A rapist who had part of his prison term suspended will be released this weekend, despite an allegation that he did not participate adequately in a sex offender treatment programme.

The Director of Public Prosecutions has ordered the first prosecutions under new laws criminalising the purchase of sex.

A file is being prepared for the DPP after a man went on a rampage and triggered a seven-hour standoff on scaffolding overlooking one of Cork’s busiest streets.

An employee in the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is facing trial accused of leaking confidential information in connection with murder trials.

A woman in her late 30s is due in court in Dublin today charged in connection with the discovery of a firearm in Co Louth last Wednesday.

Scouting Ireland has been criticised for its handling of a rape claim against one of its volunteers, with the chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs saying it had questions to answer.

Convicted drug dealer Brian Rattigan has won an appeal against his conviction for the murder of a 21-year-old man in Dublin.

The DPP has agreed to review his refusal to prosecute prison officers for perjury concerning an incident where a convicted rapist was assaulted in custody, the High Court has heard.

Eamonn Barnes was appointed to the role when it was established in 1975 and served until his retirement in 1999.

Gardaí are preparing a file for the DPP after releasing without charge three men who were arrested during a raid on a Traveller housing estate on the northside of Cork City.

Gardaí have submitted a detailed file to the DPP in relation to a fatal attack on a man at a truck stop in Cork earlier this year.

A social worker who wrote a letter to garda whistleblower Sergeant Maurice McCabe in December 2015 containing false allegations of sexual abuse has denied she was “a puppet of the gardaí”.

The DPP has won an appeal on a point of law over a Court of Criminal Appeal decision which led to the cutting of a 30-year sentence imposed on a man his role in a bungled attempt to bring in a record €440m drugs consignment off the Cork coast nearly ten years ago, writes Ann O’Loughlin.

The Director of Public Prosecutions paid the three barristers who prosecuted Seán FitzPatrick just over €1m in the longest running criminal trial in the history of the state.

Gardaí were yesterday due to send a file to the DPP in relation to the case of a young mother found dead in her apartment last April.

Garda whistleblower Superintendent David Taylor said that he is “delighted” to be back at work following his 22 month suspension and feels “vindicated” after the DPP ruled he should not face prosecution over allegations he improperly leaked material to the media.

The sentences handed down at Limerick Circuit Court on December 15 to two cousins, who were involved in a burglary in which the bachelor homeowner died of a heart attack when he went to challenge the intruders, is to be appealed by the DPP as unduly lenient.

Gardaí arrested a 20-year-old mum in relation to the death of her four-month-old boy over concerns regarding the cause of head injuries he had suffered.

A man has been charged following the seizure of cannabis herb with an estimated value of €120,000

Lawyers for the DPP claim the so-called “new evidence” mentioned in Brian Meehan’s latest appeal was made available to his defence before his trial, but wasn’t appreciated.

The Public Accounts Committee has heard that the DPP and the Chief State Solicitor are struggling to hire new staff, due to pay rates.

A teenager who was arrested in connection with an assault and fire in Co Offaly has been released without charge.

The Banking Inquiry has agreed not to publish David Drumm's statement as originally planned tonight, after being told not to do so by the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The DPP has told the Banking Inquiry not to hear evidence from former Anglo boss David Drumm by video link.

Gardaí have arrested two men after heroin and cannabis worth an estimated €95,000 was seized in Dublin's inner city.

A file is being sent to the DPP after a man was detained at Shannon Airport for allegedly trying to inspect US military aircraft.

A retired garda chief superintendent yesterday told the High Court he asked the State Solicitor for West Cork in 1998 to raise the Garda case against Ian Bailey directly with the DPP, rather than any of his officials.

A Dublin woman accused of the murder of her two-year-old son wept as a judge was told the DPP has directed she will stand trial in the Central Criminal Court.

RTÉ news presenter Sharon Ní Bheoláin has branded tabloid newspapers who published photos of her in the aftermath of her recent stalker scare as “disgraceful rags”.

A file is to be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions in relation to a man accused of allegedly sending a raft of depraved emails to hugely-popular RTÉ newsreader Sharon Ní Bheoláin.

Brian Meehan, the only person convicted for the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin, can pursue a bid to have his case declared a miscarriage of justice, the Court of Criminal Appeal has decided.

The Director of Public Prosecutions has warned the media of the danger associated with pre-trial publicity interfering with the right of an accused person to a fair trial.

The Director of Public Prosecutions has no immediate plans to extend the current system to explain decisions not to prosecute.

Claire Loftus, Director of Public Prosecutions, is right when she says the media should not interfere with an accused person’s right to a fair trial. As she points out, there is a growing risk of trials being postponed for long periods or even indefinitely when prejudicial material is published.