Carlow, Ireland – An Irish man, Ben Curry, of 29 Cill An Oir, Graiguecullen, appeared today before Mullingar’s Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to a case involving a violent incident at Dublin Gate Street in Athlone, Westmeath. Curry, along with three other males, was charged with committing violent disorder.
During the court appearance, Curry’s defense barrister indicated his client’s intention to enter a guilty plea. Despite being in custody, Curry was given an ‘alibi warning’ by Judge Deirdre Gearty, allowing him 14 days to notify the State if he intends to rely on an alibi during the trial.
Following this warning, Curry later appeared before Judge Kenneth Connolly and formally entered a guilty plea. He was remanded back into custody for sentencing on June 25 for the unrelated attacks on two women in Athlone the previous year.
The court had previously heard that Curry had pleaded guilty to both charges, as well as criminal damage resulting from the first assault and robbery of his second victim’s €900 Iphone. The details of the attacks were described in court, with Curry carrying out violent assaults on both women in separate incidents.
Judge Keenan Johnson noted that both incidents occurred while Curry was on bail and indicated that any sentences handed down would have to run consecutively. An indicative sentence of seven years was proposed, which would be backdated to Curry’s initial custody date. The court also considered Curry’s engagement with medical professionals and mandated treatment programs as conditions for a potential suspended sentence.
Curry was remanded in custody to June 25, where he will face sentencing for the violent disorder charge. The court will consider the probation report’s findings before imposing the indicative sentence.