Former Galway bishop Eamonn Casey's remains removed from cathedral crypt
It is not clear when the disinterment took place but the Galway Diocese confirmed that the remains are with his family.
In 1992, it emerged that Mr Casey had fathered a child with an American woman, Annie Murphy, in 1974.Last year, Patricia Donovan waived her right to anonymity in a joint investigation between RTÉ and The Mail on Sunday.She claims her uncle began raping her at the age of five and the sexual abuse continued for years.Ms Donovan described her "disbelief" over her alleged abuser being buried in the space preserved for senior clergy beneath the cathedral.The investigation revealed that Mr Casey was formally removed from public ministry in 2007 by the Vatican, following "allegations" which included his niece's complaint of child sexual abuse.That restriction continued for the last 10 years of his life but was never publicly known.The documentary also reported that the Limerick Diocese paid over €100,000 (£86,700) to one of his accusers after his death, in a settlement.In early 2006, the Irish bishops announced that Mr Casey was moving back to Ireland from England to retire.By then, the Vatican had received at least two allegations of child sexual abuse regarding the bishop.Mr Casey denied all the allegations against him and he was never convicted of any sexual crimes.He remained a bishop until his death in 2017 and claimed his removal from ministry was unjust.
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BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Families demand change to parole rules for missing body murders
The families of two murder victims whose bodies have never been found have backed a bid to change the rules on Fraser and Suzanne Pilley were the focus of two high-profile murder investigations more than a decade of both women want the law changed in Scotland so that Parole Boards must take it into account if a killer refuses to reveal the location of their victim's present the law states that failure to reveal the location may - rather than must - be considered when deciding whether someone will be released from prison. The proposed change is contained in an amendment to the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform Bill which has been tabled by Liberal Democrat MSP Jamie Secretary Angela Constance said the Scottish government remained "fully committed" to supporting the families said they were "relieved" by that support. Speaking during an emotional press conference, Carol Gillies said she felt guilty to be alive after the death of her sister, Arlene, at the age of husband Nat Fraser, 53, is serving a life sentence for the mother-of-two's murder and would eligible for parole in October Gillies said that not knowing what happened to her sister was "a form of mental torture" and that Fraser had a choice to reveal what he knows."I feel that he controlled Arlene when she was alive and he is controlling her when she is dead," she was last seen on 28 April 1998 when she waved her son and daughter off to school from their home in Elgin, then vanished without a trace. Suspicion quickly fell on her husband Nat, who had previously assaulted his was later charged with her murder alongside his friend, Hector Dick, and a third man, Glenn went on trial in January 2003. In a dramatic twist Mr Dick and Mr Lucas were freed, leaving Fraser alone in the Dick, who became a witness for the prosecution, told the trial that Arlene's husband had hired a hitman to kill her, burn her body and ground up the jury found Fraser guilty of murder and he was jailed for a minimum of 25 conviction was quashed in 2009 and Fraser stood trial for a second time in was again found guilty and ordered to serve at least 17 years in prison for what the judge described as a "shocking and wicked" crime. Suzanne Pilley was captured on CCTV as she got the bus to work in Edinburgh city centre on the morning of 4 May 2010 - but she never arrived at her would later emerge that the bookkeeper had been lured to the basement of the building in Thistle Street by her colleague David Gilroy.A court later heard he murdered her there and hid her body in a Pilley, 38, had recently ended her year-long secret relationship with Gilroy, who was described in court as possessive and following day the married father-of-two drove his silver Vauxhall Vectra more than 130 miles from Edinburgh to Lochgilphead, Argyll and used CCTV to map Gilroy's movements and found it took him five hours and eight minutes to drive from Tyndrum to Inverary - a journey which should take 36 minutes. Gilroy, who turned his phone off to cover his tracks, is believed to have buried Ms Pilley in remote forest but despite extensive searches no trace of her has ever been 49-year-old was jailed for life at the High Court in Edinburgh in April was ordered to serve at least 18 years in prison and will be eligible to apply for parole in March sentencing, Lord Bracadale told him: "I hope that the day will come in your life when you feel able to disclose that information and that may bring some comfort to her bereft family." Suzanne's mother, Sylvia Pilley, said her daughter's life had been cut short."She really wanted a family and she was never given that. We miss her every day so that's really why we are doing it," she said at the press sister, Gail Fairgrieve, said she lived with the trauma of Gilroy's actions every said: "What the Parole Board need to understand is that his crimes are still continuing."Ms Fairgrieve also called for Scotland to go even further and follow the example of Australia where several states have a "no body, no parole" will debate the proposals next month and Victim Support Scotland hope the legislation will be passed before the Holyrood election next changes in Scotland mirror Helen's Law south of the border. It is named after Helen McCourt, from Merseyside, whose killer Ian Simms was freed from jail without disclosing the location of her legislation, known