Latest news with #PaulMcDermott
Sunday World
6 days ago
- Sunday World
Judge calls for more resources in case of alleged Parnell Square attacker
Mr Justice Paul McDermott put the matter back to October 22, noting that 'serious difficulties' were being faced due to the delay in the case A judge has called for resources to be provided to the case of Riad Bouchaker, who is charged with assaulting a care worker and attempting to murder three children on Parnell Square in Dublin. At the Central Criminal Court today, counsel for the prosecution said that the defence have provided a psychiatric report on the accused, but the prosecution is now preparing their own report, which is expected by the middle of October. Mr Justice Paul McDermott put the matter back to October 22, noting that 'serious difficulties' were being faced due to the delay in the case. 'Someone needs to provide resources for this case,' he said. Mr Bouchaker (51), of no fixed abode, is charged with the attempted murder of two girls and one boy. He is also charged with assault causing serious harm to a care worker and possession or production of a knife. The incident occurred at Parnell Square on the afternoon of November 23, 2023. In December last year, the court was told that a psychiatrist assessing the accused man deemed it necessary to have further work carried out by a neuropsychologist. In April, the court heard that the expert's report had been made available, but the psychiatrist requested a further four weeks to review matters. The court also heard that the treating doctor had encountered delays accessing the defendant in prison and with regards to the availability of an interpreter. In May of this year, Mr Justice McDermott noted the age of the complainants and said the case must be given priority as soon as the psychiatric issue was resolved. He asked that everyone involved, including lawyers and professionals, "strain themselves" to ensure it gets on as quickly as possible. When the case returned before the court in June, a senior counsel acting for Mr Bouchaker said that he received the psychiatric report and would make it available to the Director of Public Prosecutions in due course. In February of this year, the Department of Justice and the courts announced a protocol to fast-track trials involving children. The courts have committed to completing the trial process within one year, where possible, if a child is the alleged victim or perpetrator. The scene in Dublin city centre after the Parnell Square attack (Brian Lawless/PA) News in 90 Seconds - July 23rd
BreakingNews.ie
6 days ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Judge criticises delay in assessing Mary Ward murder accused
A Central Criminal Court judge has criticised the delay in preparing a psychiatric assessment on a Somalian national accused of the murder of his former partner Mary Ward in Belfast last year. "I understand the Central Mental Hospital has a resources issue, but this impasse has to be broken by somebody. This can't go on,' said Mr Justice Paul McDermott, asking both the prosecution and defence teams to establish a timeframe in the case of Ahmed Abdirahman (31). Advertisement Mr Abdirahman, originally from Somalia and with a last address at Kinlay house, 4 Lord Edward Street, Dublin, is accused of murdering the young mother on September 25th, 2024, at her house on Melrose Street in south Belfast. At the Central Criminal Court on Wednesday, counsel for the State, Antonia Boyle BL said that the book of evidence had not yet been served on the accused due to mental health concerns. The court heard from the defence team that the accused is waiting to be admitted to the Central Mental Hospital, and he has failed to engage with a psychiatrist who attempted to see him. Ireland Motorcyclist to face trial over pedestrian's death... Read More Defence counsel also told the court that there is a jurisdictional issue in the case, as the alleged offence occurred in Northern Ireland, meaning the accused must be given the option to be tried there. Advertisement Mr Justice McDermott noted that there was still no diagnosis of the accused, so there was no understanding if he was fit to plead or not. He said that he wanted both the defence and the prosecution to contact the Central Mental Hospital to establish a timeframe as to when the issues will be resolved. "There has to be some response. I understand the Central Mental Hospital has a resources issue, but this impasse has to be broken by somebody. This can't go on,' said Mr Justice McDermott. The matter was put back to July 30th.
Irish Times
6 days ago
- Irish Times
Judge calls for resources to be provided to case of man accused of Parnell Square attacks
A judge has called for resources to be provided to the case of Riad Bouchaker, who is charged with assaulting a care worker and attempting to murder three children on Parnell Square in Dublin. At the Central Criminal Court on Wednesday, counsel for the prosecution said that the defence have provided a psychiatric report on the accused, but the prosecution is now preparing their own report, which is expected by the middle of October. Mr Justice Paul McDermott put the matter back to October 22nd, noting that 'serious difficulties' were being faced due to the delay in the case. 'Someone needs to provide resources for this case,' he said. READ MORE Mr Bouchaker (51), of no fixed abode, is charged with the attempted murder of two girls and one boy. He is also charged with assault causing serious harm to a care worker and possession or production of a knife. The incident occurred at Parnell Square on the afternoon of November 23rd, 2023. In December last year, the court was told that a psychiatrist assessing the accused man deemed it necessary to have further work carried out by a neuropsychologist. In April, the court heard that the expert's report had been made available, but the psychiatrist requested a further four weeks to review matters. The court also heard that the treating doctor had encountered delays accessing the defendant in prison and with regards to the availability of an interpreter. In May of this year, Mr Justice McDermott noted the age of the complainants and said the case must be given priority as soon as the psychiatric issue was resolved. He asked that everyone involved, including lawyers and professionals, 'strain themselves' to ensure it gets on as quickly as possible. When the case returned before the court in June, a senior counsel acting for Mr Bouchaker said that he received the psychiatric report and would make it available to the Director of Public Prosecutions in due course. In February of this year, the Department of Justice and the courts announced a protocol to fast-track trials involving children. The courts have committed to completing the trial process within one year, where possible, if a child is the alleged victim or perpetrator.
