Joy Imasogie on the steps of the CCJ following her acquittal

Joy Imasogie on the steps of the CCJ following her acquittal

Joy Imasogie on the steps of the CCJ following her acquittal

Joy Imasogie on the steps of the CCJ following her acquittal

A mother accused of trafficking a Nigerian woman into the country and forcing her into prostitution has been acquitted after several inconsistencies emerged in the alleged victim's evidence.

The complainant had previously told a jury she underwent a “voodoo process” in her home country during which she swore she would not report the alleged trafficker, Joy Imasogie (40). 

She said that once in Ireland she had to have sex with up to ten men a day to pay off a €50,000 “debt” to Ms Imasogie arising from her being brought to Ireland.

Ms Imasogie of Chapleswood Crescent, Hollystown, Dublin 15, had pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to organising for the woman to enter the country illegally, to compelling or coercing the woman to be a prostitute and to controlling or directing the activities of prostitution for gain on dates between March 2006 and April 2008.

Today Judge Patricia Ryan directed the jury to find Ms Imasogie not guilty following a defence application for the case to be withdrawn.

The judge ruled it would be unsafe to the jury to consider the case given the clear contradictions in the evidence.

During the trial the alleged victim told the jury that she had stopped working as a prostitute in 2008 after she broke contact with Ms Imasogie and threw away her phone.

However Judge Ryan said that evidence that was uncovered during the trial showed that the woman continued to work as a prostitute after this date.

 The “uncontroverted evidence” was contained in a file from a women's health project.

The woman told the project she was still working as a prostitute and that she advertised her services on the internet. She also said she didn't want help to leave that way of life.

The judge also noted that the alleged victim was found in the same house as the accused's husband and €14,000 in cash on a date after she said she fell out with Ms Imasogie.

Judge Ryan said the woman was not recalled by the prosecution to explain these inconsistencies. As a result “there is no explanation for how these matters arose,” the judge said. She said there was a “complete conflict in the evidence”.

During the trial the complainant told Kerida Naidoo SC, prosecuting, that she was living in dire financial circumstances with her grandmother in Benin City, Nigeria in 2006 when a neighbour told her he knew somebody in Europe who was looking for girls.

The woman said she then spoke on the phone to Ms Imasogie, who told her she owned a hair salon in Ireland and asked her if she was a “good girl”.

“She said I could help out in the salon and mind her children,” the woman told the court.

The woman said a man named Kingsley then arranged for her to visit a village where she swore an oath before a “native doctor”.

Her nails and pubic hair were cut and she then swore she would not report Ms Imasogie or Kingsley to the police, she said.

She also swore that she would pay back a sum of €50,000, which she was told was the cost of travelling to Ireland. This was some kind of “voodoo process”, Mr Naidoo said.

She said that on arrival in Ireland Ms Imasogie told her she would have to sleep with men for money to pay off the €50,000.

“I was angry and crying, saying this wasn't what I was told...I didn't want to do that,” the woman said. 

She said she was soon having sex with up to ten men a day for no payment. She said all the money she received was handed over to the accused.

Ms Imasogie denied organising prostitution or trafficking the woman. She said she sometimes let the woman do her hair in return for food. The accused also alleged the woman was having an affair with her husband.

“She wanted to have a baby with him,” she told gardaí

The accused also claimed the mother of the alleged victim was using voodoo to take her husband away from her but “did not succeed.”

Christopher Coleman

An unlicensed driver who “ploughed into” a 62-year-old cyclist - killing him - and drove away must wait to hear whether his two-and-a-half year prison sentence will be increased following an appeal.

Christopher Coleman (27), of Reuben Street, in the capital, had pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to dangerous driving causing the death of Eugene Maher (62) at Clontarf Road, Dublin on June 30th, 2015. Coleman also admitted leaving the scene of the crash and driving without insurance.

He was sentenced to two-and-a-half years imprisonment by Judge Melanie Greally on June 23 last. He was also disqualified from driving for 15 years. 

The Director of Public Prosecutions are seeking a review of Coleman's sentence on grounds that it was “unduly lenient”. The Court of Appeal reserved judgment today.

Counsel for the DPP, Eilis Brennan BL, told the three-judge court that the incident occurred at 6.30pm on “one of those all too rare sunny evenings in June”. There were many pedestrians and a lot of slow moving traffic on the road at that time.

Ms Brennan said the deceased, Mr Maher, was a 62-year-old man “in the prime of his life” going on his daily cycle. As he was crossing the pedestrian lights, which were in his favour, a car came out of nowhere and “ploughed into him”, she said.

The car did not belong to Coleman, the court heard. It had been driven by his friend to the beach and Coleman drove it back because he had not been drinking.

Ms Brennan said that as far back as the Yacht Bar and Restaurant, the car had been seen driving dangerously, at speed and on the wrong side of the road. Witnesses said people were hanging out of the window interacting with another car.

Ms Brennan said the car was gauged to be travelling at speeds between 72 and 79 km/hr in a 50km/hr zone.

She said the car crashed into Mr Maher, somebody “popped out”, took a look at the man on the ground, got back into the car and the car drove away. Bystanders, in response to this, were saying “don't drive off” and other drivers were flashing their lights, Ms Brennan said.

