HR software giant Deel denies allegations in Irish ‘spy' case
Deel Inc, the multi-billion dollar HR software giant, has formally denied allegations of wrongdoing following claims it paid an Irish 'spy' within rival firm Rippling to pass on trade secrets.
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Sunday World
an hour ago
- Sunday World
Irish fugitive arrested in Thailand once claimed he founded the Gucci Gang
Lee Coleman, from Clusker Park, Navan, Co. Meath, who has convictions for offences including drug-dealing, assault, escaping lawful custody and harassing gardaí Lee Coleman is likely to be deported from Thailand and may be flown to the UK before being exradited to Ireland Irish fugitive Lee Coleman cried and claimed 'he didn't do anything' after he was arrested at his 'Breaking Bad Budz' cannabis dispensary while on the run in Thailand this week. Coleman, from Clusker Park, Navan, Co. Meath, who has convictions for offences including drug-dealing, assault, escaping lawful custody and harassing gardaí, has been on the run in the Far East since last year when several warrants were issued for his arrest here after he failed to attend court on various matters. Thai authorities said gardaí also want to charge the 25-year-old with further offences including drug dealing, assault and money-laundering on his return to Ireland. Lee Coleman is likely to be deported from Thailand and may be flown to the UK before being exradited to Ireland He has a long-running hatred of gardaí and has previously attacked and threatened officers, telling them he knew where they and their families lived and claimed he co-founded 'The Gucci Gang'. Coleman fled Ireland while before the courts on various matters and had been running a cannabis shop called 'Breaking Bad Budz' in Krabi on southern Thailand's west coast. Frightened The Meath man failed to keep a low profile while on the run and naively posted pictures of himself on social media outside the cannabis shop with the sign in the background. Thai authorities said they carried out a surveillance operation at the premises after they were tipped off by gardaí of his connection to the shop and arrested Coleman on Thursday when he turned up. A video of the arrest shows Coleman looking frightened as he cowers on the floor and tells police: 'I do nothing, I do nothing. No show me police.' Lee Coleman looking fearful after being arrested by Thai police Police Colonel, Sorathat Iamla-or, superintendent of Krabi Immigration, told local media that Coleman was arrested on immigration offences as he overstayed in Thailand by 415 days. He said: 'The suspect was charged with overstaying, which he acknowledged. 'We handed him over to the inquiry officer of Mueang Krabi Police Station for legal action according to Thai law. We also coordinated with the embassy for him to be extradited to Ireland.' Garda sources say his return home may be complicated as Ireland has no extradition treaty with Thailand. They said it would not be the case that he would be put on a plane with Thai officers and flown directly to Ireland to be handed over to gardaí. 'He has been detained for overstaying on his visa and will likely be deported – but he won't be extradited directly to Ireland. There are no direct flights so he will be given a ticket and put on a plane to somewhere else and might try and run from there,' a source said. 'If he was flown directly to Ireland, gardaí could be waiting for him when he got off, but that's not the case.' However, Coleman could potentially be flown directly to the UK and could be picked up by British police before being sent back to Ireland. Coleman has served prison sentences here for various offences, including drug-dealing after being caught multiple times with cannabis for sale or supply at his home in Clusker Park and at an address in Academy Square in Navan. He also received a five-year sentence with three-and-a-half years suspended in 2022 for a number of offences, including threatening two gardaí at Navan Garda Station on August 20, 2020. Families He had been arrested earlier that evening following an incident in the Blackcastle area and when he was brought back to the station he threatened gardaí and warned them he knew where they and their families lived. 'Gucci Gang' boss Glen Ward He continued to threaten and abuse gardaí when he was later brought to court and prison and repeatedly told them they didn't know who they were dealing with and claimed that he co-founded the Finglas-based 'Gucci Gang' run by Glen Ward. Coleman had also been involved in a violent disorder incident in Preston Place in Navan in February 21, 2019 and another violent disorder incident where up to 20 people in balaclavas gathered outside a house in Dunville Avenue in Johnstown and smashed windows on March 30, 2021. Coleman also posted pictures of a garda and the officer's partner on social media. Judge Terence O'Sullivan described Coleman as a significant and dangerous individual at his sentence hearing and jailed him for five years, with three-and-a-half suspended, when he appeared in court in May 2022. He was back before the courts again the following month for threatening and abusive