Órla O'Donnell

Legal Affairs Correspondent

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions

DPP says document disclosure process needs revisiting

The Director of Public Prosecutions has said there is a need to revisit the current approach to the disclosure of documents in criminal prosecutions to make sure the listing of criminal cases for trial is more efficient.

Ireland • 27 Mar

(L-R) Matin Zolfaghari, Fabio Vicente and Anthony Hickey had denied the charges

Three men jailed for rape of woman they met in nightclub

Three men have been jailed for terms of 15 years and 13 years for raping and sexually assaulting a young woman they met in a Dublin nightclub in August 2019 in what the judge described as a disturbing and truly shocking case.

Courts • 28 Mar

The matter will be back before the court on 9 April

Two-week adjournment in 'GAA catfish' case

A Dublin secondary school has undertaken not to take any further steps in a disciplinary process against one of its teachers who says she has been wrongly identified as the "GAA catfish" in a number of viral podcasts, until the matter comes back to court again in two weeks' time.

Courts • 26 Mar

Enoch Burke and his family outside the High Court

Bank ordered to pay €40,000 from Burke's account to court

Bank of Ireland has been ordered to pay €40,000 from teacher Enoch Burke's bank account into a Courts Service account within seven days.

Courts • 25 Mar

Cameron Cooper of Ballyneety Road, Ballyfermot in Dublin 10, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing the death

Dublin man jailed for dangerous driving causing death

A young man who was driving at twice the speed limit when he struck another young man causing his death has been jailed for four years and three months, and disqualified from driving for nine years.

Courts • 24 Mar

A jury in a civil court found that Conor McGregor raped Nikita Hand and awarded her just under €250,000 in damages (file photo)

McGregor seeks to bring new evidence in rape case appeal

Mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor wants to introduce new evidence in his appeal against the verdict of a jury in a civil court, that he raped hairdresser Nikita Hand in a Dublin hotel more than six years ago.

Courts • 21 Mar

The case relates to a number of episodes of The 2 Johnnies podcast

Teacher says she was falsely identified as 'GAA catfish'

A secondary school teacher who says she has been falsely identified as the so-called "GAA catfish" in a number of podcasts by The 2 Johnnies, has been granted a temporary injunction stopping her school from continuing a disciplinary process against her which could lead to her dismissal.

Courts • 20 Mar

Visak Rajesh Leela pleaded guilty to the attempted abduction (file pic)

'Troubling aspects' of attempted abduction case - judge

The sentencing of a 26-year-old student for the attempted abduction of a five-year-old child in Dublin last year has been adjourned after the judge said he was troubled by aspects of the case and asked for a probation report.

Courts • 14 Mar

Brendan Cornally was jailed for rape and sexual assault

Woman criticises sentence of man who abused her children

A woman whose three children were raped and sexually assaulted by her former partner has said the harm he inflicted was not reflected in the sentences he received.

Ireland • 11 Mar

Lisa Thompson was murdered at her home in Ballymun in May 2022

Lisa Thompson's son says death left an irreplaceable void

Lisa Thompson's death left a ripple of pain throughout the entire family, her son said in victim impact statement, after a 40-year-old man was sentenced to life in prison for her murder in Ballymun in Dublin almost three years ago.

Courts • 11 Mar