The car was found abandoned nearby in Marino. A bus driver encountered five men “very anxious” to get on the bus.

The Gardaí were able to identify all five people who got on the bus. They got addresses for the people in Dublin and an additional address for them in Wexford.

On July 4, a solicitor made contact for all five men indicating that they would come forward.

Ms Brennan said the body of Mr Maher had been lying in the morgue for some days and could not be released until the driver was located because, in a prosecution, the driver would have the right to examine the body. She said it was significant additional anguish for the Maher family.

She said Mr Maher was an “extraordinary healthy and fit” 62-year-old. His wife, two kids and a number of grandchildren were left with a “deep loss”. He ran a business with his wife which closed as a result of his death.

She said Coleman had 15 previous convictions including three driving bans. At the time of this incident he had been disqualified from driving.

Ms Brennan submitted that the sentencing judge's starting point of four years was too low.

What appeared to have influenced the sentencing judge, Ms Brennan said, was that there hadn't been multiple deaths and drink was not a factor. But the sentencing judge failed to look at some of the other “extremely aggravating” factors, she submitted.

She said Coleman had been disqualified from driving before. He had been sanctioned but hadn't taken that sanction seriously.

Coleman had no license, which was “at least as aggravating” as having drink on board. He had never “demonstrated a capacity to control a car,” she said.

There was evidence of erratic driving as far back as the Yacht, erratic driving at the scene and erratic driving when Coleman drove away.

Furthermore, there was a deliberate attempt to evade detection. She said Coleman came forward after all five men had been identified and the Gardai came to locate them.

Ms Brennan submitted that not enough weight was given to the public interest in deterring this kind of driving and the behaviour afterwards.

She said society had an interest in deterring these kinds of offences and sending out a message that anybody who drives in these circumstances would be subject to the rigours of the law.

Counsel for Coleman, Padraig Dwyer SC, said his client's remorse and contrition was “very, very deep”.

Mr Dwyer said Coleman drove his friend's car because his friend had been drinking and could not drive.

He was trying to miss the lights before they turned red, Mr Dwyer said, when “all of a sudden” a man on a bike came from the left hand side.

Mr Dwyer said there was evidence of breaking before the collision and that the handbrake had been applied.

He said his client came from a deprived area of Dublin and from a broken family.

Mr Dwyer said the sentencing judge “took a week” to consider her decision before delivering a “very carefully written” judgment.

He said “uniqueness” was a feature of these cases.

The court heard that Coleman had overcome “enormous adversity” in his life. He had no addiction issues, was in full time employment and had made something of his life despite starting from a “difficult situation”.

Reserving judgment, Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan, who sat with Mr Justice Alan Mahon and Mr Justice John Edwards, said serious issues had been raised by both sides and the court wished to take time with its decision. Judgment is expected to be delivered on February 23 next.

Peter Kernan

AN Aer Lingus worker charged with organising human trafficking at Dublin Airport has been remanded on bail pending directions from the DPP.

Peter Kernan, 56, of the Old Rectory Lodge, Celbridge, Co. Kildare appeared at Cloverhill District Court on Tuesday. He has been charged earlier under the Illegal Immigrants (Trafficking) Act for facilitating the entry of non-nationals into the State on Jan. 9 and Jan. 22 last.

He had been remanded in custody last week with consent to bail in his own bond of €2,000 and a €20,000 independent surety.

Bail was taken up today and he was ordered by Judge Victor Blake to appear again at the district court in March to allow time for directions from the DPP to be obtained.

Gardai have seized his passport and his bail terms state he has to reside at his home address and notify gardai of any change, sign on three times a week at Leixlip Garda station, provide gardai with a mobile phone number on which he can be contacted at all times, not apply for a new passport and have no contact directly or indirectly with co-accused Frederick Cham.

Aer Lingus employee, Mr Cham, 61, of Railway Cottages, Hazelhatch, Celbridge but originally from Hong Kong, has not yet applied for bail and on Friday last he had his case adjourned for two weeks.

The third co-accused, Chinese national Xing Wang, 28, who is of no-fixed abode, is charged under the Theft and Fraud Act with possessing a false Hong Kong passport at the white car park at Dublin Airport on Sunday, Jan. 22.

He also has two connected charges under the Immigration Act for failing to present to an immigration officer on his arrival in the State and not having a passport. He has not applied for bail and will also face his next hearing at Cloverhill District Court on Feb. 10 next.

They have not yet indicated how they will plead.

The three were arrested as part of an investigation by the Garda National Immigration Bureau into an alleged people smuggling.

A man has gone on trial, charged with murdering his 39-year-old flatmate in Limerick almost two years ago.

The jury heard that, when interviewed, the accused told gardai he had arrived home to find his flatmate with serious injuries and was ‘alarmed’ that intruders might have caused them. However, the prosecutor said he had earlier told his daughter that he had fought with the deceased.

The jury was hearing the opening speech at the Central Criminal Court this morning in the trial of a 57-year-old man.

Arnis Labunskis, with an address at Wolfe Tone Street in the city, is accused of murdering Dainius Burba at their flat there on 21st or 22nd April, 2015. He has pleaded not guilty.

Anthony Sammon SC opened the case for the three women and nine men of the jury this morning.

