Prominent criminal defence lawyer Martin Giblin dies aged 73
Mr Giblin was an expert on extradition law. He represented Ian Bailey in his successful 2012 Supreme Court appeal against an order for his extradition to France in connection with an investigation into the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier in west Cork in 1996. Bailey, who died last January, always denied involvement in the murder.
Mr Giblin also defended Osgur Breathnach, who received State compensation after his conviction for the 1976 Sallins mail train robbery was overturned in 1980 on appeal on the basis that statements were taken from him under duress.
Mr Breathnach and two others accused of the robbery alleged they signed statements after being beaten by gardaí during interrogations.
READ MORE
Mr Giblin represented members of the McBrearty family in Co Donegal, whose treatment by gardaí was among matters inquired into by the Morris tribunal, established in 2002 on foot of complaints about activities of some gardaí in the Donegal division in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Mr Giblin acted for Frank McBrearty jnr following the false identification of him and his cousin Mark McConnell as the main suspects concerning the 1996 death of a cattle dealer, Richie Barron. Gardaí wrongly treated Barron's death, following a hit-and-run incident, as a murder inquiry and the tribunal described the subsequent investigation as 'an extraordinary shambles'.
Frank McBrearty jnr received a €1.5 million settlement for wrongful arrest and a State apology following negotiations with the State in which Mr Giblin played a central role.
Mr Giblin was called to the Bar in 1974. He was a native of Dublin and became a senior counsel in 1996, specialising in criminal defence work.
During the 1970s, he represented several women who opposed the renewal of licences for 'men only' bars and pubs refusing to serve women.
He was a senior member of the legal team representing the Irish Haemophilia Society at the Lindsay tribunal, established in 1999 to investigate the infection of haemophiliacs with hepatitis C and HIV through contaminated blood products supplied by the Blood Transfusion Service Board.
Mr Giblin was among several lawyers who came together in 2004 to protest against the visit of then US president George Bush to Ireland. The protest was over the United States's involvement in the Iraq War.
Mr Giblin, who had suffered illness in recent years, died in Dublin on Friday, surrounded by his family.
He is survived by his wife Maura, sons Cian, Fergus, Cillian and Ruaidhrí, four grandchildren, his sisters Anne and Bridget and extended family.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sunday World
4 hours ago
- Sunday World
Death of man found in Carrick-on-Suir home being treated as suspicious
Ian Walsh (49) was found in a pool of blood in his Carrick-on-Suir home Gardaí are treating as suspicious the death of a middle-aged man who was found in a pool of blood in his Tipperary home. Named locally as Ian Walsh (49), he was found at a property in Carrick-on-Suir, in south Tipperary, early yesterday morning when family members and neighbours went to check on him after becoming concerned for his welfare. It is understood he had not been seen locally for two or three days. He had kept an appointment with family and friends every Sunday and relatives became concerned when they were unable to contact him despite repeated attempts. Mr Walsh was found unresponsive with visible marks and injuries to his body in a house off Cregg Road, in the north-eastern section of Carrick-on-Suir. It is thought he may have been dead for several hours. Gardaí were immediately alerted and attended the scene. Paramedics and a local GP were also notified. Mr Walsh was pronounced dead at the scene before being transferred to University Hospital Waterford (UHW). The nature of their investigation will be determined by the results of the post-mortem A post-mortem examination will be conducted at UHW. Gardaí said the nature of their investigation will be determined by the results of the post-mortem examination. However, garda sources said the death was being treated as suspicious pending the findings of the pathologist. Detectives want to clarify the precise circumstances in which Mr Walsh suffered the visible injuries – and who had visited his home over the previous 76 hours. The deceased is understood to have lived at the property for a considerable period of time. His family live in the Carrick-on-Suir area. Ian Walsh News in 90 Seconds - Tuesday, August 5th Mr Walsh worked in the public transport sector and was well known locally in Carrick-on-Suir and Clonmel. He was a lifelong rail enthusiast and had numerous friends within Irish Rail. Friends expressed shock at his death and hailed him as someone who was known and respected in rail and coach circles, from Dublin to Cork and Waterford. Tributes have been paid to Mr Walsh by rail and tourism groups. Táilte Tours said Mr Walsh had been of enormous support to them over the years - and had run several rail heritage tours of his own. "It is with great sadness that the Táilte Tours team has learnt of the passing of Ian Walsh, signaller at Cork station and a huge supporter of our rail tour operation," the tour group posted on social media. Ian Walsh "Ian ran five rail tours of his own over the course of the mid to late 2000s, and was very much a pioneer in 'outside the box' tours in Ireland, starting them from locations such as Waterford and Limerick, in an era when tours were generally based in Dublin or Belfast. "He was more than happy to pass his experience and expertise on when we started operations a few years ago; for those of who enjoyed the 'surprise' rare track moves on our Cork-based rail tours, you can thank Ian, who went far beyond the extra mile to ensure our operations went off without a hitch. "He had a wonderful knowledge of the Iarnród Éireann system and its people, and had also developed a passion for Bus Éireann operations, diligently recording the last runs on several rural routes in the south east as they disappeared, quickly becoming a friend to bus drivers in the Cork and Waterford areas. "All at Táilte Tours would like to extend our condolences to his family and friends." He was also very involved in sports and was said to be a keen cyclist and walker, careful to maintain his own fitness. Gardaí have preserved the scene to allow for a full forensic and technical examination. The Garda Technical Bureau has been notified and door-to-door inquiries will be conducted to determine Mr Walsh's last-known movements. Officers are also keen to determine if anyone heard or saw anything suspicious in the area over the previous 76 hours. Gardaí will also check CCTV security camera footage from residential properties and businesses in the town to determine any movements to and from Cregg Road.
Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Irish Times
State officials begin training to deal with radicalised criminals
The Probation Service has begun training staff to deal with radicalised criminals engaged in violent extremism. This includes sending staff to participate in the European Commission's Radicalisation Awareness Network (Ran), where experts share tactics and best practices in responding to the increasing problem of politically motivated violent extremism across the EU. In its annual report for 2024, the Probation Service – an agency within the Department of Justice dealing with offenders – said that while cases involving radicalisation are 'relatively new and extremely rare' it has taken steps to develop capacity in this area. One of the most high-profile examples involved the attempted murder of an Army chaplain in August 2024 by a 17-year-old boy. Last April, the teen was jailed for eight years for the knife attack on Fr Paul Murphy at Renmore Barracks in Galway on August 15th, 2024. The teenager was a supporter of the Islamic State terror group, having become radicalised online. Mr Justice Paul McDermott ordered the child to undergo a deradicalisation programme under the direction of the Probation Service while issuing a stark warning about the growth in violent extremism among young people. 'In the modern world, vulnerable and highly impressionable and otherwise intelligent teenagers can be the object of dangerous, manipulative, false and malicious propaganda by terrorists or other dangerous elements in society,' the judge said. He said impressionable children are 'relatively easy prey for fanatical propagandists'. Overall, the Probation Service dealt with a record number of referrals in 2024. It was involved in the supervision of 17,150 people, a 10 per cent increase since 2020. Much of this was driven by an increase in community service orders being issued by judges instead of prison. More than 222,200 hours of community service were ordered last year, a 6.8 per cent increase on the previous year. There was also a 10 per cent increased in cases involving child offenders, with 609 being referred to the Probation Service. This is higher than any other year since 2015. The service detailed the establishment of a project specifically targeting 12- to 24-year-olds engaged in crime in Dublin's north inner city. The initiative, know as the Diamond Project, was set up following a number of high-profile, unprovoked attacks in the city, including the assault of US tourist Stephen Termini by a group of teens in July 2023. 'Its mission is to work therapeutically with the young people in question, and their families, to address intergenerational trauma and adverse childhood experiences,' the Probation Service said. Twenty young people took part in the project last year. The service has also established a Judicial Engagement Plan to promote its work among judges and encourage them 'to reserve imprisonment as a last resort.' This comes amid severe prison overcrowding and an increase in judges sentencing offenders to short prison terms. [ Prison service embarks on €400m building project to ease overcrowding Opens in new window ] Under the plan, the Probation Service is working to ensure judges understand what community-based sanctions it can offer and 'replace ad-hoc, regionally inconsistent practices with a structured framework for dialogue, feedback and accountability'. It also set a joint goal with the Irish Prison Service to 'maximise' the use of community-based punishments 'as an alternative to custody and as an early release mechanism that promotes public safety'. Elsewhere, the Probation Service supervised 129 offenders in the community who had been released from life sentences. It also supervised just over 620 sex offenders in the community.
Irish Times
6 hours ago
- Irish Times
More than 100 retailers found non-compliant with laws on sale of vapes
More than 100 retailers across the country were found to be non-compliant with laws around the sale of vapes to children over the past 18 months, according to new Health Service Executive (HSE) figures. It has been illegal since December 22nd, 2023, to sell nicotine-inhaling products such as e-cigarettes – more commonly known as vapes – to children under the age of 18. Under the law, a person can be fined up to €4,000, as well as facing up to six months imprisonment. The HSE's National Environmental Health Service monitors compliance with the legislation through an annual test-purchase inspection programme. READ MORE Last year, the service conducted 389 test purchase inspections. Of those, some 52 were found to be non-compliant – where one of these products was sold to a child. In the first six months of this year, 310 inspections were carried out, of which 50 were found to be non-compliant. Of the 52 non-compliant inspections found in 2024, 19 proceedings have been heard to date in the District Court . Twelve of those cases resulted in a conviction with a fine, the number of cases in which the probation Act was applied was six and one case was struck out, withdrawn or dismissed by the court. The HSE said other proceedings were 'still in train', while proceedings relating to non-compliances identified this year are expected to be heard in 2026. The figures were released to Social Democrats TD Aidan Farrelly, who said: 'We need to make sure the enforcement works. 'You can see the level of inspections in the first half of this year is almost at the same level as all of last year. But what I'm looking at is the number of non-compliances versus prosecutions. 'The numbers [of prosecutions] are very low. I understand the court system could have much more pressing issues, but a law is only as strong as its enforceability. We have to make sure retailers are complying.' Mark Murphy, senior policy manager at the Irish Heart Foundation , said it was 'absolutely imperative' the ban on the sale of vapes to children is enforced. 'Vapes are not harm-free and evidence shows that e-cigarettes can damage the brain, heart, lungs and even blood vessels. Moreover, e-cigarettes contain nicotine, one of the most addictive substances on the planet,' he said. 'And medical research shows that the younger you are when you start using nicotine, the more likely you are to become addicted.' Ireland intends to increase the legal age of sale of cigarettes from 18 to 21 in 2028, but Mr Murphy has called for this to be extended to e-cigarettes to 'protect children from ever taking up vaping'. Last year, the Government approved plans to ban the manufacture or import of single-use or disposable vapes in Ireland and to limit vape flavours, coloured packaging and descriptions, as well as the level of advertising of such products.
