on the grounds of disability – specifically mental health and obesity – to the extent that he was forced to resign.
Mr ….read more
The “architect” behind a plan to rob a businessman, who begged to be shot after being badly beaten by men who claimed they were in the Continuity IRA, has appealed his conviction on the grounds that he had pulled out of the enterprise before the attack.
Mayo businessman Edward McAndrew was set upon in a “barbaric” attack by men who beat him with iron bars, demanded money and robbed him at a remote location in Co Louth in 2017.
Last November, William Twomey (58) with an address at Havelock Place, Warrenpoint, Co Down, was found guilty at the non-jury Special Criminal Court ….read more
By Claire Henry
A man who told gardaí he was holding over €10k worth of cocaine to pay off his drug debt has been given a three-year suspended sentence.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court today heard that at approximately midday on 7 November 2018, gardaí began a search of the home of Stephen Costello (46) on St James Road, Walkinstown, Dublin 12.
A woman and two children were home at the time of the search, Garda Michéal Muldoon told Katherine McGillicuddy, BL, prosecuting.
Gda Muldoon said that a bag of white powder was located under a large concrete slab in the back garden. A caravan ….read more