Latest news with #CoDublin
BreakingNews.ie
2 days ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Former sports figure (77) remanded in custody on 79 sexual abuse charges
A former sports industry figure extradited from the United States to face multiple allegations of sexually abusing girls in Ireland in the 1970s and 1980s was remanded in custody on Tuesday. The 77-year-old man, who cannot be named due to the nature of the charges, is facing 79 allegations of offences relating to the alleged abuse of four girls. Advertisement The case features 78 charges of indecent assault and one count of attempted rape at various locations in Co Dublin, including Dun Laoghaire, Killiney and Blackrock from 1971 to 1981. The girls were minors aged between eight and 15. Following extradition proceedings at the request of the Irish authorities, he was arrested at Terminal 2, Dublin Airport at 5:56am on Tuesday. He was then brought to appear before Judge Michele Finan at Dublin District Court. Advertisement Dressed in a pale green jumper, grey shorts, white socks and brown slip-on shoes, he sat silently in his wheelchair throughout the brief hearing. He has not indicated a plea, and there was no application for bail. State solicitor Rory Staines told Judge Finan that the Director of Public Prosecutions has directed that he face "trial on indictment in the Central Criminal Court". It was expected that the prosecution's book of evidence would be ready to be served on him when he appears again at the District Court on July 22nd. Advertisement He faces 41 counts of indecently assaulting and one for attempted rape of one of the complainants, 34 counts of indecent assault of another female, two counts of indecent assault of another complainant, and one charge of indecent assault of the fourth. The offences are contrary to Common Law. Garda Sergeant Amy Ryan told the court that after the pensioner's extradition, he was arrested on foot of 79 warrants, taken to Ballymun Garda station, and charged at 7.40 am. She furnished the court with a document listing the offences and his reply to each charge; however, the judge did not require the sergeant to read out the defendant's responses. Advertisement Defence solicitor Tracy Horan told Judge Finan that her client was not making a bail application and he consented to being remanded in custody. Mr Staines asked that the accused appear before the court in person at his next hearing rather than via video link to be served with the book of evidence. Legal aid was granted after Ms Horan said, "he is not working; he has no assets". Garda Sergeant Ryan said there was no objection. The defence solicitor also informed the judge her client required medical assistance in custody because he had no dentures or hearing aid as they had not been brought over from the United States. The judge noted this information and agreed to add that he urgently get dentures and a hearing aid in the custody warrant.
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Health
- Irish Times
Writing about my trauma helps me - and my spinal cord recovery
After Tadhg Paul was left with no movement or feeling below the neck following a fall, there was a stage during nine months in hospital when he made peace with the prospect of dying. Staring up at the ceiling, he thought 'you have a lot of time to contemplate your life and the universe'. It prompted him to return to writing , which he had practised from childhood before a tech career took over. He has no doubt now that writing helped him embrace life again and regain mobility from his spinal cord injury, classed as grade B quadriplegia . Three years later, the 45-year-old man uses just a walking cane to make his way to an outdoor table at a south Co Dublin cafe on a hot July afternoon for this interview. READ MORE Dressed all in black, from sunglasses down, he talks about how the psychological journey back from injury has been bigger for him than the physical journey. Studies have shown that writing about stressful and traumatic events can significantly improve physical and emotional health. As a believer in the power of words, he found spinning them into poetry particularly therapeutic. 'Assistive technology was a liberator for me,' Tadhg says, 'just with the little Alexa in the corner, I was able to consume podcasts and audiobooks. 'Eventually I was able to, with voice control initially, use my phone and then the computer.' Therapists talk about the value of 'journaling' but, as somebody diagnosed in adulthood with ADHD, Paul says it does not work for him. He prefers writing poetry. Tadgh Paul, in Greystoneshas regained partial mobility and was greatly helped, he says, by the therapy of writing. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw 'It's been very healing for me. It's almost like I picked [my trauma] up, grasped it, examined it, brought it into the light and sort of declared it to the world.' Initially, he was writing it for himself, but he believes bringing it to a wider audience is part of the healing process. Using Paul as a pen surname, he joined the SeaScribes writing group, which meets weekly in the Mermaid County Wicklow Arts Centre in Bray . He is one of eight writers who contributed to their first anthology launched in July, Cargo of the Soul. All six of his pieces concern issues, which he says were 'put inside a box', repressed rather than dealt with. These include an early realisation about being gay, grief at the death of a soul mate and facing his own mortality. 'You kind of bare all to the world and you say, 'this is my trauma and here's what it means to me'.' While still in hospital, he created a website to post his poetry. 'Even if I was stuck in a bed, I could have a very imperfect digital engagement with the world,' he says. After six months in acute hospital care, he was transferred to the National Rehabilitation Hospital where his days were much busier as staff worked over three months to get him back on his feet. Occasionally, he still uses a wheelchair, so has moved in with his parents in Greystones , Co Wicklow , due to not being able to find suitable private rental accommodation. He was able to return to work last November but on reduced hours. Now, he also has to cope with fluctuating pain. 