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#Courts

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

<p>The report on the Irish judicial system sponsored by the Law Society of Ireland suffered from its release on a busy news week where attention was grabbed by some, perhaps more sensational, headlines. Picture: iStock</p>

ourview

Irish Examiner view: Finding a reliable way to measure the rule of law

There are plenty of us in the world, but a downside of information overload is what gets missed while we are looking elsewhere

<p>The jury found that Det Supt Sheriff used reasonable force in executing the arrest of ex-Garda John Bowe in apprehending him in a field outside of Bunclody, Co Wexford, in 2014 after an 'extreme' high-speed car chase.</p>

court and crime

Det Supt 'used reasonable force' when striking ex-Garda over head with baton after high-speed chase

<p>The trial is now in its final stages with both prosecution and defence having made closing speeches. Picture: iStock</p>

court and crime

Jury deliberating in trial of Limerick engineer accused of corruption involving garda

Timothy Busfield

world

'The West Wing' actor Timothy Busfield charged over sexual contact with a child

Cork man accused of holding petrol station staff member in headlock while accomplice robbed till

court and crime

Cork man accused of holding petrol station staff member in headlock while accomplice robbed till

Soccer player raped woman at knifepoint in her West Cork bedroom

court and crime

Soccer player raped woman at knifepoint in her West Cork bedroom

Cork man pleads guilty to breach of safety order after threatening wife with hammer

Cork man pleads guilty to breach of safety order after threatening wife with hammer

Sentencing adjourned until April 22 for preparation of a probation report

Fri, 06 Feb, 2026

Egyptian man deported after swinging screwdriver at shop security guard

Egyptian man deported after swinging screwdriver at shop security guard

The 38-year-old pleaded guilty and was remanded on bail, but was removed from the State on January 15

Fri, 06 Feb, 2026

Steve Wright court case

British serial killer to be sentenced for murdering teenager in 1999

On Monday, the serial killer dramatically changed his plea and admitted the girl’s kidnap and murder.

Fri, 06 Feb, 2026

Celebrity chef's son Joshua Allen appears in Cork court charged with dangerous driving

Celebrity chef's son Joshua Allen appears in Cork court charged with dangerous driving

Mr Allen, 26, is the eldest son of TV chef and author Rachel Allen

Fri, 06 Feb, 2026

Cork man accused of breaching a barring order by phoning his ex-partner remanded in custody

Cork man accused of breaching a barring order by phoning his ex-partner remanded in custody

Defendant denied making the call and offered gardaí in court his phone to prove it, where they found evidence of a call to his former partner

Thu, 05 Feb, 2026

Son who stomped on mother's skull found not guilty of her murder but guilty of manslaughter

Son who stomped on mother's skull found not guilty of her murder but guilty of manslaughter

Jury accepted defence of provocation from the 29-year-old man who had told the court of being 'groomed' into a life of drugs and violence by his allegedly abusive mother

Thu, 05 Feb, 2026

Accused who threw glass bottle at another man’s head spared jail

Accused who threw glass bottle at another man’s head spared jail

Judge gives man a chance to 'put his best foot forward with probation service'

Thu, 05 Feb, 2026

Cork man who set upon off-duty prison officer jailed for nine months for attempted robbery

Cork man who set upon off-duty prison officer jailed for nine months for attempted robbery

Man has 32 previous convictions, including six for robbery

Thu, 05 Feb, 2026

CC Garda Gary Molloy

Garda sent for trial on corruption charges including sharing confidential information from Pulse system

Accused faces six charges, including corruption, accepting an inducement, unlawfully disclosing information and conspiracy to commit criminal damage

Thu, 05 Feb, 2026

Kenny Jacobs to voluntarily step down as chief executive of DAA after settling High Court action

Kenny Jacobs to voluntarily step down as chief executive of DAA after settling High Court action

Court told the case had settled on mutually agreeable terms and could be struck out

Thu, 05 Feb, 2026

Cork GP to be sanctioned after 10-year-old girl died from treatable Strep A infection

Cork GP to be sanctioned after 10-year-old girl died from treatable Strep A infection

Medical Council inquiry hears GP admissions as parents relive failures that preceded the painful death of 10-year-old Vivienne Murphy

Thu, 05 Feb, 2026

Lawyer holding document and speaking to jury in courtroom

Counselling records only admissible in court where risk of unfair trial exists

Cabinet approves legislation limiting use of counselling notes in trials, alongside historical justice measures and new bail provisions

Thu, 05 Feb, 2026

River Liffey and the Four Courts in Dublin

Teacher who claims arm broken by garda at station could not have sustained injury prior to arrest, court told

Orthopaedic consultant told court woman could not have sustained her broken left humerus while being arrested and placed in handcuffs without displaying significant pain at the time

Wed, 04 Feb, 2026

Eurogiant store in Dublin, Ireland. Retail discount shop storefront with products displayed in the window.

