Latest news with #CorkCircuitCriminal
Sunday World
06-07-2025
- Sunday World
Man jailed for ramming Garda cars in ‘Grand Theft Auto' crime
In his Garda interview Istvan Konyari compared his antics to the video game Grand Theft Auto. A man who deliberately rammed two garda cars while driving a stolen seven tonne rigid truck and also caused €25,000 in damage to parked cars in a scene which he compared to the video game Grand Theft Auto has been jailed for three years. Cork Circuit Criminal previously heard that Istvan Konyari was without previous convictions until November 2023 when he took part in a three day 'crime spree.' His offending behaviour only ended when a member of the Armed Support Unit (ASU) fired a single shot through the windscreen of the stolen rigid truck. Det Garda Peter Quinn said that Mr Konyari put lives at risk as he rammed garda cars in the confined car park of Dwyer's Electrical in Forge Hill in Cork city on the morning of November 8th, 2023. Mr Konyari, previously of Shandon Street in Cork, put his hands over his head and got out of the truck when the ASU member fired the shot at the windscreen. In his garda interview he compared his antics to the video game Grand Theft Auto. Mr Konyari felt that it was a case of 'maximum stars' when a member of the ASU fired the single shot through his windscreen to bring his escapades to a halt. In addition to pleading guilty to the ramming offences Mr Konyari also admitted carrying out three burglaries, stealing the truck and previously stealing a van which he used to store the items he had robbed. Istvan Konyari. Photo: Facebook Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 6th Stolen items included an antique clock, coal, gas cylinders and toilet rolls. During the course of one burglary in Cork an apartment owner went in to their kitchen where they found Mr Konyari making coffee and eating crackers. He also stopped off at a garage forecourt and stole items from a washing machine. These included a nurse's uniform and children's clothing. When the owners of the uniform approached him and threatened to report him he returned the items to her. Defence barrister Alison McCarthy, BL, told Judge Helen Boyle that her client entered custody in 2023 following the incident. He had led a completely blameless life and worked continuously until 2021 when a large kettlebell fell on his head. Mr Konyari was also seriously injured in an assault in the same year. The court heard that the Hungarian national suffered mood and personality changes following the two incidents. However, he opted not to get help for his injury and instead self medicated with illegal drugs. Judge Boyle said that she was cognisant of the fact that there was 'reduced culpability' in the case arising out of the head injury. She said that she was aware that Mr Konyari was likely suffering from post concussion syndrome at the time of the offence. He was also under the influence of cocaine and cannabis. Mr Konyari wrote a letter of apology to gardai and persons impacted by his offending behaviour. He admitted that he regretted not seeking help for his head injury. Judge Boyle stated that an aggravating factor in the case was the 'havoc caused' via multiple thefts including the robbery of two vehicles. 'This is all culminated in a serious incident requiring the Armed Support Unit. You (Konyari) did a lot of damage to cars.' Factoring in the signed plea in the case, the full co operation and remorse of the accused Judge Boyle jailed him for three and a half years suspending the final six months of the sentence. She also disqualified Mr Konyari from driving for a period of four years. Mr Konyari plans to return to his native country following his release from prison as he no longer has family in Ireland. The prison sentence was backdated to when he first entered custody in 2023.