behaviour over yet another incident where he warned officers that there would be 'repercussions for gardaí in Meath' and that he 'knew more' about the garda and made reference to his family. He was back before the courts yet again in September 2022 when he received an additional two months after being convicted of assaulting a garda and escaping from lawful custody at Navan Garda Station on April 2, 2021. He continued his involvement in crime after his release from prison and was caught with drugs again and arrested for driving while intoxicated, dangerous driving and criminal damage to the front bumper of a Garda car arising out of an incident at a petrol station in Ross Cross, Tara, Co. Meath on October 27, 2023. Absconded He was granted bail in relation to those offences but bench warrants were issued for his arrest after he failed to turn up in court and gardaí discovered he had fled to Thailand. Gardaí had also been investigating Coleman for other offences at the time he absconded and the Director of Public Prosecutions has directed he be charged in relation to those matters. Thai authorities claimed Lee was facing a litany of charges in Ireland for offences including drug-dealing, assault, money- laundering, theft, weapons possession, illegal detention, traffic offences and public disorder. Coleman did a poor job of hiding his location while on the run. He posted pictures of himself with pals outside his Breaking Bad Budz cannabis dispensary in the coastal town of Krabi which is popular with tourists. The shop displays the Irish tricolour and its sign features an image of the school-teacher-turned-drug-lord Walter White from the Breaking Bad TV series. Cannabis was decriminalised in Thailand in 2022 creating a booming industry with around 11,000 licensed dispensaries around the country opening up. However, the Thai government had brought in new legislation restricting the sale of cannabis to those with a prescription which came into effect the day before Coleman's arrest at his dispensary this week.
The Journal
2 hours ago
- The Journal
Flogging beef tongue and Irish whiskey: Taoiseach and ministers travel to Japan in major trade push
Christina Finn TAOISEACH MICHEÁL MARTIN is due to travel to Japan tomorrow, where he will visit Tokyo, Osaka, and Hiroshima. A total of six ministers, not including the Taoiseach, have travelled or are due to travel to Japan this year for a major charm offensive trade push amidst the threat of US tariffs. Enterprise Minister Peter Burke and Agriculture Minister Martin Heydon, Minister of State Hildegarde Naughton, Media Minister Patrick O'Donovan have already made the trip this year, with Higher Education Minister James Lawless heading there during the summer and Transport Minister Darragh O'Brien due to travel in the autumn. Japan is Ireland's second-largest trading partner in the Asia-Pacific region, with annual two-way trade totalling €21.5 billion. There is a big demand for some Irish produce, such as beef, Irish whiskey, seafood and grain products. Irish beef tongue 'very big' in Japan Irish beef tongue is 'very big' in Japan, said one official, who added that Donegal oysters and Flavins oatmeal are among highly-sought after commodities in Japan. Japan is the third biggest market for Irish whiskey and the market is growing. In 2020, 55,000 cases of Irish whiskey were sold to Japan, with 206,000 cases sold last year. Advertisement With the deadline for Europe to strike a trade deal with the US approaching, Ireland has been on the charm offensive with other nations in a bid to attempt to fill the gap of any trading holes that might emerge. Market diversification is the main show in town right now, said one official. Japan is a growing export market with over 300 Enterprise Ireland clients doing business in Japan and over 50 Irish companies having representations or presence in the country. The aim of the Ireland Japan 2025 programme is part of the government's high-level trade mission programme whereby ministers are tasked with showcasing Ireland's world-class agri-food sector. Food market, Osaka Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Japan, which has a population of 123 million people, holds lots of opportunities for Ireland, particularly when a cloud of uncertainty is on the horizon. The country gained access to Irish beef in 2013 and sheep-meat access in 2019. The Irish agri-food sector exported 34% dairy to Japan, along with 28% pig meat, 10% fish, 12% beverages and 6% animal feed. There is a big push in particular to sell Irish whiskey and gin to Japan. Expo 2025 Osaka As part of the Taoiseach's visit, Martin will attend the Ireland Pavilion at Expo 2025, which is a key part of the Ireland Japan 2025 programme. A year long series of activities at the Expo have been designed to increase Ireland's presence and visibility in Japan and this includes the opening of the new Ireland House. Related Reads 'Wait and see': Taoiseach says Trump's extension on tariff threat could stifle economic growth Trump says 50% tariffs on EU delayed until 9 July after 'very nice call' with von der Leyen Potential risk of differential tariff rates to all-island economy averted for now, Cabinet to hear Irish Pavilion at Osaka Expo 2025 Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo The overall approved budget for the programme is €16.8 million over the three years from 2023 to 2026. Tánaiste Simon Harris has said Ireland completed its pavilion on time and within budget. Designed by Office of Public Works architects, the Ireland Pavilion is inspired by the ancient Celtic motif of the triskele. The Ireland Pavilion serves as a hub for Irish organisations, Team Ireland and the diaspora, and involves an immersive visitor experience. It is expected that Expo will attract approximately 28 million visitors, with the government hoping its participation in the Expo will provide a platform for public diplomacy for Ireland. 