Private Prosecutions Ireland

Call Directions Website Contact the school

Private Prosecutions Ireland Empowering and supporting the people of Ireland to exercise their rights in the pursuit of justice in our courts of law.

Private Prosecutions Ireland is a non-profit organisation that offers a legal & consulting service that specializes in initiating court proceedings against individuals working for the Irish state when they fail to provide the protection and rights guaranteed by the Irish Constitution. The service helps the People of Ireland to gather evidence, identify the specific sections of law that have been broken, and commence both criminal and civil proceedings in the Irish courts. The goal of the service is to exercise the rights of the Irish people in strengthening the Irish Constitutional Republic by holding state employees accountable for their wrongful acts. The right of private prosecution is recognized in Irish law as an important constitutional safeguard and is endorsed by the High Court of Ireland

13/10/2026

My judicial review has been issued. It raises an issue of fundamental importance for citizens and everyone living in Ireland.

When a person is charged with an offence contrary to a specific section of law, the Director of Public Prosecutions and Garda members must identify the specific conduct alleged—the essential factual allegation.

That allows the accused to understand and answer the allegation, and the court to determine whether the alleged conduct, if proved, satisfies each element of the offence.

A statutory label alone does not explain what a person is alleged to have done. The conduct must be identified, the evidence examined, and the law applied to the facts.

This matters to everyone who comes before our courts. Our fundamental rights must have practical meaning in the administration of justice.

Judicial Review 👇
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MWeOaiYPIuGZmCE9WcxD50ow9xbzpr_J/view?usp=sharing

On 14 October, I attended the Central Office of the High Court intending to effect arrests without warrants which I main...
13/10/2026

On 14 October, I attended the Central Office of the High Court intending to effect arrests without warrants which I maintain were lawful under section 4 of the Criminal Law Act 1997. Charge sheets were waiting at Bridewell Garda Station for the three accused: Duffy, Shortall and Samuel.

Outside the Central Office, a senior Garda officer from Bridewell pleaded with me not to effect the arrests. He urged me instead to appear before Judge Brian Cregan, who was sitting in Court 2 of the Four Courts.

I followed his request. Judge Cregan read all my affidavits, accepted the affidavits and ex parte dockets, and made two orders confirming that no fee was payable. The matters concerned criminal matters and personal liberty—the grounds on which I maintained that no court fee was payable at that time.

On 11 October 2024, my personal liberty was restricted. I maintain that Shortall, Duffy and Samuel caused Magdelina and other members of An Garda Síochána to detain me without lawful authority.

I am still seeking justice.

The Facts Don’t Lie.

On 11 November 2024, I attended the Central Office of the High Court for a scheduled appointment to file an affidavit, f...
13/10/2026

On 11 November 2024, I attended the Central Office of the High Court for a scheduled appointment to file an affidavit, following a High Court order from Judge David Holland.

On my entry into the Central Office, Kim Duffy and Garda George Magdelina attacked me as I attempted to enter. Duffy remained behind the locked door of the Central Office—a public office—while Magdelina stood guard outside and prevented me from filing my affidavit.

Magdelina subsequently pleaded guilty to assaulting his daughter. The published report describes him punching her in the face.

These are individuals who were entrusted with serving members of the public within the Four Courts. I am making my experience public because people entering our courts to exercise their fundamental rights deserve protection, respect and access to justice.

An attack on someone seeking to exercise those rights has consequences beyond that individual. It sends a message to others who are prepared to stand up and seek accountability. We must be able to use our courts without violence or intimidation.

I have commenced High Court proceedings concerning what happened to me under record number H.P.2025.0006367. I will continue to pursue accountability.

Two Years Seeking JusticeOn 11 October 2024, I attended the Central Office of the High Court to file an affidavit concer...
13/10/2026

Two Years Seeking Justice

On 11 October 2024, I attended the Central Office of the High Court to file an affidavit concerning alleged statutory offences by BrĂ­dĂ­n Concannon, County Registrar for Westmeath, and Maria Browne, Chief State Solicitor.

Kim Duffy, a manager in the Central Office, Colin Shorhall, a civil servant in that office, and another staff member who identified themselves only as Samuel refused to accept the affidavit. They told me that a filing fee was required. My position is that no fee was due and that their refusal breached their statutory duty.

Those three Courts Service staff members locked down the Central Office and called Garda George Magdelina. I allege that he & other Garda members assaulted me, arrested me and detained me in a holding cell at Bridewell Garda Station for approximately three hours.

My complaint is that these events amounted to false imprisonment contrary to section 15 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997: my personal liberty was unlawfully restricted following the refusal to accept my affidavit and the assertion that a filing fee was required.

