Latest news with #Darndale
BreakingNews.ie
17-07-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Murderer who shot man in front of infant son did not receive fair trial, barristers argue
Barristers have argued that a murderer who shot dead a man in front of his four-month-old son did not receive a fair trial, as the trial judge effectively 'closed down the defence case' in his charge to the jury. Michael O'Higgins SC told the Court of Appeal that Mr Justice Tony Hunt was 'entirely argumentative' throughout his charge to the jury at the conclusion of the trial of Wayne Cooney (34), adding that the judge argued 'with great vigour' what the jury's position should be. Advertisement Drug dealer Cooney, with an address at Glenshane Drive in Tallaght, had pleaded not guilty to the murder of Jordan Davis (22) at a laneway beside Our Lady of Immaculate National School in Darndale in Dublin on May 22nd, 2019. He also pleaded not guilty to possessing a 9mm semi-automatic pistol and to possessing ammunition in circumstances that give rise to the reasonable inference that he did not have them for lawful purposes. A jury took just a little over three hours to find him guilty following a trial in July 2022. The prosecution case was that Mr Davis owed €70,000 to a local drug dealer, Robert 'Roo' Redmond, who was the brother of Cooney's then girlfriend, Rachel Redmond (34). When Mr Davis's mobile phone was examined by gardaí they found a message from Robert Redmond (36) warning Mr Davis: "I'm on your case mate, it won't be long," and later telling him: "Soon, very soon, bang bang." Advertisement Rachel Redmond, from Coolock but with an address at Clifdenville Road, Cliftonville Avenue, North Belfast, Antrim was convicted earlier this year on two charges that on or about May 22nd and May 23rd, 2019, she impeded Cooney's apprehension or prosecution by picking him up after the shooting and later checking him into a hotel. Robert Redmond of Streamville Road, Kilbarrack, Dublin 13 pleaded guilty in April 2024 to conspiring with Cooney to murder Mr Davis and received a seven-year prison sentence. During Cooney's trial, prosecution barrister Bernard Condon SC told the jury that the circumstantial evidence against Cooney was such that he was either the shooter or the "most unlucky person ever". A garda had identified Cooney from CCTV footage as the cyclist circling Mr Davis. Cooney's DNA was found on a glove in an area on Belcamp Lane where the shooter could be seen discarding gloves and a black body warmer minutes after the shooting. Cooney was also identified returning to the same area to retrieve the body warmer about one hour and 20 minutes after the shooting. Advertisement The prosecution also relied on mobile phone evidence that showed Cooney's phone was calling Robert Redmond at moments when the person identified on CCTV as the shooter could be seen holding a phone to his ear. In a lengthy charge to the jury, Mr Justice Hunt said that if they were satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that Cooney was the cyclist who came up behind Jordan Davis and shot him, they must find him guilty of murder. Mr Justice Hunt told the jury that if the prosecution failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Cooney murdered Mr Davis, they could find that he impeded the arrest or prosecution of the murderer by taking away the body warmer. He said that, by his own admission, Cooney was seen on CCTV at Belcamp Lane about one hour and 20 minutes after the murder. He said the shooter disposed of the body warmer during a 40-second period when he was off-camera and when Cooney retrieved the body warmer, he also went off camera for almost exactly 40 seconds. Advertisement He said that the jury should consider that if Cooney wasn't the person who left the body warmer, he must have acquired some knowledge that it had been put there. He added: "If he didn't do the shooting, he acquired the knowledge of where the item was in that hour and 20 minutes. That has to be considered by you." On this view, Mr Justice Hunt said, Mr Cooney wasn't the shooter but might have been "covering up". He further told the jury: "If he didn't do the shooting, he didn't get to the laneway by accident. There had to be some information that brought him there, he had to know something about what he was retrieving and where he was retrieving it from." In launching an appeal against Cooney's conviction on Thursday, Mr O'Higgins said that a judge is at liberty to pass comment on evidence, which is well within his ambit, but he should tread with caution. 'This is entirely argumentative through the whole charge. He's not just summarising evidence, it's strident, relentless, merciless and without any restraint,' said Mr O'Higgins, adding that Mr Justice Hunt had been 'completely arguing with great vigour what the position should be'. Advertisement 'The line beyond a comment has been very well crossed,' he said, going on to argue that the defence was 'squashed' and never got the airing to which it was entitled. Counsel said that in the judge's charge, Mr Justice Hunt had reminded the jury that the defence had raised the possibility of the potential involvement of others in this offence, but he had also said to the jury that whether others were involved or not was not relevant. 