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Daily Mail
22 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Revealed: Widow branded a 'gold digger' after secretly marrying super rich farmer a DAY before he died is 'broken' by his bitter family's claims
A widow who was all but accused of murdering her wealthy, much older husband to get his hands on his money has been left 'broken' at the portrayal of her as a cold-hearted gold digger. When Lisa Flaherty, a 50-year-old mother-of-three married dying landowner Joseph Grogan, 75, in secret, he was in the final stages of his long fight against blood cancer. Both Ms Flaherty and Mr Grogan, who had no children of his own, knew he didn't have long left to live, and his motivation was to secure the financial future of the woman who had cared for him - and guarantee her right to inherit his €5.5million estate. As it turned out his death came just 24 hours later and his body was embalmed within hours, making it virtually impossible to determine a definite cause of death. Mr Grogan's passing sparked a bitter war of words between Ms Flaherty and his family, who are fighting her for his 230-acre farm in the rural village of Screggan, a sleepy, forgotten backwater in Co Offaly, central Ireland. They paint a picture of Ms Flaherty as a calculating black widow who, sensing an opportunity to get her hands on his estate, moved in with him in January 2023 to become his carer when he was first diagnosed with stage four non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He died three months later on April 15 of that year. But their story is a lot more complicated than that with her friends keen to point out that it goes all the way back to 1991 when Ms Flaherty was 16 and had just finished school and he was a 41-year-old farmer, some 25 years her senior. They were together for some years before they split when Ms Flaherty reached her early 20s. She went on to marry a local man, with whom she had three children; two girls called Danielle and Emma and a son, Darcy. All are now in their mid 20s. But all the while, say friends, Joseph was an ever-present in her life, in the background and the pair remained close. He was seen very much as a father figure to her son and two daughters growing up, they say. It's why those close to Ms Flaherty told MailOnline that she has been left 'broken' at the suggestion that she 'engineered' his death for financial gain. During an inquest into his death last week, she broke down on several occasions and had to leave the court as lawyers for the Grogan family called into question her credibility – and accusing her of leaving him to die at home by not calling in medics or taking him to hospital. Those close to Ms Flaherty say the uncaring portrayal of her couldn't be further from the truth. Those who know the couple in Screggan, which is made up of a shop, a pub, an off licence, a hair salon and around 100 homes, say behind the salacious headlines lies an unorthodox tale of enduring love and commitment between the two. Joe Keys, who was one of Mr Grogan's best friends said: 'The world can think what it wants but how Lisa has been portrayed is not right. They were both wonderful people who were very well respected in this community. Lisa didn't care for Joe because she wanted his money, that's total rubbish.' A close friend of Ms Flaherty fumed: 'I've known both all my life and I can promise you, they were very much in love. They were committed to each other, nobody cared for Joe like Lisa did, not even his own family. The two of them were inseparable. 'She's the one who was beside him throughout his life and when he needed her most, as he was dying. She did an amazing job, and it wasn't for financial reasons, Lisa is not that sort of person. She's one of the most loving and kind people you could ever meet.' While giving evidence at the inquest, Ms Flaherty indicated that her relationship with Mr Grogan started when she was a teenager. This led to an angry response from Damien Tansey, barrister for three of his first cousins, who claimed that it had caused anxiety to his family as it 'puts Joseph Grogan into the realm of being a paedophile.' But Ms Flaherty's friend explained: 'It does sound a bit strange, but this is rural Ireland, strange things happen. Lisa was very young when she first met Joe, but it wasn't a big deal, she was above the legal age of consent and there was nothing paedophile about his intentions. It was the start of a loving, caring relationship that continued for many years. 