Latest news with #ClassicThoroughbreds
Irish Examiner
10-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Catherine O'Brien tells court she is ‘not guilty of anything'
Alleged fraudster Catherine O'Brien told her trial on Thursday that she was "not guilty of anything". The jury at Waterford Circuit Court heard hours of direct evidence by the defendant from the witness box. Simon Donagh, defending, spoke to Ms O'Brien about the timeline of her correspondence with the complainant John Blake. Ms O'Brien told the court at the prompt of her barrister that she was 'not guilty of anything.' She said she had known John Walsh from childhood because he was 'friendly' with her father. She is currently a carer for her elderly uncle but at the time, she was involved in foaling mares. She and Mr Walsh travelled to France in 2015 to find a stallion but it wasn't until 2018 that they purchased thoroughbred stallion Shakeel from Aga Kahn. Shakeel had had a successful racing career, becoming a group one horse, before being injured and subsequently retired to stud. Ms O'Brien and Mr Walsh sold breeding rights in Shakeel for €7,000 each. It was expected that if the horse sired race winners, this would go up but until then Ms O'Brien said they wanted to keep his 'accessible' for 'ordinary people' who wanted to get into horse breeding. Seeking a 'pen pal' on Plenty Of Fish Ms O'Brien told the court that when she met Mr Blake on the Plenty Of Fish website, she was only looking for a 'pen pal situation.' Mr Blake invested €20,000 in Shakeel and had two breeding rights which Ms O'Brien said carried zero risk as they could be sold. Ms O'Brien also told the court she had arranged for Mr Blake to see the horse but she was not present at the meeting which was hosted by Mr Walsh. She confirmed that documents for the breeding rights were drawn up by a solicitor and carried the 'Classic Thoroughbreds' syndicate logo, setting out the terms of the agreement. The agreement entitled Mr Blake to two nominations a year. Ms O'Brien said: 'I was just the person to sign on behalf of Classic Thoroughbreds.' She told the court that Mr Walsh was the 'main person' in Classic Thoroughbreds and that she received a fee of €1,500 for every breeding right sold. She said of Mr Blake and another potential investor: 'I didn't really mind whether they bought breeding rights or not.' Ms O'Brien said that she donated €100 of every right sold to the Hope Foundation, and that her children had travelled to India to help with the charity. The court heard how the parties discussed buying the broodmare for Shakeel. Ms O'Brien confirmed the document that read 'Lingreville' on the top of the document, but the document itself actually referred to a horse related to Shamalana. In early 2018, Shamalana was bought and brought to Ireland. Ms O'Brien said she did not make a call to Five Star Bloodstock Transport Ltd to arrange the transport. [Liz Lynch of Five Star Bloodstock Ltd previously told the court that the transport was arranged over the phone by a woman named 'Amy Power'.] 18 months of messages The defence went through the roughly 18 months of messages between Ms O'Brien and Mr Blake. In the messages, Mr Blake constantly asks about Ms O'Brien's wellbeing and is very supportive and complimentary towards her. She sent him updates about his mare, describing how she was successfully covered by Shakeel and was expecting a foal. The gestation period appeared to last over 12 months. She sent him a video and photo of a colt foal, which Mr Blake understood to be the foal of his mare Lingreville. Ms O'Brien repeatedly confirmed in court that the mare was named Shamalana. She said that she had previously referred to the mare as 'Lingreville' because of the name written down on the pedigree document by John Walsh. Abrupt end to the correspondence Their correspondence came to an abrupt end in September 2019, when Mr Blake learned that the horse he thought he had purchased, Lingreville, had never left France. In the months leading up to that date, Mr Blake made numerous attempts to meet with the defendant and to see what he understood was his mare and his foal. The meetings never took place, due to a variety of health issues suffered by Ms O'Brien, including broken ribs, a virus contracted from foals, back problems and reoccurring shingles. Ms O'Brien told the court that at that time she had "weeks from hell" due to an incident in Wexford. She said that Mr Walsh had moved from the stud farm in Kinnegad, Co Westmeath, to a stud in Wexford, bringing a number of horses with him. She said: 'There had been an incident with the horses in Wexford. The situation wasn't very good.' In a message sent on August 12, 2019, she wrote to Mr Blake: 'John, I'm in terrible trouble and I'd like to talk to you.' He replied: 'Katie, you've been hiding from me for a long time.' She wrote: Whatever happens, you are a nice person and I want to do my best for you. She explained that she had been under a 'huge amount of stress' over the 'horrible situation in Wexford'. He wrote back: 'I had great faith in you Katie.' In court, Ms O'Brien said that at this time: 'I had reached an all time level of low. It was a very terrible time.' She said that newspaper articles had come out about the 'Wexford situation' and that she was being contacted by journalists. Alleged harassment When asked about the alleged harassment she reported at her house in Dungarvan, Ms O'Brien said that men had been shouting through her letterbox and rattling her side gate before sending her a WhatsApp video message 'demanding' €45,000. Ms O'Brien said she went to report the incident at Waterford City Garda Station because she "didn't have a good relationship" with gardaí in Dungarvan. The case was sent back to Dungarvan because of jurisdiction. The trial continues.