'Ireland can still remain relatively unknown among the wider Japanese public. The Ireland pavilion has been operating at maximum capacity on a daily basis. We reckon that in excess of six million visitors have attended Expo already,' Tánaiste Simon Harris has said. As part of the Taoiseach's trip next week, he will also visit the Peace Memorial Park and Museum at Hiroshima to mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima City and Nagasaki City by the United States in 1945. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Extra.ie
2 hours ago
- Extra.ie
'Ogre' paedophile was left to prey on children in Africa as his Irish crimes were covered up
A lifelong predatory paedophile was left free to prey on children in Africa for decades as his superiors in Ireland covered up his crimes back home, an investigation reveals. Brother Aidan Clohessy, 85, was described by a judge this week as 'an ogre' who 'secretly carried out atrocities' in Ireland while being sentenced to more than five years in prison. In mitigation, lawyers for the former school principal told Dublin Central Criminal Court that Clohessy led a mission in Malawi to develop 'mental health services'. Pic: Colin Keegan, Collins, Dublin. However, can reveal that, in the lead-up to his prosecution, Clohessy's superiors in the St John of God order spent more than €3million on settling civil cases. These cases involve ex-pupils of Clohessy in Dublin and former street children in Malawi in southeastern Africa. Up to 20 cases from Malawi have been settled and a similar amount are pending. All settlements were made without any admission of liability. Some of those who received civil compensation from the St John of God order still had to go through the trauma of testifying in court because Clohessy pleaded not guilty. Aidan Clohessy. Pic: Seán Dwyer 20/05/25 Clohessy, who was the principal of St Augustine's in Blackrock, Co. Dublin, from the early 1970s until 1993, was jailed for a total of five years and four months this week after he was convicted of sexually abusing six Irish boys at the special needs school between 1969 and 1989. Before Clohessy's trials in Dublin, travelled to Malawi to speak with victims there, who detailed horrific abuse they suffered at the hands of the now-convicted paedophile. 'Sometimes he raped us, sometimes he played with our private parts, sometimes he beat us,' Stephen Chiumia said. 'Most of the things he was doing, he was doing when we went to the bathroom. He would take us to the bathroom, one after the other.' Pic: Getty Images Mr Chiumia was one of many street children Clohessy brought to live in his home in Malawi. At the time, Clohessy's superiors in Ireland were reassuring the authorities here that he had no access to children. Another alleged victim who lived with Clohessy in Malawi, Makaiko Banda Chimaliro, told 'What makes me angry is the fact that someone in Ireland knew that he was a risk to us and they still decided to send him to Malawi to do the same work where he was exposed to more kids. 'Sometimes I even feel like I would have been better off as a street kid compared to the way I was abused.' Saint John of God: Logo. Pic: File Clohessy remained in Malawi from 1993 until 2012 when he was withdrawn overnight amid a Vatican investigation, called a Canonical inquiry. The Vatican and Clohessy's order have refused to comment on this inquiry. No one at St John of God's services in Malawi was told why Clohessy was suddenly recalled without notice. 'There wasn't even a single rumour,' St John of God's then clinical director, Harrison Chilale, told in 2017. No effort was made to trace those put at risk in Malawi – until tracked them down. 'Ogre' Clohessy. Pic: Collins Courts The cover-up of Clohessy's past by his order was so successful he was able to lie to international funders, telling them he had never been accused of abuse, securing more than €1m in funding for St John of God's children's projects in Malawi run by Clohessy. In 2010, Clohessy's work with children in Malawi was the subject of a documentary called The Warm Heart of Africa (Croi Te Na hAfraice), which aired on TG4. 'There was a time when everywhere you went, you were meeting children who were begging. 'You could see that they were suffering,' Clohessy told the programme. 