Man admits tampering with competitor's rally car before race
A man has pleaded guilty causing criminal damage to a rally car belonging to a competitor at the Donegal International Rally.
John Crothers, a 64-year-old, admitted damaging the car of rally driver Richard Hall when he appeared at Letterkenny Circuit Court.
Mr Hall had been due to take part in the Historics section of the rally in June, 2022.
However, his car was interfered with before the race.
The accused, of Ballynashee Road, Glenwherry, Ballymena, County Antrim, spoke only to plead guilty to the offence.
Crothers is accused that he did, without lawful excuse, damage property, to wit, cut the fuel pump switch, the fan switch, three wires to the rev limiter and the safety switch of a motor car, a Ford Escort, belonging to Richard Hall, intending to damage such property or being reckless as to whether such property would be damaged.
Samuel John Crothers leaving Letterkenny Circuit Court. (North West Newspix)
Barrister for the accused, Mr Peter Nolan, BL, requested a Probation and Welfare Report on behalf of his client.
Mr Nolan said there is an "informal relationship" that the Probation Service in this jurisdiction can apply to their counterparts in Northern Ireland to have a report carried out.
Judge Roderick Maguire agreed to the request.
Mr Nolan said he would endeavour to request the Probation Service here to liaise with their counterparts in Northern Ireland to secure a report.
The case was adjourned for final sentencing to the next sitting of the Letterkenny Circuit Court in October.
The court was told that Mr Hall was in court.
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Irish Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Man who raped young Spanish tourist in Dublin on New Year's Eve sentenced
A man who raped a young Spanish tourist in a Dublin city centre street during New Year's Eve celebrations six years ago has been given a seven-year sentence with the final six months suspended. Christopher O'Grady (34), formerly of Muirhevnamor, Dundalk, Co Louth, was found guilty of one count of raping the then 19-year-old woman on January 1, 2019, following a trial last March. He was homeless at the time. In her victim impact statement which was read out by prosecution counsel, Tony McGillicuddy SC, at a previous hearing, the woman said: "I don't know why, but I want to meet him in a safe space and look him in the eyes and ask him what reason would anyone have to be so cruel to a young woman." "...I want to know if he believes his own lies. I want him to truly see me and be forced to see himself as monstrous as I saw him." The sentence hearing was adjourned for the prosecution to look into restorative justice for the complainant, with the court hearing that it is rarely utilised for victims in rape cases before the Central Criminal Court. However, the Probation Service advised the court that an updated probation report included a recommendation that restorative justice is "not feasible" at this time, due to O'Grady's position during an interview with a probation officer. 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 Tony McGillicuddy SC, prosecuting, told the court that the woman had been made aware of the report's contents and communicated to gardai that she was "relieved". He added that the woman was "satisfied that the court could take the next step forward." Ms Justice Caroline Biggs noted that the "door is closed" to restorative justice, and this would not be considered aggravating or mitigating by the court when constructing the sentence. She asked defence counsel Padraig Dwyer SC to clarify his client's position, noting the court was previously told O'Grady accepts the jury's verdict and is apologetic. After a brief consultation with his client, Mr Dwyer said O'Grady does accept the verdict that there was "some wrongdoing on his behalf" in his interactions with the woman and is open to working with the Probation Service. He asked the court to consider suspending part of any sentence imposed to encourage rehabilitation. Sentencing O'Grady today, Ms Justice Biggs said the aggravating factors were the harm suffered by the victim, "the opportunistic and predatory nature of this event", the fact the victim was clearly intoxicated, was not able to walk and "entirely lost". The judge said the jury found in light of that intoxication, she was incapable of giving consent. She noted the victim now has PTSD, depression, hypervigilance and experiences feelings of distrust, fear and isolation. "These issues have affected every aspect of her life," said the judge. Ms Justice Biggs said she considered the probation report and that O'Grady comes from a very difficult background. The judge said it was accepted that O'Grady has had a chaotic upbringing. The judge noted he apologised to the victim for the hurt and pain he has caused her and a most recent probation report queries whether he fully comprehends what he has done but that he is at an early stage of