Irish Examiner
09-07-2025
- Irish Examiner
Catherine O'Brien was 'flat out lying to a vulnerable, elderly man', court told
Alleged fraudster Catherine O'Brien was "flat out lying to a vulnerable, elderly man", a trial heard on Wednesday. Defence witness John Walsh appeared at Waterford Circuit Court before the jury and Judge Eugene O'Kelly. Mr Walsh said he was famer and the owner of Bishopstown Stud in Lismore Co, Waterford, with "50, 60 years" of experience with horses. He told Simon Donagh, defending, that he had a "business relationship" with Catherine O'Brien. He said they had bought thoroughbred stallion Shakeel in "February, March 2018" from breeder Aga Khan, through their 'company' Classic Thoroughbreds. He noted that the stallion came first place at the Grand Prix de Paris. Mr Walsh said he had bought the stallion in a 'three-way partnership' along with Ms O'Brien and Edward Hawe. He claimed they were running a syndicate and that Ms O'Brien carried out 'the paperwork' under his instruction. On the purchase of the stallion, he said 'Katie O'Brien was representing the syndicate'. Throughout the day, Mr Walsh referred to the accused alternately as 'Kate', 'Katie' and 'Catherine'. Mr Walsh told the court he had met the complainant John Blake at Coolnahay Stud in Co Westmeath in February 2018. Mr Walsh said: I showed him [Shakeel] and he was very happy. A deal was brokered for the breeding rights. [Mr Blake paid €20,000 for these breeding rights.] 'Catherine, or Kate, O'Brien met him at a hotel after and finalised the documentation per my instruction, so Blake bought two nominations.' Mr Walsh detailed that a broodmare of 'top-class pedigree' was purchased soon afterwards off French agent Guy Petit, which had an initial asking price of €30,000 and was bought for €24,750. Shamalana transported to Ireland Mr Walsh said the name of the horse was Shamalana, a mare sired by stallion Sinndar. He said: 'She arrived in Ireland, she was in my care and it was up to me to look after her, which I duly done.' According to the witness, Shamalana was successfully covered by Shakeel in April 2018 and had a foal. Mr Donagh asked if Wetherby's were made aware of the covering and he said: 'It was done by Catherine O'Brien on my behalf'. [Annette Doyle of Weatherby's earlier confirmed a report that the Shakeel had covered a mare named Shamalana.] Throughout the questioning by defence, Mr Walsh reiterated that the accused worked under his instruction. He said in late 2018, he showed Mr Blake the mare, which was a light brown colour, also known as a 'bay mare'. Pointing at Detective Garda Joe Wyse, Mr Walsh said: 'This man kept insisting on a grey mare called Lingreville.' Mr Walsh said at one point that he didn't know a mare by that name. However, he did state: 'I happened to write it [Lingreville] on top of the pedigree form for Sinndar,' and 'couldn't recall why.' Conor O'Doherty, prosecuting, asked the witness why the name Lingreville was written in his handwriting on the top of the pedigree document. Mr Walsh responded: 'I can't remember why but we never had that mare.' Mr Walsh also said that it was common practice in the equine industry to refer to mares by their sires' name, ie: Shamalana/Sinndar. Mr Walsh said when Mr Blake confronted him about the issue on his farm in September 2019, 'I could see he was not a suitable person, he would be far better off if we terminated his agreement.' Mr Walsh said he offered to pay Mr Blake €45,000 in three instalments of €15,000. When asked later why Mr Blake received a settlement of €22,000 two years later, Mr Walsh said: 'That's what he agreed to and he was very happy with it.' The settlement referred to the mare Shamalana as being incorrectly named Lingreville. Mr Walsh couldn't give "an approximate date" for when he transferred