He said they would hear that the accused had gone to his daughter’s Limerick home in the early hours of 22nd April, 2015.

“She noticed blood on his pants and he told her that he had been in a fight with Dainius Burba,” explained the barrister.

He said that she then drove her father to see her brother, who noticed blood on his father’s shoes.

Mr Sammon said the accused man’s daughter sent a man to check on the situation that morning and that the accused let him into the flat.

“He sees blood on the wall and blood on Mr Labunskis’s hoodie,” said Mr Sammon, adding that the accused had shown him Mr Burba’s body and ‘indicated he had an intention to dispose of the body’.

The gardai were called but the accused was deemed too intoxicated to interview. When he was later interviewed, he told gardai he had come home to the flat and come upon Dainius Burba, who was very badly injured.

“He was alarmed that some intruders had caused these serious injuries, that they might still be on the premises and he picked up a table leg lest he have to defend himself,” he said of the accused man’s interview.

“He tried to assist the fatally injured Mr Burba and that would explain the blood staining he had on his clothing,” he continued.

Mr Sammon said that the table leg was possibly the murder weapon but that was a matter for the jurors to tease out.

He also said the jurors would receive the evidence of a forensic scientist, who would explain what they could tell from finding different types of blood staining.

The jury was then shown various photographs taken at the scene, along with maps of the area and plans of the flat.

The trial continues before Ms Justice Deirdre McCarthy and is expected to last until the end of next week.

A man has gone on trial, charged with murdering his 39-year-old flatmate in Limerick almost two years ago.

The jury heard that, when interviewed, the accused told gardai he had arrived home to find his flatmate with serious injuries and was ‘alarmed’ that intruders might have caused them. However, the prosecutor said he had earlier told his daughter that he had fought with the deceased.

The jury was hearing the opening speech at the Central Criminal Court this (Tuesday) morning in the trial of a 57-year-old man.

Arnis Labunskis, with an address at Wolfe Tone Street in the city, is accused of murdering Dainius Burba at their flat there on 21st or 22nd April, 2015. He has pleaded not guilty.

Anthony Sammon SC opened the case for the three women and nine men of the jury this morning.

He said they would hear that the accused had gone to his daughter’s Limerick home in the early hours of 22nd April, 2015.

“She noticed blood on his pants and he told her that he had been in a fight with Dainius Burba,” explained the barrister.

He said that she then drove her father to see her brother, who noticed blood on his father’s shoes.

Mr Sammon said the accused man’s daughter sent a man to check on the situation that morning and that the accused let him into the flat.

“He sees blood on the wall and blood on Mr Labunskis’s hoodie,” said Mr Sammon, adding that the accused had shown him Mr Burba’s body and ‘indicated he had an intention to dispose of the body’.

The gardai were called but the accused was deemed too intoxicated to interview. When he was later interviewed, he told gardai he had come home to the flat and come upon Dainius Burba, who was very badly injured.

“He was alarmed that some intruders had caused these serious injuries, that they might still be on the premises and he picked up a table leg lest he have to defend himself,” he said of the accused man’s interview.

“He tried to assist the fatally injured Mr Burba and that would explain the blood staining he had on his clothing,” he continued.

Mr Sammon said that the table leg was possibly the murder weapon but that was a matter for the jurors to tease out.

He also said the jurors would receive the evidence of a forensic scientist, who would explain what they could tell from finding different types of blood staining.

The jury was then shown various photographs taken at the scene, along with maps of the area and plans of the flat.

The trial continues before Ms Justice Deirdre McCarthy and is expected to last until the end of next week.

The incident happened on the Luas on Monday night

Passengers on the Luas were left stunned when a man produced a belt of machine gun bullets and proceeded to wear them around his neck.

The man travelled on the tram on Monday night, getting on at the Jervis Street shop before taking out the belt, known as a bandolier.

Jackie Roche, who contacted RTÉ Radio One’s Liveline with a picture of the man, said she didn’t believe the man was armed but was still shocked to watch events unfold.

The man appeared under the influence and nodded off during the short journey, she said.

She explained that the man sat down and produced the bullets from a brown metal box inside a backpack.

In the picture the man, who is bent over in his seat, has the bandolier around his neck.

Several rounds of the large gold coloured ammunition can be clearly seen in the image.

"Some were empty, as if they had been shot and some were full," said Ms Roche.

Asked how did she know he wasn't a military historian or enthusiast, Jackie admitted that she couldn't say that.

However she added: "I can tell you he wasn't 100pc there last night. I don't if he was drunk but he was nodding off and falling asleep."

Ms Roche said she believed the driver may have seen it because the Luas was stopped at St James's Hospital for some time and there were gardaí in the area. However the man had gotten off earlier at Heuston Station.

The man had asked Ms Roche for change earlier in the journey mentioned he was travelling to Newbridge.

"It was really, unusual. I was kind of in shock when I got off the tram, I couldn't believe this happened," she said.

The man exited the tram at Heuston station, having previously told Jacqui he was going to Naas.

Independent.ie has contacted Transdev, which operates Luas, for a comment on the incident.

