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Over 250 unsafe baby carriers, slings, and walkers removed from sale over non-compliance
Over 250 unsafe baby carriers, slings, and walkers removed from sale over non-compliance

The Journal

timea day ago

  • Business
  • The Journal

Over 250 unsafe baby carriers, slings, and walkers removed from sale over non-compliance

LAST UPDATE | 36 mins ago OVER 250 BABY products, including baby carriers and slings, have been removed from online marketplaces such as Amazon and Shein following a Europe-wide operation involving Irish consumer protection officials. The authorities, including Ireland's Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC), examined some 1,741 listings as part of a major sweep of baby products for sale on online marketplaces. Authorities went on to send 252 takedown orders to providers of online marketplaces regarding dangerous products offered on their interfaces. The sweep followed the introduction of new product safety legislation in December 2024. Officers analysed the listings for compliance with minimum product safety information rules, which require clear details of the manufacturer and EU responsible person to be displayed. The CCPC said this information is 'crucial for the protection of babies and children from dangerous or faulty products'. Following the sweeps conducted in April and May of this year, 252 takedown orders were sent to the online marketplaces, regarding listings that failed to meet minimum safety and compliance information requirements or featured products that had already been recalled from the market. Advertisement Safety officers from Ireland's CCPC issued 72 of the EU's 252 takedown orders, which targeted baby carriers, slings, and baby walkers. All 72 listings were removed at the CCPC's request from sites including Amazon, Shein, Etsy, eBay, Fruugo and Joom. Of the 252 takedown orders, 155 related to 'very large online platforms' such as Aliexpress, Amazon, Shein, Temu and Zalando. The remaining 97 were sent to other, smaller platforms. Brian McHugh, chair of the CCPC, noted that many parents turn to online marketplaces for convenience when buying baby products and added that they 'deserve to know that those products are safe'. He said the CCPC's product safety officers issue recalls for tens of thousands of items every year and that traceability is 'critically important'. 'Online marketplaces have a duty to be transparent about what they're selling and provide contact details in the event a product is unsafe,' said McHugh. He added that the online marketplaces 'co-operated when we contacted them' and that the 'listings were taken down promptly'. 'The work of our officers, in collaboration with colleagues across the EU, has stopped hundreds of potentially unsafe products being offered for sale to Irish consumers,' said McHugh. 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

252 baby product listings removed from online marketplaces
252 baby product listings removed from online marketplaces

RTÉ News​

timea day ago

  • Business
  • RTÉ News​

252 baby product listings removed from online marketplaces

252 baby product listings have been removed from online marketplaces including Amazon and Temu as part of a safety sweep from EU consumer authorities, including Ireland's Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC). The EU-wide online sweep was carried out under new product safety laws and it uncovered widespread safety and compliance issues, according to the CCPC. In total, 1,741 listings on 47 marketplaces were targeted during April and May - including Amazon, Shein, Etsy, eBay, Temu and Zalando. 72 (29%) of the 252 removal orders were issued by the CCPC. The listings were deemed to have failed to meet minimum safety and compliance information requirements or featured products that had already been recalled from the market. Listings for products such as baby carriers, slings and baby walkers were among those removed. Officers analysed the listings for compliance with minimum product safety information rules, which require clear details of the manufacturer and EU responsible person to be displayed. The CCPC said this information is crucial for the protection of babies and children from dangerous or faulty products. Commenting on the sweep, Chair of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission Brian McHugh said: "Many parents turn to online marketplaces for convenience when buying baby products, and they deserve to know that the item is safe". "Our product safety officers issue recalls for tens of thousands of items every year and traceability is critically important. Online marketplaces have a duty to be transparent about what they're selling and provide contact details in the event a product is unsafe". "We're pleased that the online marketplaces co-operated when we contacted them, and the listings were taken down promptly. The work of our officers, in collaboration with colleagues across EU, has stopped hundreds of potentially unsafe products being offered for sale to Irish consumers," he added.