understanding. In her victim impact statement which was previously read out in court, the woman outlined the effects the rape have had on her, saying O'Grady turned her life upside down. "He didn't see the person behind the body," she said. The victim described in her victim impact statement how she can no longer socialise or dance like she used to, is fearful of walking alone at night and is hypervigilant of other young women out at night. The trial heard the woman had been in town to watch the New Year's Eve fireworks that night when she got separated from her friend and came into contact with O'Grady outside a shop. She told the court she was trying to find a bar to meet her friend and O'Grady walked her through town to a car park area where the alleged rape occurred. The woman said she felt "like a doll" and didn't have any strength in her body during the alleged incident. Afterwards, the court has heard she walked with O'Grady back through the city centre for about 40 minutes, where she got talking to a couple – a man and woman - outside a shop and parted ways with O'Grady. The woman ended up in a B&B with the second man after the woman went home, where they had anal sex before the woman went home to her accommodation. She told the court it was painful and she persuaded the man to stop. The trial was played CCTV footage of this encounter, which occurred in the hallway of the B&B. Ms Justice Biggs warned the jury that they may find this footage "intrusive" and "distressing", but she said she had made the decision that it needed to be shown in court as O'Grady had a constitutional right to put the evidence before them. When the complainant woke up the next morning, she told the court she "realised I had two rapes and there might be a medical issue with that". She went to hospital. The court heard no charge was brought against the second man, who gave evidence in the trial. Sergeant Eoghan Kirwan told the court that O'Grady has 65 previous convictions, including public order offences, criminal damage, drugs and theft. He took a bench warrant while on bail for this offence and has been in custody since August 2024. Defence counsel said O'Grady was living a "shambolic" lifestyle at the time of the offence, that he was homeless, begging on the streets and doing drugs. Mr Dwyer submitted at the earlier hearing that his client was guilty of rape on the basis that he was reckless as to whether the young woman was consenting or not. He said O'Grady now accepts his guilt and wished to apologise to the victim for the hurt and pain he caused her. After some consultation with both O'Grady and the complainant, the court was told that they are both willing to engage in restorative justice. Mr McGillicuddy said he had some knowledge of restorative justice but was "not aware of it being used for an offence of this nature". "I'm not sure how developed that system is or which agency would be appropriate to do it," he said. In sentencing, the judge said she watched the CCTV footage and a fall she sustained "was not a stumbling, it was a fall on her back." "The look on her face was important"… "she looked blank, confused and completely lost," said the judge. Ms Justice Biggs said she wanted to commend the victim and said she hoped she could find a way to have good and happy life. Sign up to the Irish Mirror's Courts and Crime newsletter here and get breaking crime updates and news from the courts direct to your inbox.
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- RTÉ News
Man jailed over rape of Spanish tourist in Dublin
A man who raped a Spanish tourist in a Dublin city centre street during New Year's Eve celebrations six years ago has been given a seven year sentence with the final six months suspended. Christopher O'Grady, 34, formerly of Muirhevnamor, Dundalk, Co Louth, was found guilty of one count of raping the then 19-year-old woman on 1 January 2019, following a trial last March. He was homeless at the time. In her victim impact statement, which was read out by prosecution counsel, Tony McGillicuddy SC, at a previous hearing, the woman said: "I don't know why, but I want to meet him in a safe space and look him in the eyes and ask him what reason would anyone have to be so cruel to a young woman. "...I want to know if he believes his own lies. I want him to truly see me and be forced to see himself as monstrous as I saw him." The sentence hearing was adjourned for the prosecution to look into restorative justice for the complainant, with the court hearing that it is rarely utilised for victims in rape cases before the Central Criminal Court. However, the Probation Service advised the court that an updated probation report included a recommendation that restorative justice is "not feasible" at this time, due to O'Grady's position during an interview with a probation officer. Tony McGillicuddy SC, prosecuting, told the court that the woman had been made aware of the report's contents and communicated to gardaí that she was "relieved". He