Via Independent.ie

A detective in charge of the investigation into the shooting of dissident republican Peter Butterly has denied the suggestion that he "deliberately concealed" from defence lawyers information about how a man originally accused of the alleged murder turned prosecution witness.

Mr Butterly (35) was shot dead outside The Huntsman Inn, Gormanstown, Co Meath on March 6th, 2013.

Edward McGrath (35), of Land Dale Lawns, Springfield, Tallaght and Sharif Kelly (46), of Pinewood Green Road, Balbriggan have pleaded not guilty at the Special Criminal Court to the alleged murder.

Mr McGrath has also pleaded not guilty to firearms offences on the same occasion.

A third accused, Dean Evans (24), of Grange Park Rise, Raheny, Dublin, failed to turn up for the trial, and has not been located by the gardai. The non-jury court decided to proceed with his two co-accused in Mr Evans’s absence.

The men's barristers are challenging the admissibility of the evidence of state witness David Cullen, who was also originally accused of the murder.

Today, Giollaíosa Ó'Lideadha SC, defending Mr Kelly, continued his cross-examination of Detective Superintendent Alf Martin, senior officer in charge of the murder investigation.

Mr Ó'Lideadha has suggested to the court that Cullen and the DPP had made a deal to drop the murder charge before the witness gave his statement to gardai. 

He said that a "significant part" of the case is that during the first trial the court was not given the truth.

"What occurred in the last trial is a matter upon which this court must have grave concerns," the barrister added.

He said that Det Supt Martin had adopted a position to "give the impression no deal was done". 

Mr O'Lideadha referred to a phonecall between Cullen's solicitor and Det Supt Martin on June 24th, 2014, during which the solicitor took notes.  

The barrister asked was it possible that a reference in the notes to a murder charge being dropped could have derived from the phonecall.

The detective said that this was "possible".

Mr O'Lideadha suggested that the content of the notes arose from the detective "intentionally conveying information of that kind".

Det Supt Martin said that this was "not intentional".

"You consistently use the word deal," the det supt said. "I have consistently said there was no deal."

The det supt denied Mr O'Lideadha's suggestion that he had deliberately withheld crucial information about how Cullen had transformed from an accused man into a witness.

John Gilligan, former chief superintendent in charge of the Witness Protection Program, told Alex Owens SC, prosecuting, that on June 25th, 2014, he was made aware of Cullen's potential application to enter the program. 

The information was provided by Det Supt Martin, the court heard, that Cullen wanted to come forward and give evidence in relation to murder of Peter Butterly.

The court heard that the former chief supt met with Det Supt Martin, and other gardai, on June 26th, to discuss the application.  

Mr Gilligan said that after the meeting he spoke with the governor of Portlaoise Prison and asked him to make arrangements to transfer Cullen to a different prison for his safety and where he could make a statement for the gardai.

The first trial began in September, 2014, when Cullen's application was still ongoing, the court heard. 

Under cross-examination, Mr Gilligan told Mr O'Lideadha that at the first trial he told the court he had no expectations the gardai would go to Cullen with any offers. 

Referring to the meeting on June 25th, the barrister asked if anything was said about the decision to drop the murder charge.

"I can't recall," the former chief supt said. "I think there was mention that he [Cullen] was willing to plead guilty to another charge."

The evidence was heard as part of a voir dire or ‘trial within a trial’, and will help the court's three judges to decide on the admissibility of Cullen's evidence.

The trial continues before the non-jury court, with Mr Justice Tony Hunt presiding. 

Customers have been told not to reply to mobile phone text messages claiming to come from the bank

Customers of Bank of Ireland have been warned that scammers are trying to get control of their personal accounts.

The customers have been told not to reply to mobile phone text messages claiming to come from the bank.

A number of people reported receiving the fraudulent messages today.

The message claims their account has been locked and they need to submit personal data to a website. A link to the website is included in the text message.

Known as “smishing”, this is where customers receive an text that claims to be from Bank of Ireland or another financial institution.

Customers are asked you to verify or re-submit confidential personal banking information in an attempt to obtain sensitive information such as personal banking details.   

One customer reported on Twitter: “I got that today. Rang BOI and they said it was a scam and they’d had lots of reports today.”

Another customer, who is a business customer through her job, said she was concerned when she got the SMS (short messaging service) text.

Bank of Ireland insisted its customer mobile database had not been hacked.

A spokesman for the bank added: “Bank of Ireland never requests that customers give full personal log-on details, either over the phone in an SMS or online, in an unsolicited manner.

“Bank of Ireland strongly urges any customer in receipt of such SMS never to click on any link, as doing so enables the download of malicious software that has the capacity to collect and compromise personal details and defraud bank accounts”

The bank reminded customers that it will never contact them asking them to provide full personal log-on details, either over the phone or online.

Bank of Ireland said suspicious text messages can be in circulation at any time, and customers bring these to the attention of the bank on an ongoing basis.

The bank has provided a section on its website which gives advice to customers on security measures https://www.365online.com/online365/spring/security.

The spokesman added that if customers receive one of these suspicious texts or a suspected fraudulent email:

 
•         do not click any links or open any attachments.

•         do not input any personal / account information even if it appears to be from Bank of Ireland.
 

•         forward the email to 365security@boimail.com immediately.

 
•         then delete it without clicking on any links or attachments.