BreakingNews.ie
25-06-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Rapist (41) gets further jail time after failing to inform authorities he was sex offender
A convicted rapist who was deported from the UK and was jailed at the Central Criminal Court last March for a rape he committed in Dublin in 2023, has been given more time in custody for not informing authorities he was a sex offender. Randi Gladstone (41), formerly from Guyana, raped, sexually assaulted and falsely imprisoned a young woman, having only been in Ireland for two weeks. Advertisement Last year he was found guilty by jury of one count of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of false imprisonment in 'budget accommodation' in south Co Dublin, on August 25th, 2023. Gladstone has 19 previous convictions from the UK, for offences including rape, kidnapping, robbery and false imprisonment. On Wednesday, Mr Justice Paul McDermott said Gladstone failed to notify gardaí he was a sex offender within seven days, as is required by law. The judge said Gladstone failed to inform An Garda Síochána that he had a significant history of sexual offending in the UK and then committed a rape on another woman. He noted Gladstone is now serving a significant sentence, but 'that is not what he is being sentenced for today.' Advertisement Mr Justice McDermott said failure to register as a sex offender carries a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment. He said Gladstone was 'not really appreciating his obligations to register... but that doesn't cut it.' Noting the plea of guilty, he sentenced Gladstone to six months imprisonment. The judge said the issue for him to decide was whether the sentence was to be concurrent or consecutive. The judge noted Gladstone 'offends within a number of days of arriving in this country… so I'm going to make this sentence consecutive', meaning Gladstone will have to serve six months on top of the sentence imposed on him on March 14th last. The court heard Gladstone flew from Suriname to Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands and arrived into Ireland on August 11th, 2023. He had a number of convictions in the United Kingdom and there was a deportation order in place in that jurisdiction. Advertisement Detective Garda Carol Corrigan told Patrick Gageby SC, prosecuting, that having arrived in Ireland, he did not inform gardaí of his address within seven days as is required by law. The court heard that Gladstone dragged a young woman into his room where he raped and falsely imprisoned her. Mr Justice Patrick McGrath jailed him for 10 years. On August 25th, 2023, Gladstone was made aware of the accusations against him and that the victim was residing at the same address. Ireland 'It didn't happen': Man denies sexually assaulting... Read More The court heard Gladstone went to Dublin Port and bought a ticket to the UK. He was then told he was not allowed into the UK, and the ticket was refunded. He was arrested two days later. Advertisement Gladstone had been residing in South America for a number of years and had some work history in construction. He pleaded guilty to the offence of failing to notify that he was a sex offender within seven days on June 19th last, and has been in custody since August 2023. He is now serving his sentence in Midlands Prison. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape C ri sis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at or visit Rape C ri sis Help .
