Case No. 1317Theft (accommodation fraud) · Co. Dublin · 27 Jul 2022
Man and woman plead guilty to theft in accommodation fraud against international students in south Dublin
Michael Ward, 33, and Melissa Collins, 26, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to theft counts arising from an accommodation fraud against a number of international students in south Dublin. A sentence date of 24 November 2025 was set.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrestednot reported
- Chargednot reported
- In courtnot reported
- Convicted15 Jul
- Sentenced15 Jul
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet
Key facts
consolidated from all reports24 statements extracted from the articles
- whatRichard Brennan is 64 years old (dublinlive.ie)
- whatCatherine Wrightstone is 54 years old (dublinlive.ie)
- whatThe case involves accommodation fraud against a number of international students in South Dublin. (irishtimes.com)
- whereRichard Brennan was previously of Rathfarnham (dublinlive.ie)
- whereRichard Brennan is now living in the United States (dublinlive.ie)
- whenThe abuse began when Catherine was 9 and Richard was 19 (dublinlive.ie)
- whenThe abuse continued for many years (dublinlive.ie)
- investigationCatherine reported the abuse to Garda Siochana in 2019 (dublinlive.ie)
- investigationDetective Sergeants Neill Fogarty and Kevin Drennan and Detective Joanne Grogan worked the case (dublinlive.ie)
- chargeRichard Brennan pleaded guilty to 24 counts against his three sisters (dublinlive.ie)
- chargeThe charges included 18 counts of indecent assault (dublinlive.ie)
- chargeThe charges included six counts of rape (dublinlive.ie)
- chargeMichael Ward pleaded guilty to one count of stealing €1,800 from a bank account between 9 and 18 September 2022. (irishtimes.com)
- chargeMelissa Collins pleaded guilty to one count of stealing €600 from a bank account on 27 July 2022. (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe case was heard at the Central Criminal Court (dublinlive.ie)
- courtThe pair appeared before Dublin Circuit Criminal Court where their case was listed for trial. (irishtimes.com)
- courtA sentence date of 24 November was set. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceRichard Brennan was jailed for eight years (dublinlive.ie)
- otherCatherine first broke her silence at age 12 (dublinlive.ie)
- otherThe legal process took six years (dublinlive.ie)
- otherCatherine Wrightstone is a licensed psychotherapist (dublinlive.ie)
- otherCatherine's marriage of almost 30 years was negatively impacted by flashbacks (dublinlive.ie)
- otherPaula Fay and Yvonne Crist were also abused by their brother Bernard Brennan (dublinlive.ie)
- otherAn agreement was reached in which the pair would enter guilty pleas acceptable to the DPP. (irishtimes.com)
The reporting
newest first- 15 Jul2025Man and woman admit accommodation fraud against international students in south Dublin
Guilty pleas entered at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court; sentence deferred to 24 November 2025 pending full facts.
accused, Michael Ward, 33, male, named, irish (judged from name)Michael Wardaccused, Melissa Collins, 26, female, named, irish (judged from name)Melissa Collins - 15 Jul2025Sisters of former priest jailed for abusing them open up on lasting trauma
Publishes the full victim impact statements from the three sisters read at sentencing, detailing the long-term psychological, relational, physical and existential impact of the abuse and the six-year legal process.
convicted, Richard Brennan, 64, male, named, irish (judged from name)Richard Brennanvictim, Catherine Wrightstone, 54, female, irish (judged from name)Catherine Wrightstonevictim, Paula Fay, female, irish (judged from name)Paula Fayvictim, Yvonne Crist, female, irish (judged from name)Yvonne Crist