644 jobs at risk as Eurogiant discount chain enters liquidation

There are 77 EuroGiant shops in the country, employing 644 people, and they are operated by EuroGeneral Retail Ltd and Bushgrove Ltd

Wed, 04 Feb, 2026

judgement of judge about legislation, authority, crime, government, justice, punishment, verdict at court decision by gavel. ham

Cork woman awarded €170k but claim for €1.75m in lost earnings 'wholly unreasonable'

The judge said the most serious injury suffered was a psychiatric adjustment disorder, a state of distress, and emotional disturbance arising from a significant life change or the consequence of a stressful life event

Wed, 04 Feb, 2026

Cork teen accused entering supermarket on e-scooter and threatening to burn manager's car

Cork teen accused entering supermarket on e-scooter and threatening to burn manager's car

Court told accused was barred from numerous shops in Ballincollig but repeatedly ignored this

Wed, 04 Feb, 2026

Accused swung steak knife and repeated 'I will behead you' to man in Garda station

DPP directions to be sought as man remanded in custody until next week

Wed, 04 Feb, 2026

Cannabis ready to roll

Man charged over Ringaskiddy drug seizure to be served book of evidence

John King adjourned the case at Cork District Court until February 18

Wed, 04 Feb, 2026

Man charged with raping Cork woman claims 'she wanted to have sex with me'

Man charged with raping Cork woman claims 'she wanted to have sex with me'

Man charged with falsely imprisoning and raping woman while carrying two knives

Wed, 04 Feb, 2026

Enoch Burke court case

Enoch Burke calls appeals process ‘a shambles’ after two resignations

The High Court was told on Wednesday that two members of the disciplinary appeals panel (DAP) had resigned

Wed, 04 Feb, 2026

Grace Lynch funeral

Cabinet plans to ban scrambler bikes from Irish roads after the death of Grace Lynch

The move comes in the aftermath of the death of 16-year-old Dublin teenager Grace Lynch after being hit by a scrambler last month

Wed, 04 Feb, 2026

Balance.

Teacher tells court she 'screamed in agony' after garda twisted her arm

The woman claims she suffered a spiral fracture of her left humerus during a 'half-hour-long interrogation' by five gardaí

Tue, 03 Feb, 2026

Cork woman accused of threatening to kill her husband and child with kitchen knife gets bail

Cork woman accused of threatening to kill her husband and child with kitchen knife gets bail

The woman plans to stay at an address outside County Cork while on bail

Tue, 03 Feb, 2026

Cork man charged with possession of firearms and explosives further remanded in custody

Cork man charged with possession of firearms and explosives further remanded in custody

Court told the case would be dealt with at the Special Criminal Court

Tue, 03 Feb, 2026

Cork man held 'nasty-looking' knife during confrontation with gardaí

Cork man held 'nasty-looking' knife during confrontation with gardaí

Man jailed for 13 months over violent incidents

Tue, 03 Feb, 2026

Book of evidence served on West Cork man accused of sexually assaulting seven boys

Book of evidence served on West Cork man accused of sexually assaulting seven boys

The court had heard that 'most of the families also had young girls, and the mothers stated that (the accused) never showed any interest in interacting with them'

Tue, 03 Feb, 2026

Farmer admits sexually assaulting 16-year-old girl on transatlantic flight to Boston

Farmer admits sexually assaulting 16-year-old girl on transatlantic flight to Boston

The court was told that the complainant, now aged 18, is currently studying in a US college

Tue, 03 Feb, 2026

Prisoner XL

Garda jailed after spear-tackling 'very skinny' handcuffed teenager

Judge Codd said that when the victim landed on his head, a sound 'like a loud crack like a gun shot could be heard'

Tue, 03 Feb, 2026

Noah Donohoe inquest

Inquest hears of discovery of Noah Donohoe’s mobile phone

The woman who found the phone told Belfast Coroner’s Court she tried to use it to call Noah’s mother before contacting police

Tue, 03 Feb, 2026

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson court case

Trial of Jeffrey Donaldson and wife to get underway in May

Jeffrey Donaldson, 63, has pleaded not guilty to 18 alleged offences.