If customers have any concerns or any questions they should contact the bank on 1890 365 365.

Via Independent.ie

Noel 'Jack' Dempsey

A veteran Dublin criminal has pleaded guilty to stealing kegs of Guinness and snatching a handbag.

Noel ‘Jack’ Dempsey (61), from Stanaway Road in Crumlin, was arrested after a crime spree in Kilkenny and Carlow on August 20, 2015.

Dempsey previously had strong connections to a gangster who can’t be named as he is facing charges over the Hutch-Kinahan feud. 

Dempsey was in court in Carlow last week where he pleaded guilty to stealing three kegs of Guinness valued at €800 from Syd Harkins Pub in Kilkenny.

Gardaí were investigating a theft at the Fairgreen Shopping Centre in Carlow where a handbag had been stolen from a car. 

The stolen goods were tracked to Tougher’s Restaurant on the Castledermot Road in Carlow. When gardaí searched the car they also found the kegs. 

The case was adjourned until Wednesday for sentencing.

Jimmy White

Jimmy White has said he lost everything after a fire at his Epsom home on Wednesday.

The former Masters and UK Championship winner, and six-time World Championship runner-up, posted a picture on Twitter of smoke coming from the building where he has a flat.

Fire at my flat this morning. Everything gone. Gutted. Cue was in car and most importantly no one hurt pic.twitter.com/nZL9u2JOHX

— Jimmy White MBE (@jimmywhite147) January 31, 2017

He wrote: "Fire at my flat this morning. Everything gone. Gutted. Cue was in car and most importantly no one hurt."

White's long-time friend Kevin Kelly also posted a picture that showed a window frame hanging down from the third-room residence with fire engines in attendance.

He wrote: "Shocking scenes in Alexandra road Epsom this morning", adding "Jimmys flat on fire".

White, 54, is due to play in the German Masters this week.

It is understood that despite the damage to his home, White was travelling out to Germany for the tournament.

Messages of support followed White's announcement.

Snooker referee Jan Verhaas posted on Twitter: "sorry to hear mate. Glad u ok"

Comedian Mark Watson added: "That's awful mate. Hope stuff can be replaced."

Fellow snooker professional Mike Dunn said: "really awful news pal, main thing is you and anyone else is ok"

The station commander for Epsom and Banstead fire stations, Steve Schooling, said the alarm had been raised by a fellow resident of the apartment block who heard an alarm and had gone to feel the back of the flat's door to check for heat.

"When the first crews got there they had to break the door down," Mr Schooling said.

"They were faced with a very serious situation that involved fire.

"We were able to get it quickly under control and the remainder of the incident was damping things down."

Asked about the extent of the fire, he added that it was "significant" and that efforts were ongoing to determine the cause.

There was nobody present in the flat at the time of the fire, Mr Schooling said.

Kate and Gerry McCann

The parents of missing Madeleine McCann said they were disappointed after Portugal's highest court threw out their libel case against an ex-detective who implicated them in their daughter's disappearance.

Goncalo Amaral was ordered to pay 500,000 euro (£429,000) in compensation to Kate and Gerry McCann in 2015 by a Lisbon court over claims he made in his book and documentary about Madeleine, who vanished on the Algarve in 2007.

The decision was overturned following an appeal last year but the McCanns took the case to Portugal's Supreme Court, which has now found against them.

While the judges' official ruling is yet to be published, lawyers for Mr and Mrs McCann have been informed of their decision.

"What we have been told by our lawyers is obviously extremely disappointing," the couple said in a statement.

"It is eight years since we brought the action and in that time the landscape has dramatically changed, namely there is now a joint Metropolitan Police-Policia Judiciaria investigation which is what we've always wanted.

"The police in both countries continue to work on the basis that there is no evidence that Madeleine has come to physical harm.

"We will, of course, be discussing the implications of the Supreme Court ruling with our lawyers in due course."

Madeleine was three when she went missing from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz on May 3 2007 as her parents dined at a nearby tapas restaurant with friends.

Mr Amaral, who led the initial investigation into Madeleine's disappearance, released the book three days after the case was closed in 2008.

He later took part in a documentary for Portuguese television in which he claimed that Madeleine was dead, there had been no abduction and the McCanns had hidden her body.

A man whose brother was murdered in a “barbaric” fashion six years ago has pleaded guilty to robbing seven women during a string of crimes carried out in west Dublin.

Amir Essalhi (32) targeted three of the women while they were sitting in their cars by jumping in and grabbing their handbags, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard today.

He also robbed a pharmacy while armed with a knife and a tanning salon while armed with a spoon which he pretended was a knife.

Essalhi, with an address in Millbrook Ave, Coolock, Dublin pleaded guilty to six counts of robbery during a drug-fuelled crime spree in Clondalkin in April and May last year.

He also pleaded guilty to robbing a woman's handbag in Clondalkin on May 16, 2015.

The court heard Essalhi carried out the offences to feed his heroin addiction. Defence counsel, Gerardine Small BL, said he was suffering from drug withdrawal at the time.

Ms Small said Essalhi and his family had suffered the “absolutely barbaric and horrific” murder of his brother a number of years ago.

