Gilligan arriving at court in Dublin today (Image via Independent.ie)

Convicted drug trafficker John Gilligan will learn today if the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) are to be given permission to seize three houses from him and his family.

To date, the CAB have succeeded in taking the drug lord's Jessbrook Equestrian Centre in Enfield, Co Kildare, as well as another property, and selling it but the Gilligans have fought tooth and nail to hang onto the bungalow beside Jessbrook, from where they started their ambitious equestrian plans.

The CAB are laying claim to the Kildare bungalow as well as two houses in Lucan and Blanchardstown, one belonging to Gilligan's daughter Tracy and the other belonging to his son Darren.

The Bureau proved in the High Court that the properties were bought with the proceeds of crime but John Gilligan and his family challenged this ruling all the way to the Supreme Court, where the case was heard last June.

John Gilligan claims he did not receive a proper trial when his assets were frozen by the State in 1996, and says subsequent court rulings based on that decision were flawed or invalid.

The Supreme Court reserved judgement on the case last summer after a two-day hearing but it is listed for today and a final decision is expected.

Gilligan was pictured this morning arriving at the court, approximately an hour before the hearing. His family are also expected to attend.

CAB officers remain confident that the court will rule in their favour.

If they are successful, the court will remove the final obstacle to selling the criminal's three remaining properties - the bungalow at Jessbrook (where John Gilligan is pictured gardening above), the Gilligans' former home at Corduff Avenue in Blanchardstown and a house at Willsbrook View in Lucan - leaving them homeless in Ireland.

The CAB has already successfully stripped Gilligan of the Jessbrook equestrian centre and a house in Weston Green in Lucan.

The Gilligans have spent 20 years challenging the sale of their properties, and were granted free legal aid to do so.

During one High Court hearing, Gilligan said that his wealth was as a result of the luck he had as a professional gambler and doing odd jobs.

John Gilligan has been seen at the house beside the Jessbrook centre since his return from the UK, where he was in hiding after two attempts on his life following his release from prison in October 2013 after serving 17 years for drug trafficking.

On December 5 that year, Gilligan was targeted by a man who ran into the Halfway House pub in Ashtown, Dublin, with a gun, intent on killing him.

But Gilligan was not in the pub when the would-be assassin struck.

Then on March 1, 2014, a gunman who burst through the front door of Gilligan's brother's house at Greenfort Crescent in Clondalkin shot him several times as he tried to escape.

He suffered a broken hip, abdominal injuries, a shot to the leg and a graze to the head in the attack, but survived.

But while he was recovering in hospital from the second attempt on his life, an incident frightened him to the core and forced Gilligan to flee the country under cover of darkness under an assumed name.

On March 15 Stephen 'Dougie' Moran, who had previously acted as Gilligan's driver and bodyguard, was shot dead on the doorstep of his Lucan home.

Gilligan felt his murderers were getting closer to him again, and on St Patrick's Day he discharged himself from Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown and was driven to Dublin Port, where he was wheeled onto a ferry destined for the UK.

Via Independent.ie

Foster and McGuinness meeting Theresa May and James Brokenshire

Contingency plans for a form of joint authority are being drawn up should Assembly elections result in Stormont stalemate.

The Sunday World understands government mandarins north and south of the border have been in contact with political parties about the future governance of Northern Ireland in the wake of the elections.

Such is the extent of the collapse of relations between Sinn Féin and the DUP some are predicting it could be a decade before power-sharing is properly re-established.

Both governments are keen to avoid a return to direct rule but are conscious that interim – and possibly long-term – arrangements will have to be put in place.

It is understood the blueprint envisages an ‘agreed Ireland’ with responsibility for large elements of health provision, cross-border crime and agriculture being shared.

“Almost every facet of political life will be agreed,” a government source told us.

“They won’t call it joint authority but it will be the nearest thing to it.”

The prospect of a new form of government for the north comes as loyalist paramilitary group the UDA is deeply split over the future shape of the country, with a number of groups breaking ranks to slam the Good Friday Agreement.

Last week the organisation in West Belfast and North Antrim came out to call for the Agreement to be scrapped and for the immediate restoration of direct rule.

The rift in the loyalist paramilitary group comes amid fears for the future of power-sharing in Northern Ireland. As the parties head into what is expected to be a particularly acrimonious election campaign there have been repeated calls for a form of direct rule.

The demand is unlikely to be met but Secretary of State James Brokenshire may find himself in an awkward position with Sinn Féin unlikely to be content for Arlene Foster to simply walk back into the First Minister’s post.

There is also the possibility of Sinn Féin being returned as the largest party should there be a widespread backlash to the RHI scandal.

But the greatest division is within the ranks of the loyalist paramilitary groups. The UDA was reluctant supporters of the Good Friday Agreement, instead advocating power-sharing without any involvement from the Irish government.

It came on board after the pill was sweetened with the promise of significant ‘community funding’ from central government and the hundreds of thousands in European grants.

