Latest news with #JudgeHalpin
BreakingNews.ie
13-06-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
'He's following me': Terrified student granted restraining order against ex
A terrified young student has been granted a three-year restraining order against her ex-boyfriend after alleging he threatened and stalked her around Dublin. The South American woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, applied for the order at Dublin District Court. Advertisement In evidence, she recounted how after their relationship of a couple of years ended a few weeks ago, her ex started following her. The student told the court she was afraid and alleged, "He is saying he will attack me." Asked if he had followed her regularly, she said he had done twice in the previous week, once to work, and after school. Giving evidence with the assistance of an interpreter, the visibly upset student said that he was threatening her, following her to school, to her home, and her job. Advertisement They did not have any children. Her former partner did not attend the scheduled hearing to contest the claims against him. Judge Anthony Halpin accepted the sworn evidence tendered by the woman. He granted the civil restraining order to protect her from the man's activities. Advertisement He stipulated that he must not follow, watch, or beset the applicant or put her in fear or use language that threatened the applicant. He also warned that the man would not communicate with her. Judge Halpin directed gardaí to serve a copy of the order on the man, which is to remain in force for three years. Breaching it can result in the subject of the order being brought to court, jailed for up to a year, and a maximum €4,000 fine. Ireland Former chair of Meath County Council accused of fa... Read More The restraining orders were introduced in the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2023 as a remedy for people seeking protection. The District Court may issue an order to prevent the respondent from violence or threats, stalking, harassing or approaching the applicant's home, work, or school. It can last up to five years, but may be shorter depending on the presiding judge's assessment. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can contact Women's Aid ( 24-hour freephone helpline at 1800 - 341 900, email helpline@ or Men's Aid Ireland (confidential helpline at 01 - 554 3811, email hello@ for support and information.
BreakingNews.ie
06-06-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Dublin granny's death wish on kids triggers restraining order
A judge imposed a three-year restraining order on a Dublin grandmother, barring her from posting online about her daughter after allegedly harassing her and wishing death on her grandchildren. The young woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, resorted to using anti-stalking laws and applied for the order at Dublin District Court. Advertisement However, her estranged mother did not attend the scheduled hearing to contest the claims against her. "My mother is harassing me," her adult daughter told Judge Anthony Halpin, adding that she had been subjected to online abuse, including "she hopes my kids die". Asked why this happened, the woman, in her twenties, explained that she had been taken into care when she was young and there had been a fractured relationship since. She told the court that the posts started nine weeks ago after five years of no contact. Advertisement The woman believed her mother was "retaliating for having no contact with or access to her grandchildren". On reviewing printouts of the posts, Judge Halpin stated he was satisfied the woman had made a reasonable case for a civil restraining order barring unwanted contact and online posts about the applicant. He held that it was appropriate to compel the respondent from harassing or placing her daughter in fear. Judge Halpin said gardaí would serve the order on the grandmother, and the court had a wide range of sanctions available if she broke the terms. Ireland Businessman fired for 'old school' methods of meet... Read More Breaching them can result in the subject of the order being brought to court, jailed for up to a year and a maximum €4,000 fine. The restraining orders were introduced in the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2023 as a remedy for people seeking protection. The District Court may issue an order to prevent the respondent from violence or threats, stalking, harassing or approaching the applicant's home, work, or school. It can run for up to five years but may be shorter depending on the presiding judge's assessment.
