Man (31) pleads not guilty to unlawful killing, trespass, causing serious harm and false imprisonment of pensioner
Mr Niland (74) died on September 30th, 2023, more than 20 months after he suffered serious injuries following an alleged home invasion on January 18th, 2022.
Advertisement
John Irving of Shanwar, Foxford, Co Mayo, on Wednesday pleaded not guilty to unlawfully killing Mr Niland at Doonflynn, Skreen, Co Sligo.
It is further alleged that on January 18th, 2022, at Doonflynn, Mr Irving entered Mr Niland's home as a trespasser and caused him serious harm. He is further alleged to have intentionally or recklessly caused serious harm to Mr Niland and to have falsely imprisoned him.
Mr Irving pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Ms Justice Eileen Creedon swore a jury of eight women and four men to hear the trial, which the judge said is likely to last about two weeks.
The trial begins on Thursday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BreakingNews.ie
an hour ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Anti-immigration activist (57) charged with affray outside church during election campaign
A prominent anti-immigration campaigner has appeared in court over an alleged public order offence involving political rivals outside a church in Bray, Co Wicklow, during last year's general election campaign. Philip Dwyer (57) of Tallaght Cross West, Tallaght, Dublin 24, appeared before a sitting of Bray District Court on Wednesday in relation to an incident outside the Holy Redeemer Church on Main Street, Bray, Co Wicklow, on November 24th, 2024. Advertisement The self-styled citizen journalist and former postman is charged with committing an affray with another individual, David McConnell. Mr McConnell (66) is the father of People Before Profit's candidate in the constituency of Wicklow in last November's general election, Kellie McConnell. Mr Dwyer, a former member of the right-wing National Party, stood as an independent candidate in Wicklow in the same election. Both men were canvassing voters on Main Street in Bray at the time of the alleged offence. Advertisement The charge in Mr Dwyer's case states that both men are accused of using or threatening to use unlawful violence towards each other outside the Holy Redeemer Church, contrary to Section 16 of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994. It also states that the alleged conduct was such 'as would cause a person of reasonable firmness present at said place to fear for his or another person's safety.' The court heard that Mr Dwyer had replied 'no comment' after arrest, charge and caution. Counsel for the accused, Ciara O'Brien BL, was granted an application for free legal aid for Mr Dwyer. Advertisement Judge John O'Leary also granted another application by the barrister for a disclosure order. Mr Dwyer, who was accompanied to court by another high-profile, anti-immigration activist, Fergus Power, did not speak during the brief hearing. Judge O'Leary remanded him on bail to appear before the same court on October 20th. In recent years, Mr Dwyer has become a regular attendant at anti-immigration protests including demonstrations outside building housing international protection applicants as well as properties rumoured as potential locations for housing asylum seekers. Advertisement He was 14th out of 18 candidates with 435 first preference votes in November's election – one position behind Ms McConnell who was in 13th place with 1,259 votes. Ireland How anti-immigrant activists tried to 'weaponise'... Read More Mr Dwyer has also contested several other elections unsuccessfully including last year's local and European elections when he was a candidate for the far-right party Ireland First. It is understood gardaí investigated the incident outside the church in Bray after it was reported by Mr McConnell. A video which captured part of the encounter between the two accused parties was also shared on X (formerly Twitter) by Mr Dwyer. In the short piece of footage, Mr Dwyer incorrectly identified the rival campaigners as members of the Social Democrats and engaged in an exchange about abortion and transgender issues.