For two years, I have been seeking justice and accountability. Judge Brian Cregan has refused my request for disclosure of the Central Office CCTV. He has also issued orders restricting the steps I can take against those involved, including arrest without a warrant. I challenge those orders and their effect on my efforts to obtain justice.

I continue to seek disclosure of the evidence and a determination of my allegations in accordance with law.

Today I’m publishing my High Court judicial review papers, the Statement of Grounds and the Verifying Affidavit, so anyo...
11/10/2026

Today I’m publishing my High Court judicial review papers, the Statement of Grounds and the Verifying Affidavit, so anyone in Ireland can see how a judicial review begins.

I was charged on three charge sheets that state no words I’m alleged to have said and no acts I’m alleged to have done. I asked the District Court to amend them to state the facts. It refused to hear my application, so I’m going to the High Court.

This concerns all of us. When Garda members charge someone, the charge sheet must state the essential factual allegations, not just a section number and an offence code. You can’t defend yourself against facts you haven’t been told.

In the article I explain the process step by step, including the President of the High Court’s Practice Direction HC138, and the fact that a judicial review in a criminal case costs nothing to file. I file on Friday 16 October and move the application on Monday 19 October.

Read it and share it.
The courts are open to all of us: 👇

https://patrickmcgreal.substack.com/p/why-every-charge-sheet-in-ireland



Unlawfully Detained? The Minister for Justice Has Removed the Court Fee BarrierPersonal liberty is a fundamental right. ...
10/10/2026

Unlawfully Detained?

The Minister for Justice Has Removed the Court Fee Barrier

Personal liberty is a fundamental right. Unlawful detention is not confined to prison cells, Garda stations or locked institutions. It can arise anywhere a person's freedom is unlawfully restricted.

Section 15 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997 defines false imprisonment to include intentionally or recklessly taking, detaining, causing the detention of, or otherwise restricting another person's personal liberty without consent.

Importantly, section 15(2) recognises that consent obtained through force, threats of force or deception causing a person to believe they are legally compelled to consent is not genuine consent.

This protection has particular significance for children unlawfully deprived of their liberty while in Tusla care, vulnerable people unlawfully confined in nursing homes, prisoners detained without lawful authority, and victims of domestic violence whose freedom to leave their homes is restricted through threats of force.

The essential question is whether a person is being deprived of their liberty and whether that deprivation is authorised by law.

Since 11 September 2026, S.I. No. 465 of 2026, made by the Minister for Justice, provides an exemption from court fees for proceedings under Article 40.4 of the Constitution where the person concerned is alleged to be unlawfully detained at the time the proceedings are brought.

Crucially, Article 40.4.2 permits a complaint to be made to the High Court by or on behalf of any person. It is not restricted to Irish citizens. Children, adults, Irish citizens and non-citizens can invoke this constitutional procedure.

The exemption concerns court fees, not necessarily legal representation or other litigation costs. It is available where the proceedings meet the statutory conditions, not merely because a person is in care, in prison or experiencing domestic violence.

A person alleging current unlawful detention, or someone acting on their behalf, can seek the protection of the High Court without the barrier of the applicable court filing fees.

No person's liberty should depend on their ability to pay a court fee to challenge an allegedly unlawful detention.

Read the law. Know your rights. Stand on them.

S.I. No. 465/2026:
irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2026/si/46…

Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997, section 15:
irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1997/act/2…

When I enter a court of law to vindicate my fundamental rights, I engage the full machinery of the administration of jus...
10/10/2026

When I enter a court of law to vindicate my fundamental rights, I engage the full machinery of the administration of justice.

Judges, senior counsel, junior counsel, solicitors, registrars and stenographers all become part of a judicial process in which my voice is heard, my arguments are examined, and my words are preserved in the official record of the proceedings.

That is an extraordinary exercise of individual rights.

I am entitled to express myself through conversation, public demonstration and social media, and I do. But in my opinion, one of the most powerful ways to exercise our fundamental rights is to stand before a court of law and place our words, arguments and objections on the record.

Litigation is not simply about winning or losing. It is about exercising rights, holding institutions to account through lawful proceedings, and contributing to a judicial record that can endure for generations.

Long after the conversations have ended and the social media posts have disappeared, the record of the proceedings remains.

That is the legacy of litigation.

Our words become part of the history of the administration of justice.

10/10/2026

The Right to Be Informed of the Accusation and to Have Adequate Time to Prepare a Defence

Under the European Convention on Human Rights, given effect in Irish law by the European Convention on Human Rights Act 2003, every person facing a criminal accusation is entitled to the fundamental protections of a fair trial. These include the right to be informed in detail of the nature and cause of the accusation and the right to adequate time and facilities to prepare a defence.