Now with the prospect of EU grants drying up in the wake of Brexit, the UDA has reverted to its original position.

The shift leaves UDA chief Jackie McDonald (below left) isolated. The South Belfast Brigadier, regarded as the de facto leader of the organisation, gave a personal assurance to Jonathan Powell they remained supportive of the Agreement.

Powell, former adviser to Tony Blair and a key architect of the Agreement, was instrumental in the establishment of the Loyalist Community Council and is believed to have sought assurances when the loyalist umbrella body was established 15 months ago.

The UDA’s then political wing the UDP recommended support for the Good Friday Agreement but it is known many members remains sceptical. In 2001 the UFF withdrew its support and now this week the UPRG in the west of the city has stated the Agreement is “dead in the water”. Taking to social media, the organisation which advises the terror group on political matters said an election was pointless.

“SFIRA will refuse to govern with DUP.

“No self-respecting unionist will enter into negotiations with SFIRA unless everything is on the table including GFA.”

The statement was echoed by North Antrim UPRG who tweeted: “Leaving European Union shortly. Good Friday Agreement unravelling. Things can only get better.”

Traditionally UDA members have in the past been urged to vote DUP and that is unlikely to change given the lack of options, and despite the DUP insisting it remains wedded to the Good Friday Agreement.

richard.sullivan@sundayworld.com 

Anthony Stokes

Footballer Anthony Stokes has been hit with a two-year suspended sentence for assaulting an Elvis impersonator in a nightclub.

The Blackburn Rovers striker pleaded guilty last November over the attack in what was then Buck Whaleys on Leeson Street, Dublin 2 on June 8th 2013.

The 28-year-old who spent six years playing for Glasgow Celtic, is also to pay the victim, Anthony Bradley, €30,000.

Judge Patricia Ryan said she was taking into consideration "the seriousness of the offence and the personal circumstances" of Stokes.

Dublin's Circuit Criminal Court heard that Bradley, 53, suffered a broken nose and two broken teeth in the incident.

He has also been diagnosed with a degenerative spinal condition since the assault, which causes pain across his neck and shoulders.

Judge Ryan also ordered Stokes to sign a bond to be on good behaviour for two years.

Grazyna Makowsica

AN Ulster businessman – whose world collapsed when he fell for a high-class hooker – could be heading for jail, the Sunday World has learned.

Playboy Darren Mark Branter – pictured here with stunning Polish escort Grazyna Makowska – was convicted in court last week of assaulting his previous partner and making threats to kill.

Branter fell for Polish escort girl Grazyna Makowska

The 41-year-old father of two was also found guilty of making threats to damage property.

A District Judge at Coleraine Magistrates Court warned Branter, of Cove Apartments, Mussenden, Co. Derry, that he could face a custodial sentence when he appears again in four weeks’ time.

And today for the first time the Sunday World can reveal the full amazing story of how a respectable businessman – who ran two successful engineering companies – fell from grace and may soon be behind bars.

Following the collapse of his marriage, Branter, from the village of Newbuildings, began a new relationship with a woman from Derry who worked for the City Council.

Soon the couple were living together in a luxury apartment off the Limavady Road in Derry’s Waterside district.

Darren Mark Branter talks to our reporter

But a short time later, Branter also struck up a close relationship with stunning redhead escort Grazyna Makowska.

Known locally as ‘Gina’, Makowska set up shop on Derry’s Strand Road after moving to the Maiden City from Poland a few years ago.

And as soon as Branter spotted ‘Gina’s’ sex worker profile on the Escort Ireland website, he became besotted with her and couldn’t wait to meet her.

Friends say he was obsessed with the stunning 31-year-old, and the pair struck up a friendship.

“Branter was like a man possessed. He became obsessed and couldn’t stay away. She was the only thing he spoke about,” one of his former friends told the Sunday World.

But Coleraine Magistrates Court heard last week that shortly before Christmas 2015, Branter and his partner drove from Derry to Portrush where they checked into a hotel.

A late night argument developed and Branter assaulted his partner in a bedroom before storming off and driving back to Derry.

But after pulling herself together, the woman called the police and filed a complaint. 

Branter was quizzed and was soon facing a number of assault-related charges. These were later dropped when the woman withdrew the complaint.

Smooth-talking Branter eventually wormed his way back in with his partner who agreed to reconciliation. It was short-lived.

In April the following year things went pear-shaped again when the couple planned to spend a few days at Branter’s caravan at Castlerock on the Causeway Coast.

A row erupted between the pair over this friendship with Gina and in a fit of rage he grabbed the woman by the throat and held her tightly as she struggled for breath.

The terrified woman managed to escape and ran from the caravan fearing for her life.

A doctor’s report listing her injuries was presented to the court last week and the damning evidence was accepted by the judge. 

After the violent incident at the Castlerock caravan site, Branter became more open about the true nature of his relationship with his high-class hooker girlfriend.

‘Gina’ quit work as an escort and moved to a luxury apartment complex at Mussenden.

