Cork man fined €300 for failing to have muzzle on pitbull terrier after walker reported him to gardaí
Sergeant Gearóíd Davis said on Thursday that at lunchtime on June 17, 2023, a member of the public contacted gardaí about such a breed of dog not being muzzled at Cooney's Lane in Douglas, Cork.
Judge Mary Dorgan asked if the dog was on its own. Sgt Davis indicated the owner was present.
Sgt Davis said, 'What happened was he [the person who contacted gardaí] asked if he could pet the dog. There was no muzzle on the dog. The owner had taken the muzzle off the dog previous to this interaction.'
Nothing further was indicated in court about this incident almost two years ago.
Diarmuid Kelleher, solicitor, said 22-year-old Robbie Deane of Ardfield Grove, Douglas, Cork, owned the dog. He said the owner had no previous convictions of any kind.
'Why did he take the muzzle off the dog?' Judge Dorgan asked.
Mr Kelleher said: 'It was a judgement error.'
Judge Dorgan said the offence carried a possible sentence of three months in prison and /or a fine of €500.
'Obviously, I don't intend in any circumstances to impose that sentence but I just want to highlight how serious it is. I take the plea of guilty into account and the absence of any previous convictions. I am going to impose a €300 fine. It is an expensive lesson,' the judge said.
Mr Kelleher represented the owner on free legal aid.
The charge to which Robbie Deane pleaded guilty stated that being the owner of an American pitbull on June 17, 2023, at Cooney's Lane, Douglas, he did permit a dog, an American pitbull, to be in the public place when such dog was not securely muzzled as required under the Control of Dogs regulations.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
10 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Russia launches missile attack on Ukraine as Zelensky seeks security guarantees
Russia launched one of its biggest aerial attacks this year at Ukraine, firing 574 drones and 40 missiles overnight, the Ukrainian air force said on Thursday. The attack mostly targeted western regions of the country, it said. The strikes killed at least one person and injured 15 others, according to officials. Ukraine's foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, said Russia struck a 'major American electronics manufacturer' in western Ukraine. He provided no further details. Western parts of Ukraine are far from the battlefield's front line in the east and south of the country. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the overnight attack which left one person dead (Jacquelyn Martin/AP) Much of the military aid provided by Ukraine's Western allies is believed to be transported and stored there. It was Russia's third largest aerial attack this year in terms of the number of drones fired and the eighth-largest in terms of missiles, according to official figures. The strikes occurred during a renewed US-led effort to reach a peace settlement in the three-year war following Russia's invasion of its neighbour. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack, saying it was carried out 'as if nothing were changing at all'. Ukrainian soldiers practise their skills on a training ground near Kharkiv (Anatolii Lysianskyi/Ukraine's 127th Separate Brigade via AP) Moscow has shown no signs of pursuing meaningful negotiations to end the war and urged the international community to respond with stronger pressure, including tougher sanctions and tariffs, he said. Russia 'wasted several cruise missiles against an American business', he said, noting it was a regular civilian enterprise producing domestic utilities, such as coffee machines. 'And that too became a target for Russia. Very telling.' Earlier, Mr Zelensky said Ukraine will hold intensive meetings to understand what kind of security guarantees its allies are willing to provide after receiving signals that the United States would back reinvigorated discussions seeking an end to war. The details are being hammered out among national security advisers and military officials and Mr Zelensky thinks they will take clearer shape within 10 days. He then expects to be ready to hold direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time since the full-scale invasion. The talks could also be conducted in a trilateral format alongside US President Donald Trump, Mr Zelensky said. 'We want to have an understanding of the security guarantees architecture within seven to 10 days. And based on that understanding, we aim to hold a trilateral meeting. That was my logic,' Mr Zelensky said, speaking to reporters on Wednesday after his trip to Washington along with Europe's top leaders. Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said working on security arrangements in Ukraine without Moscow's involvement would not work, according to state news agency RIA Novosti. 'We cannot agree with the fact that it is now proposed to resolve collective security issues without the Russian Federation. This will not work. We have already explained more than once that Russia does not overstate its interests, but we will ensure our legitimate interests firmly and harshly,' Mr Lavrov said at a news conference on Wednesday.
Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Irish Examiner
File to be sent to DPP in case of man accused of role in arson attack on Cork couple's home
A file is to be submitted to the DPP by the end of the month in relation to a man who was allegedly part of a group of three people who set fire to a house in which a couple in their 80s were watching television. Paul McCarthy of Dowth Avenue, Cabra in Dublin appeared before Cork District Court on Wednesday having been charged in connection with an arson attack at Fernbrook, Ballincrokig, Co Cork, on April 24, 2025. The court previously heard that €550,000 in damage was caused to the property of the married couple who were in their home when the property became engulfed in flames. The complete destruction of the house was recorded by one of the men involved in the incident. Gardaí indicated that the couple were not believed to be the intended target of the attack. Mr McCarthy was represented in Cork District Court on Wednesday by defence barrister Nicholas Hall, BL. Mr Hall told Judge Brendan O'Reilly that his client had entered custody over 100 days ago. He previously requested that the matter be expedited. Sgt Gearoid Davis said that he expected the file on the case to be sent to the DPP shortly. 'The file has been submitted at local level. I would expect it to be gone in that time (by the next court appearance).' Mr McCarthy was further remanded in custody. A file is due to be sent to the DPP by August 29 when he is next before the court. Meanwhile, Garda Brian Murphy previously objected to bail when the matter first came before Cork District Court. He said that it was alleged that at 9pm on April 24, 2025, a car arrived at the house in Ballincrokig and three people exited. "Two enter the curtilage of the property and ignited two glass petrol bombs with a blowtorch. They smashed a bedroom window and threw in these petrol bombs. 'The third person – believed to be Paul McCarthy – stands close to the vehicle and allegedly films the incident on his mobile phone. The Skoda Octavia enters the Plaza filling station in Portlaoise just before midnight and Paul McCarthy is identified, filling the car with €30 diesel and leaving without paying.' Garda Murphy said that a man aged 87 and his 86-year-old wife were watching television in the house at the time. He said the house was quickly engulfed in flames but they were unharmed. Garda Murphy said that if it had been a short time later the couple would have been in bed and 'possibly killed'. 'Paul McCarthy had complete disregard for the elderly occupants of the property which was completely destroyed. From the initial investigations, gardaí are not of the belief that these persons were the intended victims.' He added that it was alleged that Mr McCarthy drove from Dublin with the two other individuals.
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- The Irish Sun
Who is Amanda Knox and was she found guilty in Meredith Kercher murder slander case?
Amanda Knox was called back to the same court that wrongly convicted her of murder in 2007 FOXY KNOXY Who is Amanda Knox and was she found guilty in Meredith Kercher murder slander case? AMANDA Knox is part of a new documentary about her wrongful conviction releasing on Disney+. Read more about the latest updates in the slander case against her, and what she's been up to since her murder conviction was overturned. 4 Amanda Knox returns to an Italian courtroom for the first time in more than 12½ years to clear herself "once and for all" of a slander charge Who is Amanda Knox? Amanda Knox is an American author and journalist, best known for being wrongly convicted of the murder of British student Meredith Kercher in 2007. Advertisement Knox was attending the University for Foreigners in Perugia on an exchange year from the University of Washington. While there, she started dating Raffaele Sollecito, a 23-year-old Italian student, and worked in a bar. But on November 2, 2007, Amanda's life changed forever. Knox arrived at her home, later telling police that she noticed that the front door was open and there was dried blood in the bathroom. Advertisement After calling the police, the body of roommate Meredith was found inside her locked bedroom. Knox and then-boyfriend Sollecito were convicted of stabbing 21-year-old Kercher to death at a flat in Perugia, Italy, in 2007. In 2009, the pair were jailed, with Know receiving a 26 year sentence, and Sollecito receiving 25 years. Knox and Sollecito were acquitted of murder on March 27, 2015, by the Italian supreme court. Advertisement Judges said that there were a litany of errors regarding the case, including a stark lack of evidence to suggest that either Knox or Sollecito were involved. After her experience, she said that people had flocked to apologise to her - even stopping her in the street to say sorry for jumping to conclusions about her. Knox recently spoke to a panel of lawyers and discussed the effect the case had on her family and how the case came to define her; and featured in a Netflix documentary about her experiences. She married poet and author Christopher Robinson in 2018. In 2021, Knox and Robinson welcomed their first child together. Advertisement The baby was named Eureka Know Robinson. She took to Instagram to share her news. Since my exoneration, I've struggled to reclaim my identity and protect the people I love from being exploited as tabloid content. It's not easy, and I often feel like I'm trying to invent good choices out of bad whole cloth. I know that I cannot 100% protect my daughter from the kind of treatment I've suffered, but I'm doing the best I can. Which is why this will be the only picture of her I will ever share on social media. I'm so grateful to everyone who has wished @emceecarbon and I well on our journey to parenthood. Thank you for believing in us." Amanda Knox Knox believes that she has had to