'The judge said: 'Who was the man on the bike? That's all you have to decide.' That was effectively closing down the defence case,' said Mr O'Higgins, adding that Mr Justice Hunt 'denigrated all the points' made by the defence. Counsel confirmed to the court he was arguing that the trial against Cooney was unfair. He said that Mr Justice Hunt had told the jury: 'I won't lie to you that I haven't formed my own opinion.' Mr O'Higgins asked how a judge was to charge a jury on the presumption of innocence when he had made a comment such as this. 'He said things pumping up the prosecution case. The judge highlighted in a very granular level all points that were in favour of the prosecution,' said Mr O'Higgins. 'The judge has an obligation to deal with a case fairly. They must not, when giving a summation, end up with an imbalance between the parties.' Further grounds of appeal submitted included the identification evidence given by a garda, which Mr O'Higgins said was too vague to be admissible; and attempts by the defence to adduce background evidence of other people who had a motive in the case, which were shut down by the trial judge, meaning 'an important part of the defence case was cut off'. In response, counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions, Bernard Condon SC said that a lot of points were made by the defence during the trial which were 'weak points advanced with gusto'. He said the trial judge was correct to advise the jury 'not to be directed into rabbit warrens'. Ireland Rapist (37) jailed for taking advantage of 'sleepi... Read More 'Arguments were made to direct the jury into evidential wastelands,' said Mr Condon. He said there were probably ten people involved in this murder and maybe other people wanted to kill the deceased, but that did not change the fact that it was Cooney who actually killed him. 'Some judges are naturally people who speak a lot, so it can't be correct that because someone speaks a lot that they ought to be criticised,' said counsel, adding that the jury knew that the judge's commenting was not the last word. Mr Condon also said that Mr Justice Hunt gave the jury an excellent summation on the principles of the presumption of innocence and the burden of proof. Mr Justice John Edwards said the court would deliver its judgement on the appeal at a later date.
BreakingNews.ie
25-05-2025
- Health
- BreakingNews.ie
Dublin parenting programme credited with major health and education benefits
A parenting programme in Dublin has delivered major education and health benefits for children, a study has suggested. The research assessed the impact of Preparing For Life – a flagship plan produced by Northside Partnership, a development company working in Darndale in north-east Dublin. Advertisement The study indicates that a decade after children's involvement in the home-visiting programme ended, they were 29 per cent more likely to want to pursue third-level education compared to peers who did not receive the visits. Billy Hendrick, 14, who took part in the Preparing For Life scheme, with the programme's home-visiting implementation manager Sue Cullen (Conor Healy/ The evaluation found that many of the children were shown to have better problem-solving skills, were less likely to experience attention problems and enjoy improved family relationships and physical health. The children, now aged 14, were included in Preparing For Life from their mother's pregnancy until school age. The evaluation of the scheme by academics at UCD has been described as one of the longest-running randomised control trials in Europe. Advertisement The early intervention Preparing For Life plan includes bi-weekly home visits, parenting guidance on issues such as antenatal education and breastfeeding, as well as preparing children for school. It was first rolled out in Darndale in 2007. Professor Orla Doyle from UCD's Geary Institute, which carried out the evaluation, outlined the findings. 'The fact that cognitive gains seen at school entry have persisted into adolescence, nearly 10 years after programme participation ended, suggests it may have caused a fundamental shift in children's developmental trajectories,' she said. The study found improvements were consistent across verbal, non-verbal and spatial domains, with Preparing For Life credited with having a significant positive impact on working memory, with fewer attention-related difficulties, supporting classroom engagement. Advertisement Programme manager Niall Sexton said the programme was about giving families 'a fairer start' (Dan Clohessy Photography/PA). The programme's manager, Niall Sexton of Northside Partnership, said: 'This evaluation confirms what families have told us for years, that the impact is long-lasting and meaningful. 'It is about giving families a fairer start, recognising the strengths they already have, and working alongside them to unlock children's potential.' Backed by the child and family agency Tusla, Preparing For Life is now available in 10 other communities around Ireland: Bagenalstown in Co Carlow; Ballaghaderreen in Co Roscommon; Ballinasloe in Co Galway; Bray in Co Wicklow; Castlebar in Co Mayo; Kilrush in Co Clare; Newbridge in Co Kildare; and Tallaght, Balbriggan and Finglas in Dublin.