Baby products removed from sale after online sweep by consumer protection watchdog
Baby products removed from sale after online sweep by consumer protection watchdog

Irish Examiner

timea day ago

  • Business
  • Irish Examiner

Baby products removed from sale after online sweep by consumer protection watchdog

Baby products including walkers and carriers have been removed from sale online in Ireland following a product safety sweep led by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC). The EU-wide online sweep conducted under new product safety laws has led to the removal of 252 baby product listings from online marketplaces, with 72 (29%) of the orders issued by Ireland's Competition and Consumer Protection Commission. The investigation targeted 47 online marketplaces reviewing 1,741 listings in April and May. This followed the introduction of new product safety legislation in December 2024. The investigation issued 252 takedown orders regarding listings that failed to meet minimum safety and compliance information requirements or featured products that had already been recalled from the market. Ireland's CCPC issued 72 of the EU's 252 takedown orders, targeting baby carriers, slings, and baby walkers. All 72 listings were removed from Amazon, Shein, Etsy, eBay, Fruugo, and Joom in response to the CCPC's requests. Officers analysed the listings for compliance with minimum product safety information rules, which require clear details of the manufacturer and EU responsible person to be displayed. This information is crucial for the protection of babies and children from dangerous or faulty products. 'Many parents turn to online marketplaces for convenience when buying baby products, and they deserve to know that the item is safe. Our product safety officers issue recalls for tens of thousands of items every year and traceability is critically important. Online marketplaces have a duty to be transparent about what they're selling and provide contact details in the event a product is unsafe," said CCPC chair Brian McHugh. 'We're pleased that the online marketplaces co-operated when we contacted them, and the listings were taken down promptly. The work of our officers, in collaboration with colleagues across EU, has stopped hundreds of potentially unsafe products being offered for sale to Irish consumers.'

Former HSE employee who acted as getaway driver for Lisa Thompson's killer is jailed
Former HSE employee who acted as getaway driver for Lisa Thompson's killer is jailed

Irish Times

time04-07-2025

  • Irish Times

Former HSE employee who acted as getaway driver for Lisa Thompson's killer is jailed

A former HSE addiction counsellor has been jailed for two years for acting as a getaway driver for the 'violent and abusive thug' who murdered mother-of-two Lisa Thompson, with a judge noting the defendant 'had not fully come to terms' with her role in the crime. Sentencing judge Mr Justice Patrick McGrath said that this was a 'difficult case' and there was no doubt Deirdre Arnold (42) was subjected to appalling domestic abuse and considerable violence at the hands of Brian McHugh during the course of their relationship. However, the judge found it could not be said that she didn't have a choice in deciding what she did on the day in question. Mr Justice McGrath said he had to take into account that Arnold was under McHugh's 'dominion', was the subject of abuse and was fearful of him. READ MORE The Central Criminal Court heard that Arnold, who in a 'terrible twist of fate' became addicted to heroin and crack cocaine after meeting McHugh, had previously made domestic abuse complaints and got an interim barring order against him. Lisa Thompson (52) was found dead in her home in Ballymun. Photograph: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin In March this year, Brian McHugh (40), with a former address at Cairn Court, Poppintree, Ballymun in Dublin 11 was jailed for life for murdering 52-year-old Ms Thompson, after a jury found he had inflicted 11 stab wounds to her chest and wrapped a blind cord around her neck. In a separate trial last April, a jury agreed with the prosecution that Arnold was not an 'innocent abroad' and had 'decided at every turn' to assist her then-partner McHugh, whom she knew to have murdered mother-of-two Ms Thompson. The jury unanimously accepted the State's case that Arnold impeded McHugh's prosecution by driving him to Ms Thompson's home at Sandyhill Gardens in Ballymun on May 9th 2022, where she waited outside for 'well over an hour' before driving him away from the scene. Arnold later checked McHugh into the Clayton Hotel near Dublin Airport in an effort to help him evade prosecution. It was also the prosecution's case that the defendant allowed her silver Hyundai Tucson to be used to dispose of evidence taken from Ms Thompson's home. Before delivering the sentence today, Mr Justice McGrath said Arnold was in a very abusive relationship with McHugh and there was no doubt he was particularly aggressive and violent to her on a number of occasions. 'To some extent she was under his dominion and became a user of heroin, no doubt due to the appalling abuse he visited on her in the course of their relationship,' he added. Brian McHugh, of Cairn Court, Poppintree in Ballymun, was found guilty of murdering Lisa Thompson (52) in May 2022 The judge went on to say the court had heard that McHugh had allegedly broken Arnold's arm by holding it on the bottom of a stairway and stamping on it. Mr Justice McGrath said McHugh had also made threats against Arnold's children and behaved in a 'monstrous fashion' towards her in their relationship. Passing sentence on Friday, Mr Justice McGrath said he had been provided with a book of mitigation on behalf of the defendant. Referring to a letter from Arnold, the judge said he accepted it was a genuine expression of remorse on her part, where she said she wished she had acted differently or recognised the warning signs from McHugh. The judge said Arnold also outlined in her letter that she didn't expect forgiveness but wanted the Thompson family to know she was truly sorry for their loss and would never forget the consequences of that day. Mr Justice McGrath pointed out that Arnold's daughter had also written a letter to the court, where she called the defendant a devoted mother and said she was 'the glue that holds the family together'. A senior investigating officer had told the jury that details of the ligature and strangulation of Ms Thompson had not been released into the public domain in June 2022. The judge said on Friday that Arnold had not fully come to terms with her role in this matter. The judge said Arnold had provided 'a considerable degree of assistance' by her presence at Sandyhill Gardens, when she was the driver of the getaway car. The judge said Arnold's prospects for future employment had been considerably reduced, with no chance of employment in any public sector job. Arnold's defence counsel, Mr Patrick Gageby SC, told her sentence hearing last month that his client had since resigned from her State job and is the sole financial support for her three children. The judge said Arnold has some insight into the matter and he had been told she would not be appealing the verdict. Referring to the two victim impact statements read to the court by the deceased's sister Ashley Duckett, Mr Justice McGrath said Ms Duckett had referred to the devastating impact which the loss of Ms Thompson has had on her life and had also noted the absence of any remorse from both defendants 'as adding to their pain'. The judge noted there was 'significant mitigation' in the case including that Arnold was a middle-aged woman of good character, an excellent mother who provided fully for her children and was a hard worker. 'Whilst not fully accepting the part she played in the matter she has expressed remorse and I accept that's genuine,' he added. Having considered mitigation, the judge reduced the headline sentence of five years to three years.