Despite professing his undying love for the Polish beauty, Branter still had an eye for other women and on one occasion he went missing for three days.

However, he was stunned into racing back to ‘Gina’ when he discovered she had put her profile back up on the Escort Ireland website.

'Gina's' profile on Escort Ireland sex for sale website 

Branter entered not guilty pleas to all three charges but was convicted and will be sentenced at Coleraine Magistrates Court on February 20 following pre-sentencing reports.

Grazyna Makowsica

On Friday the Sunday World confronted Branter at his business premises in the New Buildings Industrial Estate. Branter runs a yard that specialises in repairing propellers for boats as well as alloy wheels for cars. But the propeller man was sent into a spin when we asked about his court appearance and subsequent conviction.

We wanted to ask the bully boy if he wanted to talk about assaulting and threatening to kill his partner.

We also wanted to ask about falling in love with an escort girl.

“I don’t want to comment on that,” he said before retreating in to his office. 

No one answered when we called at Gina’s home in the luxury Temple Cove Apartments near Castlerock.

By Steven Moore and Hugh Jordan

A man has been charged following the seizure of 5.5 kilos of cannabis herb in Cork .

A second man who was arrested during the raid continues to be questioned.

The charged man has been taken to appear before Cork District Ct this afternoon

Gary Haggarty

Winston Rea

UVF chiefs believe they will escape prosecution on the word of supergrass Gary Haggarty.

Well-placed sources have told the Sunday World there is growing confidence among the leadership of the terror group that they will never have to face the inside of a courtroom.

There has been a series of delays in bringing the Haggarty case to court. 

The former UVF brigadier has spent the last three years in protective police custody spilling the beans on a catalogue of  terrorist crimes.

It had originally been hoped his ‘show trial’ would go ahead in the early months of 2016 but the sheer weight of documentation prompted a series of deferments.

Now there are fears it may never go ahead.

As previously revealed, the UVF leadership has been pressing for a blanket amnesty on past crimes. 

In particular they are concerned about incidents that have taken place since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.

Anyone convicted of a terrorist crime before 1998 will face a maximum two-and-a-half years behind bars – irrespective of the severity of their deeds.

Anything carried out after that date will carry the full rigours of the law.

The UVF have carried out more than 30 murders in the intervening period. 

In secret talks with government officials they have been demanding guarantees that they will be immune from prosecution.

It is their top condition in return for agreeing to disband.

So far the British have resisted their demands but there is growing confidence they will eventually get their way.

A number of veteran members are hopeful they will escape prosecution on the basis of ill-health and old age.

UVF leader John ‘Bunter’ Graham has been suffering deteriorating health for some time and it is understood government negotiators are sympathetic to him being allowed to slip through the net.

UVF leader 'Bunter' Graham 

Age hasn’t prevent veteran Red Hand Commando chief Winston  Rea from facing charges on past crimes.

The 65-year-old who now needs a wheelchair to get about has been charged with two counts of murder dating back more than 20 years. 

The high-profile terror chief denies involvement in the paramilitary killings of John Devine in 1989 and John O’Hara two years later. The charges are a result of information contained in recordings Rea made as part of the Boston Tapes project.

Should he be convicted he will only serve the minimum two-and-a-half years.

But it is Haggarty who holds the key to a catalogue of paramilitary crime.

As South East Antrim Brigadier he was a close associate of the Graham’s and had intimate knowledge of all UVF operations.

In return for pleading guilty to a record 202 charges, including five murders, and giving evidence against his former UVF colleagues, the 45-year-old has been promised a reduced three-year sentence.

The former UVF south East Antrim boss is now living under a new identity and armed guard at a safe house in England and will only return to Northern Ireland for future court dates.

During 800 interview tapes and 30,000 pages of transcripts Haggarty named the entire UVF leadership and more than 50 members who he worked with during his 25 years as a paramilitary.

He joined the terror gang in 1991 as a foot soldier in the Mount Vernon estate, before rising through the ranks to become its South East Antrim commander in 2004.

He was stood down in 2007 after the publication of a Police Ombudsman report that identified him as a long-standing agent.

Haggarty agreed to become a supergrass in 2010 after  being charged in connection with the 1997 murder of John Harbinson who was beaten to death by the UVF. Prior to this the loyalist had worked as an informant.

Among the leading loyalists he has agreed to give evidence against in court is the group’s Chief-of-Staff John ‘Bunter’ Graham, its 1st Battalion boss Harry Stockman and former Shankill ‘A’ Company leader Joe ‘No Neck’ McGaw.

Joe 'No Neck' McGaw

However, prospects of a successful supergrass trial have diminished, with the UVF leadership now confident it will never go ahead and if it does they will have secured assurances they will not be prosecuted.

The price will be a commitment that the organisation stands down. Two public announcements have been cancelled in the last seven months because of their failure to secure an amnesty.

The UVF had agreed to announce its disbandment on the Twelfth only for a last minute change of mind, similarly a plan to go public on Ulster Day – the anniversary of the signing of Solemn League and Covenant – was called off.

richard.sullivan@sundayworld.com

FILE PHOTO

Armed garda patrols in Dublin are set to continue as the authorities attempt to curb gangland violence.