Irish Times
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Kilkenny woodturner handcrafts beautiful everyday items
As Dublin awaits Metrolink from the airport we examine why it is back in the news and why costs are being talked about again. Video: Dan Dennison Binyamin Netanyahu accused the "leaders of France, Britain, Canada and others' of being on the "wrong side of humanity". Video: Reuters Flash flooding on Australia's southeast coast that has killed at least three people and cut off towns, isolating tens of thousands of residents. Video: Reuters President Donald Trump said there were "many concerns" about South Africa he wanted to discuss during a meeting with president Cyril Ramaphosa. (Reuters) Eyewitness footage shows moment shooting suspect Elias Rodriguez was restrained by security officers after fatal attack on Israeli embassy staffers in DC. Dublin City Council has started to clear a large illegal landfill site in Darndale on the north of the city. Video: Bryan O'Brien The Israeli military said that it fired near a diplomatic delegation which had "deviated" from an approved route in the occupied West Bank. Video: Reuters Israeli attacks on Jabalia overnight have resulted in multiple fatalities and numerous injuries, mainly to children, according to reports. Caoimhe Ní Ghormáin, an expert in medieval Irish manuscripts, and John Gillis, who led the conservation, talk about the Book of Leinster. Video: Ronan McGreevy Gordon Manning speaks to members of the Dublin Senior Camogie squad ahead of this week's Camogie Association vote on the wearing of shorts. Video: Bryan O'Brien
Irish Times
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Dublin's Metrolink - what is it and how much will it cost?
As Dublin awaits Metrolink from the airport we examine why it is back in the news and why costs are being talked about again. Video: Dan Dennison Binyamin Netanyahu accused the "leaders of France, Britain, Canada and others' of being on the "wrong side of humanity". Video: Reuters Flash flooding on Australia's southeast coast that has killed at least three people and cut off towns, isolating tens of thousands of residents. Video: Reuters President Donald Trump said there were "many concerns" about South Africa he wanted to discuss during a meeting with president Cyril Ramaphosa. (Reuters) Eyewitness footage shows moment shooting suspect Elias Rodriguez was restrained by security officers after fatal attack on Israeli embassy staffers in DC. Dublin City Council has started to clear a large illegal landfill site in Darndale on the north of the city. Video: Bryan O'Brien The Israeli military said that it fired near a diplomatic delegation which had "deviated" from an approved route in the occupied West Bank. Video: Reuters Israeli attacks on Jabalia overnight have resulted in multiple fatalities and numerous injuries, mainly to children, according to reports. Caoimhe Ní Ghormáin, an expert in medieval Irish manuscripts, and John Gillis, who led the conservation, talk about the Book of Leinster. Video: Ronan McGreevy Gordon Manning speaks to members of the Dublin Senior Camogie squad ahead of this week's Camogie Association vote on the wearing of shorts. Video: Bryan O'Brien
Irish Times
23-05-2025
- Climate
- Irish Times
Netanyahu lashes out at world leaders
Flash flooding on Australia's southeast coast that has killed at least three people and cut off towns, isolating tens of thousands of residents. Video: Reuters President Donald Trump said there were "many concerns" about South Africa he wanted to discuss during a meeting with president Cyril Ramaphosa. (Reuters) Eyewitness footage shows moment shooting suspect Elias Rodriguez was restrained by security officers after fatal attack on Israeli embassy staffers in DC. Dublin City Council has started to clear a large illegal landfill site in Darndale on the north of the city. Video: Bryan O'Brien The Israeli military said that it fired near a diplomatic delegation which had "deviated" from an approved route in the occupied West Bank. Video: Reuters Israeli attacks on Jabalia overnight have resulted in multiple fatalities and numerous injuries, mainly to children, according to reports. Caoimhe Ní Ghormáin, an expert in medieval Irish manuscripts, and John Gillis, who led the conservation, talk about the Book of Leinster. Video: Ronan McGreevy Gordon Manning speaks to members of the Dublin Senior Camogie squad ahead of this week's Camogie Association vote on the wearing of shorts. Video: Bryan O'Brien Conor Gallagher reports on Pravfond, set up by Putin, that intelligence agencies say does more than its stated goal of protecting the rights of Russians abroad 14-year-old Cara Darmody started a 50-hour disability rights protest outside Leinster House to highlight delays in children getting an assessment of needs.