'We decided that St John of God should take leadership. People literally went out onto the streets to identify the children, and then they'd invite them to come back to hear their story.' Even as this programme aired on TV, St John of God was still receiving new abuse complaints about Clohessy from his former Irish pupils at St Augustine's, but these were kept under wraps, and he was left unsupervised to continue living and working with children in Malawi. Clohessy sought to use his time in Malawi to seek a lower sentence in mitigation. Outlining his role in establishing a mission in Malawi, his barrister, Ronan Kennedy, told the court his client 'devoted a lot of his life to serving others'. 'He is a person who has, despite his failings, made some contribution to society,' Mr Kennedy said. He added that Clohessy lived a 'humble and quiet existence' and still 'lives in service of others' by tending to the 11 elderly members of the St John of God order resident in Stillorgan. Mr Kennedy also sought leniency on the basis that his client had been 'subject to significant adverse publicity in the national media'. 'In many respects, he was already condemned and judged in the court of public opinion before he was ever tried in this court,' he said. Mr Kennedy also pointed to the fact that his client 'didn't stand in the way' of the civil cases being 'dealt with'. Clohessy, with an address at the Hospitaller Order of St John of God, Granada, Stillorgan, Co. Dublin, was convicted of 19 counts of indecent assault following two back-to-back trials held behind closed doors last month. At his sentencing hearings this week, Clohessy's barrister told the court his client would not be appealing the verdicts. Mr Kennedy said this would 'bring some closure' to the victims. But Clohessy has never apologised or expressed any remorse for his actions. The historical case against the former school principal – one of the oldest to ever be prosecuted in Ireland – followed a near-decadelong campaign by this website. Our investigation, the first part of which was published in 2018, tracked down new victims in Ireland and spoke with street children in Africa who told us that the brother frequently watched them bathe in a purpose-built shower block. This coverage prompted more victims to come forward, ultimately leading to the successful Garda investigation and State prosecution, which concluded this week. But the jailing of Clohessy is only part of a much wider, international cover-up that can now be told in full for the first time. During Clohessy's trials, jury members remained ignorant of the cover-up of the risk he posed for decades in Africa by his superiors. Their actions in keeping a lid on the danger Clohessy posed to children enabled him to remain living with minors in Malawi. The court was also unaware that, in the lead-up to his trial, St John of God spent millions settling dozens of civil cases against Clohessy and the order. The cases being taken by Dublin law firm Coleman Legal are unprecedented in that no African abuse victim had ever before sought recompense for abuse in an Irish court. These civil cases are also being taken against the leader of St John of God in Ireland, Br Donatus Forkan, who dispatched Clohessy to Africa after he abused children here. He frequently visited Clohessy in Malawi, where he was known widely simply as Br Aidan, as secret settlements were paid out to victims here. Unusually, Clohessy – whose top criminal defence team was privately funded – took the stand himself. Clohessy denied each charge, often with two-word answers, delivered with a shrug. 'That's incorrect,' he said repeatedly. 'Didn't happen.' At times, he chuckled as if he found some questions ridiculous, and he was frequently heard humming to himself in court. This confident performance was in marked contrast to the testimony of victims. Describing the abuse they suffered, they broke down emotionally, cowering from the nearby presence of their tormentor. One of them, Kildare man Joe Devine, suffered a panic attack and collapsed to the floor under cross-examination by Clohessy's defence, requiring an ambulance. The episode delayed proceedings for several days and could have jeopardised the entire trial if the key witness had not been able to resume his evidence. When first confronted Clohessy in January 2018, he denied any wrongdoing, although he acknowledged his order had made settlements to his former pupils. 'I don't think anybody is guilty until they're proved guilty,' he said at the time. 'Innocent until proven guilty.' Now, after decades of silence, those abused by Clohessy can finally speak freely. They include Wayne Farrell, a former pupil of St Augustine's school in Dublin, where Clohessy was principal until he was sent to Malawi in 1993. 'Life will never be the same. The memories are always there, and the damage can never be repaired,' he told Mr Farrell said he was appalled to learn Clohessy had been sent to Malawi after abusing him here. 'I was in shock when I heard about Africa. He's a predator. He picked on weak people. Frail people,' he added. The St John of God order refused to respond to detailed queries about the number of alleged abuse cases involving Clohessy or how much it has paid out in settlements to victims. 'There is no comment,' a spokesman said.
