Latest news with #ProbationService
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- The Irish Sun
Brave Spanish tourist reveals life was ‘turned upside down' after being raped by Louth man in Dublin on New Year's Eve
A BRAVE Spanish tourist has revealed how her life was "turned upside down" after she was raped at a New Year's Eve party in Dublin. The claim was made by the woman, now 26, after Christopher O'Grady's legal team apologised at the Central Criminal O'Grady, 33, from A previous court hearing heard how the woman, who had been under the influence of alcohol, had been raped when she was looking for her friend after they became separated. Although he was due to be sentenced, the case was put back after the victim claimed in her impact statement that she wanted to "meet" O'Grady. In her victim impact statement, which was read to the court, she said: "Although I don't know why, I know I want to speak to my attacker in a safe place and ask him why. Read more in News "He turned my life upside down and he didn't see the person behind my body. "I would like to be able to look him in the eye and ask him what reasons anyone could have to be so cruel to a young woman who, alone and driven by fear, found no other way out than to trust a stranger to help her. "I want to see if he believes his lies and I want him to witness the pain he has caused, to suffer my pain and see the wounds he's left on me and to see himself as monstrous as I have seen." She also said in her statement: "I am afraid of things that I used to enjoy - like walking alone in the street at night time, going out to parties. MOST READ IN THE IRISH SUN "I carry many painful memories both with myself and around me. "I have to move forward and I need to close this case." She also used her victim impact statement to thank the The court heard how the Probation Service has been asked to decide if a meeting is possible. The case has been adjourned until July 24. 1 The case was put back after the victim claimed in her impact statement that she wanted to 'meet' O'Grady Credit: Alamy
Irish Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Man jailed for minimum of 24 years for murdering friend and dumping body
A man who murdered another man and then dismembered and dumped his body in a reservoir in Co Tyrone has been sentenced to a minimum of 24 years. Stephen McCourt, 41, from Riverview in Augher, Co Tyrone, was found guilty of murdering Damien Heagney after a trial which ended in April this year. Mr Heagney, 47, from Cookstown, was last seen alive at the end of December 2021. He was reported missing in July 2022 and, the following month, his partially dismembered remains were recovered from Cappagh Reservoir. Mr Justice Stephen Fowler told Belfast Crown Court that the dismemberment of his body was "callous in the extreme" and added greatly to the distress of his family, in particular his mother. He also said that the disposal of Mr Heagney's body in the reservoir was an additional step taken to "conceal, destroy evidence, cover the murder and subvert police investigation". The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week "I'm satisfied to the required standard that Mr Heagney's death was the result of a vicious attack with a knife, including numerous blows to one of the most vulnerable parts of the body, the head," Mr Justice Fowler added. "It involved a number of injuries to the head, including the tip of the knife breaking off and lodging in the skull. "I'm also satisfied that, as a compelling influence from consideration of the totality of the evidence, including that it was reasonable to be inferred that the knife wounds were also sustained in the deceased's arm and the deceased died from the attack by the defendant. "I consider it to be a case of multiple stabbing. "I consider this to be a case of high culpability, the starting point of 20 years. I also find the following aggravating factors to be present." He cited the issues around the dismemberment and disposal of the body as aggravating factors in the case. He added that further aggravating factors were the defendant's criminal record. "His previous convictions for wounding with intent and his two previous findings of dangerousness," Mr Justice Fowler added. "He has failed to respond to previous sentences and intervention. "A pre-sentence report was received from the Probation Service and, surprisingly, the report concludes that the defendant poses a significant risk of serious harm, given the myriad of risk factors and absence of any significant protective factors. "In terms of mitigation, the only matter in relation to the offending I can identify is that there is no evidence this attack was premeditated or planned, given text messages between the two men. "However, I see no personal mitigation in this case. "Having identified the aggravating factors, I consider an uplift of five years in sentences merited, which is tempered by a modest degree of mitigation, which will be reflected in a reduction of one year. "Looking at what is the appropriate tariff in this case, I come to the conclusion that the tariff that is appropriate to the circumstances of this case will be 24 years. "This is equivalent of a prison sentence of 48 years."