Gardai are to roll out a new armed support unit within weeks and additional resources are to be pumped into the regional armed support services, according to senior garda sources.

However, they have insisted they will not become a routinely armed force, like the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) across the border.

The new 55-strong armed support unit will combat the threat from terrorism and serious organised crime in Dublin.

Plans for the elite unit were accelerated when the Kinahan-Hutch feud erupted in the city.

To date, 11 people have been shot dead as part of the feud; two in Spain, one in Meath and eight in Dublin.

Since the Regency Hotel attack gardai have launched more than 22,000 armed checkpoints and 2,000 armed patrols across the capital.

"That resulted in the saving of lives. It resulted in us taking to ground and not allowing the people that want to cause havoc in our communities, not giving them free rein to move around our communities. That work has been of enormous benefit," said Deputy Commissioner John Twomey.

He added: "That work will continue into 2017. We will also introduce the National Firearms Command and additional resources throughout the country to our regional armed support services."

Garda Commissioner Noirin O'Sullivan said the force is determined to "dismantle, disrupt and bring to justice all organised crime gangs".

"That takes a lot of time, effort and persistent determination.

"The unfortunate fact is individuals who are determined on retribution will continue that determination as well.

"We have to be very mindful of the threat that poses.

"That is why last December we set up the armed support unit. By the end of March this year we hope to have National Firearms Command in place.

"That doesn't mean we are going to become an armed police force. That means actually we are being realistic in terms of meeting head-on the threats that are there," she said.

The commissioner added that work will continue with Spanish police who last year assisted investigations into the Kinahan-Hutch feud.

Officers said they wanted to reassure the public - a year on from the murder of David Byrne in the Regency Hotel - that the gardai is successfully tackling organised crime.

Gardai said in the last year they have seized more than 450 firearms, over two million euro in cash, €64 million worth of drugs, 93 high-value cars, two million euro in taxes and almost four million euro has been frozen in bank accounts.

Stock image

A 23-year-old man who took part in burglaries in south county Dublin in order to repay a debt has been sentenced to three and a half years.

Michael Bayley told gardai that he owed "15 grand" to people who picked him up and brought him out to the scene of the offences.

He fled the area in a stolen car which crashed following a high speed garda pursuit which reached a speed of 160 kph at one stage.

Bayley, of Foxdene Drive, Clondalkin, Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to two burglaries in Sallynoggin and dangerous driving on May 12, 2016.

He has 22 previous convictions including aggravated burglary, public order and road traffic offences.

Judge Melanie Greally imposed a three and a half year sentence with the final 18 months suspended. She also disqualified him from driving for four years.

Garda James Wall told Fiona McGowan BL, prosecuting, that a homeowner at O'Rourke Park in Sallynoggin heard noises downstairs and shouted out the window at three men in their garden. The men left and gardai were alerted.

The homeowner later discovered that a Samsung Galaxy tablet and an iPad had been taken. These had particular value as they belonged to their daughter, who was ill at the time.

Gda Wall said they arrived at the house and as they were taking statements they heard two cars pass by at high speed. Gardai pursued the vehicles from Sallynoggin through the Glenageary and Blackrock areas.

The court heard that during the pursuit gardai were at one point driving at 160 kilometres per hour in a 50 kph speed zone in order to keep up with the cars. Gardaí lost one of the cars but continued pursing a car driven by Bayley.

Gda Wall said that the car failed to stop at red traffic lights, drove on the wrong side of the road and forced other road users to take evasive action. The car crashed in the Blackrock area and Bayley, who was alone in the car, was arrested.

The owner of the car driven by Bayley had been unaware it had been taken from her home at Rollins Villas in Sallynoggin until alerted by gardai that night. They then discovered sums of cash, including €100, from inside a birthday card, was also missing from their home.

Bayley told gardai he had been brought to the area by people he owed "15 grand" to and they told him they had something for him to do to clear some money off the debt. He said he had addictions, principally to diazepam and cocaine.

He acknowledged that himself or someone else could have been killed during the car chase and told gardai he had been given the keys to the car.

He said he did not recall taking the items from the sick child's house but that there were also other people present during the burglary and the items would be in the car.

Gda Wall agreed with Keith Spencer BL, defending, that Bayley described how he had used a screwdriver to open the door during the burglaries. He accepted Bayley had offered a full apology.

He agreed that Bayley told gardai his girlfriend had been expecting their first child at the time and that the child was now four to five months old.

Geraldine Delahunty

The State has withdrawn a charge against a disabled woman who was accused of harassing a 98FM presenter.

Geraldine Delahunty with an address at Convent Lawns, Kylemore Road, Ballyfermot, Dublin faced a single count contrary to section 10 of the Non Fatal Offences Against the Person Act for alleged harassment of Dublin Talks co-host Jeremy Dixon from August 4, 2014, until January 16, 2015.