added that the woman was "satisfied that the court could take the next step forward". Ms Justice Caroline Biggs noted that the "door is closed" to restorative justice, and this would not be considered aggravating or mitigating by the court when constructing the sentence. She asked defence counsel Padraig Dwyer SC to clarify his client's position, noting the court was previously told O'Grady accepts the jury's verdict and is apologetic. After a brief consultation with his client, Mr Dwyer said O'Grady does accept the verdict that there was "some wrongdoing on his behalf" in his interactions with the woman and is open to working with the Probation Service. He asked the court to consider suspending part of any sentence imposed to encourage rehabilitation. Sentencing O'Grady today, Ms Justice Biggs said the aggravating factors were the harm suffered by the victim, "the opportunistic and predatory nature of this event", the fact the victim was clearly intoxicated, was not able to walk and "entirely lost". The judge said the jury found in light of that intoxication, she was incapable of giving consent. She noted the victim now has PTSD, depression, hypervigilance and experiences feelings of distrust, fear and isolation. "These issues have affected every aspect of her life," said the judge. Ms Justice Biggs said she considered the probation report and that O'Grady comes from a very difficult background. The judge said it was accepted that O'Grady has had a chaotic upbringing. The judge noted he apologised to the victim for the hurt and pain he has caused her and a most recent probation report queries whether he fully comprehends what he has done but that he is at an early stage of understanding. In her victim impact statement which was previously read out in court, the woman outlined the effects the rape have had on her, saying O'Grady turned her life upside down. "He didn't see the person behind the body," she said. The victim described in her victim impact statement how she can no longer socialise or dance like she used to, is fearful of walking alone at night and is hypervigilant of other young women out at night. The trial heard the woman had been in town to watch the New Year's Eve fireworks that night when she got separated from her friend and came into contact with O'Grady outside a shop. She told the court she was trying to find a bar to meet her friend and O'Grady walked her through town to a car park area where the alleged rape occurred. The woman said she felt "like a doll" and did not have any strength in her body during the alleged incident. Afterwards, the court heard she walked with O'Grady back through the city centre for about 40 minutes, where she got talking to a couple - a man and woman - outside a shop and parted ways with O'Grady. The woman ended up in a B&B with the second man after the woman went home, where they had anal sex before the woman went home to her accommodation. She told the court it was painful and she persuaded the man to stop. The trial was played CCTV footage of this encounter, which occurred in the hallway of the B&B. Ms Justice Biggs warned the jury that they may find this footage "intrusive" and "distressing", but she said she had made the decision that it needed to be shown in court as O'Grady had a constitutional right to put the evidence before them. When the complainant woke up the next morning, she told the court she "realised I had two rapes and there might be a medical issue with that". She went to hospital. The court heard no charge was brought against the second man, who gave evidence in the trial. Sergeant Eoghan Kirwan told the court that O'Grady has 65 previous convictions, including public order offences, criminal damage, drugs and theft. He took a bench warrant while on bail for this offence and has been in custody since August 2024. Defence counsel said O'Grady was living a "shambolic" lifestyle at the time of the offence, that he was homeless, begging on the streets and doing drugs. Mr Dwyer submitted at the earlier hearing that his client was guilty of rape on the basis that he was reckless as to whether the young woman was consenting or not. He said O'Grady now accepts his guilt and wished to apologise to the victim for the hurt and pain he caused her. After some consultation with both O'Grady and the complainant, the court was told that they are both willing to engage in restorative justice. Mr McGillicuddy said he had some knowledge of restorative justice but was "not aware of it being used for an offence of this nature". "I'm not sure how developed that system is or which agency would be appropriate to do it," he said. In sentencing, the judge said she watched the CCTV footage and a fall she sustained "was not a stumbling it was a fall on her back." "The look on her face was important … she looked blank, confused and completely lost," said the judge. Ms Justice Biggs said she wanted to commend the victim and said she hoped she could find a way to have good and happy life.