Sunday World
23-06-2025
- Sunday World
Man found with child sex abuse videos ‘surprised he was not caught sooner'
Ciarán Martin (42), Hurlestone, Ardee, told Gardaí following his arrest that he had been viewing such material for many years A man who had 217 child sex abuse videos and images has been jailed for one year and 9 months. Ciarán Martin (42), Hurlestone, Ardee, told Gardaí following his arrest that he had been viewing such material for many years and was surprised that he hadn't been caught sooner. The defendant, who is single, signed pleas of guilty to six counts on the indictment of possession of child sex abuse videos and images. Handing down a sentence of two years and six months, the final nine months suspended, Judge Dara Hayes said that these were serious crimes 'involving real children and real victims wherever they might be in the world'. Gda Neil O'Malley gave evidence that an investigation stemmed from an upload on January 4, 2022 to a Dropbox account registered to Mr Martin. At 8.40am on the following March 17, his home was searched and twenty-three electronic devices in a mix of a laptop, mobile phone and thumb devices were seized. He was present at the time and admitted all were his. Five were positive for child sex abuse material. A total of 217 images and videos were detected. Gda O'Malley explained that 71 were Category 1, relating to children engaged in or viewing sexual activity; 77 Category 2, children's genitalia visible; and 69 were Category 3, anime-type. The defendant was subsequently arrested by arrangement. He was co-operative, made admissions and accepted responsibility. He told investigators that he had been viewing this type of material for 20 years and was surprised he hadn't been caught sooner. Gda O'Malley said that position changed and it may not have been for 20 years. The accused described it as a 'curiosity'. The imagery was saved across a number of devices. He had obtained it from Kik Messenger. An uncle's anniversary in numerics was his password. There was no evidence of deletion. Following this he was put out of the house by his father and was of no fixed abode, couch surfing and sleeping in his car. He had returned to the family home he shared with his father and brother. There was one previous conviction for no NCT on his vehicle. Defence counsel said that Ciarán Martin was extremely forthright with the Probation Service about his proclivities and submitted that was the first step in addressing the issue. He put himself through DkIT and for the last five years worked full-time constructing panels for data centres. Both his father and brother relied heavily on him. They lived in a rural area. He accepted it was not a victimless crime. He kept the material to himself. The Garda search was an end to this behaviour. Judge Hayes said that there were effectively no previous convictions and no suggestion of distribution of this material by the defendant. The case was heard in Dundalk Circuit Court. News in 90 Seconds - Monday June 23 "These are serious crimes involving real children and real victims wherever they might be in the world, children of particular vulnerability and often of deprivation.' The judge continued that 217 was a considerable quantity. Approximately one-third was of the most serious nature. The children were aged between eight and 13 in the main. This offending was not done on a once-off basis 'but over many years'. Judge Hayes said the need for a general deterrent must weigh heavily in this case. On each of the six charges, concurrent two-year, six-month sentences were imposed, the final 9 months conditionally suspended for two years. Mr Martin must place himself under probation supervision for two years post-release and engage with a sex offenders' programme if suitable. His barrister had sought and was granted a one-day deferral before finalisation for the defendant to remove his car which was parked outside. Judge Hayes remarked it was 'a little bit surprising arrangements were not made'.