Father-of-five Adil Essalhi was stabbed and battered to death at Tyrrellstown, Co Dublin in 2011 before his body was burned and left in a ditch.

Judge Cormac Quinn ordered a probation report for Essalhi and adjourned the matter to April 6, when full defence submissions will be heard.

Garda Brendan Crawford told Dara Hayes BL, prosecuting, that Essalhi walked into a pharmacy in Clondalkin on April 26 last year and selected some perfumes before threatening the woman behind the till with an eight-inch kitchen knife. He made off with about €80 in cash and the perfumes.

On May 12, 2016, Essalhi jumped into a woman's car while she was stopped at the Old Nangor Road in Clondalkin. When the woman threw the car keys out of the car and fled, Essalhi made off with her handbag containing €50 and her mobile phone.

Four days later, on May 16 last year, Essalhi approached a woman as she was walking home to her apartment on Old Nangor Road. He threatened her with a “rusty knife” before taking her handbag.

On May 20, 2016, Essalhi targeted a woman as she left Clondalkin post office, following her to her car and getting into the back seat. A struggle ensued, during which Essalhi punched the woman to the back of the head before taking her purse.

A passer-by gave chase and managed to retrieve the woman's property, Gda Crawford said. The woman suffered a broken finger as a result of the scuffle.

On the same day, Essalhi again targeted a woman who had stopped her car at the yield sign on Old Nangor Road. He got into the passenger seat and managed to grab her handbag, injuring the woman's hand in the process.

The stolen handbag contained a gold bracelet belonging to the victim's mother which had great sentimental value, the court heard.

The following day, Essalhi entered a tanning salon in Clondalkin holding a spoon so it resembled a “small knife” the court heard. A female worker handed over €219 in cash from the till. Essalhi also pleaded guilty to robbing a woman's handbag in May 2015.

Victim impact statements from five of the women were handed in to court. All of the offences occurred during the day, the court heard. Apart from the woman whose purse was retrieved by a passer-by, none of the stolen property was recovered, Gda Crawford said.

Essalhi, who has 43 previous convictions, was remanded in custody until sentencing.

One van on its side after the incident in Tallaght

Emergency services at the scene

Emergency services are on the scene of a dramatic crash in Dublin this evening.

The incident took place on the Old Bawn/Seskin Road junction in Tallaght.

Dublin Fire Brigade units from Tallaght and Dolphin's Barn were called to the scene of what has been described as "three vehicle rollover".

Dramatic pictures posted online showed one van on its side.

One person was brought to hospital with minor injuries.

Tallaght and Dolphins Barn are on scene at a 3 vehicle rollover RTC on the Old Bawn Road/Seskin Rd Jct. 1 to hospital with minor injuries. pic.twitter.com/RCt3KhzGne

— Dublin Fire Brigade (@DubFireBrigade) January 31, 2017

Gardai near Bayview Estate, Killiney, south Dublin

Gardai are using CCTV footage in their investigation into a sexual assault on a woman in Dublin on Monday night.

Investigators are hopeful that cameras located near the front of a housing estate in Killiney - where the incident took place - will have captured the incident, and are currently examining footage in an incident room at Shankhill garda station.

The woman, in her 40s, was sexually assaulted at 5.45pm at the front of the Bayview housing estate but managed to fight off the victim before escaping.

She had been walking from the nearby Killiney dart station.

The attacker is understood to have fled the scene by foot, running in the direction of the Killiney Hill Road.

Gardai are currently attempting to establish if the attacker followed the woman a short distance before the attack, or if she was targeted as she walk in his direction.

The man has been described as tall and thin. He was wearing white runners.

The incident took place a short distance from where a female American tourist was assaulted three weeks ago.

It is understood that garda patrols will be upped in the area since the latest incident.

Local representative for the area, Cormac Devlin said the latest incidents have left locals fearful - particularly women walking home alone.

"I would ask the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the Gardaí," Mr Devlin said.

"In light of these incidents, I have asked council management to review lighting in the Killiney/ Shankill area to ensure it is fit for purpose," he added.

Council officials have since pledged to replace lighting on six lamps around the area where the attack took place, while also trimming down trees to give added visibility in the estate.

The relamping will take place over the coming days.

One mother said that the attack has left locals feeling worried.

"I used to jog in the evenings, but I'm much more wary now. My children used to be able to walk around on their own too, but now I have more concerns," she told the Irish Independent.

The matter is set to be discussed at a neighbourhood watch meeting tomorrow night, where gardai will be present.

Conor Feehan/Ryan Nugent

Jay O'Connor

A dangerous criminal involved in a bitter west Dublin feud is suspected of carrying out a savage assault on a young woman because she fell out with a close female associate of his.

Jason 'Jay' O'Connor (38) is believed to have carried out the attack on the innocent victim after she had a minor disagreement with a woman known to him.

The under-threat gangster has survived several attempts on his life and is leading a group of criminals in a bitter dispute with his former associates from the 'Westies' gang.

Gardai are aware of the brutal assault, which happened recently, but a campaign of intimidation against the woman has left her terrified to make an official complaint.

"He gave her a savage hiding and left her with bad injuries. She didn't require hospital treatment and won't make a statement to gardai because she is living in absolute fear," a source claimed.