The Journal
05-06-2025
- The Journal
Two boys who raped teenage girl at Limerick Racecourse sentenced to six years in detention
TWO BOYS WHO raped a teenage girl in a car at Limerick Racecourse when they were aged 13 and 15 years old have each been sentenced to six years in detention. A third defendant (now 18) who was found guilty of aiding and abetting the rapes by moving the car in which it occurred was jailed for three-and-a-half years. The daytime attack against the girl involved humiliation and degradation and was committed by offenders of a very young age, the Central Criminal Court heard. The teenage rapists and their families did not accept the verdicts of the jury and there was a heavy garda presence in court for sentencing today. Justice Paul McDermott said that if the boys – who are all cousins – had been adults at the time of the offending, the headline sentence for the rape offences would have been in the range of 15 years to life imprisonment. 'This was a 16-year-old intoxicated girl in a vulnerable situation subjected to rape and sexual assault,' he said. 'She was raped one after the other by [the two boys] and in the course of these rapes, she was sexually assaulted.' The girl was repeatedly saying no during the assaults. Further indignity was heaped upon her by video footage being taken of the incident, the judge said. Handing down sentence, Justice McDermott noted there was very little to be said in mitigation for the boys, as they have not expressed remorse or any understanding of the harm caused to the complainant. They must be sentenced as juveniles under the Children Act, in which detention is a last resort, the court heard. The judge accepted the third defendant, who aided and abetted the rapes, has taken some responsibility for his involvement but struggles to understand it. He noted they have no previous convictions and have been subject to some childhood trauma, with mental health difficulties in their families. They had a lack of understanding in the areas of sexual relations and consent, the court heard. Justice McDermott sentenced the two rapists to a sentence of seven-and-a-half years of detention, with the final 18 months suspended on a number of conditions, including that they engage in sexual offending programmes and have no contact whatsoever with the complainant. The judge noted this means that part of their sentence will be served in prison. He sentenced the third defendant to five years in jail as he is now over the age of 18 years. He suspended the final 18 months of this sentence on the same conditions. The three boys stood trial at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork earlier this year, with two of the boys (now aged 16 and 17) found guilty of sexually assaulting and raping the then 16-year-old girl in a car at the racecourse on 26 December 2022. They were 13 and 15 years old at the time. The third boy (now 18) was found guilty by the jury of four counts of aiding and abetting the rapes and sexual assaults following the six-week trial. The court heard he moved the car during the course of the attack. He was aged 15 at the time. He was acquitted of one count of false imprisonment. Video clips were taken of the incident by one of the boys, including one clip of the girl walking away from the car after she had been raped. When she found her friends, she was extremely upset and immediately told them what had happened to her, the court heard. Advertisement The boys denied raping the girl, telling gardaí differing versions of events including one who said he was in Dublin on the day in question. They all eventually claimed it was a consensual encounter. Detective Garda Lisa O'Regan told Dean Kelly SC, prosecuting, that the girl was socialising with her friends at the racecourse on the day in question. She was, in her own words, 'really drunk' when she got chatting to the three boys, Kelly said. The court heard she agreed to go for a walk with one of the boys because she wanted to kiss him. Instead, she found herself in a car belonging to the father of one of the boys, where she was sexually assaulted and raped by two of them. The third boy moved the car at one point during the attack. The girl said she told the boys 'No' repeatedly and that she was on her period and had a tampon in. She said she told them she needed to go back to her friends, but they repeatedly said no and that she was 'fine'. When medically examined later that evening, she was found to have extensive bleeding and bruising. She had not had sexual intercourse before prior to the attack. The girl (now aged 18) was not in court for the sentence hearing in Dublin. In a victim statement read out on her behalf by counsel, she described her fear and anxiety in the aftermath of the attack, during which she was 'begging them to get off me'. 'At the age of 16, I had my innocence stripped away from me,' she said. 'These two (boys) took what they wanted with no regrets.' She said her parents had to hear every 'vulgar' and 'gruesome' detail of what happened to her and that she will 'forever have guilt on my shoulders – not just for how it affected me, but everyone around me'. 'They not only took away the rest of my childhood, they took away the rest of my life,' she said. 'At the age of 16, I was raped. This is always something I will have to carry around. 'But what I can do is live with the fact that I told the truth.' The court heard the boys have no previous convictions. They are all in detention or custody since the guilty verdicts were handed down last April. The case was previously adjourned for a number of weeks for preparation of probation reports. Cathal McGreal, BL, defending the youngest of the three boys, said his client was then aged 13 and had no previous convictions. He said that a report before the court described him as mild-mannered, introverted and vulnerable from a mental health point of view. Counsel said his client made admissions and described him as 'not a particularly mature 13-year-old, and this was his first sexual experience'. The court heard that the boy's father and his family do not accept the verdict. McGreal said his client wants to pursue his Junior Certificate and is interested in becoming a mechanic or a builder. He is against drugs and alcohol and wants to marry his girlfriend. Vincent Heneghan SC, defending the then-15-year-old boy, said his client comes from a 'good supportive family' and they are concerned for him. He stated that his client does not accept the jury's verdict and that this will limit any potential mitigation. Counsel said his client presents as intermittently distressed since going into custody and is not sleeping well. He said he is engaging in education and sport while in Oberstown. Henaghan said the defendant has no issues with drugs or alcohol and outlined that there was no pre-planning to this offending. He asked the court to consider the reports that were before the court on behalf of his client and requested that the court be as lenient as possible. Donal Cronin BL, defending the third boy, said his sexual knowledge at the time was limited. He outlined that his client has no issues with drink or drugs and that sport has formed a major part of his life. Cronin asked the court to fashion a sentence that would mark the wrongdoing but also include rehabilitation. He asked the court to consider the mitigating factors, including his client's culpability, his involvement and the fact he was a child at the time.
