Tag Archives: murder

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 …

The High Court has struck out an action for damages brought by the widower of murdered mother of two Sylvia Roche Kelly. The body of Ms Roche Kelly was found lying face down in the bath of a hotel in December 2007, after she met her murderer while out celebrating her 33rd birthday. She was violently beaten and strangled. Gerard McGrath Ballywalter, Knockavilla, County Tipperary, was later sentenced at the Central Criminal Court to life imprisonment after admitting murdering Ms Roche Kelly at The Clarion Hotel, Limerick, on December 8, 2007. McGrath was on bail at that time on a charge of assaulting a female taxi driver in April 2007. Her widower, Lorcan Roche Kelly from Sixmilebridge sued the State and other parties, including the Garda Commissioner and the Minister for Justice, for damages alleging his wife’s killer was “free to commit the crime of murder when he should have been in custody.” He claimed the failure and inaction of …

GARDAÍ in Kilrush are  continuing their investigation following the discovery of a body in the West Clare village of Ballynacally on Saturday morning last. The body of Mr Tony McElroy, aged 61, from Kilmaley, was found at approximately 9am close to the community centre. Following a post mortem examination, gardaí are satisfied there was no foul play and are treating the matter as a sudden death. An investigation into the wider movements of Mr McElroy leading up to his death is still underway in order to prepare a file for the county coroner. A technical examination of the scene where his body was found in front of the community centre, behind the village playground, was carried out on Saturday. It is understood Mr McElroy was socialising in Daly’s pub on Friday night, which is close to where his body was found. His funeral took place on Tuesday in Kilmaley church, with burial afterwards at Mount Temple Cemetery, Kilmaley.