"O'Connor is a dangerous man and has ensured, with the help of his associates, that this poor woman doesn't take the matter any further by making a statement."

The assault is believed to have resulted from a row the victim had with a close female associate of O'Connor (above).

Following the disagreement, the thug called at the woman's Blanchardstown home where he carried out the attack.

Armed detectives are constantly monitoring the activities of O'Connor, due to his volatile nature, and to keep a lid on the feud.

The latest serious attack linked to the feud occurred in December when Charlie Cooper (38) was shot 12 times in the stomach by a gunman.

The father-of-two is believed to have been targeted because he is friendly with criminals who use taxis to transport guns and drugs across the city.

The gang war centres on the two criminals who were formerly members of the infamous 'Westies' gang who terrorised Dublin well over a decade ago.

Gardai have identified a chief suspect in the case but no arrests have yet been made. Since the shooting in Parslickstown Green (scene above) on December 3, gardai have been carrying out rolling checkpoints to prevent any further shootings.

Mr Cooper was shot through the kitchen window of his home while his wife and two young children were there.

He managed to get out the front door but was followed by the gunman, who fired a number of further shots.

The attacker then left in what was described by witnesses as a medium-sized black car.

Gardai managed to speak to Mr Cooper following the attack. The injured man does not have any criminal convictions and is not known to gardai for involvement in crime.

In the immediate aftermath of the attempted murder, members of the Emergency Response Unit (ERU) raided O'Connor's home but found no evidence of any wrongdoing.

O'Connor was also a suspect in the murder of Lithuanian crime boss Gintaras Zelvys in 2013 and was arrested in relation to the hit.

O'Connor's bitter enemy survived an assassination attempt last year when a gunman attempted to take him out.

He survived at least two assassination attempts in 2015 and, in the aftermath of one of these incidents, the criminal reacted with a rant to a newspaper reporter.

"I'll tell you a story, there's going to be a f***ing war in Blanchardstown - they are f***ing dead, stone f***ing dead," he said.

O'Connor was previously in the headlines when he had two fingers chopped off with an axe in a horrific attack by Real IRA members.

This is believed to have been carried out under the direction of their slain boss Alan Ryan in May 2012.

Ken Foy/Robin Schiller

Via Herald.ie

A man has been shot dead by police on Hollywood's Sunset Boulevard after a stabbing spree left three people injured.

The dead suspect - reportedly in his 30s - was killed at a Jack In The Box restaurant in the popular tourist area on Tuesday afternoon.

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said it had responded to a report of a stabbing incident at 2pm when an "officer-involved shooting took place".

LAPD spokesman Tony Im said: "The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene due to be being struck by gunfire.

"Three victims stabbed by the suspect have been transported to a local hospital."

Mr Im said police believed the stabbings were a "random attack" and two of the victims were in a critical condition in hospital.

He confirmed officers had initially attempted to use a Taser on the suspect.

Video footage posted online showed police kneeling over a man in a purple shirt as he lay face down inside the restaurant.

A person can be heard calling for a belt or shoelace to help a victim sitting in a chair above a pool of blood.

The incident happened close to the offices of news channel CNN.

Stock image

A new generation of gangland criminals is being targeted by the Criminal Assets Bureau.

The aim is to hit the group, who are already very active, and seize their assets before they graduate from the second level to the top tier of the crime league.

Many are already displaying their ill-gotten wealth through the purchase of high-end cars and expensive jewellery.

Bureau head Detective Chief Superintendent Pat Clavin believes now is the time to tackle them financially before they can become role models for other wannabe criminals in their neighbourhoods.

"We are targeting these lads before they get the opportunities to become big players and be part of the next generation of major criminals," he said.

READ MORE: New generation of thugs set to take over as feud cripples infamous gangs

Mr Clavin was speaking as gardai prepare for the first anniversary at the weekend of the murder of David Byrne (above) at the Regency Hotel on the northside of Dublin.

That shooting was in retaliation for the murder of Gary Hutch in Marbella in Spain the previous September, and sparked off the savage Kinahan-Hutch feud, which has so far claimed 10 lives.

The bureau is also expanding its reach by training more local asset profilers around the country.

The divisional profiler network already has 210 members trained in proceeds of crime investigations, mainly gardaí, but also including personnel from Customs and Social Welfare.

Two new training programmes are planned for the new year with candidates recommended by regional assistant commissioners and divisional chiefs.

The bureau has also become heavily involved in the special task force, set up under the control of the Garda Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, and six extra gardai were seconded to the CAB to focus on the assets of thugs linked to organised crime gangs (OCGs) in the Dublin area. This work is being carried out in addition to seven specific operations targeting a range of criminal suspects:

Lamp - investigating members of the Kinahan crime cartel, based in Dublin. The bureau is also examining the assets of members of the Hutch gang and is working closely with the Spanish police in its inquiries into both groups;

Oakleaf - concentrated on Travelling gangs, who are from Rathkeale, Co Limerick, suspected of being involved in crime throughout Ireland, the UK and mainland Europe;

Verse - targeting an organised crime gang based in west Dublin but with links to criminals around the country and abroad;

Thor - CAB is involved in 20 separate inquiries into the main groups carrying out burglaries nationwide;

Scale - investigating OCGs and individuals involved in crime in Co Louth and across the Border region;

Loft - focused on a fuel laundering gang operating near the Border;

Croft - working with the Garda DOCB to tackle OCGs trafficking drugs and selling cars to launder money.