'Although they split up when Lisa was in her 20s, Joe remained a big part of her life. He thought of those kids as his own, had Christmas dinner with them every year and at one point, Darcy was even working for him at a quarry he ran on his farm. 'Even though Lisa and Joe went their separate ways, the bond between them was always there and grew stronger. He would always refer to her as 'My Lisa.' They were together even when they weren't together if you know what I mean.' After splitting from her husband, Ms Flaherty raised her children in a modest three-bedroom terraced home located just a five-minute walk from Mr Grogan's detached bungalow, which lies at the entrance to his sprawling farm. She divided her time between the two properties but as his health deteriorated, she virtually lived with Mr Grogan full time and combined caring for him with her work as a special needs assistant in a local school. Ms Flaherty is also a leading figure in women's Gaelic football and has even worked for the sport's governing body to help develop the sport amongst girls. Thomas, who has lived in Screggan for more than 50 years, said: 'Joe was a very big-hearted man, he'd do anything for anyone. Lisa is really involved in local sports and is a pillar of our community. You won't find anyone around here who has a bad word to say about either of them.' But Mr Grogan's family would beg to differ. They insisted during the inquest that he was a confirmed bachelor and that they were excluded from being involved in his life, especially towards his latter days. They were not informed about his marriage and only discovered he had died after being told by a friend. Mr Grogan was an only child who came from a large extended family and had 39 cousins. He inherited his multi-million farm from his father and also received close to £800,000 in compensation after part of it was compulsorily purchased to build a road. A Grogan family source told MailOnline that a family meeting is to be held over the coming weeks where they will consider what further legal steps they can take. The source said: 'Our position is clear. The marriage is a sham and is not valid and we are considering challenging this in the High Court. We also have concerns about the care Joe received or rather didn't receive and this adds to our argument that the police need to investigate. 'We don't want to say too much about Ms Flaherty and what some of the local community think about her because we know what we think. Our lawyers made this clear during the inquest and nothing has changed.' At the inquest, three of Mr Grogan's cousins, Alo, Margaret and Seán were represented by barrister Damien Tansey. His 90-year-old aunt, Teresa Mooney was represented by solicitor Peter Jones. All challenged the validity of the marriage while calling on the coroner to order a police investigation and return a verdict of unlawful killing. But the coroner delivered a 'narrative verdict' which is an account of the circumstances surrounding a death rather than a direct ruling as to its cause. He said that it was probably due to an infection associated with Mr Grogan's cancer, chemotherapy treatment, damage to the immune system, and significant weight loss. He added that there had been 'valid criticism' of his care in the days leading up to his death, but it had to be borne in mind that Mr Grogan did not want to go to hospital. His friends in Screggan also told MailOnline that he had made it clear to them that he wanted to die at home and was not interested in further medical attention. The coroner also said that he could not make any ruling on the validity of the marriage and that the evidence of Mr Grogan's death did not come 'anywhere near' the threshold required for a finding of unlawful killing. Following the inquest, Ms Flaherty has temporarily left Screggan with friends claiming that she needs time to recuperate and 'mend.' But since Mr Grogan's death she has already taken over the management of his farm, which is well known for staging Ireland's National Ploughing Championships. She recently appeared with her three children at a media event to announce this year's competition which will be staged from September 16-18 where she was named as 'Lisa Flaherty Grogan.' As her close friend Margaret maintained: 'She has every right to take Joe's name and his farm. She's the one who did all the hard work and he wanted to make sure she was financially cared for after he died. There's nothing more to this case than that.'