as Charlotte's Law, will be brought forward before the next North Ireland assembly election. Murders without a body Other Scottish cases where no body was found include:Allison McGarrigle, who vanished in June 1997 and was formally declared dead eight years later. Paedophiles Charles O'Neill and William Lauchlan were later jailed for her Spence, who disappeared in April 2011. Colin Coats and Philip Wade were found guilty of abducting, torturing and murdering the Fleming, a vulnerable 19-year-old who was killed by Edward Cairney and Avril Jones between December 1999 and January 2000. Jones then continued to claim £182,000 in benefits until it finally emerged Margaret was missing in October 2016. The pair were finally convicted in July 2019. Liberal Democrat MSP Jamie Greene told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme that withholding the whereabouts of a body should be "an important part of the consideration" for said: "There are grieving families out there who have been unable to find closure throughout this process."And there are people, who they see that could be released from prison, that still know to this day where the remains of their loved ones are."I think that's morally indefensible. So do the families and many of the organisations that support them." 'Complex process' Defence Edith Forrest KC told the programme she had every sympathy with the families of murder victims who had never been she said she thought the proposed amendment to the bill would "make little difference to how the Parole Board approach such cases". "Rule 12 is specifically directed at prisoners who withhold that sort of information and whether they may take that into account. Almost inevitably that is exactly the information they would consider in the parole assessment."The Parole Board is there to assess risk, and that is a complex process, and something like that is exactly the sort of thing they would be looking at."Justice Secretary Angela Constance said the families had endured a "terrible journey".She said the Scottish government was "fully committed" to the amendment and there was "no risk of it being watered down".Constance said: "I want to see a strengthening of the law, a law that will require that the Parole Board must take into consideration if a prisoner has not disclosed the remains of their victim."The amendment is also supported by Victim Support executive Kate Wallace said: "It is a simple change of one word, but the impact on the families who have lost a loved one in this way will be enormous."
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Solicitor at UK libel firm facing tribunal over threat allegations tied to fake cryptocurrency
A solicitor at one of Britain's best known libel law firms is facing prosecution before a disciplinary tribunal over allegations that she made inappropriate threats. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) announced today that it had decided to prosecute Claire Gill, a partner at Carter-Ruck. The decision was taken in March earlier this year. In a statement published on its website the SRA said that a tribunal 'has certified that there is a case to answer in respect of allegations which are or include that, on or around 26 April 2017, Ms Gill sent or arranged to be sent correspondence which contained an improper threat of litigation'. It added that the allegations were subject to a full hearing and were as yet unproven. SRA cases are heard by the independent Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, which can issue an unlimited fine or bar a solicitor from the profession. Carter-Ruck as a firm is not being prosecuted by the SRA. The nature of the threat, and the identity of the client on whose behalf Gill issued it, are not stated in the SRA announcement. However it is understood that the case relates to Gill's work for OneCoin, which was later established to be a multi-billion dollar fake cryptocurrency, and its founder, Ruja Ignatova. In 2023 the Bureau of Investigative Journalism reported on threats from Carter-Ruck on behalf of OneCoin and Ignatova, including a letter sent on 26 April 2017 to Jen McAdam, a OneCoin victim. The letter was obtained and published by the thinktank Tax Policy Associates and its founder, Dan Neidle, who complained about Gill to the SRA. In the letter published by Neidle, Gill accused McAdam of posting links to online videos alleging that OneCoin was a fraud. 'The statements you have published … go way beyond what may be considered to be legitimate debate,' Gill wrote to McAdam. 'You can be in no doubt therefore of the damage being caused to our clients' reputation and business.' In a statement Carter-Ruck said: 'We are disappointed by the SRA's decision to bring these proceedings against our colleague, who we will be fully supporting in her defence of this matter.' McAdam posted on X that she was unable to comment. The case comes amid public concern about so-called strategic litigation against public participation, or 'slapp', actions involving lawyers being accused of trying to improperly stifle public debate on behalf of clients. Sign up to Headlines UK Get the day's headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion Ignatova, a Bulgarian national, was the subject of the BBC's podcast The Missing Cryptoqueen, which chronicled the evolution and eventual collapse of the OneCoin fraud and the search for the mysterious Ignatova, who vanished in 2018. Ignatova remains wanted by the FBI in connection with OneCoin, and a reward has been offered for information leading to her arrest or conviction. She was charged with fraud and money laundering offences in the US in 2018, but her whereabouts remain unknown. In 2024 the BBC reported on claims published in the Bulgarian press that the true masterminds of the fraud were members of the Bulgarian mafia, and that Ignatova could have been murdered, dismembered and dumped in the Ionian Sea after the mafia considered her to have become a liability.