Tom Brady

Via Independent.ie

Gardai have dealt yet another blow to organised crime in Ireland, this time in Ashbourne, Co Meath.

A number of people and vehicles were intercepted by gardai and Revenue officers at 4pm yesterday.

160 kilos of cannabis herb, worth an estimated €3.2 million, was seized during this stop and search operation.

A local business premises was also searched.

Four Irish men aged between 25 and 61-years were arrested for drug trafficking offences and are currently detained at Finglas and Kells garda stations under the provisions of drug trafficking legislation. 

The operation was conducted by the Revenue Commissioners Customs Service, the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau and the Special Crime Task Force, supported by officers from the Eastern Region.  

Killian Forde

A FORMER city councillor who made 40 threatening phone calls of “vile personal abuse” to a colleague over a six-hour period has paid €400 to charity in Tallaght District Court.

Killian Forde had previously paid €300.

The former Labour councillor made the phone calls to Paddy Banks, who was a board member of the Integration Centre at the time.

The court had heard that Forde told Mr Banks that he “would be got” and “would be a dish best served cold”.

Forde was a Dublin City Councillor with Sinn Fein from 2004 to 2010 before switching to Labour.

 He resigned his seat in 2011, when he was made chief executive of the Integration Centre.

 Mr Banks had described the calls as “vile personal abuse”.

The court had heard that on October 7, 2014, Forde made a number of threatening and intimidating calls to one man. The court was also told that the calls were “drunken gibberish”.

Forde had been director of the Integration Centre at the time of the incident.

A colleague had been made redundant by Mr Banks and was later reinstated.

The calls took place between 12.25am and 6am and Forde said he had been intoxicated.

Forde (46), with addresses at Cardonagh Park, Donaghmede, and Sutton Park, Sutton, had admitted to making a hoax telephone call at an address at Homelawn Drive, Tallaght, on October 7, 2014, contrary to Section 13(1) of the Post Office (Amendment) Act, 1951.

Giving his victim impact statement in December, Mr Banks told Judge Patricia Mc- Namara: “It was said to me I would be got and I would pay for what I did.

He did not appear to me to be intoxicated.

“I will not accept an apology from Mr Forde. I would regard it as an empty formula.

I have been deeply offended as to how I have been treated.”

When his case was called yesterday, Forde handed over €100 in cash and a cheque for €300 from his solicitor’s client account. Judge McNamara said the cheque would have to be cleared before concluding the case.

Forde told Judge McNamara: “I paid the €300 in cash to my solicitor.

I don’t see why it is up to me.”

 Judge McNamara adjourned the case for three weeks for the cheque to clear and to finalise the case.

Police have raided dozens of properties in Germany and arrested a Tunisian man suspected of being a recruiter for Islamic State and rounding up supporters to carry out an attack.

Frankfurt prosecutors said 54 flats, business premises and mosques in the region were searched early on Wednesday.

They said the investigation was directed against 16 people in total, aged between 16 and 46.

The 36-year-old main suspect was arrested in Frankfurt. He is believed to have been a recruiter and smuggler for the IS group since August 2015.

Prosecutors say plans for a possible attack were at a very early stage and no concrete target had been chosen.

More to follow...

Press Association

A Belfast resident has won a case at the UK's highest court over the failure of Northern Ireland police to prevent union flag protests.

Five Supreme Court justices in London ruled unanimously in favour of the unnamed resident, announcing that the police did have the legal power to stop the parades.

Mass loyalist demonstrations, some of which descended into serious violence, were staged across Northern Ireland in opposition to Belfast City Council's decision to limit the number of days the union flag flew over City Hall.

In April 2014, a judge at the High Court in Belfast ruled in favour of the resident of the nationalist Short Strand area of east Belfast, who claimed the police's failure to stop unnotified loyalist marches past his home between December 2012 and February 2013 breached his right to privacy and family life.

Later that year, appeal judges overturned the ruling following a challenge by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).

The resident then took his case to the Supreme Court.

On Wednesday, the justices said the PSNI had "misconstrued" its legal powers to stop parades passing through or adjacent to the Short Strand area.

As permission for the loyalist marches was not sought from the Parades Commission adjudication body, the events were not lawful.

In ruling in favour of the resident, referred to only as DB, the judge at the High Court in Belfast found that police had not properly understood their powers to intervene in the protests.

But three appeal judges, among them Northern Ireland's Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan, came to a different conclusion and allowed the PSNI's appeal against the judgment.

The PSNI had argued that the original ruling regarding its handling of union flag protests would have placed major constraints on how it polices future parades and demonstrations in the region.

They said commanders' decisions to contain the protests and pursue arrests and charges at a later date fell within their discretionary powers.

But Lord Kerr, giving the ruling of the Supreme Court, concluded: "I would reverse the decision of the Court of Appeal and make a declaration that, in their handling of the flags protest in Belfast during the months of December and January, PSNI misconstrued their legal powers to stop parades passing through or adjacent to the Short Strand area."