Gardaí taking no further investigation into original Bishop Eamonn Casey file
The review was conducted by the Garda National Protective Services Bureau (GNPSB) at the request of Garda Commissioner Drew Harris. A garda spokesperson said: 'This review has been completed and no further investigative actions have been identified."
The request came after an RTÉ documentary titled Bishop Casey's Buried Secrets examined the Catholic Church's handling of abuse allegations made against Casey. Multiple allegations of child sex abuse were made against the Bishop, including from his niece Patricia Donovan.
She claimed that he first raped her at five years old and the abuse continued for years. Ms Donovan told the documentary: 'The horror of being raped by him when I was five, the violence. And it just carried on in that vein. He had no fear of being caught.
'He thought he could do what he liked, when he liked, how he liked… He was almost, like, incensed that I would dare fight against him, that I would dare try and hurt him, I would dare try and stop him… It didn't make any difference.'
The former CEO of The National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland, Ian Elliott, described Bishop Casey as 'a sexual predator'. He told RTÉ: 'It should have been stopped… those that have been distressed and hurt should be helped and supported by the Church. That is a major priority.' Patricia Donovan (Image: RTÉ)
Child sexual abuse allegations against Casey were reported to gardaí, but he was never charged. He vehemently denied all of these allegations when he was alive.
The former Bishop of Galway died in 2017 and was buried in the crypt of Galway Cathedral. However, on Friday the diocese of Galway confirmed that his remains were removed and they are now with his family. In a statement, Galway Disocesan Office thanked everyone 'for their understanding of the situation, for their patience and for their respect as this process was undertaken and brought to a conclusion".
It added: 'Significant consensus emerged around the unique role of a Cathedral as a place of unity rather than division, healing rather than hurt and peace rather than disquiet.' Casey resigned from his post as Bishop of Galway and Kilmacduagh in 1992 after it was revealed that he had an affair with American woman Annie Murphy, which resulted in the birth of their son.
The Vatican later confirmed that he was formally removed from public ministry in 2007 following 'allegations', which included complaints of child sexual abuse. However, this wasn't made publicly aware when he was alive and was only revealed during RTÉ's documentary last year.
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RTÉ News
12 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Data flags hundreds of Russian 'shadow fleet' visits to Irish EEZ
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Ireland's maritime EEZ extends roughly 370km off the west coast and is the site of major international shipping routes and multiple globally-important undersea cables. Countries are obligated under the UN Law of the Sea to monitor activities within their EEZ, prevent illegal activity, and control pollution. Vessels suspected of being part of the Russian shadow fleet often use deceptive practices, including falsifying paperwork, to try to obscure the origin, destination and selling price of Russian oil on board. They have been linked to damage caused to undersea cables in recent months, in particular in the Baltic Sea. Shadow fleet vessels have also conducted activities considered risky at sea, including turning off location transponders and conducting ship-to-ship oil transfers. The figures for activity in the Irish EEZ were provided by maritime intelligence company Windward, which uses satellite imagery and AI technology to spot and monitor ships, including those which turn their transponders off. A specific break down of the data on visits to the Irish EEZ during the first five months of the year was also provided by Windward. It showed that 40 of the 162 vessels which entered the Irish EEZ during that time frame were directly sanctioned with clear Russian affiliation. Five of those were sailing under the Russian flag, while six were beneficially-owned by Russian companies. Most of the others were flying under what are known as "flags of convenience," meaning they were registered in countries with minimal oversight. These can be used to disguise ownership and thereby avoid scrutiny and evade sanctions. Windward links the others to the shadow fleet through research and analysis of maritime activities. The top five "flags of convenience" on shadow fleet vessels travelling through the Irish EEZ were from the Marshall Islands, Liberia, Malta, Comoros and Panama. Asked about its monitoring of shadow fleet activity within the Irish EEZ, the Defence Forces said, "while it is our policy not to comment on specific operational matters, all relevant information gathered in support of Maritime Domain Awareness is shared in a timely manner with the appropriate national and international authorities." "The Defence Forces, through the deployment of Naval Service and Air Corps assets, maintains a continuous presence and vigilance within Ireland's maritime domain. We monitor all activity within our Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as part of our routine operations to ensure the security and integrity of our waters." Irish Coast Guard data released Separately, data from the Irish Coast Guard released under the Freedom of Information Act and analysed by RTÉ,shows that the service also picked up signals from four western sanctioned Russian registered vessels in Irish EEZ waters since the turn of the year. RTÉ used vessel tracking website to trace the activities of these vessels around the time they were referenced in the Coast Guard data. The Valentin Pikul carried out three ship-to-ship transfers with a Russian bunkering vessel in Murmansk in northwestern Russia between 30 March and 10 April, one week after it passed through Irish EEZ waters on 23 and 24 March. The European Union-sanctioned Russian vessel Bratsk sailed through the Irish EEZ on 26 and 27 April, turning off its location transponder as it proceeded north off the Donegal coast. The Russian-flagged crude oil tanker Belgorod transmitted intermittent location data as it travelled through Ireland's EEZ on 6 and 7 May, two months after EU sanctions on the vessel were announced. The Primoyre passed the Irish coast twice between 13 April and 2 May, going 'dark' to location tracking services for periods while off the coast of Clare and later Donegal. Tony Cudmore, a retired Brigadier General with the Irish Defence Forces, said "an awful lot of this activity is intended to provoke and possibly to call into question the State's authority." "The danger is that a perception is being created that the State's authority in this area is being diminished," he added. He warned that there is also a significant environmental risk linked to the oil tankers, and that the clean-up cost would likely have to be borne by Ireland in the event of an oil spill while a vessel was uninsured. "These ships are like having vehicles travelling on your roads which have no NCT. 