The allegation related to social media communications.

Today at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court counsel for the prosecution entered a nolle prosequi to the charge, meaning it is not being proceeded with.

A previous hearing heard that a psychologist had prepared a report for the defence stating the Ms Delahunty was incapable of standing trial. The report stated this situation was not likely to improve or change with time or medication

Fiona Murphy BL, defending, said it was more of a disability issue rather than a psychiatric issue. She said the woman, who is in her 40s, “lives the life of a child” and is in the care of her parents. Counsel said she required constant supervision.

Last week the Director of Public Prosecutions said it wanted an independent expert to examine Ms Delahunty. Dean Kelly BL, for the prosecution, accepted there had been a delay by the DPP in responding to the defence report which was issued in July.

Mr Kelly told that hearing that the prosecution was not taking the position that the contents of the report were disputed. The case had been adjourned to today when the prosecution withdrew the charge completely.

Dean Johnston

A father held his son's hand and told him to be strong in the moments after he was fatally shot, an inquest heard.

Derek Johnston sat beside his son Dean Johnston (20) after he had been shot five times in the head and upper arm.

The young man from Moorefield Avenue, Clondalkin, Dublin 22 was shot as he sat in the back of a reversing car on May 25, 2011.

It was a bright sunny summer's evening, Dublin Coroner's Court heard. 

Mr Johnston had come home to his father's house around 6pm that night, had something to eat and left again to attend an event.

He sat into the back of a car owned by his friend's girlfriend around 60 metres from his home at around 8.45pm, the court heard. The car was reversing slowly when a gunman approached and dispatched five shots from a silver handgun.

"I was reversing checking my mirrors when I saw him, walking close to the car. It was like he was holding something, I thought it was a gun," Stacy Mullen said.

She 'curled up' when she saw him raise his hand and point the gun toward the car, she said in her deposition, read out in her absence.

"I curled up into a ball.. I heard four or five loud bangs," Ms Mullen said. She said Mr Johnston made no sound.

"He did not scream or shout. He was swaying in the back. The man was running off. I ran back into my house," she said.

The injured man's father Derek Johnston was at his neighbours house when a knock came to the door.

"Someone shouted it's your son, run," he told the court.

"I saw Dean sitting in the back of the car. I sat in beside him and held his hand and told him to be strong."

"When I was getting out I saw a shell on the ground, that's when I realised he'd been shot. I collapsed on the ground," Mr Johnston said.

Dean Johnston was rushed to hospital where he died. The cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds.

Detective Inspector Richard McDonnell said 550 lines of inquiry were followed up as part of the investigation into the man's death. Gardai conducted nine searches and made seven arrests. The DPP directed no prosecution.

Three calls for information were made on Crimecall and a further call was made via Crimestoppers. The additional information was filed to the DPP as part of a supplementary file but in July 2016, the DPP again directed no prosecution due to insufficient evidence.

The jury returned a verdict of death by unlawful killing by a person or persons unknown.

"No amount of time will make a process such as this easy for those who have been bereaved," Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane said.

Via Independent.ie

Wayne Cluskey

Josh Turner

A man was killed with a hatchet in a row over a pedigree chihuahua that failed to father enough pups, a prosecution barrister told the Central Criminal Court today

Michael O'Higgins SC opened the trial of Wayne Cluskey (25), and Josh Turner (24), both of Mooretown, Ratoath, Co Meath, who have pleaded not guilty to the murder of 27-year-old Christopher Nevin at Tailteann Road, Navan on November 19, 2015.

Mr O'Higgins said the two men were part of a "joint enterprise" and added: "They had a joint plan to inflict serious injury or death on Mr Nevin."

Outlining the evidence the jury will hear, he said all three men lived in the Navan area and Mr Nevin owned a number of dogs, including three female chihuahuas which he wanted to use for breeding.

He got a male chihuahua from Mr Turner to "cover the three females" but after two or three months only one of the chihuahuas was pregnant. He said Mr Nevin believed the pregnant chihuahua would provide him with only one pup and "there was a dispute as to what benefit Mr Turner would be entitled to."

Mr O'Higgins said the jury would see CCTV footage of a silver Honda Civic car pulling up to the house at Tailteann Road at about 2pm on November 19.

He said Mr Turner got out of the car first and knocked on a window. Mr Nevin came outside and the two men talked for a short time before Mr Turner is seen moving back with his arms up.

He said at that point Mr Cluskey came into the picture and "began to strike Mr Nevin".

He said the attack gained in ferocity and that Mr Nevin was struck with a hatchet. He later died from his injuries.

Mr Cluskey and Mr Turner left the scene in a car and later went voluntarily to Navan Garda Station.

Mr O'Higgins said they put forward their justification for what happened and that they are not disputing that they were the "men in the attack", seen on the CCTV footage.

Mr O'Higgins described the footage as "distressing".

The trial will continue tomorrow in front of Justice Patrick McCarthy and a jury of nine men and three women.