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Armagh: Man appears in court after petrol bomb attack on pub
A man has appeared in court charged with two counts of attempted murder following a petrol bomb attack on a pub in Patrick Nixon, 38, from Irish Street in the town, has also been charged with arson with intent to endanger life, possession of a blade or point, and three counts of criminal appeared before Newry Magistrates' Court where he spoke to confirm his name, date of birth and that he understood the charges against application for bail was made and Mr Nixon was remanded into police custody. He was charged after a petrol bomb was thrown into The Toby Jug pub on Monday night.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Devastated family of glamorous bikini designer found dead on New York yacht gather for her funeral as cops continue to probe mysterious death
An Irish fashion designer who was found dead on a boat in New York lived 'a short life, but a packed life', her funeral was told. Martha Nolan-O'Slatarra, 33, who was originally from Carlow but lived in Manhattan, was discovered unconscious on a vessel at Montauk Yacht Club in the early hours of August 5. She was pronounced dead at the scene and the cause of her death is yet to be confirmed. Mourners gathered 'from so many parts to be here to support Martha's family', the priest told the congregation. Among the symbols brought forward to represent Martha's life was her passport, her brand East x East, a makeup bag and brushes, the Irish and U.S. flags, and a tin whistle to symbolise her love of musical instruments. Also brought to the altar was St Martha's prayer, which her mother Elma recites every Tuesday. The night before she died, the self-made entrepreneur is understood to have headed to the luxury Montauk Yacht Club to speak with 60-year-old insurance mogul, Christopher Durnan. But the evening ended in horror when the American business man dashed down the dock naked around midnight screaming for help and indicating that Martha had passed out. Bystanders dialed 911 and clambered on board the boat named Ripple to try and perform CPR on the bikini designer, but she was declared dead at the scene by first responders. U.S. detectives have said an initial post-mortem examination 'did not show evidence of violence and her final cause of death is pending further investigation'. The grief-stricken family of the fashion founder travelled from Ireland to the U.S. to demand a second-opinion autopsy into her cause of death. They engaged a top lawyer in the U.S. - whose client list includes Harvey Weinstein and former Trump White House chief strategist Steve Bannon - to discover what happened to Martha. The final post-mortem report, which will include toxicological, histological and other testing, which will take at least three months to conclude. The family's lawyer, criminal defence attorney Arthur Aidala, said they had met with Suffolk County homicide detectives who were conducting a thorough investigation, and that people are still being questioned. 'There is still a very intense investigation focused on why a young woman is dead,' he said, reported the Irish Independent. 'The autopsy report did show that there was no signs of a struggle, no defensive wounds on her hands, no obvious signs of trauma. 'The medical examiner is really focusing now on her blood and the other fluids that are being sent to toxicology to see what's going on. 'There were rumours that she possibly had some form of brain cancer and that is being investigated as well.' During a telephone call in the days following Martha's death, it is understood that her mother was asked by detectives about claims that her daughter had brain cancer. The fashionista's mother, who kept close contact with her daughter on an almost daily basis, was astounded by the claims and told detectives her daughter was 'perfectly healthy', the Irish Independent reported. 'She told them there was nothing of the sort [affecting her],' a source said. It is not known who disclosed the information to the detectives. Martha had spoken to her boyfriend - who was out of town when the tragedy unfolded - just hours before she died, assuring him she was going to book an Uber and would be home at around 1 am. It is understood that the designer and 34-year-old sales exec Nicholas DiRubio had been staying in the Montauk area for the summer. Daily Mail can reveal Nolan-O'Slattara had met insurance mogul Christopher Durnan aboard his boat for a late night business meeting when she suddenly passed out Nolan-O'Slatarra was previously revealed to have been in the middle of uncontested divorce proceedings from her husband but she had been dating boyfriend 34-year-old sales exec Nicholas DiRubio The fashion entrepreneur lived an enviable life in Manhattan's Upper East Side, posting TikToks of herself sipping champagne, taking private jets and trips on helicopters with her boyfriend, who the Irish Independent said she planned to marry. She had finalised her uncontested divorce from ex-husband Sam Ryan in April, according to court documents filed in New York Supreme Court. Ambitious from a young age, she studied commerce at University College Dublin before completing a master's in digital marketing from the Smurfit Graduate School of Business. 'Carlow is a small town, I was the small-town girl who needed to get out to achieve her big dreams,' Martha said in an interview with the Irish Independent last year. 'I always knew I wanted to be successful, that I was money-driven, business-driven – and that fashion is a tough industry and it would be a slow road.' She worked in Ireland until 2015 before moving to the U.S., where she founded several companies, including fashion accessories brand Duper and luxury swimwear label East x East.
