Criminal Law

A man who was given a five-year custodial sentence for possession of a firearm has been granted a declaration that s.27A(8) of the Firearms Act 1964, which imposes a mandatory minimum sentence of five years, is repugnant to the Constitution. Concluding that the section should be struck down as uncon

A man who was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to seven years' imprisonment has lost an appeal against the severity of his sentence. Finding the sentence to be in the same range as other sentences involving a knife, which was a substantial aggravating factor, Mr Justice Peter Charleton sai

The maximum sentence for conspiracy to murder could be increased from 10 years to life imprisonment under a private member's bill backed by Fianna Fáil. The opposition party's justice spokesperson, Jim O'Callaghan, has introduced a bill to allow judges to impose more severe sentences, The Iri

A rapist who followed a garda around a courtroom, shouting that he hoped she would "get run over by a bus", has been sentenced to an additional 20 months in prison. John Gavin, 31, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to threatening Garda Sergeant Amanda Flood at the Four Courts on 29 May

A man who was sentenced to five years imprisonment for conspiracy to import and possession with intent to supply cocaine has lost an appeal against his conviction. The man had argued that the search warrant for his flat in Dublin was invalid because it was almost identical to the original search war

A man who was recalled to prison when he ignored G4S staff who arrived at his home to fit electronic monitoring equipment on the night of his release has lost an appeal against his recall. The man had been released on licence after serving a custodial sentence for possession of explosives and posses

Lawyers for a man charged with assault have argued that the case should be thrown out because the prosecution could not prove the alleged injured party did not consent to the incident. The defence application, in respect of a man facing trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for a section 3 assault,

A man who killed his dad’s partner on Christmas Day 2017 has been sentenced to a minimum period of 17 years before he can be considered for release by the Parole Commissioners. The man had “planned to trap and torture her”, and had purchased handcuffs, duct tape, masks, and two mac

A man who pleaded guilty shortly before trial to offences of attempted murder, criminal damage, and resisting police, has had his sentence for attempted murder increased after the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal agreed with the Director of Public Prosecutions that the initial sentence was unduly le

A dissident republican who was caught planting a bomb under a police officer’s car in 2015 has been sentenced to 25 years for the attempted murder of two police officers, together with a concurrent sentence of 20 years for possession of explosives with intent to endanger life. Sitting in Belfa

A judge of the High Court has challenged the Director of Public Prosecutions to take steps to address the "last minute" disclosure of records for upcoming rape and murder trials. Speaking in the Central Criminal Court during management of the trial list on Monday, Mr Justice Paul McDermott criticise

Ireland must "do better" for the small minority of children in care who come into contact with the criminal justice system, according to new research on the link between care and justice. The Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) has launched a new report titled Care and Justice, authored by Dr Nicola Car

A man has been committed to the Central Mental Hospital by the Court of Appeal after judges declared that a jury decision to find him guilty of manslaughter, despite unanimous expert opinion that he was legally insane, was "perverse". Dariusz Alchimionek, 44, had denied the manslaughter of John Gorm

The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) has referred a Northern Ireland man's drink driving conviction to the County Court. William Smith, represented by Harte Coyle Solicitors, was convicted in his absence at Belfast Magistrates Court in June 2011 in relation to a drink driving offence committe

The lawfulness of a man’s detention was referred to the High Court by way of case stated, after a complaint was made regarding the two-hour delay in a doctor arriving at the Garda station for the purposes of taking a sample of urine. Finding that the doctor attending an emergency was a reasona