STOCK IMAGE

A priest has received a suspended sentence for sexual assault after a court heard he has been put under effective house arrest by his order.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard the 65 year old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, molested a boy after Mass one Sunday.

The abuse came to light after the boy's mother went to gardaí and the priest made admissions. A garda told the court that the priest had been since living under strict rules in a different house operated by his order. The order also cannot be identified.

He is not allowed celebrate mass or wear “priestly garb” and is not allowed leave the house alone except to go to his doctor or solicitor, the court was told.

He is also not allowed unsupervised access to children or vulnerable adults, including his own family. The regime is to continue “indefinitely”, Ronan Kennedy BL, defending, told the court.

Judge Melanie Greally said the man's current situation “has correctly been compared to house arrest” and that she was taking this into account in sentencing. She also considered the man's early guilty plea, his remorse and his “good work” in missions around the world.

She imposed a two year sentence which she suspended in full on condition the priest completes a sex offenders programme. He has already been registered as a sex offender.

The man pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault of the boy in a church building in Dublin in September 2015.

A local garda told prosecuting counsel Cathleen Noctor BL that the boy's family regularly attended the church for mass. Afterwards the adults would have tea in a kitchen in the building while the children would hang out in another room because it had internet access.

One Sunday after mass the boy, who was in his early teens, was in the room using the internet when the accused entered. He molested the boy by putting his hand down the child's trousers. He also took the boy's hand and put it down his trousers. The incident lasted about 15 seconds.

As the priest was leaving the room he told the boy :“Don't think I'm bad alright. I'll see you later.”

The following Sunday he saw the boy and asked him “are you alright, are you shaken up or anything?”

The victim told his mother about the incident the following month and she went to gardaí. The accused was interviewed and said he accepted the boy's allegations and apologised.

The child declined to write out a victim impact statement although the garda said he continued to be “very upset” by the incident. The boy's parents had not told him until two weeks ago that the matter was before the court.

Mr Kennedy said the matter was originally before the District Court but was sent forward to the Circuit Court by a judge at the last minute because it was judged to be too serious.

Counsel said his client was genuinely remorseful and had no previous convictions. He said the offence was “heinous” but didn't involve threats and lasted a short time. He added that the priest has been undergoing sex offender therapy since last year.

A trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court has been delayed

A trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court has been delayed because a Pakistani witness living in America is worried he won't be allowed home if he comes to Ireland to give evidence.

The trial of George Cristo (43) of Cherryfield Close, Blanchardstown, Dublin was due to take place in two weeks but has been adjourned because of the witness difficulties.

Fiona McGowan BL told Judge Melanie Greally that the witness is living and working in America.

His native country of Pakistan is not on the list of seven countries whose residents have been banned from entering America under President Donald Trump's executive order.

However, he is worried the order may be expanded.

Judge Greally agreed to adjourn the case. Mr Cristo, who faces three charges under the Theft and Fraud Offences Act 2001, will appear again on February 15 when the court will receive an update on the situation.

Reece Cullen

Associates of a teenager who is the prime suspect in the murder of a Dublin schoolboy have been involved in a campaign of intimidation to prevent witnesses from talking to Gardaí.

Reece Cullen (16), was fatally wounded when he was stabbed at a house in Kilclare Gardens in Jobstown in a broad daylight attack on January 5. 

Gardaí arrested another teenager in relation to the attack and questioned him before releasing him without charge. 

Gardaí have CCTV footage of the teen  in the area after Reece was killed and also captured him on camera close to where the murder weapon was found. By the time they called to his house, the clothes he was wearing had been washed. 

Reece knew his killer and Gardaí believe the murder was linked to a dispute between two groups of teenagers. 

There were several witnesses to the attack or the aftermath, but associates of the teenage suspect have been involved in a campaign of intimidation to try and prevent witnesses from revealing what they saw.

“They have been going around issuing threats trying to scare people from coming forward,” said a source. “But Gardaí are hopeful there will be charges brought in the case.”

Gardaí also arrested a 29-year-old woman who knows the prime suspect in relation to the case. She was questioned over withholding information and later released without charge. Gardaí suspect she was aware the young thug carried out the killing. 

Reece’s killer viciously stabbed him in the chest before twisting the knife, in a sickening killing which shocked the nation. 

Reece’s girlfriend Sophie Evans said she was on the phone to him when the attack took place. 

“He said ‘I’m on the way down to you baby’, then I heard him screaming, saying ‘my heart, my heart’.”
threatening

Reece’s father Ken O’Flanagan said the youngster  had fallen in with a bad crowd and had taken the death of his mother Ann-Marie from suicide last September particularly badly.  

“She sadly took her own life just a few weeks after his 16th birthday. He took it incredibly hard and fell in with a bad crowd after she died,” he said.

Sources said Reece owed money for drugs at the time of his death, while his mother was forced to pay €200 every week for a year to thugs threatening the family before she took her own life.

Ken said the area was “full of drugs” and added: “It cost his mam her life and now it has cost Reece his.”