Irish Examiner
14-05-2025
- Irish Examiner
'She chose drugs, strange men, and violence over me': Cork mother avoids jail over child cruelty
A woman put her hands to her face and wept as she was spared a jail sentence in what the judge described as an extremely serious child cruelty case where she betrayed her two daughters. Judge Dermot Sheehan imposed a total sentence of two and a half years suspended at Cork Circuit Criminal Court. The only reason the accused, aged 41, cannot be named is because the victims cannot be identified under the Children's Act. Judge Sheehan said 'Both of their victim impact statements were powerful and showed a deep sense of betrayal by the accused. 'They described their mother drinking and being unstable and that unknown men were regularly there… Asked (by investigating gardaí) if they wanted to leave, both girls said yes. 'The accused herself was exposed to physical violence by these men. She was a drug addict and chose to indulge her addiction rather than look after her children who were found to be malnourished and later had to be taught about the importance of personal hygiene and nutrition.' The two girls spoke out about the frightening cruelty they experienced for years at the hands of their own mother in the family home. Elizabeth O'Connell defence senior counsel said the defendant could not undo what she had done but that she had done what was within her power, namely complying with probation and showing remorse for the devastation caused to her daughters. 'She has put aside alcohol and cocaine and the completely toxic and violent relationships with people who should not have been brought to her home,' Ms O'Connell said, adding that the defendant was also a victim when it came to relationships with those men. Now aged in their early and mid-teens, they gave evidence at Cork Circuit Criminal where their mother pleaded guilty to two charges of cruelty to a child contrary to the Children's Act whereby she ill-treated a child in her care in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering or injury to her health or seriously to affect her wellbeing. The charge related to the older child referred to a period of three years when she was aged from approximately 12 to 15 years, and a shorter period in respect of the younger daughter. The older girl testified: 'I don't think people understand what it's like to grow up in a house where you never feel safe. You don't know if the person who supposedly loves you will be kind one minute or cruel the next. My mother didn't just fail me she betrayed me in ways no child should ever have to experience, she chose drugs over me, strange men over me and violence over me. She let her random hook-ups and one-week relationships into the house like they had a right to be there, like I was just some background noise in her life. She never once thought about me.' Her younger sister also described the impact of her mother's cruelty on her: 'One day she'd tell me how much she loved me, and the next day, she'd say things that were the complete opposite. Because of this, I've always had a hard time trusting people who are kind to me. I was manipulated in so many ways while living with her, and I learned early on that if my mom wasn't happy, I wasn't allowed to be happy. 'All I really want is for my mom to get help the kind of real help she needs. I want her to rehabilitate and become the person I know she could've been.'
Irish Examiner
30-04-2025
- Irish Examiner
'She was the reason I lived in fear,' says daughter of Cork woman who admits child cruelty
Two girls who spoke out about the frightening cruelty they experienced for years at the hands of their own mother in the family home will have to wait until May 14 for the 41-year-old to be sentenced. On Wednesday, their mother repeated her apology to her daughters as she faced sentencing at Cork Circuit Criminal Court. Judge Dermot Sheehan said he would not give his decision on the sentence to be imposed on her for a fortnight. Elizabeth O'Connell, defence senior counsel, said the defendant could not undo what she had done but that she had done what was within her power, namely complying with probation and showing remorse for the devastation caused to her daughters. 'She has put aside alcohol and cocaine and the completely toxic and violent relationships with people who should not have been brought to her home,' Ms O'Connell said, adding that the defendant was also a victim when it came to relationships with those men. Graphic and deeply personal evidence was given of the impact that the cruelty meted out by the 41-year-old woman had on her two daughters when they were children. Now in their early and mid-teens they have given evidence at the sentencing hearing for their mother at Cork Circuit Criminal who pleaded guilty to two charges of cruelty to a child contrary to the Children's Act whereby she ill-treated a child in her care in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering or injury to her health or seriously to affect her wellbeing. The charge relating to the older child referred to a period of three years when she was aged from approximately 12 to 15 years and a shorter period in respect of the younger daughter. The older girl testified: 'She picked and chose when I deserved any crumb of that treatment. Instead she was the reason I lived in constant fear. She was the reason I spent my entire childhood walking on eggshells, waiting for the next outburst or terrible thing to happen. I don't think people understand what it's like to grow up in a house where you never feel safe. You don't know if the person who supposedly loves you will be kind one minute or cruel the next. "My mother didn't just fail me, she betrayed me in ways no child should ever have to experience, she chose drugs over me, strange men over me and violence over me. She let her random hook-ups and one-week relationships into the house like they had a right to be there, like I was just some background noise in her life. She never once thought about me.' In order to protect the identity of the victims the defendant cannot be identified in coverage of the case. The older child recalled: 'The way she made me feel like I was the problem, like I was the one ruining her life when all I ever wanted was to be loved.' She gave detailed evidence of how she devised different ways to harm herself physically, as 'a way to drown out the mental pain with physical, I was so desperate for any kind of relief… My skin remembers what my mind tries to forget. No amount of therapy can erase them. No amount of time can take away the damage she did. 'And believe me I've tried. I've spent years in therapy sitting in cold offices trying to put words to things that never should have happened. I've spent hours crying to strangers but I always had to hide about what was really going on. Even now, even though I am out of that house, I'm still living with the effects of what she did to me. Her younger sister also described the impact of her mother's cruelty on her, saying: 'One day she'd tell me how much she loved me, and the next day she'd say things that were the complete opposite. Because of this, I've always had a hard time trusting people who are kind to me. I was manipulated in so many ways while living with her, and I learned early on that if my mom wasn't happy, I wasn't allowed to be happy. 'All I really want is for my mom to get help, the kind of real help she needs. I want her to rehabilitate and become the person I know she could've been.'