BreakingNews.ie
30-05-2025
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Dog owner could face jail after 'scared, malnourished' pet found living in own filth
A man faces sentencing after animal welfare inspectors last year found his scared, malnourished Dobermann confined in a squalid cage without fresh water, mired in her own excrement, at a Dublin property. Richard Vynsiauskas, originally from Lithuania but with a residential address at Old North Road, Coldwinters, failed to turn up for his scheduled hearing at Dublin District Court on Friday. Advertisement Judge Anthony Halpin convicted him in his absence and issued a bench warrant to bring him before the court to be sentenced. He faces prosecution under the Animal Health and Welfare Act. It follows an inspection by the Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA), which had to retrain the seven-year-old dog since renamed Delilah before she could be placed in a new home. DSPCA inspector Shane Lawlor told prosecutor Danny Comerford BL that he went to the property on April 16th last year following an allegation that the dog was cruelly treated. Advertisement There was no one there when he arrived, and he found that the large Dobermann, weighing 45kg, was kept in a six-foot by six-foot cage with a makeshift kennel inside and a broken shelter. The enclosure was covered in faeces and "the smell was extremely overpowering." There was no clean water, and the dog came out of her kennel "very scared" and was suffering mentally. He described the Dobermann as "whale-eyed," a term to describe a frightened and nervous dog. The enclosure was covered in faeces and 'the smell was extremely overpowering', the court was told. Photo: DSPCA She was "pacing around, constantly standing in her own faeces, nowhere to sit or eat without standing or lying in her own waste." The conditions inside her kennel were the same. Advertisement The inspector told Mr Comerford that his chief concern was that the animal had nowhere to move and was very scared. She looked malnourished and had inadequate shelter or space to express her behaviour. The accused agreed to surrender the dog. Ireland Judge orders 'destruction' of XL Bully dogs owned... Read More The DSPCA witness said a Dobermann, as an intelligent breed, responds well to training, but this dog was left "to waste away." That can lead to boredom and aggression, and it took the DSPCA just over six months to correct her behaviour before she could be re-homed. The court heard Vynsiauskas told him that he had "no time" to look after or let the dog out. The judge also noted she was not micro-chipped, the owner had no licence, and she had never been brought to a vet. Photos of the dog's living conditions were furnished to the court. The accused could face a €5,000 fine and six-month imprisonment.
BreakingNews.ie
26-05-2025
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
Boots Ireland found guilty of misleading Black Friday discounts
Boots Ireland has admitted breaking pricing laws during a 2023 Black Friday sale, triggering a Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) investigation. The retail giant was summoned to appear before Judge Anthony Halpin at Dublin District Court on Monday, with the case centred on electric toothbrushes and perfume. Advertisement It was prosecuted under a law that compelled traders to base any discount on the lowest price in at least the previous 30 days and to display this price clearly on any price tag or advertisement. The case centred on Oral-B toothbrushes. Noting that the wrongly advertised price information stemmed from "human error", the firm's lack of prior convictions and its guilty plea, Judge Halpin said Boots could avoid a court conviction. He adjourned the case until June 26th, saying that if it paid €4,624 toward the CCPC costs and €1,000 to the Little Flower Penny Dinners charity, he would apply the Probation of Offender's Act. It was among the first batch of prosecutions under new sales pricing rules introduced in 2022. Advertisement Cathal Ó Braonáin BL, for the competition regulator, said the offence arises when a retailer announces a reduced selling cost without announcing the product's prior price, which must be the lowest offered by that trader in the preceding 30 days. Boots Ireland pleaded guilty to a sample count, with two others withdrawn. Counsel explained that a proposal was accepted on the basis that the company would pay costs and the court would hear facts on all three charges. Mr Ó Braonáin said CCPC authorised officer David Mulholland was tasked with overseeing and managing traders' price reduction announcements on their websites for the November 17th, 2023, Black Friday sale. Data collected from Boots revealed there had been three breaches. Advertisement The first involved a black limited edition Oral-B iO 10 electric toothbrush, which was advertised for sale at €470, and the prior price indicated was €999.99. The date of the reduction announcement was November 16th, 2023, but that was not the lowest price applied to the product over the previous 30 days. Judge Halpin heard that from November 11 – 14th, it was offered for sale at €470, the same price, so €999.99 was not the correct prior price. The next item was another Oral B electric toothbrush advertised on November 16 for €240, with the indicated prior sale price being €590.99. However, from November 9th – 14th, it was offered at a lower cost of €228. Advertisement The final charge involved the sale of Dior Eau de Toilette at €104 when the previous price indicated was €123, but it had been offered at a lower cost of €94 earlier that month. Boots' solicitor, Eoin Mac Aodha, pleaded for leniency, telling Judge Halpin that it was a human error and the firm was remorseful. He stressed that there were about 104,000 products on promotion on Black Friday, and these offences represented a tiny number of items on sale. A full review of internal processes has since taken place, and guidance, protocols, and governance have been updated. Advertisement Mr MacAodha submitted that Boots was happy to make a charitable donation and to pay costs. Judge Halpin remarked that Boots was a very reputable firm in Ireland with branches and employees throughout the country, and he noted a senior compliance officer from the company had travelled over from the UK to attend the proceedings. The charge came under the European Union (Requirements to Indicate Product Prices) (Amendment) Regulations introduced in November 2022. Lifestyle Sports (Ireland), DID Electrical Appliances, Rath-Wood Home and Garden World pleaded guilty to the same charges on March 10th. On Monday, Judge Halpin noted they had each paid €1,000 to the Little Flower Penny Dinners and the costs of the CCPC; consequently, he spared them convictions and applied the Probation of Offenders Act in their cases.