'I really struggle with the weather changes. It used to be that I needed two painkillers to get out of bed in the morning. I'm managing that with a different pain therapy at the moment.' As well as SeaScribes, Paul participates in an online writing group, Strange Birds. Both spaces have been important, he says, in allowing to him to 'share something quite personal and intimate' and to 'hone the quality'. It also gives him a chance 'to see how it lands – and it lands differently with everybody'. SeaScribes was founded, post-Covid, by psychologist Rita Wall, who writes under the pen name Mairead de Bhal. Keen to set up an emerging writers' group in the area, the Mermaid Arts Centre proved to be a perfect meeting place. [ Write now: Nine writers share advice on how to get started Opens in new window ] The centre's artistic director and CEO, Aoife Demel, says 'creativity for all' and 'the power and value of the arts for wellbeing' are among their core beliefs. Mermaid Arts Centre runs a programme of 'take part' events to allow people of all ages 'to engage with their creative sides, fostering wellbeing, connectivity and relevance'. When she was setting up the group, de Bhal says prospective members just had to have an interest in writing. Members critique each other's work and support the pursuit of publication, whether it is in a local newspaper or more highbrow journals – and now their self-published book. Taking up the anthology's theme of cargo, de Bhal wrote two stories from long-forgotten childhood memories from living in the North. Her father, a bank manager transferred from Dublin, was held up at gunpoint when travelling to a sub-office with cash; the family then had to leave their home above the bank in Strabane , Co Tyrone , which was later blown up. She wouldn't call the resulting story therapy, but says it was certainly a way of processing childhood memories. Fellow SeaScribe Lesley Smith describes her writing, mostly poetry, as 'a way of sharing things without having to say [them] verbally'. Amongst its uses, she she said she values it as a mental health support. 'I don't declare when I write what's me and what's observation; what's real and what's fiction. There's always a nervousness when you're sharing things that you would be judged, particularly when it's mental health stuff.' Lesley Smith says writing can be a support to mental health At the time of writing for the book, Smith, who is retired from the health service, was coping with several personal challenges. Her poem titled My Cargo reflects the worries she had about losing her memory and watching a family member living with Alzheimer's . Another personal challenge was coping with the decision of her brother, who was living with a terminal illness in Canada, to avail of what she terms ' assisted suicide ', which is legal there. 'I was absolutely stunned at the effect it had on me because I absolutely agree with the concept; I agreed with his decision... but I realised that what it does is it starts the grieving process way before you lose the person.' As it happened, his condition suddenly deteriorated and he died naturally overnight last February. Meanwhile, experience of self-doubt and 'scam' warnings from concerned friends, upon falling for a man, Thomas, whom she met at an airport bus stop, is seared into her short story, Awoken. 'Isn't it a terrible thing in our society that when you get passed a certain age, if there's some sort of romantic attachment, it's seen as being negative,' she says. 'It's like there is a 'date stamp' on love.' Thomas died unexpectedly during a trip home to his native India in May, just as they were arranging to formally live together in Gran Canaria, after having a relationship for more than two years. 'We had all these plans and we were committed to each other. Then, as they say, life took another turn.' Writing truth can indeed be stranger than fiction. Can writing help your mind? Psychotherapist Aine Connaire knows the benefit, both personally and professionally, of writing down thoughts to relieve the torment of a swirling mind. 'It's amazing the mind then, for some reason, feels like it doesn't have to hold on to it any more. And then when we do write it down, we're able to see it from a different perspective.' What is referred to as 'journaling' is a way to explore your inner world and can be done at home alone, or in conjunction with therapy sessions. It is not the same as keeping a diary, which is traditionally recording details of your day, or an event, and creates a finished piece. 'It's like your journal becomes a friend'. Photograph: Getty Images 'Journal writing is very different; you're writing to engage in a process and it is a therapeutic process.' It is convenient, free and you don't need somebody willing to listen, points out Connaire, who runs a counselling practice in Mullingar, Co Westmeath. She also offers an online introductory course to therapeutic journaling, Writing to Heal. 'It's like your journal becomes a friend. Emotions are thoughts that we may find difficult to tolerate and they can be put down in a journal without judgement.' Unstructured journaling involves free flow writing. 'You're opening up a page and beginning to write and just seeing what comes up to the surface and continuing to let that flow.' If that blank page or screen seems too daunting, a structure, such as gratitude journaling, or a letter to anyone or anything, can get you started. Connaire also recommends 'dialogue writing'. Instead of the one-sided nature of a letter, this conversational approach fills in imagined responses from the person or object being addressed. [ Writing can brighten and enlighten – just let it flow Opens in new window ] 'It's really interesting what comes up, because we have these conversations in our mind all the time.' Many people who come to therapy are unsure of why they are feeling a certain way, she says. 'If you dialogue with the emotion it's amazing what can be uncovered.' People can also interact with an illness or pain. Trauma or grief can be held in a particular part of our body, she explains, and that can manifest as physical illness. If clients want to go through their writing with her, that can be helpful. However, it's not something they have to do 'because a journal contains huge vulnerability and raw emotions, thoughts that they might not feel ready to share with me at that time'. For people who are afraid that if they write their thoughts down, somebody else may find them to read, the paper can be burnt afterwards, she suggests, or the words deleted from a screen. Creating notes on a mobile phone has become a popular method of journaling because people tend to have a lock on it. Connaire's note of caution for somebody journaling without seeing a therapist, is to ensure they have access to support if necessary in dealing with trauma. 'You don't want to open up and re-traumatise yourself and not have that support in place.'