Sunday World
3 days ago
- Sunday World
Donegal man (63) sexually assaulted five boys and showed them pornography
Martin Joseph Cullen was accused of touching the boys' genitals and buttocks while he was also charged with showing some of the boys pornography on a phone. A Co Donegal man has been found guilty of sexually assaulting five young boys over a 14-year period. Martin Joseph, known as 'Joe', Cullen, 63, was found guilty of seven counts of sexual assault on various dates between 1993 and 2007 at locations in County Donegal. Cullen, from Colehill, Newtowncunningham, had denied assaulting the boys during a trial that lasted five days at Letterkenny Circuit Court. A jury of six men and six women took under two hours of deliberation to find the former delivery driver guilty on all seven counts against him. Cullen remained emotionless in the dock while his victims and their families cried and hugged each other at the back of courtroom number 1 at Letterkenny courthouse as each verdict was read out. All of the seven charges were contrary to section 2 of the Criminal Law (Rape) (Amendment) Act, 1990 as amended by section 37 of the Sexual Offenders Act, 2001. Cullen had pleaded not guilty when he was arraigned. Michael Joseph Cullen. Photo: North West Newspix News in 90 Seconds - Thursday, July 31 Cullen was accused of touching the boys' genitals and buttocks while he was also charged with showing some of the boys pornography on a phone and causing them to believe that he was likely to be subjected to such an impact. Some of the incidents occurred while he was engaged in various activities with the boys One of the complainants alleged that he was 'about seven or eight years' old when Cullen was teaching him to play a game. The defendant was alleged to have reached down the boy's trousers before touching his genitals. The victim said he remembered Cullen telling him that he would buy him something new and this comment 'was something that stuck with me for years'. After the incident, Cullen was said to have 'just fixed himself up and left' after hearing a door closing nearby. Another of the victims told how Cullen would shake hands tightly with them until they would say "I am your friend." Some of the complaints said they were between eight years old and 13 years old when Cullen showed them pornography on an old Nokia phone. He would then ask them if they were 'hard' before reaching for their private areas. The witnesses told how it was only in later years that each discovered they had been sexually assaulted at various times by Cullen. The trial also heard from retired Garda John Harkin, who outlined his attendance at the address of the accused and photographs collated from the site, as well as some family members of complainants. Michael Joseph Cullen at an earlier sitting of Letterkenny Circuit Court. Photo: North West Newspix The mother of one of the victims told the court that when the incidents were disclosed, she did not tell her husband as he would have "gone mad." She said she also kept the incidents to herself as she did not think other people would believe them. One mother said that her son informed her that Cullen had touched his penis over his trousers after showing him pornography on his phone as well as "researching for him." The woman said she also did not tell anyone what her son had told her as she felt he were now old enough and that Cullen would not prey on him again. Barrister for Cullen, Mr James McGowan, SC, with Peter Nolan, BL and instructed by solicitor, Mr Donough Cleary, asked the woman why she did not tell anyone that her son had been assaulted by Cullen. She replied that she didn't tell anyone because she also felt sorry for Cullen's family. She added that she simply didn't know what to do but that perhaps she should have gone to the authorities. She said: "I was hoping somebody else would tell but that it wouldn't have to be me." A sibling of a victim told how Cullen would always have been "touchy, feely" but that she didn't realise at the time that it was wrong and always thought he was just a "big child'. She said that she was not personally making a complaint against the accused as she did not remember anything specific happening to her. Another complainant recalled he was between 11 years and 13 years old when he awoke to find Cullen in a bedroom he was staying in. The accused, who was holding his own child in his arms at the time, had his hand on his penis and as the boy awoke fully, Cullen took his hands away. On another occasion, the boy was sleeping on a sofa but had wrapped himself tightly in a duvet to prevent being touched again by Cullen. However, Cullen managed to get his hand inside the duvet to touch his privates. The man later told his mother and in 2017 made an official complaint to Gardai. Cullen was first arrested at his home in December 2017 for an offence under the Criminal Law Rape Amendment Act for sexual assault and questioned a number of times about the allegations. The investigation was conducted by Detective Garda Bobby Carey and his colleague Detective Garda Eoin Waters. During all interviews, Cullen denied that anything had happened with any of the complainants. At one stage, Cullen said the accusations were false and he told the detectives: "I refuse to answer questions that I know nothing about." Both counsel for the state, Ms Fiona Crawford, BL, and counsel for Cullen, Mr McGowan, addressed the jury of six men and six women. Ms Crawford told the jury that this was a case of five young men outlining to strangers what had happened to them many years ago at a time when they never thought they would be big enough or brave enough to make such a complaint. Michael Joseph Cullen at an earlier sitting of Letterkenny Circuit Court. Photo: North West Newspix Mr McGowan asked the jury to decide how reliable were the accounts of any of the witnesses in the case now up to 25 years later pointing to changes in their stories. Judge Roderick Maguire read his charge to the jury in the case and directed them to go away and deliberate. Exactly one hour and 38 minutes later, the jury returned and said they had reached a verdict. They found the accused guilty on all seven counts. Judge Maguire remanded Cullen in custody for sentencing until the next sitting of Letterkenny Circuit Court in October. He extended the legal aid certificate to allow for both a psychological and psychiatric report to be carried out on the accused. Cullen was led away to holding cells by prison officers while his victims and their families emotionally hugged each other and cried at the back of the courtroom.