Images from the scene provided by Gardai

Gardaí have charged a 34-year-old man in connection with the seizure of cannabis plants and herb with an estimated value of €310,000.

He is due to appear before Carlow District Court om February 22 at 10.30am.

On the morning of Friday January 30 Gardaí and the Fire Service attended the scene of a house fire that occurred at Ballyhook, Grangecon, County Wicklow.

When the fire was extinguished in excess of 350 cannabis plants, a quantity of cannabis herb and drugs/cultivation paraphernalia was discovered on the premises.

The house, which was substantially damaged, was unoccupied at the time.

The scene was preserved and technically examined.

Investigating Gardaí, attached to the Baltinglass District Drugs Unit, arrested the man in the Newbridge area, County Kildare yesterday, Tuesday 31st January 2017.

He was detained at Baltinglass Garda Station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984.

The man was charged and released from Garda custody on bail.

"This data is likely to be sold on the Dark Web and used for future cyber crime"

The details of more than 2.5 million gamers have been hacked after a cyber breach on two popular video games forums, it has been claimed.

The XBOX360 ISO and PlayStation's PSP ISO forum, both unofficial sites where players share links to download free and pirated versions of games, were reportedly stolen in September 2015 with email addresses and passwords compromised.

According to monitoring website haveibeenpwned.com, which tracks cyber breaches, the details have since been shared publicly online.

Security experts are urging consumers to change passwords and review their security settings.

Robert Capps from NuData Security warned internet users this was the latest reminder to use unique passwords across online accounts to keep data out of the hands of cyber criminals.

"The recently disclosed data theft from the unofficial PlayStation and Xbox forums is yet another example of the need for consumers to be wary of who they provide their information to online," he said.

"While this site is mostly used to distribute pirated copies of games, DVDs and BluRays, consumers who use the forums need to make sure that they are vigilant. Keep alert to any phishing scams that may appear in email as a result of this hack, changing passwords on any site where the passwords or usernames used on these sites are used.

"This data is likely to be sold on the Dark Web and used for future cyber crime. It's a good reminder to choose unique passwords on all sites that require registration."

No-one has yet claimed responsibility for the breach.

A US study found that soccer players who headed the ball a lot were three times more likely to suffer concussion symptoms than those who did not

Headers have been confirmed as a cause of concussion among footballers, contrary to earlier findings.

A US study found that soccer players who headed the ball a lot were three times more likely to suffer concussion symptoms than those who did not.

Until now ball heading has generally been regarded as harmless, with collisions between players blamed for most cases of concussion.

Lead researcher Dr Michael Lipton, from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, said: "These results show that heading the ball is indeed related to concussion symptoms, which is contrary to a recent study that suggested that collisions were responsible for most concussions.

"The findings raise concerns about the long-term effects from heading the ball, and more research is needed."

The scientists looked at adult amateur footballers who played for at least six months of the year in the New York city area.

Participants completed questionnaires asking them about their playing frequency, unintentional head impacts, and ball heading.

They were also questioned about impact effects such as pain, dizziness, feeling dazed, and having to stop playing or need medical attention. A very severe impact was defined as losing consciousness.

Of 222 players, men recalled an average of 44 headers in two weeks and women 27. One or more unintentional head impacts were reported by 37% of men and 43% of women.

Among those who had suffered head impacts, a fifth had moderate to severe symptoms.

Players who had headed the ball the largest number of times were three times more likely to have symptoms than those who headed the ball the least.

The results appear in the latest online issue of the journal Neurology.

Stock image

Four police officers were taken to hospital after they were sprayed with flammable liquid in a burning building by an armed attacker.

The 39-year-old suspect is being held in custody after the incident in east London that saw a Taser discharged, the Metropolitan Police said.

The officers were sent to the house in Hartington Road, Walthamstow, at around 4.20pm on Wednesday afternoon after concerns were raised over the welfare of a person inside.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "Officers attended and attempted to speak to the man. However, through a window they noticed that a fire had been started inside the address.

"Police forced entry to the property and found the man in possession of a knife and a bottle of accelerant - the man proceeded to squirt the liquid at officers.

"The man refused to comply with officers' instructions and a Taser was discharged."

The suspect was arrested on suspicion of arson with intent and grievous bodily harm with intent and taken to hospital.

He was later transferred to an east London police station for questioning in custody.

The four male officers were taken to hospital suffering the effects of smoke inhalation, but were later discharged. It is understood they escaped without the accelerant igniting.

Inspector Jonathan Hinder, of Waltham Forest Police, said: "These officers showed great bravery to force entry into this property and bring a dangerous situation to a quick and successful conclusion.

"Without their swift actions, this incident could have had far more serious consequences and it once again demonstrates the dangers officers face as they carry out their daily duties."

Skerries Road, near the area of the collision (Image via Google Maps)

A man in his 30s has died in a two-car collision in north Dublin.

Gardai in Lusk are investigating a fatal collision that occurred at Rush, Co Dublin on February 1.

