Latest news with #LeanneKelly
Sunday World
14-05-2025
- Sunday World
Woman (34) accused of torching bus in Dublin riots granted bail
Leanne Kelly (34) 'completely destroyed' the bus, at a cost of €477,000, during the November 2023 riot in the city centre A woman accused of torching a Dublin bus during the November 2023 riot in the city centre has been granted bail. Leanne Kelly (34) 'completely destroyed' the bus, at a cost of €477,000 when she got on board and used a piece of burning rubbish to set it alight, it is alleged. The incident happened during street violence that erupted in central Dublin after three children and a woman were injured in a knife attack. Ms Kelly first appeared in Dublin District Court last week, when a bail application was adjourned. Dublin riots. News in 90 Seconds - May 14th Today, Judge Michele Finan set bail in Ms Kelly's own bond of €300, with a €3,000 independent surety, to be approved by the court. Under conditions, she must live at an address at Kilbride Grove, Bray, Co Wicklow, sign on daily at Bray garda station and provide a contact number to gardai. The accused was remanded in custody with consent to bail, to appear in court again on June 9, for the service of a book of evidence. Ms Kelly is charged with causing criminal damage to a Dublin bus at O'Connell Bridge on November 23, 2023. At last week's bail hearing, Detective Garda Barry Brennan said the incident happened at 7.30pm when the accused allegedly picked up a piece of rubbish and ran to a garda car that was already on fire. It was alleged she 'extracted' flames from the car onto the rubbish and ran to a Dublin bus that had been abandoned. Other rioters had surrounded the bus, attacked the driver and forced him off, the court heard. According to the prosecution, Ms Kelly ran through the middle doors and onto the bus where she threw the burning piece of rubbish onto the ground. This set the bus alight and it was completely destroyed, at a cost of €477, 851, Det Gda Brennan said. The entire incident was captured on CCTV and the accused identified herself in the footage, he said. He did not believe she would attend court if granted bail. Applying for bail, defence solicitor Niall O'Connor said his client presented in court as a 'very different lady' than on the footage. Ms Kelly is the latest person arrested as part of the ongoing investigation into what was one of the worst outbreaks of public disorder in the history of the state. More than 80 people have been arrested and more than 60 charged with offences including committing riot, arson, violent disorder, possession of weapons and theft. Several have already been convicted.
RTÉ News
14-05-2025
- RTÉ News
Woman accused of setting Dublin bus on fire granted bail
A woman accused of setting fire to a Dublin Bus, at a cost of almost €500,000, during the November 2023 riots has been granted bail. Violence broke out after a girl, aged five, was severely wounded, and two other children and a woman were injured in a knife attack at Parnell Square in Dublin city centre earlier that day. Leanne Kelly, aged 34, who is from Wicklow but of no fixed abode, was accused of torching the bus on O'Connell Bridge. She was charged last week and faced her second appearance before Judge Michele Finan at Dublin District Court this morning for the conclusion of a part-heard hearing. Noting that a residential address was now available to the accused, the judge set her bail at €300 and required a €3,000 independent surety, which must be approved before Ms Kelly can be released under strict terms. Detective Garda Barry Brennan told the court that the accused "made no reply" to a charge of causing criminal damage on 23 November 2023. The Director of Public Prosecutions has directed that she face "trial on indictment", meaning the case will go forward to the Circuit Court, which has wider sentencing powers. Mr O'Connor proposed that Ms Kelly, who has yet to indicate a plea, could reside with family and would obey conditions. Judge Finan ordered her to reside at Kilbride Grove, Bray, Co Wicklow, obey an 11 pm - 6 am curfew, sign on daily at the local garda station, and remain contactable by phone. The charge under Section 2 of the Criminal Damage Act carries a possible 10-year sentence and a €10,000 fine. Prosecutors must complete and serve her with a book of evidence before she is sent forward for trial. She will appear again on 9 June. To date, 85 people have been arrested in connection with the Dublin riots, with 66 charged.
BreakingNews.ie
14-05-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Bail granted to woman accused of €477k bus fire damage during Dublin riots
A woman accused of setting fire to a Dublin Bus, which was "completely destroyed" at a cost of almost half a million euros during the November 2023 riots, has been granted bail. Violence broke out after a girl, aged five, was severely wounded, and two other children and a woman were injured in a knife attack at Parnell Square in Dublin city centre earlier that day. Advertisement Leanne Kelly, 34, who is from Wicklow but of no fixed abode, was accused of torching the bus on O'Connell Bridge. She was charged last week and faced her second appearance before Judge Michele Finan at Dublin District Court on Wednesday for the conclusion of a part-heard hearing. Noting that a residential address was now available to the accused, the judge set her bail at €300 and required a €3,000 independent surety, which must be approved before Ms Kelly can be released under strict terms. Detective Garda Barry Brennan told the court that the accused "made no reply" to a charge of causing criminal damage on November 23rd, 2023. Advertisement The Director of Public Prosecutions has directed that she face "trial on indictment", meaning the case will go forward to the Circuit Court, which has wider sentencing powers. Detective Garda Brennan objected to bail due to the seriousness of the case. He alleged the incident occurred during the "Dublin riots" and he claimed that at about 7.30pm, Ms Kelly picked up a piece of rubbish and ran to a garda car that had been set on fire. Detective Garda Brennan said she "extracted flames from the garda car onto the piece of rubbish and she ran to the Dublin Bus." Advertisement The court heard it had already been abandoned after being surrounded by rioters. It was claimed that Ms Kelly ran onto the bus, threw the burning rubbish on the ground, "setting it alight". He added that the bus was "completely destroyed", causing €477,851 damage. He agreed with defence solicitor Niall O'Connor that his client now presented as a "different person" from the one on the CCTV evidence. Advertisement The detective said at the time of the incident, Ms Kelly was "sleeping rough in the north inner city". He also voiced concerns that she would not turn up to court if granted bail. Mr O'Connor proposed that Ms Kelly, who has yet to indicate a plea, could reside with family and would obey conditions. World Family pays tribute to 'proud Irishman' fatally in... Read More Judge Finan ordered her to reside at Kilbride Grove, Bray, Co Wicklow, obey an 11pm – 6am curfew, sign on daily at the local Garda station, and remain contactable by phone. The charge under Section 2 of the Criminal Damage Act carries a possible 10-year sentence and a €10,000 fine. Prosecutors must complete and serve her with a book of evidence before she is sent forward for trial. She will appear again on June 9th. To date, 85 people have been arrested in connection with the Dublin riots, with 66 charged.