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"These risks include the increased possibility of a maritime casualty and search and rescue incidents from such vessels. For this reason, the Coast Guard has instituted specific measures to monitor the presence of these vessels and passage through and out of Irish EEZ" it said in a statement. Sanctions impact Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the EU, UK and the US have imposed restrictions on Russia's energy sector, aiming to weaken its economy and limit its ability to fund the war. As part of that, specific ships have been banned from EU territorial waters, denied insurance, and prevented from accessing certain maritime services as well as all European ports and territorial waters. Last week the EU announced its 18th sanctions package against Russia which includes an additional 105 vessels being banned from accessing EU ports and locks, or undertaking ship-to-ship transfers of oil. The UK also placed sanctions on 135 oil tankers in Russia's "shadow fleet" this week. In total, the EU has now imposed sanctions on more than 400 shadow fleet ships. All European ports are also effectively barred from temporarily storing, handling, or processing Russian crude oil and petroleum products, with limited exceptions. However, even with the sanctions, income generated by Russia's exports have remained stable. The federation exported 7.8million barrels of oil per day in 2021, a figure that had dipped only slightly three years later to 7.5million barrels per day, as it successfully redirected supplies to countries like China and India, according to the International Energy Agency. John O'Brennan, Professor of European Politics at Maynooth University, attributes that at least in part to the activity of the shadow fleet, and says that individual European countries could do more to step up enforcement at a national level. "Some national authorities within the EU have been less than vigilant about upholding those sanctions. That gap is one that Russia has been successfully able to exploit over the last couple of years," Prof O'Brennan added. Prof O'Brennan noted some Greek shipping owners have been prominent in selling their old vessels on to Russia to repurpose, rather than spending money on scrapping them.
Irish Independent
43 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
Jeffrey Epstein attended Donald Trump's 1993 wedding, new photos reveal
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Irish Independent
43 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
The great Paris tourist rip-off exposed by a fake American
Hapless tourists in Paris are being charged as much as 50pc more than French customers, the city's leading newspaper found. After detecting online complaints from tourists about being overcharged, Le Parisien sent out one bona fide Parisian to a cafe on the Champ-de-Mars near the Eiffel Tower. It then dressed up one of its reporters as a typical tourist, sporting a T-shirt emblazoned with the iconic tower, trainers, dark glasses and a baseball cap, along with a passable American accent − albeit with a French twang. They both sat down at the unnamed restaurant and ordered the same dish − lasagne − and drinks, a Coke and water, and discreetly filmed themselves. The clearly 'French' customer was served a can of Coke for €6.50 and offered a carafe of water along with his dish. Meanwhile, the 'American' was not offered a small can, only a 'medium or large Coke'. When it arrived, it was half a litre and cost €9.50. As for the water, the 'American' received no offer of a carafe, which is free. Instead, he was made to fork out a further €6 for a small bottle of Vittel. The pair then walked to another nearby cafe-restaurant to test its policy on tipping. When it was time to pay, the French customer received the bill, which includes an obligatory 10pc service charge. However, the 'American' client was asked if he wished to tip because 'service isn't included'. Worse, when he agreed to add a 10pc tip via the card machine, he realised afterwards the waiter had shielded the amount and discreetly upped this to 15pc. Last month, Paris cafes were caught cheating unsuspecting tourists out of good-quality wine. An undercover sommelier ordered a glass of Chablis, costing around €9, but the wine being served was actually the cheapest on the menu − a €5 sauvignon. Wine merchant Marina Giuberti said: 'It's a pity for the customer and for the image of the wine appellation, for the winemaker and for the restaurant owners who do a good job.' The Telegraph spoke to Joseph, a 21-year-old waiter who confirmed some of the techniques were widespread. 'In one restaurant I worked [in] I was instructed to bring spring water at €7 a bottle unless foreign customers specifically asked for a carafe. 'I confess I sometimes don't tell them that service [is] included if they mention the word tip.' 'It's daylight robbery,' said the French customer,Marc Maziere, an economist who runs a blog called Radin Malin (shrewd miser), which helps people make savings in their everyday spending. 'It's almost abuse of weakness. They know you're a tourist, you're probably tired and don't understand much etc.' Several American tourists quizzed by Le Parisien on restaurant rules thought that you always had to pay for water, as that was their experience. 'Usually they bring a bottle of water, you have to pay for even when we say still,' said one woman sitting on a bench in the Tuileries gardens. Franck Trouet of the hotel and restaurant umbrella group GHR said: 'It's a disgrace to the profession. You can't even call these people waiters. You should know that in France, water and bread are free. One can refuse a bottle of water.' He said waiters' eagerness to increase the tip had been supercharged when Emmanuel Macron, the French president, decided three years ago to waive taxes on 'le pourboire'. Now, tips made in French restaurants and cafes using a bank card are no longer taxable. The rise of new pay machines that automatically suggest a tip of at least 5pc has accelerated the trend to try to squeeze more out of diners.
