Tag Archives: Ennis District Court

A COUNTY Limerick woman has been put off the road for three years, having driven the incorrect way along the fast lane of the M18, while almost six times over the legal drink driving limit. Alexandra Kaninka of Bothar Buí, Ghleann Mhoir, Newcastle West, appeared before Ennis District Court, where she pleaded guilty to charges of drink driving and dangerous driving at Carrigoran and at Ballynacragga, Newmarket-on-Fergus, on March 6 last. Inspector Tom Kennedy, prosecuting, said the motorway has to be closed down to traffic after a number of calls were made to the 999 line of a car travelling the incorrect way along the fast lane of the M18. The court heard that the incident took place at 7.30pm. It was dark and cars had to take evasive action to avoid a collision with the defendant’s car. Garda Liam Reilly told the court that he met the defendant when he came upon her car parked to one side of …

Revenue officers at Shannon Airport seized €14,000 in cash, when they stopped and questioned a Chinese woman following routine profiling. The woman, in her 20s, was boarding a flight to London Heathrow for onward travel to Hong Kong. Revenue seized the cash, which was denominated in €50, €100, €200 and €500 notes, suspecting it to be the proceeds of, or intended for use in, criminal activity. Today, at Ennis District Court, Judge Patrick Durcan granted a three month detention order to allow Revenue to investigate further. These investigations are ongoing. Revenue officers have powers under the Criminal Justice Act, 1994, and the Proceeds of Crime (Amendment) Act, 2005 to seize and detain cash suspected to be the proceeds of, or intended for use in, any criminal activity, at the point of import – export, or in the course of operations within the State. In 2015, Revenue seized €1.6m. So far this year over €590k has been seized in 45 cases, and …

A MAN exposed himself to a McDonald’s employee, when she delivered his breakfast meal to his car, to “shock” her for the “thrill of it”, Ennis District Court heard on Wednesday. Stephen Gillam (44) with an address at Glasha in Doolin, and who runs a guest house in the area, pleaded guilty to engaging in threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour at McDonald’s restaurant on Gort Road, Ennis on June 7 last. The incident, which involved the defendant exposing himself while taking delivery of his breakfast meal, was described by his defence solicitor, John Casey, as “a prank”, similar to what one would expect of “candid camera”. Inspector Tom Kennedy, prosecuting, outlined that at 9.50am on June 7 last, the defendant went to the McDonald’s Drive Thru and placed an order. “He was told to park at the front because there would be a delay in fulfilling his order. An employee had to come out to give him his order and when …

A 33-YEAR-OLD man, who has pleaded guilty to making a large number of calls to various emergency services last year, has been warned that he is facing an 18 to 19-month prison sentence if he does it again. Richard McDermott, with an address at 6 St Flannan’s Terrace, Ennis, is charged with making 134 calls to emergency services on dates between July 25, 2015 and September 27, 2015. He was further charged with public intoxication on July 29, 2016. The calls involved were placed to various emergency numbers, including 999, the ambulance control base, Ennis Garda Station and Henry Street Garda Station in Limerick. Defence solicitor Tara Godfrey told the court that her client, who admits the charges, is a “very vulnerable person”. She outlined how some of the assistance he is getting from the Brothers of Charity had been withdrawn. Judge Patrick Durcan said he wanted McDermott to give an undertaking under oath that he would not make these …

A SHANNON woman, who falsified a medical document in order to substantiate a personal injury claim against a Limerick shopping centre, has ended up in court herself, on charges of deceiving her solicitor and of forgery. Tracy O’Connell, (33), of 21 Cúl na Gréine, appeared at Ennis District Court on Wednesday, where it was outlined that she had instructed a solicitor to take a case against the Crescent Shopping Centre for an alleged fall and used a forged medical report to substantiate her claim. O’Connell pleaded guilty to dishonestly by deception, inducing James Shanahan, a solicitor with Sixmilebridge-based firm Bowen and Company, to commence proceedings in a personal injury claim with the intention of making again for herself on November 26, 2015 at The Oakwood Arms Hotel, Shannon. She also admitted making a false medical report in relation to a personal injury claim with intent to induce another person to accept it as genuine on a date unknown between September …

A 62-YEAR-old man has appeared in court charged with the rape, sexual assault and indecent assault of a young teenager 27 years ago. The man, who is from County Clare and cannot be named for legal reasons, is charged with 11 counts of rape, four counts of oral rape, six counts of sexual assault and four counts of indecent assault on the same female. The charges are alleged to have taken place on various dates and at various locations within County Clare between December 18, 1989 and March 31, 1992, when the complainant would have been between 12 and 14 years of age. At a sitting of Ennis District Court, Detective Garda Claire O’Shaughnessy gave evidence of arresting the man and informed the court that the accused made no reply to any of the charges after caution. The man, who appeared in custody, was admitted to bail on his own bond of €500, subject to conditions that he reside at …

A 74-year-old peace activist has described as “unconstitutional” bail conditions banning him from entering Clare with the exception of court appearances. Colm Roddy, of Bayside Walk, Sutton, Dublin 13 appeared before Ennis District Court this week where he attempted to have his “onerous” bail conditions, which he says he signed under protest, made more lenient. Mr Roddy, along with Dave Donnellan, 56, of Reuben Street, Rialto in Dublin, who was also in court on Wednesday and made a similar application, have both been charged in relation to an alleged incursion at Shannon Airport. It is alleged that they both caused criminal damage to a perimeter fence at Shannon Airport on May 25 of this year. Inspector Tom Kennedy informed the court that the gardaí are awaiting instructions from the Director of Public Prosecution in relation to the case. Bail conditions, including that the pair stay away from Clare, were imposed in May at Gort District Court by Judge James Faughnan …

A self-taught cannabis grower who was cultivating plants in his bedroom in a “sophisticated way” without the use of soil, was interested in the science of the process, Ennis District Court heard last week. John Conneely of Shandangan, Corofin pleaded guilty to the cultivation of cannabis plants at his address, having cannabis for sale or supply and possession of controlled drugs on May 25, 2015. At a sitting of Ennis District Court on Thursday last, gardaí outlined that eight cannabis plants and 450g of cannabis valued at €9,000 was found at the defendant’s home. The defendant alleged he was cultivating for personal use only and that the way the drugs were found – separated out into different jars – was not for selling purposes but rather to separate out the flavours. Solicitor for Conneely, Stiofán Fitzpatrick, said his client, who he described as reclusive, is in his 40s and lives at home with his parents. He left school at 14. …