BreakingNews.ie
14-07-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Man (37) who sexually assaulted friend as she slept jailed for over two years
A man who sexually assaulted a friend while she was sleeping has been jailed for two and a half years. The 37-year-old pleaded guilty on a trial date to sexual assault on a date in September 2019 at an address in Co Dublin. Advertisement He can't be named to protect the anonymity of the complainant. Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that the woman was socialising and drinking with friends, including the man, the night before this incident occurred. The following morning, the man was asleep on one sofa in the living room. The complainant went to sleep on another sofa in the room about an hour later. She woke up 30 minutes later to the man kneeling beside her and sexually assaulting her. An investigating garda told Diana Stuart BL, prosecuting, that the woman noticed he had unbuttoned her jeans without waking her. He asked her 'did you want me to fuck you?' Advertisement She replied: 'Get away from me.' He buttoned her jeans back up then went to the bathroom. The woman left the apartment. She later told gardaí that she had not consented to any sexual contact with the man. The court heard that the man was co-operative when interviewed by gardaí and accepted the woman's account of what had happened. Advertisement He has no previous convictions. A victim impact statement was handed to the court and not read aloud. An investigating garda agreed with Kathleen Leader SC, defending, that the man was forthcoming during interview and told gardai he didn't have consent. Ms Leader told the court her client had moved to the jurisdiction in the mid 2010s to study. He has a good work history and supports his son, who lives aboard with family members. Advertisement A letter of apology and work references were handed to the court. The man got into the witness box and said he tries his best to avoid drinking in public and at parties. He said he had gone through websites to learn more about consent. The man said he was 'really sorry' and has 'lived to regret that day'. He said he was 'very sorry' for what he did to the woman and wished he could apologise to her. He said he wished for a chance to take back what he did, but this was not possible and all he could do was apologise. Advertisement Judge Elma Sheahan asked why the man took a trial date if he accepted responsibility at the garda station. Ms Leader said it may have taken time for her client to come to terms with the process. Her client has accepted responsibility and has matured since then, she said. She asked the court to take into account her client's previous good record and that he stopped his behaviour on the night in question once the woman told him it was unacceptable. Ireland Mother (54) should never have been convicted of se... Read More Counsel asked the court to consider a non-custodial sanction. Imposing sentence on Monday, Judge Sheahan said the seriousness of the offending and the circumstances in which it took place, including that the woman was asleep, were aggravating. She noted the mitigation, the man's personal circumstances and the effect of custody for a first-time offender. The judge said the custodial threshold had been passed and handed the man a three year sentence, with the final six months suspended on strict conditions.
Irish Times
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Government approves establishment of commission of inquiry into historic sexual abuse in schools
The Government has approved the establishment of a commission of investigation into allegations of historical sex abuse in schools. Mr Justice Michael McGrath is to be nominated to chair the commission under a proposal brought to Tuesday's Cabinet meeting by Minister for Education Helen McEntee. The programme for government committed to establishing such a commission. Last September, the then government formally agreed to establish a statutory inquiry into the sexual abuse of children at day and boarding schools, following recommendations in the 700-page scoping inquiry report, led by Mary O'Toole SC. READ MORE The report disclosed 2,395 allegations of sexual abuse at 308 schools run by religious congregations, involving 884 alleged abusers. A high number of allegations were concentrated in special education schools, where 590 allegations were recorded in 17 institutions involving 190 alleged abusers. The inquiry was set up following revelations of widespread sexual abuse of boys at Willow Park and Blackrock College in south Co Dublin. It followed the broadcast of RTÉ radio documentary Blackrock Boys in November 2022 and the launch that month also of a restorative justice programme involving abuse survivors and the Spiritan congregation, which runs the schools. Further information on the commission's terms and remit are expected to be announced on Tuesday afternoon. More to follow...
BreakingNews.ie
02-07-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Man charged over armed robbery of a shop in Co Dublin
A man has been arrested and charged following the armed robbery of a shop in Sandyford, Co Dublin, on Monday. The robbery happened at approximately 8:45 pm, when an armed man entered the shop and stole a sum of cash from the till before fleeing. Advertisement No injuries were reported. On Tuesday afternoon, investigating gardaí identified a male suspect and arrested him. A sum of cash and a knife was recovered. The man was detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984, at a Garda station in South Dublin. He has since been charged and is due to appear before Dún Laoghaire District Court on Wednesday morning.