The crash happened on the Skerries Road, Rush, near the intersection with St Catherine's Estate at around 11.30pm last night.

Gardai and emergency services attended the scene.

The 35-year-old male driver and sole occupant of one car was pronounced dead at the scene, and his body has been removed to the mortuary at James Connolly Memorial Hospital.

The three occupants of the second car were injured and taken to Beaumont and James Connolly Memorial hospitals.

Their conditions are described as serious but non life-threatening.

One of the occupants was a 24-year-old woman, while the other two were 28 and 45-year-old men.

The road is currently closed to facilitate a forensic collision examination, and diversions are in place.

Gardai are appealing for witnesses or anyone with any information to contact them at Balbriggan garda station 01 8020510, the garda confidential line on 1800 666 111 or any garda station.

John Gilligan outside court yesterday

The family of murdered journalist Veronica Guerin have spoken of their disgust after gangster John Gilligan said he prays for her.

Gilligan - who spent 17 years behind bars for drug trafficking, and who has had two attempts on his life - told the Irish Independent he "often prays for Veronica".

He made the claim just before he lost his appeal against the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) from seizing his last three remaining homes in Ireland.

But reacting to Gilligan's words, Veronica's brother Jimmy Guerin was disgusted.

"Gilligan's comments are another display of the total contempt he has for Veronica, her family and for everything that has happened since her killing," he said.

Veronica Guerin

"I have deeper thoughts and comments on this prayer claim of his also, but they are not suitable for print," Mr Guerin added.

He also said Gilligan was "an immoral individual" who killed Veronica, not to stop her writing but to halt an assault case she brought against him which would expose his crime empire.

Asked for his reaction to Gilligan losing his appeal and his loss of his three remaining homes, Mr Guerin said it would be a shallow victory if there was a delay in the CAB seizing the houses and selling them.

"I appreciate that there is due process in these matters, and that it will take time, but it will be a shallow victory until these properties are seized," he said.

"It has taken more than 20 years to get this far and it's time it ended now."

Convicted drug trafficker John Gilligan gave his wife the thumbs-up sign from across the courtroom as the judges prepared to deliver their ruling.

But within minutes, Gilligan and his family had lost their appeal on the ruling that gives the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) the right to seize three houses.

The CAB fought for more than 20 years to strip the crime boss of his properties on the basis that they were bought with the proceeds of crime.

It has already sold off his massive Jessbrook equestrian centre in Kildare and a house in Lucan for €870,000.

The decision of the Supreme Court means the CAB can now seize a bungalow beside the equestrian centre (where Gilligan is pictured gardening above), a former family home in Corduff Avenue in Blanchardstown, Dublin, and another house in Willsbrook View in Lucan, Dublin.

"I am satisfied that the Gilligans are not entitled to succeed in the Greendale motions," Ms Justice Elizabeth Dunne said.

The five-judge court said the Gilligans had not established that a previous Supreme Court decision of 2008 came within rare or exceptional circumstance in which a final judgement may be set aside.

To do so, it would have been necessary to show that through no fault of their own, they had been the subject of a breach of constitutional rights, Ms Justice Dunne said.

"There is nothing extraneous in the circumstances of this case going to the very root of the fair and constitutional administration of justice which would necessitate the setting aside of the judgment of the Supreme Court of 2008," she added.

Gilligan looked both shocked and disbelieving of the outcome as he sat at the back of the court with his son Darren (below right).

They left soon afterwards, and the man who was the boss of the gang that killed crime journalist Veronica Guerin in 1996 was then seen on his phone, reading passages of the ruling aloud.

A spokesman for the CAB said the bureau noted the judgment with satisfaction.

"This now brings these lengthy proceedings to a conclusion. The bureau disposed of a significant amount of the properties relating to this matter in 2014, including the former equestrian centre, and is now free to proceed to dispose of the remaining residential properties," he added.

A CAB investigator said the ruling was a fantastic result.

"It is because of Gilligan and the murder of Veronica Guerin that the CAB was set up. He is the reason we exist," he said.

"Now he has tested the law surrounding CAB to the very ends and in every court in the land, it means he has copper-fastened our existence and it will make us more successful in seizing the assets of criminals and criminal gangs in the future.

"The ruling can be used as precedent now. Gilligan frustrated the system for 20 years but he has lost, and more like him will lose as a result."

Tánaiste and Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald said the ruling sent a clear message to serious criminals: "We will take your wealth from you. What we see from these people is they get into these cycles and it takes every ounce of effort and resource of the State to stop it."

Ms Fitzgerald described the CAB as "one of a kind" and said its processes had been "heavily tested in the courts". She also praised her predecessor Nora Owen for setting up the bureau.

The CAB now has to wait for the Supreme Court to perfect its case in law before moving forward. "Once that is done we will be sending a letter to the Gilligans, through their solicitor, in which we will be seeking them to vacate the properties," said a spokesman.

"Then at that point we will be seeking sale and disposal of the houses."

Via Independent.ie