Mr Keith Lonergan, aged 46, who hailed originally from Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, and who more recently resided at St. Lawrence’s Park, Garryowen, Co. Limerick, has been jailed by Judge John Martin at Nenagh Circuit Criminal Court.
Mr Justice Martin sentenced Mr Lonergan to four years in jail, with the final 18 months suspended. A provision laid down in the sentencing was that Mr Lonergan must enter a bond of €100 to keep the peace; must co-operate with the prison services while in jail; on his release, to attend any meeting organised by the prison services, and to provide urine samples whenever asked while in incarcerated and on his release.
Mr Lonergan had been observed by Gardaí attempting to hide a bag containing cannabis behind a bin at Thurles Railway Station in North Co. Tipperary on March 24th, 2021, while in the company of another man.
The other male ran, attempting to make his escaped along the railway tracks, while Mr Lonergan was detained under the Misuse of Drugs Act. We understand the drugs located had an estimated retail value of almost €10,000.
A follow up search of Mr Lonergan’s home in Limerick uncovered further drugs valued at almost €2,500. Mr Lonergan having being interviewed by Gardaí on four different occasions, admitted possession of the drugs, on the date in question, and was subsequently charged with possession of the drugs same intended for sale or supply.
Mr Lonergan claimed that he had gone to Thurles to collect, carry and hold the cannabis; the agreement being part of a deal to repay a drug debt and that the other male actually owned the drugs.
Judge Martin said that he did not accept that Mr Lonergan was a mere pawn, but was an essential cog in the wheel serving a business that was causing havoc within Irish society.
This legislation will allow for an increase of judges across all courts as recommended by the Judicial Planning Working Group earlier this year.
Earlier today, Minister Browne took the bill through Committee and Final stages in the Seanad. The Bill will now be referred to the President of Ireland to be signed into law.
A key recommendation arising from the report published by the Judicial Planning Working Group was to increase judicial numbers to ensure the efficient administration of justice over the next five years.
In February of this year, Minister for Justice, Mr Simon Harris received Government approval to appoint an additional 44 judges to the courts in Ireland by the end of 2024. An initial tranche of 24 will be appointed this year, followed by a further tranche of 20 subject to the implementation of reforms and efficiencies to the operation of the courts.
Court
Current as at 16/5/2033, Inc President.
Phase 1
Phase 2
Additional Phase 1 & Phase 2
Future
District Court
64
8
6
14
78
District Court
41
8*
6
14
52
High Court
45
6
6
12
57
Appeal Court
16
2
2
4
20
Sopreme Court
11
0
0
0
10
Total
177
24
20
44
217
* Three of these additional judicial positions have already been created in the Circuit Court under the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Act, 2022.
Primary legislation was required to enable this increase, so the Courts Bill 2023 was drafted as a priority.
Speaking after the completion of the Bill’s passage through the Houses of the Oireachtas, Minister Browne said: “Ensuring that the Courts are resourced to administer justice efficiently and effectively is central to ensuring there is access to justice. To continue to improve access to justice for all of our citizens, we will increase the number of judges in two phases, beginning with 24 additional judges this year. This increase in judicial resources was recommended by the Judicial Planning Working Group earlier this year and has been approved by government. The Courts Bill 2023 will allow Government to significantly increase the number of judges. Not only will this enable the Courts Service to provide an efficient and fair service, it also paves the way for policy initiatives under the Programme for Government such as the establishment of a dedicated Planning and Environmental Court and for the provisions under the Family Law Bill.”
The Courts Bill 2023, when enacted, will allow for a maximum of 17, up from 16 judges to be appointed to the Court of Appeal; 48, up from 45 judges to be appointed to the High Court; 45, up from 41 judges to be appointed to the Circuit Court; and 71, up from 64 judges to the District Court.
Minister Browne added: “This substantial increase in judicial resources will be complemented by the ongoing implementation of the Courts Modernisation Plan. My Department is committed to driving a modernisation and Digital First agenda across the entire Justice Sector. We will work with the Courts Service and the Judiciary to deliver a number of important commitments in the Programme for Government which will help ensure that we have a modern Courts Service.”
Remar Recovery House, a Religious Organisation and Registered Charity, previously operated a second hand furniture shop on Mitchel Street, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
Mr Campbell pleaded guilty to conning people and businesses out of almost €30,000 euro worth of goods; the offences, happening between September 2018 and January 2022. He conned his victims into parting with goods and services using stolen debit/credit cards or by making them believe that payments had been transacted through a fake phone application. The theft and fraud happened at filling stations; off licenses; hardware stores; licenced hostelries and restaurants.
Other of his deceptions included selling farm equipment on the website ‘Done Deal‘, with no delivery of any equipment purchased by clients; driving off from filling stations without paying for fuel and on one occasion the unauthorised taking of a car having signed a lease agreement for same car, latter valued at some €15,000 before cancelling lease payments the following day.
Judge Patricia Harney in granting bail, also granted free legal aid to Solicitor Mr Con Barry.
Minister for Justice, Mr Simon Harris T.D., opens Dublin Metropolitan Control Centre at Heuston Station.
Minister and Garda Commissioner visit new modern premises for call & dispatch operations.
An Garda Síochána, Iarnród Éireann and Dublin City Council to locate together at Heuston station.