Woman (42) jailed for acting as get-away driver for 'violent and abusive' murderer of Lisa Thompson
Woman (42) jailed for acting as get-away driver for 'violent and abusive' murderer of Lisa Thompson

BreakingNews.ie

time04-07-2025

  • BreakingNews.ie

Woman (42) jailed for acting as get-away driver for 'violent and abusive' murderer of Lisa Thompson

A former HSE addiction counsellor has been jailed for two years for acting as a get-away driver for the "violent and abusive thug" who murdered mother-of-two Lisa Thompson, with a judge noting the defendant "had not fully come to terms" with her role in the crime. Sentencing judge Mr Justice Patrick McGrath said on Friday that this was a "difficult case" and there was no doubt Deirdre Arnold (42) was subjected to appalling domestic abuse and considerable violence at the hands of Brian McHugh during the course of their relationship. Advertisement However, the judge found it could not be said that she didn't have a choice in deciding what she did on the day in question. Mr Justice McGrath said he had to take into account that Arnold was under McHugh's "dominion", was the subject of abuse and was fearful of him. The Central Criminal Court heard that Arnold, who in a "terrible twist of fate" became addicted to heroin and crack cocaine after meeting McHugh, had previously made domestic abuse complaints and got an interim barring order against him. In March this year, Brian McHugh (40), with a former address at Cairn Court, Poppintree, Ballymun in Dublin 11, was jailed for life for murdering 52-year-old Ms Thompson after a jury found he had inflicted 11 stab wounds to her chest and wrapped a blind cord around her neck. Advertisement In a separate trial last April, a jury agreed with the prosecution that Arnold was not an "innocent abroad" and had "decided at every turn" to assist her then-partner McHugh, whom she knew to have murdered mother-of-two Ms Thompson. The jury unanimously accepted the State's case that Arnold impeded McHugh's prosecution by driving him to Ms Thompson's home at Sandyhill Gardens in Ballymun on May 9th, 2022, where she waited outside for "well over an hour" before driving him away from the scene. Arnold later checked McHugh into the Clayton Hotel near Dublin Airport in an effort to help him evade prosecution. It was also the prosecution's case that the defendant allowed her silver Hyundai Tucson to be used to dispose of evidence taken from Ms Thompson's home. Advertisement Before delivering the sentence today, Mr Justice McGrath said Arnold was in a very abusive relationship with McHugh and there was no doubt he was particularly aggressive and violent to her on a number of occasions. "To some extent, she was under his dominion and became a user of heroin no doubt due to the appalling abuse he visited on her in the course of their relationship," he added. The judge went on to say the court had heard that McHugh had allegedly broken Arnold's arm by holding it on the bottom of a stairway and stamping on it. "One can only imagine the pain and terror Ms Arnold was suffering in the course of that relationship," he said. Advertisement Mr Justice McGrath said McHugh had also made threats against Arnold's children and behaved in a "monstrous fashion" towards her in their relationship. There was little doubt, he said, that Arnold was in fear of him and what might happen to her children at his hands. Sentencing Passing sentence today, Mr Justice McGrath said he had been provided with a book of mitigation on behalf of the defendant. Referring to a letter from Arnold, the judge said he accepted it was a genuine expression of remorse on her part, where she said she wished she had acted differently or recognised the warning signs from McHugh. The judge said Arnold also outlined in her letter that she didn't expect forgiveness but wanted the Thompson family to know she was truly sorry for their loss and would never forget the consequences of that day. Advertisement Mr Justice McGrath pointed out that Arnold's daughter had also written a letter to the court, where she called the defendant a devoted mother and said she was "the glue that holds the family together". Arnold's daughter, he said, had asked for a second chance for her mother, whom she called a victim of domestic abuse, which she had tried to hide from their family. The judge also mentioned a letter from Arnold's mother, who said her daughter was under the control of the "monster" Brian McHugh and had feared for her life and the lives of her children. He said a psychologist's report had set out how Arnold was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and was in a number of "not ideal" relationships in the past. The psychologist, he said, had included in his report how Arnold denied having any knowledge that McHugh was going