Latest news with #Section72
Sunday World
04-07-2025
- Sunday World
Three family members of suspected burglary gang charged with organised crime offences
The men, from Dublin, who are related and include a father and son, were denied bail at Sligo District Court and remanded in continuing custody. Three suspected members of a burglary gang were charged yesterday with organised crime offences. The men, from Dublin, who are related and include a father and son, were denied bail at Sligo District Court and remanded in continuing custody. The court previously heard the case against them was part of a wider investigation into a large number of burglaries, mostly in the west of Ireland. The three are Edward Connors (50) and his son Larry Connors (27), both of Bridgeview, Cloverhill Road, Clondalkin, and Edward Connors (28), of Drumkerring Park, Fettercairn, Tallaght. Edward Connors (50) Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 4th They face a range of charges linked to separate burglary and associated offences. They were brought before Sligo District Court yesterday and charged with organised crime offences as part of an investigation carried out by gardaí from the Western Region. The elder Edward Connors was charged with one count under Section 72 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006 of facilitating and enhancing the activities of a criminal organisation in relation to a garda interception in Co Kildare last November. He was further charged under Section 73 of the same act, which states that a person who commits a serious offence for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with, a criminal organisation is guilty of an offence. In his case, these alleged offences are concerned with two burglaries, in Co Sligo in April 2023 and Co Tipperary last August. Larry Connors (27) Among other offences he is charged with is alleged criminal damage to a van that occurred in Co Roscommon last November. Larry Connors was charged with the same two offences under the Criminal Justice Act, with his Section 73 charge related to an alleged burglary in Co Roscommon last November. The men are further charged with handling stolen jewellery The younger Edward Connors was charged with a single Section 72 offence under the organised crime legislation. As with the other two defendants, this charge is related to the circumstances of his arrest in Co Kildare last November 29. Gardaí had earlier charged all three men with having in their possession gloves, torches, a pry bar, pliers, a heavy-duty axe, screwdrivers, a signal interference device, a telescopic ladder, a vehicle refuelling kit, surface disinfectant and two sets of number plates not matching the car they were travelling in, when they were stopped at Cadamstown, Johnstownbridge, Co Kildare, last November 29. They have been in custody since their arrests last November. All three were refused High Court bail during an application before Mr Justice Tony Hunt in early January and were again refused bail at yesterday's hearing. Bail could not have been granted to them at the district court on the organised crime charges. Convictions in relation to Section 72 or 73 of the act can attract a maximum prison sentence of 15 years. Their case is expected to be sent forward to the next sitting of Sligo Circuit Criminal Court, and it has been remanded for a week for service of books of evidence. The men are further charged with handling stolen jewellery taken during the course of a burglary at a house in Tuam, Co Galway, last November 28. They are charged with further separate offences, some of which were upgraded at yesterday's court sitting.
Irish Examiner
23-06-2025
- Irish Examiner
Special 'gangland' powers have led to record number of arrests
The use of special gangland laws reached its highest ever levels in the last year, with over 150 arrests — 40 more than the previous year. This translated into a significant rise in the number of charges brought forward — from 30 to 49. The legislation — targeting gang bosses, lieutenants, members, and associates — directs that any charges be brought before the non-jury Special Criminal Court, unless the DPP diverts them to the ordinary courts. A total of 152 arrests were carried out by gardaí in the year ending May 2025, a rise of 36% on the previous year. The offences are under the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009, which makes crimes in a 2006 act scheduled offences under the Offences Against the State Act 1939. The main offences are directing the activities of a criminal organisation (Section 71A), participating in or contributing to a criminal organisation (Section 72), and committing an offence for such an organisation (Section 73). An official report on the use of the 2009 act reveals: 152 arrests between June 1, 2024 and May 31, 2025, compared to 112 the previous year and 110 the year before that; 13 arrests for directing (Sec 71a), the same as the previous year — both the highest so far; 114 arrests for participating in/contributing to (Sec 72), compared to 92 the previous year and 90 the year before that; 25 arrests for committing an offence for a criminal organisation, compared to seven arrests the previous year and 18 the year before that. The report said a total of 49 charges were brought before the courts, compared to 30 charges the previous year, up 63%, and 22 the year before that. The 49 charges included 13 for directing a criminal organisation, an offence, on conviction, attracting a maximum of life in prison. Offences of participation or committing a crime for a criminal gang both attract a maximum of 15 years. Included in the 13 charges for directing a criminal organisation is that of Sean McGovern, who was extradited at the end of May from the United Arab Emirates after the signing of an extradition treaty between Ireland and the UAE. 13 convictions secured Some 13 convictions were secured in the last year, nine of them for Section 72 offences. These included Jason 'Jay' O'Connor, from Blanchardstown, west Dublin, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison for enhancing the ability of a criminal organisation — namely the Kinahan cartel — to carry out a murder. The report is compiled for the Minister of Justice as part of the yearly renewal of the powers in the Oireachtas. The surge in gangland arrests is in contrast with a continuing reduction in arrests against suspected terrorists. A separate report shows that 32 arrests were carried out between June 2024 and May 2025 under certain provisions of the Offences Against the State Act 1939 and 1998, which related to subversive activities and unlawful organisations, such as dissident republicans. The number of arrests compares to 39 the previous year and 53 the year before that. There were seven arrests for membership of an unlawful organisation (Section 2) in the last year, compared to 11 the previous year.