BreakingNews.ie
3 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Man caught with child abuse material claimed he was acting as vigilante
A man who claimed he was 'acting in the capacity of a vigilante' when he was caught with videos of child sex abuse will be sentenced later for possession and distribution of the material. Murilo Dos Santos (36) of North Circular Road, Dublin 1, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of images of child sexual abuse, known in law as child pornography and to distribution of the material on dates between November 18th, 2020 and January 2021. He has no previous convictions. Advertisement Detective Garda Donagh Mannix told Derek Cooney BL, prosecuting, that the then home of Dos Santos, in Christchurch in Dublin city, was searched in connection to an unrelated matter and his phone was seized as part of that investigation. The phone was subsequently analysed and 66 videos were found which were considered to be in contravention of the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act. Dos Santos shared various videos with six other people on dates between October 2020 and November 2020. Det Gda Mannix gave a description of one of these particularly graphic videos which involved a child estimated to be between six and 12 months old. The child was strapped down and unable to move in the footage. This video was five minutes long. The detective outlined further videos of children, most aged between eight and 12 years old, either involved in sexual activity with each other or sometimes sexual activity with an adult male. Advertisement There were also more videos involving younger children, described by Det Gda Mannix as toddlers. Gardaí also discovered that Dos Santos was using a sharing app which allowed him to share and receive links from others. The analysis showed that he was using one sharing app between September 2020 and October 2020. Det Gda Mannix said there were a number of files shared in this application, mainly videos which were of a similarly graphic nature to the others found on the defendant's phone. A Whatsapp account had also been created and gardaí were able to recover conversations between Dos Santos and others, with Dos Santos sharing a link to a folder termed – a MEGA folder. He also told the other users where he lived in Dublin, shared a photograph of his own face and suggested meeting up. Advertisement Det Gda Mannix told Mr Cooney that a large number of videos were sent – this time involving children between 10 and 14 years old, again engaged in sexual activity. The court heard extracts from conversations between various people and Dos Santos including him stating that he had more and they could be sent on later. Dos Santos also used a chat application for chat and file sharing. The court heard more extracts from conversations Dos Santos had on this app. The conversations included chat about 'what are you into?' and what 'kind of stuff' they could get and share before further videos of child abuse material was shared. Advertisement Judge Orla Crowe considered documentation before the court, including refences on behalf of Dos Santos and acceded to a request from defending counsel, Dara Foynes SC, to adjourn the case to allow for the preparation of a report from a psychologist. The judge revoked Dos Santos bail and remanded him in custody until December 1, 2025 for sentence. Det Gda Mannix agreed with Ms Foynes that no one else who conversed with Dos Santos in these apps has been prosecuted. He further agreed that her client was easily identifiable in that he sent a photograph of himself and mentioned where he lived. It was accepted that no person engaging with Dos Santos shared such information. Advertisement Det Gda Mannix agreed that this was a sub culture – on the 'margins of what is deemed normal society'. It was further accepted that at one point during his interview, Dos Santos suggested to gardaí that he was accessing this material because he was 'acting in the capacity of a vigilante'. It was acknowledged that he was 'teetering on the brink of serious self harm' and that he has not come to any adverse garda attention since. Ms Foynes submitted that a report from a psychologist would be of assistance to the court in sentencing her client. She acknowledged that it was 'a very shocking offence' that has 'weighed very heavily on my client', counsel said, before adding that Dos Santos had blocked his ears during some of the evidence in court, such was the level of his shame and remorse. Ms Foynes said it was an offence that is 'very difficult to comprehend' adding that the sharing of such material in this sub-culture is 'heinous'. She said Dos Santos has been in Ireland for 16 years and financially supports his mother.
BreakingNews.ie
3 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
George Gibney expected to return to Ireland to face criminal charges
Former Irish Olympic swimming coach George Gibney is expected to return to Ireland as early as Tuesday to face criminal charges. The 77-year-old was arrested on foot of an Irish extradition warrant in Florida earlier this month. Advertisement Mr Gibney has been charged with 78 counts of indecent assault and one charge of attempted rape against four minor females aged between eight and 15 years at the time of the alleged offences. It is understood that Mr Gibney will be flown back to Ireland tonight and is expected to arrive in Ireland on Tuesday. He is being accompanied by gardaí on the flight. He will be brought before Dublin District Court once he arrives back in the state. It comes almost two weeks after a US judge ordered the extradition of Mr Gibney. Advertisement US magistrate Judge Daniel Irick made the order at a hearing in Florida earlier this month. The decision came after Mr Gibney had agreed to be extradited from the US to stand trial over multiple sex offence charges. In court documents, it stated that Mr Gibney is sought by the Irish Government, which has filed charges against him and obtained a warrant for his arrest. Mr Gibney, who had sex offence charges against him dismissed in the 1990s, has lived in the US for years. Advertisement In 2020, the podcast Where Is George Gibney, produced by Second Captains and the BBC, highlighted allegations of abuse against Mr Gibney and prompted new complainants to come forward.
