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Case Studies | LawEd
Case Studies
When Young People
Didn't Know the Law
Real cases from Ireland and beyond where a lack of legal knowledge led to serious consequences. Criminal records, job losses, lives changed permanently, and in some cases lives lost. This is why LawEd exists.
240+
Coco's Law prosecutions since 2021
7 years
Maximum prison sentence for sharing intimate images
51%
Of young people didn't know threatening to share an image was a crime
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Digital Law · Featured Case
Coco's Law, The Case That Changed Irish Law
Nicole "Coco" Fox Fenlon took her own life in 2018 after intimate images were shared without her consent and years of relentless online bullying. At the time, there was no Irish legislation that could hold her abusers accountable. Her mother campaigned to change that. In 2021, the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act, known as Coco's Law, was enacted.
Legal Outcome
Up to 7 years imprisonment for sharing intimate images without consent. Threatening to share images is also now a criminal offence, even if images are never actually shared.

Sharing intimate images without consent carries up to 7 years imprisonment and an unlimited fine. The law applies to private messages, group chats and direct messages, not just public posts. Threatening to share images is also a criminal offence even if images are never sent.

Legal Impact

240+ prosecutions since 2021. Charges rising year on year, 22 in 2021, 95 in 2022, 113 in 2023. Perpetrators have been convicted and imprisoned.

What LawEd Teaches

Students learn exactly what Coco's Law covers, what counts as an intimate image, and why "it was just a private message" is not a legal defence.

When Coco was being bullied, her abusers believed there were no consequences for online harassment. A generation of young people now knows that isn't true, because Coco's Law exists. LawEd ensures every student understands exactly what the law covers before they find out the hard way.

7
Years maximum sentence under Coco's Law
Digital Law
AI isn't always safe
A 16-year-old boy, Adam Raine, had been using an AI chatbot to talk through personal struggles, including thoughts of suicide. He turned to the platform for emotional support, believing it could help him cope. Tragically, Adam later took his own life.
Legal Outcome
Adam's parents have brought a legal case against OpenAI, alleging that the chatbot provided harmful guidance during his time of distress.
What LawEd Teaches

Understanding the risks of artificial intelligence, digital safety, and why AI should never replace real-world support or trusted guidance.

Driving Law
One moment can change everything
A 16-year-old girl tragically lost her life after being struck by a scrambler bike in Dublin in January 2026. The incident highlighted the dangers of illegal scrambler use in public spaces and the serious risks these vehicles pose to both riders and pedestrians.
Legal Outcome
Following this tragedy, the Government introduced proposed legislation known as "Grace's Law," aimed at banning scrambler bikes from public spaces and strengthening Garda powers to seize and destroy illegal vehicles.
What LawEd Teaches

Driving laws, understanding the risks of illegal vehicle use, road safety awareness, and the serious legal consequences of using scramblers in public places.

Sports Law
It was just a tackle, or was it?
During an amateur football match, a player named Chapman made a dangerous tackle while challenging for the ball. The tackle caused his opponent to suffer a serious leg injury. Although the incident happened during play, the level of force used went beyond what is considered acceptable in sport.
Legal Outcome
Chapman was taken to court, where his actions were found to be "sufficiently grave," meaning they went beyond normal play and amounted to a criminal offence. He was sentenced to prison.
What LawEd Teaches

Understanding that consent in sport is limited, and that reckless or intentional actions, even during play, can lead to serious injury and criminal consequences.

Criminal Law
It wasn't physical, but it was control
Gabby Petito was in a relationship where her partner used ongoing patterns of control, manipulation, and intimidation. Over time, she became isolated from friends and family, blamed herself for problems in the relationship, and felt afraid to leave. Although much of this behaviour was not physical, it was a clear example of coercive control, a hidden form of abuse that can have devastating consequences. Gabby was later murdered by her partner in 2021.
Legal Reality
In Ireland coercive control is a criminal offence under the Domestic Violence Act 2018, with penalties of up to 5 years in prison.
What LawEd Teaches

How to recognise the warning signs of coercive control, understand that abuse is not always physical, and why awareness is critical in protecting yourself and others.

Digital Law
Screenshot shared in a group chat
A 16-year-old shared a screenshot of a private conversation in a WhatsApp group. What started as "just a joke" resulted in a Garda investigation under the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act.
Legal Outcome
Garda warning issued. Potential criminal record. Suspension from school.
What LawEd Teaches

Private communications have legal protection. Sharing them without consent can be a criminal offence regardless of intent or whether you thought it was funny.

Consent Law
"She didn't say no"
An 18-year-old believed that because his girlfriend didn't verbally object, consent was given. He didn't understand that under Irish law, consent must be freely, knowingly and actively given. Silence is not consent.
Legal Outcome
Charged under the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017. Conviction resulted in a sex offenders register entry affecting future employment and travel.
What LawEd Teaches

The legal definition of consent under Irish law. What it looks like, what it doesn't, and why passivity or silence is never enough.

Employment Law
Paid below minimum wage
A 17-year-old worked for 6 months below minimum wage. They didn't know their rights and were afraid to speak up. By the time a parent intervened, they had lost hundreds of euros.
Legal Outcome
WRC complaint filed. Employer ordered to pay back-wages plus a penalty. Also found in breach of break entitlements.
What LawEd Teaches

Minimum wage rates by age, break entitlements, and exactly how to make a WRC complaint. Speaking up is protected by law.

Criminal Law
A caution that closed doors
A 16-year-old received a Garda caution for shoplifting and thought nothing of it. Three years later it appeared in Garda vetting and blocked his career in childcare, with no appeals process available.
Legal Outcome
Caution remained on record. Career pathway in childcare permanently blocked. No appeals process available.
What LawEd Teaches

What Garda vetting checks and why even minor offences can have long-term career consequences across healthcare, education and childcare.

Drugs & Alcohol
"It was only one joint"
A 19-year-old was found with a small amount of cannabis at a festival. Two years later he was refused an Australian work visa because of his drugs conviction. Plans to work abroad permanently affected.
Legal Outcome
Criminal conviction under the Misuse of Drugs Act. Australian visa refused. UK visa applications also affected.
What LawEd Teaches

The real consequences of drug possession. Not just fines, but visas, careers and future opportunities that can be permanently closed off.

Digital Law
Online harassment campaign
Students set up anonymous accounts to post about a classmate. They believed anonymity protected them. Gardaí traced the accounts within days using IP addresses and social media platform data.
Legal Outcome
Three students referred to the Juvenile Diversion Programme. One narrowly avoided prosecution due to age. Parents and school notified.
What LawEd Teaches

Online anonymity is not legal protection. Harassment online carries the same consequences as harassment in person. Gardaí have full tracing capability.

Your students face these situations every day.
Give them the knowledge before the law catches up with them.
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