Article 6(3)(a) of the Convention guarantees the right of every person charged with a criminal offence to be informed promptly, in a language they understand and in detail, of the nature and cause of the accusation against them. This requires that the accused receive sufficient information to understand the substance of the allegation and the case they are required to answer, including the factual conduct alleged and the legal basis upon which that conduct is said to constitute an offence.

The factual allegation and the applicable statutory provision serve distinct but interconnected purposes. The statutory provision identifies the legal rule allegedly contravened, while the factual allegation identifies the conduct said to have breached that rule. The accused must be able to understand what they are alleged to have done and how that conduct is said to engage the relevant provision of law. Merely naming an offence or citing a statutory provision may not, in the circumstances of a particular case, provide sufficient detail to communicate the substance of the accusation.

Article 6(3)(b) further guarantees the right to adequate time and facilities for the preparation of a defence. This requires a meaningful opportunity to consider the allegation, examine the available evidence, obtain legal advice where appropriate, identify relevant witnesses and evidence, and prepare a response to the case being advanced.

These rights are intrinsically connected. An accused person cannot properly prepare a defence without first being adequately informed of the accusation they must answer. Where the substance of the allegation has not been sufficiently communicated, or the necessary information has not been provided in adequate time, the accused may be prevented from understanding the case against them and preparing an effective defence. The adequacy of the information provided and the time available for preparation must therefore be considered in the context of the right to a fair trial.

The European Convention on Human Rights Act 2003 reinforces these protections within the Irish legal system. Section 2 requires courts, insofar as possible, to interpret and apply statutory provisions compatibly with the State's obligations under the Convention. Section 3(1) requires every organ of the State, subject to the provisions of the Act and other applicable law, to perform its functions compatibly with those obligations.

The fundamental principle is that every accused person must be afforded a genuine and meaningful opportunity to understand, answer and defend against the accusation made against them. The right to a fair trial requires more than notification of the name of an offence. It encompasses the right to be informed in sufficient detail of the nature and cause of the accusation and to have adequate time and facilities to prepare a defence. These protections must be applied in accordance with the Convention, the European Convention on Human Rights Act 2003, and the applicable requirements of Irish criminal law and procedure.


10/10/2026

This 60-second movie exposes how criminal prosecutions are brought before our District Courts using pre-approved offence wording in place of essential factual accusations. This process is not in accordance with law and is not in due course of law.

Holding the DPP, Garda Commissioner and District Court judges accountableIreland's criminal courts are processing an ext...
10/10/2026

Holding the DPP, Garda Commissioner and District Court judges accountable

Ireland's criminal courts are processing an extraordinary volume of prosecutions, more than twice the European median for incoming criminal cases. I am exposing a serious failure in our justice system: Garda members bringing charge sheets and summonses before our courts containing statutory offence wording, legal definitions and conclusions, without identifying the actual conduct alleged to constitute a criminal offence.

The same problem extends to preferred indictments. District Court judges are enabling this practice when they fail to hold prosecuting authorities accountable to the rules of court and the requirements of due process.

Yesterday, 9 October 2026, I appeared before Judge John Hughes in the Dublin Metropolitan District Court. He stated that some judges handle up to 200 cases daily and that his annual caseload is approximately 15,000. He referred to "my court" and "my list". But judicial jurisdiction is conferred by law, not by a judge's personal preferences. Judges must discharge their judicial function in accordance with the Constitution and legislation.

I am holding the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Garda Commissioner and District Court judges accountable.

I will use my own proceedings in Dublin Metropolitan District Court and Mullingar District Court to publicly demonstrate the abuses of criminal process I am challenging and how these practices violate the fundamental rights of citizens and people living in Ireland. Their consequences can extend all the way to the Central Criminal Court.

I intend to seek judicial review arising from yesterday's proceedings and obtain the Digital Audio Recording to examine what occurred and bring it to public attention, subject to legal restrictions.

Our courts are not conveyor belts for prosecutions. A legal conclusion is not a factual accusation. Judges must administer justice in due course of law, not merely process defective documents.

Address

Four Courts
Dublin

Opening Hours

Monday 7am - 9pm
Tuesday 7am - 9pm
Wednesday 7am - 9pm
Thursday 7am - 9pm
Friday 7am - 9pm
Saturday 7am - 9pm
Sunday 7am - 9pm

Telephone

+353852050563

Website

, , ,

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Private Prosecutions Ireland posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The School

Send a message to Private Prosecutions Ireland:

Shortcuts

Sponsored

Share

Category