New centre another step in strengthening links between An Garda Síochána and transport operators.
Minister for Justice Mr Simon Harris is today opening the new Garda Síochána DMR Control Centre based at the National Train Control Centre at Heuston Station in Dublin.
This state-of-the art new premises, which will house the operations of call takers and dispatchers, is another step forward in modernising An Garda Síochána and strengthening links with public transport operators.
This call and dispatch centre, located on a floor in the new National Train Control Centre in Heuston Station, is the nerve centre to Garda operations in the Dublin Metropolitan region and the personnel working there are the people at the frontline taking sometimes the most challenging and time-sensitive calls.
Iarnród Éireann and Dublin City Council are also expected to locate their control rooms there, in the near future.
The location of An Garda Síochána, Iarnród Éireann and Dublin City Council control centres in the same building will help Gardaí to build upon the already excellent relationships they have with public transport providers, particularly in the event of serious emergencies requiring coordinated responses.
An Garda Síochána also plan to increase their presence in some other stations in the time ahead.
Remarking on the opening, Minister for Justice Simon Harris TD said: “We are committed to building stronger, safer communities by ensuring An Garda Síochána have state of the art premises and allowing for greater co-operation with CIE and Dublin City Council. I am delighted to join Commissioner Harris in opening these new facilities today It is crucial that anyone who finds themselves in an emergency situation has the confidence to call 999 and know that their call will be responded to promptly and professionally. I want to thank the call and dispatch staff for affording callers that confidence. And I look forward to this facility being used jointly by An Garda Síochána, Iarnród Éireann and Dublin City Council to improve public safety.”
The new €40million building was funded by the National Transport Authority under the National Development Plan and is designed to Nearly Zero Energy Building (NZEB) standards.
Functions from Iarnród Éireann and Dublin City Council will be co-located in the building along with the Garda Síochána DMR Control Centre.
The Office of Public Works oversaw the planning and fit-out for the 999 call taking and dispatch centre.
Yes, dear readers, it is still all about Dublin. Read HERE
‘You have rights, you have support, you have a voice – find yours at VictimsCharter.ie’.
Campaign developed with marginalised, minority and hard to reach communities in mind.
The Minister for Justice, Simon Harris TD, has launched a significant new awareness campaign highlighting the rights available to you if you are a victim of crime.
The campaign, which will run across TV, local and national radio, digital and social, directs people to the VictimsCharter.ie website which sets out your rights in an easily accessible manner, and helps victims of crime to locate services and supports available.
Two adverts – ‘Diversity’ and ‘Translations’ – form the centrepiece of the ‘Victims of Crime – Know your rights’ campaign, and were developed with marginalised, minority and harder-to-reach communities in mind.
Minister Harris said, “We know that being a victim of crime can be traumatic, and victims can understandably struggle with knowing what to do next or what they are legally entitled to when engaging with our criminal justice system. It is so important to know that you have rights, you have a voice and that there are supports available to you. That is what this campaign is about – getting people to know their rights, getting victims to recognise VictimsCharter.ie as an important resource to which they can turn to for information and help when they need it most. I’m delighted to see the inclusive focus in this campaign. We hope that everyone living in Ireland will see themselves reflected in these ads. We know some groups in our society can be harder to reach and unfortunately we also know that some marginalised communities can be fearful of reporting crimes. Issues of intersectionality have arisen strongly in our engagement with victims’ groups in recent years and this is something we will be working to address. Victims’ rights and supports are available to all, and everyone should be aware of them”.
The Third National Strategy on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, launched last June, is the first that recognises that certain groups can be at higher risk than others. Those at a higher risk include individuals with disabilities, asylum seekers, trafficked persons, as well as Travellers, Roma and members of the LGBTI+ community.
This campaign helps fulfil an action in the Third National Strategy to raise awareness of the legislation on victims’ rights that currently exists. ‘Diversity’ is focused on community inclusivity – marginalised cohorts, people with a disability, the Travelling community, and older generations are represented. ‘Translations’ is focused on ethnicity and migrant communities. Text from the Victims Charter is shown on faces, translated into various languages including Polish, Mandarin, French, Lithuanian, Arabic and Portuguese.
Minister Harris added, “If you are a victim of crime in Ireland you have rights – that includes everything from interpretation and translation services, to being accompanied by someone at all stages of the process, to information about any release date of the offender. I would encourage anyone who has been the victim of a crime to reach out to An Garda Síochána, but to also be aware that supports – such as Crime Victims Helpline Tel: 116006 – are available even if you don’t report the crime”.
The Department of Justice published a new and expanded Victims Charter in 2020 to take account of the Criminal Justice (Victims of Crime) Act 2017. VictimsCharter.ie was launched in 2021 to provide the information in an easily accessible manner, while still hosting all the information in the Charter.
The journey a victim of crime may face can be divided into three stages: Support and Reporting Stage, the Courts Process and The Post-Trial Stage. VictimsCharter.ie provides victims with the information relevant at each of these stages. It also has a section on their rights and the law.
As part of this awareness campaign, a series of animated educational videos have been created on each stage of the journey, and added to VictimsCharter.ie and will be used on social media to help people navigate the site.
The main assets were produced by the creative agency Javelin, working with the production company, Piranha Bar.
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