money for Shamalana's transport to Mr Petit, saying 'probably December or January' and that Ms O'Brien paid the sum on his behalf. The witness said: 'She was doing the paperwork and I was looking after the day to day running of the horses.' Mr O'Doherty asked about Classic Thoroughbreds and whether there were any official documents that declared it as an official limited company. Mr Walsh said he paid €85,000 for Shakeel himself. After some back and forth, Mr Walsh said the syndicate was intended to be a racing club but was disbanded in 2018 after being set up in May that same year. No document was presented. Mr Walsh suggested that Mr Blake made his own decision in investing in the breeding rights and the broodmare. He said: 'It's up to the owner to get mares, not me.' 'Guaranteed return' Mr O'Doherty asked if a 'guaranteed' return of €14,000 on an unproven stallion would be "Bernie Madoff levels of return?' Mr Walsh replied: 'It might be a success or a failure.' The prosecutor followed up: 'That anyone can hit the genetic jackpot?' Mr Walsh responded: 'It's possible.' Mr O'Doherty stressed: "No one is getting €14,000 on an unproven horse. This seems to be something like a Ponzi scheme.' Showing messages between the accused and the complainant, Mr O'Doherty said Ms O'Brien was "flat out lying to a vulnerable, elderly man". Said a 'friend and barrister' owned the horse In the messages to Mr Blake, Ms O'Brien refers to herself as buying Shakeel and naming her 'friend and barrister' Michael Egan as the owner. The reason for this, she explained in messages, was because 'nobody would take a woman seriously.' Mr O'Doherty asked him if he knew who Michael Egan is. He answered: 'He's like you — he's an eminent barrister.' Mr Walsh said the barrister transferred "money to France for Shakeel, this has nothing to do with him.' Mr O'Doherty asked the witness why in September 2019, his wife told Mr Blake the truth about the mare. Mr Walsh said: 'I don't know why, she spoke out of turn.' The court heard that Mr Walsh was arrested by gardaí in June 2020 and was informed that he would not be prosecuted in September 2021, a month before the purported settlement of €22,000. Mr O'Doherty said the settlement was "an attempt to frustrate a criminal prosecution.' Mr Walsh denied the claim to which Mr Doherty asked: 'Then why did he [Mr Blake] get €22,000?' Mr Walsh said: 'Well, that's what he agreed to!' Mr O'Doherty rejoined: 'The document might as well say 'mare called 'Shergar' for all the legal standing it has.' At this, Mr Walsh said: 'Shergar wasn't a mare! 'He agreed to that, he was very happy to accept that!' Contradictions in statements Mr O'Doherty raised a statement made by Mr Walsh to the gardaí in June 2025 and his initial statement in 2019. He noted a large number of contradictions between his statements and his oral testimony, particularly the year he gave as to when he met Mr Blake. Mr Walsh said: 'You don't have to have to be in every statement when you have a gentleman's agreement, or a lady's agreement, you don't have to put everything down.' When asked about several misspellings [he claimed to have mistakenly written down Shamalana as 'Shamalanna'] he told the court: 'I left school at 14 years of age. I wasn't privileged to get a first-, second-, third-level education.' He said in his Garda statement that he had been dealing with the accused 'for the last three, four years' and that their relationship was 'strictly business'. Mr O'Doherty asked him why he made that clarification, to which Mr Walsh said: 'You're defaming my character!' Mr Walsh said in September 2019, Mr Blake and his grandson left his home 'happily' after he told them that he would pay them a sum of €45,000. The trial continues on Thursday, with Ms O'Brien taking to the witness box to give evidence.