BreakingNews.ie
2 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Man (35) jailed for unprovoked assault on woman jogging in Dublin
A woman was the victim of a random "unprovoked" attack where she was kicked in the stomach, knocked to the ground and left in pain after she went jogging in Dublin, a court has heard. Hoyda Hamad, a Syrian national of no fixed abode who has used multiple identities, was jailed for three months on Wednesday over the incident at East Wall Road, Dublin 3, on the morning of July 26th. Advertisement It happened 18 days after he was handed a suspended sentence for an earlier theft crime. The 35-year-old, a barber by trade, was charged with a section 2 assault, which carries a six-month sentence, as well as with providing a false or misleading name and address to a member of An Garda Síochána and with using threatening, abusive, or insulting words or behaviour. "This was an unprovoked attack on a female member of the community who was going about her own business, out for a jog, and was attacked by someone who was unknown to her, and suffered pain and suffering," said Judge Patricia Cronin at the sentence hearing at Cloverhill District Court. Hamad pleaded guilty last week, and the case was adjourned until Wednesday for facts and a victim statement. Advertisement The woman did not have to attend the hearing or give evidence because of the guilty plea. Court Sergeant Olyn Murphy outlined the prosecution's evidence on behalf of investigating officer Garda Ruth Redmond. Judge Cronin heard that the incident happened at around 10.05am when the defendant assaulted the woman "by kicking her in the stomach, causing her to fall back on the ground," and Hamad was verbally abusive toward her. She also suffered a back injury, a swollen finger, and her head was "throbbing" after being attacked by Hamad. Advertisement Gardaí attended the scene, and Hamad gave a false name and date of birth before being arrested and brought to a station to be charged. Judge Cronin noted that he had two sets of prior convictions, one under the name Hamad with two theft convictions, which led to the imposition of a two-month sentence, suspended for one year, in Wexford District Court on July 8th. That term could now be activated. He also committed several other crimes under a different name: three for vehicle theft and driving offences, one for drug possession, another for burglary, one for trespass and another for failing to provide a passport as required. That resulted in a 10-month prison sentence from Cork District Court on July 31st last year. Advertisement In a mitigation plea, the defence counsel asked the judge to heed that he had pleaded guilty at an early stage, which was valuable given the moving victim impact statement, which was not read aloud during the hearing. The defence stressed that Hamad did not prolong the ordeal for the woman, who did not have to testify, and that he had no prior assault convictions, and should be given significant credit for those factors. Later in the hearing, the defence described Hamad as non-binary and originally from Syria, having come through France. Over recent months, the accused had a transient living situation and was in a transient relationship with a supportive partner, counsel said. Advertisement Pleading for leniency, the defence described the situation as a "chaotic set of circumstances". Hamad's recollection of events was minimal, and he was apologetic, and his expression of remorse was evidenced by his early guilty plea, the barrister submitted. The accused had been remanded in custody on the date of the incident. Hamad did not testify and spoke only to instruct his barrister that he wished to have the case finalised. Judge Cronin remarked how the victim's statement was eloquent and outlined the psychological and physical injuries, "significant impact", and the life changes the woman made since the attack. The judge found her account to be honest and not exaggerated, and she took notice of the fact that her employer was assisting her in getting counselling. Sentencing, the judge took into account Hamad's plea and prior convictions and that he had none under the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act or similar public order matters. The early guilty plea meant the victim did not have to come to court, she noted. However, she had to take into account all the circumstances and the mitigating factors. The sentence was backdated to July 26th, and the judge expressed her wish for the woman to know that she was well in her recovery. The three-month term was handed down on the assault charge, with the two remaining offences taken into consideration.
