The court listing for this week (or thereabouts) contained quite a few suspended sentences for crimes ranging from possession of child sex abuse material to dragging a French tourist to her death.
As the first instalment of a new regular feature on Gript, we take a look at a week of suspended sentences handed down by Judge Martin Nolan.
A man who sent his niece who was 12-years-old at the time a video of himself in his underwear received a fully suspended sentence this week before judge Martin Nolan.
The 47-year-old, who cannot be named in order to protect the identity of the victim, sent the girl a video of himself clad only in white underpants where the outline of his penis was visible.
Journalist David O’Sullivan reported that the incident came to light after the girl’s foster mother looked through the child’s phone and discovered the video in which the man said he was showing the child his “new jocks”.
The man had asked the girl “are we still besties?” in subsequent text messages and made a full admission to Gardaí after being approached by them.
Judge Nolan remarked that the child had been “shocked” and “traumatised” by the incident in which a victim impact statement read out by her foster mother said that the child had believed that the man loved her ‘as an uncle’ but now knew that he was after ‘a different kind of love’.
Noting that the man “seems” to have “underlying mental health issues” Judge Nolan sentenced him to 16-months in jail which he fully suspended.
Drug dealer Shaun Kelly (33), received a suspended sentence for dangerous driving after running into a French couple who were visiting Ireland to celebrate a birthday with the SUV he was driving.
The incident resulted in the death of 31-year-old Alicia Guilleux who was visiting with her partner Florian Avril who were crossing the road hand in hand when the incident took place.
Journalist Fiona Ferguson reported that while Mr. Avril was pushed clear of the vehicle, which was turning into George’s Street from Fade Street, Ms. Guilleux was dragged along the road by the vehicle causing “catastrophic injuries”.
Kelly, who has an address at Thornhill Gardens, Celbridge, Kildare, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death and was handed a year’s custodial sentence which was fully suspended, and a driving ban.
Kelly also received a suspended sentence from Judge Nolan after drugs were found attached to the inside of the car involved in Ms. Guilleux’s death after the vehicle was seized by Gardaí.
He pleaded guilty to possession of ecstasy, cocaine, ketamine and hallucinogenic TCP with intent to sell or supply the drugs.
This offence earned Kelly – who has no previous convictions – a three year sentence which Nolan also suspended on strict condition that Kelly does not reoffend.
32-year-old Daniel Doyle received a fully suspended two-year-sentence after being found in possession of over 1,700 images and 282 videos of child abuse material.
Judge Martin Nolan told Doyle that he should be “appropriately ashamed” of his actions before a sitting of Dublin District Criminal Court.
Journalist Eimear Dodd reported that Doyle of Coolevin, Ballybrack, Co. Dublin pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography on the 19th of June 2019 and was brought to the attention of Gardaí by the Online Child Exploitation Unit.
Dodd reported that the images identified on Doyle’s laptop and mobile phone were of “children with their genital areas exposed, children engaged in explicit sexual activity and child anime.”
Counsel for Doyle requested the court take into consideration his client’s engagement with therapy since the incident, his lack of previous convictions, and his guilty plea.
Eoghan Peavoy (53), who a court heard “destroyed” the peace of mind of a female barrister by harassing her for years by sending sexual and threatening messages received a suspended prison sentence before Judge Martin Nolan.
The court heard that on dates between February 8th, 2019, and August 23rd, 2022 Peavoy who has an address at Brackenwood Avenue, Balbriggan sent messages to the woman including one that said that he “fantasize about killing you and all your children”.
Jessica Mcgee and Eimear Dodd reporting for the Irish Times wrote that Counself for Peavoy said his client displayed “psychotic grievances” against people and was suffering from schizophrenia for which he has a diagnosis.
The victim said she had been “lived in fear” of Peavoy who had engaged in unsolicited contact with her father, a number of colleagues, as well as a number of friends of hers.
A prosecuting Garda said the messages sent to the woman were of a “threatening, sexually suggestive, vulgar, abusive and belittling” nature and that when interviewed Peavoy seemed “as if he had multiple personalities.”
The woman said that her career was affected after she had to remove her profile from her work website which had a “professionally detrimental” effect.
Judge Nolan told Peavoy that he will be shown “no sympathy” if he breaches the conditions attached to his suspended five year custodial sentence.
A now 21-year-old man, Calistus Omoikhudu, who was 16 when he stabbed a teenager in Dundrum has received a fully suspended sentence before Judge Martin Nolan.
Omoikhudu of Knocknarea Road, Drimnagh, Dublin 12 stabbed the victim five years ago in Finsbury Park Dundrum, County Dublin in an incident which took place in the immediate aftermath of the fatal stabbing Azzam Raguragui pleaded guilty to assault causing harm and possession of a knife at Nutgrove Avenue, Churchtown, Dublin 14 on May 10, 2019.
Eimear Dodd reported that Omoikhudu stabbed the male in the thigh inflicting a 15 cm laceration which required surgery to treat after finding him on the ground and believing him to be a member of a rival gang attached to the stabbing of Raguragui.
Prosecuting Gardaí and his defence agreed that at the time Omoikhudu had “no one keeping an eye on him” and has ‘matured’ since the incident with the court noting that he had been ‘doing well’ after returning to Nigeria to further his education.
His three year custodial sentence was suspended in full on condition that he engage with the Probation Services for 15 months.