Mon, 02 Feb, 2026

Mick Clifford: Long and winding road from WhatsApp messages to the Limerick garda trial

Mick Clifford: Long and winding road from WhatsApp messages to the Limerick garda trial

The probe into fixed charge notices was legal, but many questions remain — including whether it was even necessary, writes Mick Clifford

Sun, 01 Feb, 2026

'I don’t know anything about it,' says truck driver charged with €2.1m drug seizure in Cork

'I don’t know anything about it,' says truck driver charged with €2.1m drug seizure in Cork

It is alleged that there was a seizure of 93 packages of herbal cannabis with a weight of 107kgs

Sat, 31 Jan, 2026

Cork woman who stole charity collection box from church is jailed

Cork woman who stole charity collection box from church is jailed

Accused was also charged with 14 counts of shoplifting in stores around Cork

Sat, 31 Jan, 2026

Man admits to smashing almost 40 flat screen TVs at two Cork City betting shops

Man admits to smashing almost 40 flat screen TVs at two Cork City betting shops

One of the bail conditions for the accused man requires him to stay out of all betting offices in Cork City or county

Sat, 31 Jan, 2026

Victims of sexual offences 'once again in a state of uncertainty' over use of counselling notes in trials

Victims of sexual offences 'once again in a state of uncertainty' over use of counselling notes in trials

Survivors want to see a ban on the use of counselling notes rather than Government legislation which only restricts their use

Sat, 31 Jan, 2026

Garda couple to sue force after acquittal in Limerick penalty points trial

S Garda couple to sue force after acquittal in Limerick penalty points trial

They claim that, in an initial interview, a photograph of their young son was produced in an attempt at intimidation

Fri, 30 Jan, 2026

George Nkencho inquest

Jury returns narrative verdict at George Nkencho inquest

The jury also made a number of recommendations in relation to gardaí, including in relation to body-worn cameras

Fri, 30 Jan, 2026

Two men appear in court over €470k cannabis seizure in Cork

Two men appear in court over €470k cannabis seizure in Cork

Court told two accused were 'caught red-handed' loading boxes of drugs into cars

Fri, 30 Jan, 2026

Mother of boy, 8, found at Cork garage at night without pants charged with child cruelty

Mother of boy, 8, found at Cork garage at night without pants charged with child cruelty

She is also alleged to have said 'I don’t care' when gardaí told her the child was going to be taken into care

Fri, 30 Jan, 2026

Cork man who spray-painted 'Marry me? Chippy' on city building caused €6,500 in damage

Cork man who spray-painted 'Marry me? Chippy' on city building caused €6,500 in damage

Court heard accused had raised €1,000 compensation so far by saving from his social welfare payments and he would raise more

Fri, 30 Jan, 2026

The Mick Clifford Podcast: Major questions remain following Limerick garda trial

The Mick Clifford Podcast: Major questions remain following Limerick garda trial

In this week’s podcast, Mick swaps chairs and is interviewed by Deirdre O’Shaughnessy

Listen | Fri, 30 Jan, 2026

Courts need to presume counselling notes will not be disclosed in sexual violence trials

Courts need to presume counselling notes will not be disclosed in sexual violence trials

We have spent decades trying to retrofit an adversarial system designed for property disputes to accommodate the reality of gendered sexualised violence, writes Dr Cliona Saidléar of Rape Crisis Ireland

Fri, 30 Jan, 2026

Man in prison hands of behind hold Steel cage jail bars. offender criminal locked in jail.

Man jailed for raping one woman and sexually assaulting another in Cork on same night

The offences against both women happened in their beds as they attempted to sleep

Fri, 30 Jan, 2026

Man arrested at Cork port for allegedly stowing away on ferry further remanded in custody

Man arrested at Cork port for allegedly stowing away on ferry further remanded in custody

Court heard efforts were being made to get identification documents from the Vietnamese embassy in Dublin

Thu, 29 Jan, 2026