Daily Mirror
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Grooming beast must stay in prison for raping schoolgirl, Justice Sec orders
Shahmeel Khan's victim - a teenager at the time she was raped - welcomes the decision to keep him locked up, 14 years after he was jailed in a huge Telford grooming gang investigation A rape victim has told of her relief after hearing her sex gang attacker must stay locked up despite finishing his sentence. Shahmeel Khan, 37, has been inside for 14 years for repeatedly raping an A-level student and armed robbery. The teenager was one of over 1,000 girls exploited by mainly Asian paedophiles in Telford, Shropshire, in a scandal exposed by the Sunday Mirror. Last night she said a decision to block Khan's move to an open prison was a 'huge weight off my shoulders'. Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor Shabana Mahmood vetoed a Parole Board recommendation because of public safety fears and his drug abuse. After reading the Parole Board report on Khan, victim Kate Elysia said: 'I couldn't see anything that showed he understood his sexual offences. I was also really unimpressed that two witnesses had suggested he wasn't safe to be released but that he should be in open conditions so that he could be 'tested'. 'So they are literally ready to gamble with his risk of sex offending. I thought that was disgraceful, dangerous risk-taking on their part. I've always remained aware of how dangerous that man was, those risks don't go away.' Khan was convicted under West Mercia Police 's Operation Chalice which led to a handful of convictions of Telford sex gang members before being wound up to save money. In 2018 we exposed his father Shahzad 'Keith' Khan as a paedophile who abused girls in the town over four decades. The Parole Board recommended Khan junior's transfer to open conditions in April after hearing from two witnesses who suggested the move despite concerns about his drug intake because he was 'unlikely to abscond'. April's review was the third by the Parole Board since 2015, meaning he has spent another 10 years inside for public protection since he was first eligible for release. At the time of his offending, Khan was said to be violent, controlling and 'unable to manage strong emotions'. Khan had been moved to an open prison in June 2021 but 'was returned to the closed estate after one month due to concerns about comments to a member of staff'. Kate – not her real name – helped police jail him and other abusers and has written a book called The Patchwork Girl which is due out in January. But she revealed that she no longer has the right to be told about Khan's future release because he has now served the 10 years he received for raping her. The Probation Service told her: 'Unfortunately, once the sentence relating to you has ended, we do not have a legal basis under which the Probation Service's Victim Contact Scheme can continue to provide you with information for SK. I therefore regret to inform you that this means our contact, regarding SK, will end on 18 June.' Kate said: 'No rights really angered me. No right to stable mental health. No right to a normal life without having to look over my shoulder. No right to feeling safe in my home or community. It's not just about right it's about risk. Risk to me. Risk to my family. Risk to my children. Risk to the public. If they control what information I am allowed to know legally then the law has put him, the dangerous offender, the one in control.' The Ministry of Justice said: 'Public protection is our number one priority which is why the Lord Chancellor has blocked Shahmeel Khan's transfer to an open prison.' A government review last week found that child victims of rape gangs in towns like Telford were let down by the system for decades. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced a national inquiry which is due to take around three years. More than 1,000 dropped child sex abuse cases are expected to be re-investigated by police.
Sunday World
21-06-2025
- Sunday World
Man who stabbed father and son at his next door neighbours' party is spared jail
The defendant, aged 17 at the time, pleaded guilty to two counts of assault causing harm stemming from the incident on May 19, 2020 at a Dundalk housing estate. A man who stabbed a father and son after being asked to leave a party taking place next door to his home has avoided imprisonment. The defendant, aged 17 at the time, pleaded guilty to two counts of assault causing harm stemming from the incident on May 19, 2020 at a Dundalk housing estate. A sentence hearing at the circuit court heard that while the accused's initial engagement with the Probation Service had been poor and he had been assessed at high risk of reoffending, he had made progress subsequently during two-and-a-half years' probation supervision. Dundalk Courthouse News in 90 Seconds - June 21st Judge Dara Hayes imposed consecutive one year, nine-month sentences on each charge, conditionally suspended for three-and-a-half years. The defendant had been asked to leave a party next door to his family home. He did so before returning to get cigarette filters. He stabbed the young man hosting the party and during a scuffle when the victim's father attempted to detain him until Gardaí arrived, he stabbed this man too. The younger man required stitches. His father didn't need hospital treatment. Both recovered and neither wanted to make a Victim Impact Statement. Judge Hayes said they were unprovoked attacks. It was a serious matter to go with a knife and then use it. Fortunately, the injuries were not more serious. The accused made some admissions at the time. He had one previous conviction for Section 3 possession of drugs and one for Section 6 public order. His mother died this year and his father in tragic circumstances when he was aged 9. The judge continued that aggravating factors were the use of a knife. The defendant was a child in law at the time. There were two different victims so the sentences should be consecutive. The court noted 'substantial progress towards rehabilitation'. As order was made as outlined.