Irish Times
14-05-2025
- Irish Times
Woman accused of €477,000 bus fire damage during Dublin riots granted bail
A woman accused of setting fire to a Dublin Bus, which was 'completely destroyed' at a cost of almost half a million euros during the November 2023 riots, has been granted bail. Violence broke out after a girl, aged five, was severely wounded, and two other children and a woman injured in a knife attack at Parnell Square in Dublin city centre earlier that day. Leanne Kelly (34), who is from Wicklow but of no fixed abode, was accused of torching the bus on O'Connell Bridge. She was charged last week and faced her second appearance before Judge Michele Finan at Dublin District Court on Wednesday for the conclusion of a part-heard hearing. READ MORE Noting that a residential address was now available to the accused, the judge set her bail at €300 and required a €3,000 independent surety, which must be approved before Ms Kelly can be released under strict terms. Det Gda Barry Brennan told the court that the accused 'made no reply' to a charge of causing criminal damage on November 23rd, 2023. . Det Gda Brennan objected to bail due to the seriousness of the case. He alleged that at about 7.30pm, Ms Kelly picked up a piece of rubbish and ran to a Garda car that had been set on fire. Det Gda Brennan said she 'extracted flames from the garda car on to the piece of rubbish and she ran to the Dublin Bus'. The court heard it had already been abandoned after being surrounded by rioters. It was claimed that Ms Kelly ran on to the bus, threw the burning rubbish on the ground, 'setting it alight'. He added that the bus was 'completely destroyed', causing €477,851 damage. He agreed with defence solicitor Niall O'Connor that his client now presented as a 'different person' from the one on the CCTV evidence. The detective said at the time of the incident, Ms Kelly was 'sleeping rough in the north inner city'. He also voiced concerns that she would not turn up to court if granted bail. Mr O'Connor proposed that Ms Kelly, who has yet to indicate a plea, could reside with family and would obey conditions. Judge Finan ordered her to reside at Kilbride Grove, Bray, Co Wicklow; obey an 11pm – 6am curfew; sign on daily at the local Garda station, and remain contactable by phone. The charge under Section 2 of the Criminal Damage Act carries a possible 10 year sentence and a €10,000 fine. Prosecutors must complete and serve her with a book of evidence before she is sent forward for trial. She will appear again on June 9th. To date, 85 people have been arrested in connection with the Dublin riots, with 66 charged.
The Journal
07-05-2025
- The Journal
Woman accused of causing almost €500,000 damage to a bus during the Dublin riots
A WOMAN HAS been accused of setting fire to a Dublin Bus, which was 'completely destroyed' at a cost of almost half a million euros during the November 2023 riots in the capital. Violence broke out after a girl, aged five, was severely wounded, and two other children and a woman were injured in a knife attack at Parnell Square in Dublin city centre earlier that day. Leanne Kelly, 34, who is of no fixed abode, appeared before Judge Michele Finan at Dublin District Court today, accused of torching the bus on O'Connell Bridge. Detective Garda Barry Brennan told the court that the accused woman was arrested shortly before the court hearing and 'made no reply' to the charge. She was accused of criminal damage on 23 November, 2023, and was remanded in custody until 14 May following a part-heard bail hearing. The Director of Public Prosecutions has directed that she face 'trial on indictment' for the alleged arson, meaning the case will go forward to the Circuit Court, which has wider sentencing powers. The detective objected to bail due to the seriousness of the case. He alleged the incident occurred during the 'Dublin riots' and he claimed that at about 7.30pm, the accused picked up a piece of rubbish and ran to a garda car that had been set on fire. The detective said the woman 'extracted flames from the garda car onto the piece of rubbish and she ran to the Dublin Bus.' The court heard it had already been abandoned after being surrounded by rioters. It was claimed that the accused ran onto the bus, threw the burning rubbish on the ground, 'setting it alight'. He added that the bus was 'completely destroyed', causing €477,851 worth of damage. Advertisement He agreed with defence solicitor Niall O'Connor that his client now presented as a 'different person' from the one on the CCTV evidence. The detective said at the time of the incident, the accused was 'sleeping rough in the north inner city'. The detective also voiced concerns that she would not turn up to court if granted bail. The solicitor proposed that his client, who has yet to indicate a plea, could reside with family in Co Wicklow. The judge deferred the application for bail to allow gardaí time to inquire about the address furnished. The charge under Section 2 of the Criminal Damage Act carries a possible 10-year sentence and a €10,000 fine. Legal aid was granted. To date, 85 people have been arrested in connection with the Dublin riots, with 66 charged. Riad Bouchaker, 51, who has no fixed abode, was charged on December 21 with the attempted murders of two girls and a boy, as well as assault and production of the 36-centimetre knife. He remains in custody on remand pending trial. Need more clarity and context on how migration is being discussed in Ireland? Check out our FactCheck Knowledge Bank for essential reads and guides to finding good information online. Visit Knowledge Bank