carry the burden for the murder of Kercher, saying that her real killer, Rudy Guede, is almost forgotten due to the high media presence surrounding the case. In 2024, Knox was back in court in Italy. She was re-convicted of a charge related to the brutal 2007 killing of Meredith Kercher. Advertisement On June 5th, I will walk into the very same courtroom where I was reconvicted of a crime I didn't commit, this time to defend myself yet again. I hope to clear my name once and for all of the false charges against me. Wish me luck." Amanda Knox Knox was found guilty of slander for falsely accusing Patrick Lumumba, a Congolese bar owner, of killing Kercher. Lumumba was held for two weeks in 2007 before he was freed without charge. But despite being sentenced to three years in jail, the mum-of-two will not serve any more jail time, as the three years count as time already served. Who was Meredith Kercher? Meredith Kercher was born in Southwark, South London on 28 December, 1985. She lived in Coulsdon, a town within the London borough of Croydon. Advertisement 4 British exchange student Meredith Kercher was murdered in Perugia The 21-year-old was last seen on November 1 of that year, with her body found in a pool of blood in her bedroom the next day. An autopsy conducted on her body found that her throat had been cut and she had been stabbed almost 50 times. It also found that she had 16 bruises, including on her nose and mouth, as well as suffering injuries related to sexual assault. In 2007, fingerprints were identified at the scene as belonging to Rudy Guede, who was ultimately charged and sentenced for the brutal murder. Advertisement He was granted early release in November 2021. The case attracted global media interest, with Knox at the centre. Did Amanda Knox get any compensation? Knox was awarded a £16,000 payout after winning a European Human Rights Court case against the Italian government on January 24, 2019. At the Court, she said Italian police had infringed her rights by failing to provide her with a lawyer, an interpreter, and not following proper procedure. She also insisted she had been slapped by cops during questioning but judges ruled there was no proof of that. Advertisement They wrote: "There was insufficient evidence to conclude that Ms Knox had actually sustained the inhuman or degrading treatment of which she had complained." Within minutes of the decision, Knox, who now lives in Seattle, issued a statement again insisting she was hit. She said: "I was interrogated for 53 hours over five days, without a lawyer, in a language I understood maybe as well as a ten-year-old. "When I told police I had no idea who had killed Meredith I was slapped in the back of the head and told to 'Remember.'" Sources in Italy said Knox had been looking for £1.7m compensation but the ECHR gave her £9,000 damages and £6,900 towards costs. Advertisement There was no immediate response from the Italian government, which has three months to reply. What happened to Raffaele Sollecito? Raffaele Sollecito was cleared of the 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher after spending nearly four years in jail. The Italian man has since said that the convictions ruined his life, demanding £400,000 to cover legal costs that he incurred while trying to clear his name. 4 Italian student Raffaele Sollecito, murdered British woman Meredith Kercher and her American roommate Amanda Knox This bid was rejected in 2017, on the grounds that Sollecito made "contradictory or even frankly untrue" statements in the early stages of the investigation, which equated to "intent or gross negligence." Advertisement He said: "There were many victims in this case. Amanda [Knox] 's parents, my parents, all our families... there are many others made by the prosecution's mistakes." He then added that people did not understand why he had been acquitted, saying: "I have to face this kind of society. I have to face anybody that doesn't support me." Sollecito now works as a computer engineer in Milan. He reunited with Knox in 2022 to visit the historic Italian town of Gubbio, a town they were planning to visit before being arrested for Kercher's murder. What happened to Rudy Guede? Rudy Guede was born December 26, 1986, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Advertisement He was convicted of the murder and sexual assault of Meredith Kercher in October 2008, and sentenced to 30 years behind bars. However, this was reduced to 16 years. 4 Rudy Guede arrives at the Perugia courthouse for the sitting of his appeal against the sentence he received in the Meredith Kercher murder trial in 2009 Guede was released from prison on November 24, 2021 after having served 13 years of his sentence. He was allowed out 45 days early for good behaviour. Advertisement What's in the Disney+ documentary? A new documentary illustrating the story of Amanda Knox has been released by Disney Plus, with the first two episodes premiering on August 20. The TV show will be eight episodes long, with new instalments arriving every Wednesday until concluding on October 1. "The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox" depicts Amanda's 15-year fight to clear her name, focusing on the investigation, courtroom twists, and shocking narratives- inspired by Amanda Knox's real life story. Amanda Knox executively produced the limited series herself, giving a real understanding to her own characters emotional struggle and mental state throughout the series. How to watch the Amanda Knox documentary The Amanda Knox documentary is available to watch on streaming platform Disney+ for UK and Hulu for US subscribers. Advertisement Grace Van Patten stars as Amanda Knox in the programme, which is billed as a fascinating blend of media bias and of courage, hope, and forgiveness. UK viewers can sign up to watch Disney+ on smart devices or through the TV. Packages start from £4.99 a month.
