Tag Archives: murder

A murder accused was in a “life or death situation” and acting in self-defence on the night he stabbed a man who later died, a jury at the Central Criminal Court has been told. Robbie Walsh, (23), from Island View, Kilrush has pleaded not guilty to murdering Karl ‘Gobble’ Haugh,(25), in the Marian Estate in Kilkee on August 6, 2017. Patrick Gageby, SC, prosecuting, and Brendan Grehan, SC, defending, made their closing arguments in the case before Ms Justice Carmel Stewart and a jury on Monday. The court has previously heard Robbie Walsh and his cousins, Mitchell Walsh and Clinton Walsh, also from Kilrush, went to the Marian Estate on the Saturday night of the August Bank Holiday weekend in 2017 to smash up Mr Haugh’s car. It also heard Mitchell Walsh carried a knife, while Robbie Walsh and Clinton Walsh, or all three, carried metal bars. The decision to vandalise Mr Haugh’s car followed an alleged separate physical altercation …

A NEW film, which will premiere at the Galway Film Fleadh next week, delves into the shocking events that took place in East Clare in 1994, when Brendan O’Donnell brutally killed Imelda Riney, her son Liam and Fr Joseph Walsh. Based on the diary of Ann Marie O’Donnell, the sister of the disturbed killer, Property of the State tells the true story of how she has had to come to terms with having a murderer for a brother. The film, which will be shown next Wednesday at Town Hall Theatre in Galway, explores how the misdiagnosis of challenging behaviour at an early age, the lack of care of individuals with a mental illness and domestic and institutional abuse could combine and ultimately lead to tragic consequences, which were potentially avoidable. It asks, “Can you still love someone who has done a terrible thing?” Seen through the eyes of Ann Marie, the film shows how, piece by piece, she threads together the …

A KILRUSH family travelled to Castlerea Prison in Roscommon on this week to protest against the possibility that the man convicted of murdering Ann Walsh 11 years ago, could be in line for parole. The Walsh family, from Pella Road in the town, are planning to travel to the prison again on Thursday, June 30 for a second protest over the possible release of Raymond Donovan from Cooraclare, who was convicted at the Central Criminal Court in Ennis of the murder of his former girlfriend. Mr Justice Paul Carney imposed a mandatory life sentence on Donovan, then 24, after the jury delivered a unanimous guilty verdict in the 2006 case. He was found guilty of strangling 23-year-old Ann Walsh in the grounds of St Senan’s Church, Kilrush on August 24, 2005. The Walsh family learned on March 3 that Raymond Donovan was planning to apply for parole for a second time. He was turned down three years ago. They have since …

A 41-year-old man who strangled his brother to death with a bungee cord and was found not guilty of his murder by reason of insanity, has been committed to the Central Mental Hospital. Declan O’Cualain, with an address at An Caoran Beag, An Cheathru Rua, County Galway was charged with murdering his brother Adrian Folan (O’Cualain) at Lislorkin North, Liscannor, on July 4 2014. Last month at the Central Criminal Court Mr O’Cualain pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Folan by reason of insanity. At the beginning of the trial prosecution counsel, Mr Anthony Sammon SC, told the jury that the accused had become “fixated with pedophilia” and held the baseless delusion that his brother was a person “afflicted with this difficulty and he may have sexually abused a sibling”. Mr Sammon said the accused was in “an utterly delusional state of mind” at the time and the delusions were “not to be given any weight whatsoever”. During the trial two consultant …

The killing of a Brazilian man, resident in Gort, was outlined at Tralee Circuit Criminal Court last week, when a life prison sentence was imposed on the man convicted of his murder. John Paul Cawley (22) of Ardoughter, Ballyduff, County Kerry had pleaded not guilty to the murder of Bruno Lemes de Souza at Shronowen Bog, Tullamore, Listowel on February 16 or 17, 2012. After an hour and 24 minutes deliberating, at the end of a seven day trial, the jury returned a unanimous verdict of guilty on Friday last. Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy sentenced Cawley to life, backdating the sentence to March 12, 2012, the date on which he was arrested. He has been in custody since. The court heard how Bruno Lemes de Souza , a member of the large Brazilian community in Gort, had called to a house near Ballyduff in connection with a car deal in mid-February 2012. His body was recovered from a drain in a remote bog …

Clare County Council today (Monday) opened two separate Books of Condolences in memory of the victims of the Carrickmines, Dublin fire on Saturday and Garda Anthony Golden, who was killed in the line of duty in Omeath, County Louth, on Sunday. Members of the public are being invited to sign the books, which will remain at Áras Contae an Chláir, New Road, Ennis from 9.00am to 5.00pm each weekday up to and including Friday, October 23. The Books were officially opened this morning by Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council, James Breen. “Both incidents have shocked the entire country and the thoughts of all elected members and the staff of Clare County Council are with the families and friends of those who lost their lives so tragically, as well as those who were injured at the weekend. I would urge people to sign the Books of Condolences in solidarity with those affected,” said Councillor Breen.

THERE was an angry outburst from the murderer of a 59-year-old homeless man as he was being sentenced to life imprisonment at the end of a three-week trial at the Central Criminal Court in Cork earlier this week. David O’Loughlin, 28, who previously lived in Shannon for a period of time, was handed a mandatory life sentence for murdering Liam Manley. The 59-year-old died from mechanical asphyxia after being trapped in a narrow metal chute with bags of rubbish just in front of his face. His body was only found when a maintenance man went to free the blocked chute on the fourth floor of an apartment complex. During the trial hearing, the jury visited the crime scene at Garden City Apartments, North Main Street, Cork, to look at the chute into which Mr Manley was forced, to die a horrific death trapped by rubbish in the confined space in May 12, 2013. Minutes later, they delivered a unanimous guilty …

A BAREFIELD man jailed for life for the murder of a young man over three years ago has moved to appeal his conviction, claiming the prosecution ought to have proved that he did not have diminished responsibility at the time. Joe Heffernan (aged 35), of Cappagh Beg, Barefield pleaded not guilty to the murder of Eoin Ryan (21) at Cappagh Beg on June 7, 2011. He was found guilty by a jury at the Central Criminal Court and was given the mandatory life sentence by Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy on July 3, 2013. During the trial two 999 calls were played to the jury, who were also given transcripts of the calls. “Hello. This is Joe Heffernan. I’m after killing a man,” the caller told Garda Claire O’Shaughnessy, who identified her voice on the first recording. “He came onto me and I killed him. I’m not gay or nothing you know,” he said. “I’m going to kill myself. I’m not …