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The Irish Times •

‘Institutionalised’ prisoner with 123 convictions sentenced for life for ‘vicious’ murder of fellow inmate

An “institutionalised” prisoner who was convicted of murdering a fellow inmate by luring him to a cell, knocking him to the ground and stamping on his head in a “vicious and unprovoked” assault, has been given a life sentence.

Passing sentence on repeat offender David Dunne (40) on Monday, Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring noted that “no explanation for the decision to kill Robert O’Connor has ever been proffered” and that the “violence was totally unwarranted”.

At his trial in the Central Criminal C...
The Irish Times •

‘Solitary and sad’ German man (63) jailed for 12 years over house fire that killed mother

A “solitary and sad” man has been jailed for 12 years for killing his 88-year-old mother, who died in “horrific circumstances” in a house fire having “dedicated her life to caring” for her son.

Passing sentence on Guenter Lohse (63) on Friday, Ms Justice Melanie Greally noted there was no sign he made a credible effort to assist or save grandmother Ruth Lohse. Lohse pleaded guilty earlier this year to unlawfully killing his mother Ruth by arson at the house they shared in Coolvoy, Doochary, Co...
The Irish Times •

Stabbing of Marius Mamaliga (19) by Brandon Gavin (22) was ‘planned and premeditaed’, jury hears

A murder accused carried out a “planned and premeditated” stabbing of his teenage friend and to suggest he was acting in self-defence was “self-serving nonsense”, prosecuting counsel have told a murder trial jury.

However, defence lawyers have asked the jury to consider whether the accused’s actions were those of a “calm and collected person acting in cold blood”, or those of a person who was “spiralling out of control”.

Brandon Gavin (22) of Brookdale Road, Rivervalley, Swords, has pleaded no...
Irish Independent •

Mountjoy prisoner given extra jail time after his ‘distinctive gait’ linked him to string of thefts

A serial offender with 157 previous convictions has been sentenced to additional jail time after being convicted of stealing from parked cars and possessing stolen items including an electric scooter, AirPods and an iPod. Gary Herbert (42) who is currently serving a custodial sentence in Mountjoy Prison, appeared before Tallaght District Court, where he pleaded guilty to one charge of possession of stolen property, relating to a grey Aovo Pro e-scooter.He pleaded not guilty to three other charges...
Irish Independent •

Man who was pepper sprayed at Longitude and urinated in a cell after abusing Garda tells court cannabis ‘isn’t a drug’

A “highly intoxicated” man who was pepper sprayed at Longtitude after aggressively calling a garda a c**t before going on to urinate in his cell has told a court that cannabis “isn’t a drug”. Paul Davis (38), of Deanstown Road, Finglas, Dublin 11, pleaded guilty at Tallaght District Court to criminal damage at Rathfarnham Garda Station and to threatening and abusive behaviour and intoxication in a public place at Marlay Park on June 29, 2024.The court heard Davis was highly intoxicated at the fes...
Irish Independent •

Man allegedly put tracker in child’s car seat to ‘monitor’ his ex-partner in ‘insidious’ safety order breach

A man has been refused bail after a court heard he allegedly planted a small tracking device in his child’s car seat and bombarded his ex-partner with up to 50 emails a day in breach of a safety order. The man, who is aged in his 30s and from Dublin, appeared before Judge Patricia McNamara at Tallaght District Court. Garda Gavin Cribbin objected to bail under the O’Callaghan principles, citing eight alleged breaches of a safety order during June and July 2025.The court heard the most serious brea...
Irish Independent •

Amateur MMA fighter caught with cannabis given ‘opportunity to reflect’

An amateur MMA fighter who was caught with five bags of cannabis in a car has been given "an opportunity to reflect" with an invitation to engage with a restorative justice drugs awareness programme. Karl Byrne (27), of Russell View, Russell Square, Tallaght, was in the front passenger seat of a Volkswagen Passat when gardaí stopped the vehicle on Main Road, Tallaght, on July 29, 2022. The car was being driven by his co-accused, Thomas Kane (31).Garda Patrick Roche told Tallaght District court th...
Irish Independent •

Man jailed after claiming five-year-old girl made call that breached safety order

A repeat offender who breached a safety order by calling his former partner and tried to blame a five-year-old girl for dialling the number has been jailed for three months.
The man, who is in his 30s, had pleaded not guilty under Section 33(1) of the Domestic Violence Act 2018 after the court heard the woman was put in fear by the phone call, which came while she was at home with their children. The woman told Tallaght District Court she was getting the children ready for school when her phon...
Irish Independent •

‘People who assault gardaí can expect prison. It’s as simple as that': Judge to man who spat in garda's eye

A judge has jailed a persistent public order offender who spat in a garda’s eye, telling the defendant: "People who assault gardaí can expect prison. It’s as simple as that."Jordan Mallon (26), of Donomore Crescent, Tallaght, appeared before Judge William Aylmer at Tallaght District Court facing five charges arising from a series of offences on October 14, 2024. He pleaded guilty to assaulting Garda James Cullen, violent behaviour in a garda station, criminal damage to a bus stop and two public...