to commit a murder prior to the event and denied having any knowledge of him committing the murder until the trial. Mr Justice McGrath said he had some difficulty accepting this given the text messages exchanged between the couple. Evidence was given in Arnold's trial that text messages sent to McHugh's phone from a number linked to the defendant on June 18th and 19th 2022 - over a month after Ms Thompson was found dead in her home - read "I could of been like Lisa today strangle n stab". Other text messages sent from Arnold to McHugh in June 2022 included her saying: "Murder Lisa n al" and "Move the knife did u" as well as "Ur runners n the knife". A senior investigating officer had told the jury that details of the ligature and strangulation of Ms Thompson had not been released into the public domain in June 2022. The judge said today that Arnold had not fully come to terms with her role in this matter. Again, he said, the psychologist spoke about the fear Arnold had for her children when McHugh threatened their lives with increased frequency and how she had complied with him to keep him away from her home. The judge said Arnold had provided "a considerable degree of assistance" by her presence at Sandyhill Gardens when she was the driver of the getaway car. Other assistance included her and McHugh going to the Applegreen station and disposing of items taken from the deceased's house. The judge also said the defendant had also provided assistance when she and McHugh went to the Clayton Hotel in the aftermath and spent 36 hours with him. The judge said Arnold's prospects for future employment had been considerably reduced, with no chance of employment in any public sector job. Arnold's defence counsel, Mr Patrick Gageby SC, told her sentence hearing last month that his client had since resigned from her State job and is the sole financial support for her three children. The judge said Arnold has some insight into the matter and he had been told she would not be appealing the verdict. He said that were it established that Arnold had assisted knowing a murder was to take place, the headline sentence would have been six years. However, he said he would set the headline sentence at five years to take into account her barrister's submission that the jury had not inevitably concluded that Arnold had been aware of the murder. Referring to the two victim impact statements read to the court by the deceased's sister Ashley Duckett, Mr Justice McGrath said Ms Duckett had referred to the devastating impact which the loss of Ms Thompson has had on her life and had also noted the absence of any remorse from both defendants "as adding to their pain". Mitigation The judge noted there was "significant mitigation" in the case, including that Arnold was a middle-aged woman of good character, an excellent mother who provided fully for her children and was a hard worker. "Whilst not fully accepting the part she played in the matter she has expressed remorse and I accept that's genuine," he added. Having considered mitigation, the judge reduced the headline sentence of five years to three years. He said the psychologist had recommended Arnold attend therapy to work on several issues and that a period of suspension on certain terms would be of use to her. The judge sentenced Arnold to three years imprisonment with the final year suspended on both counts. The sentences are to run concurrently. Arnold has one previous conviction from 2022 for attempting to drive under the influence of drugs. She received a fine and was disqualified from driving for 18 months for this offence. Evidence was heard at McHugh's trial that Ms Thompson was dealing prescription drugs from her home, with gardaí who searched the house finding thousands of tablets worth nearly €50,000 hidden in the attic. Ireland Wicklow council paid €613,000 for beach land as it... Read More The trial was told that Ms Thompson and McHugh had a "bit of a fling" in the year before she died. Deirdre Arnold, with an address at Briarfield Grove, Kilbarrack, Dublin 5, was charged that on a date between May 9th 2022 and May 10th 2022, both dates inclusive, at a location within the State, did without reasonable excuse an act with intent to impede the apprehension or prosecution of Brian McHugh, a person who had committed an arrestable offence, namely murder, whilst knowing or believing Brian McHugh to be guilty of the offence or of some other arrestable offence. Arnold was also charged that on a date between May 9th, 2022, and May 10th, 2022, both dates inclusive, at a location within the State, acted or embarked upon a course of conduct which had a tendency to and was intended to pervert the course of public justice. She had pleaded not guilty to the two counts.

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