
Man (46) appears in court over €1.6m drug haul in Wexford
Gorey
District Court on Sunday afternoon.
Fintan Fanning of Slaney Drive, Ballycarney, Enniscorthy, came before Judge Kevin Staunton charged with having in his possession a controlled drug, namely cannabis, for the purpose of sale or supply.
Herbal cannabis worth an estimated €1.6 million was seized at Tincurry, Ballycarney, on Friday after a van was intercepted by gardaí following a targeted joint operation involving
An Garda Síochána
and
Revenue's Customs Service
on Friday.
About 80kg of herbal cannabis was discovered during the van search, with an estimated street value of €1.6 million.
READ MORE
The accused was arrested at the scene
and detained for questioning.
Mr Fanning appeared in court wearing a grey tracksuit, with slight beard, and heavy tattooing around the neck area. The hearing lasted less than 10 minutes.
Det Garda Dean Healy told Judge Stauntion that on July 19th he arrested the accused and charged him as set out on the charge sheet. The accused made 'no comment' when the charge was put to him, Det Healy said.
Defence counsel, Craig Phillips, BL instructed by Eoin O'Sullivan, solicitor, said there would be no application for bail. He applied for free legal aid but no statement of means is yet available to the court.
[
Woman with black eye and newborn baby claims husband 'kicked me and dragged me up and down'
Opens in new window
]
Sgt Stephen Ennis told the court he would be seeking a remand in custody for the accused, to appear before Wexford District Court on Tuesday via video link.
Judge Staunton said he would grant free legal aid subject to a statement of means being made available to the court and remanded the accused in custody.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Irish Times
Man who repeatedly raped foster daughter must pay her €328,000 in damages, court rules
A man who admitted to repeatedly raping his foster daughter over a seven-year period must pay more than €300,000 in damages to her, a High Court judge has ruled. Stephen Murray, formerly of Humphreystown, Valleymount, Co Wicklow, was jailed for 11 years in 2022 after pleading guilty to multiple counts of rape, oral rape and sexual assault of Kelly Kemmy. The offending occurred between February 2009 and December 2015, when Ms Kemmy was aged between 11 and 18 years old. Ms Kemmy (27), who waived her right to anonymity following Murray's sentencing, subsequently issued civil proceedings against Murray and Tusla. Ms Kemmy's claim against Tusla, which sought damages for negligence for placing her in the care of Murray, was later settled for €250,000. READ MORE In February, 2024, Mr Justice Paul Coffey ruled in favour of Ms Kemmy in her claim against Murray, which sought damages for personal injuries as well as rape, sexual assault, assault, battery, false imprisonment and trespass to the person. Murray did not participate in the proceedings and judgment was made against him in default of appearance. In a judgment on Wednesday, Ms Justice Emily Egan ruled Ms Kemmy should receive damages of €328,000 from Murray. Ms Justice Egan, who characterised the nature and severity of abuse suffered by Ms Kemmy as a 'worst case scenario', said Ms Kemmy should be awarded €578,000 arising from her action against Murray. This would comprise €450,000 in general damages and €128,000 in special damages. However, the judge ruled that Tusla and Murray were 'concurrent wrongdoers' in the case and as such, the €250,000 settlement with Tusla should be deducted from the total award. '[Ms Kemmy] suffered damage as a result of the tortious and criminal actions of Murray and that damage was not prevented, interrupted or ameliorated by Tusla, as it ought to have been,' the judge said. An award of €450,000 in general damages reflects 'the nature, severity, timing and duration of abuse and the severity of the injury' to Ms Kemmy, Ms Justice Egan said. This award is greater than damage previously awarded for other child sexual abuse cases, the judge said. The judge noted the current upper limit for awards of general damages in personal injuries cases is €550,000. The €128,000 in special damages arises primarily from Ms Kemmy's claims of loss of earnings. Referring to Ms Kemmy's evidence in the civil case, Ms Justice Egan noted that it is estimated she suffered hundreds of separate incidents of rape, occurring three to four times a week. Murray's abuse of Ms Kemmy began when she was 11 years old, some seven years after she and two of her siblings were fostered by Murray and his wife. 'For years, [Ms Kemmy's] dignity and autonomy were taken from her, causing her to suffer humiliation, frustration, helplessness, loneliness and despair,' the judge said. It was Ms Kemmy's evidence that Murray told her the abuse was normal but secret, and if she told anyone, 'it would ruin the family', the judge noted. Ms Kemmy said she felt trapped, helpless and frightened, and that her shame was so overwhelming she felt she had no one to turn to for help, the judge said. Ms Kemmy reported Murray's abuse to An Garda Síochána in July 2019. After this, she was rendered effectively homeless and her relationship with her two siblings was 'devastated', the judge noted. Murray would later plead guilty to 14 counts of rape, two counts of oral rape and one count of sexual assault. Ms Kemmy continues to suffer with post-traumatic stress disorder, the judge noted. The judge also said Ms Kemmy is a resourceful and intelligent woman, keen to gain security for herself and her young child, and who has ambitions of becoming a social worker.


Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Irish Times
Solicitor facing professional misconduct allegations over handling of €100,000 in client account
A solicitor is facing three allegations of professional misconduct linked to his handling of a €100,000 deposit placed into his practice's client account. Michael A O'Brien, solicitor and principal of a firm of the same name based in Carrick on Suir, Co Tipperary , denies any wrongdoing. The Legal Services Regulatory Authority 's case against Mr O'Brien, being heard by the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal , follows a complaint by Dolores Barrett Burke who sought to invest €100,000 in a scheme to purchase the Heritage Hotel and Spa in 2018. She told the tribunal she was 'shocked' to read in a newspaper that the Co Laois hotel had instead been purchased by FBD Hotels & Resorts, yet Mr O'Brien made no attempt to return her money to her. READ MORE Ms Barrett Burke, who is retired and lives in Castlebar, Co Mayo , said she transferred the money after receiving a letter from Mr O'Brien in June 2018 that she believed provided the required assurances. The investment opportunity had been suggested to her by her brother-in-law Cyril Burke. The proposed purchase was being led by Mary Parton, a woman she never met, she said. However, she said she later learned FBD had purchased the hotel. She believed she would receive her money back 'in the same way I had sent it', but did not immediately worry about why it was not returned. More than a year later, she consulted her solicitor, Thomas J Walsh, who sent the first of a number of letters to Mr O'Brien seeking the return of the funds. After no reply to initial correspondence, the tribunal heard, Mr O'Brien responded to explain that the terms of his undertaking had been adhered to and the money had been dispensed in accordance with the instructions of his client, Ms Parton. Barrister Mark Finan, for Mr O'Brien, put it to Ms Barrett Burke that the letter his client sent to her clearly stated his understanding was that she would be paying the money into the client account 'for and on behalf of Mary Parton'. It was also put to her that, while she had indicated when making a complaint about Mr O'Brien to the Legal Services Regulatory Authority that she had engaged Mr O'Brien, she had never actually done so and was not, in fact, his client. 'I figured because I sent him the money and it was a client account, I was now a client,' she said. The tribunal is scheduled to resume on October 29th. In the interim, it is to be clarified whether the tribunal's chair, Tom Coughlan, is acquainted with Ms Barrett Burke's brother-in-law Cyril Burke. He told the hearing he became aware of a possible connection after seeing the list of witnesses and hearing the evidence but was not sure if it is the same Cyril Burke who he knows but not well.

Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Irish Times
Financial consultant who misappropriated funds to repay money, court told
A financial consultant has given a number of undertakings to the High Court to take steps to repay money he misappropriated from two companies he was engaged to wind up. Accountant David Kennedy and David Kennedy Financial Consulting of David Kennedy Financial Consulting Ltd, Orwell Shopping Centre, Templeogue, Dublin, consented to several orders, including judgment against him personally in the sum of €588,301 in favour of the two companies owned by third parties. On Wednesday, the court was told Mr Kennedy was taking steps to wind up his business, as he had a number of other liquidations which he had to deal with beforehand. Mr Justice Brian Cregan said it was a matter of significant concern that in circumstances where Mr Kennedy admitted misappropriation and breach of duties that he could 'possibly continue for a day longer as a liquidator'. READ MORE Micheál D O'Connell SC, for the defendants, said the orders made preclude him from misappropriating funds for other 50 companies he was dealing and it was necessary that they be wound down in an orderly fashion. It is anticipated allowing him to continue in his role for the time being will enable him to improve the situation not only in relation to the clients in this case but to others who are affected. Jarlath Ryan SC, for the plaintiff companies, said his side was satisfied that was addressed by obligations in the part of the orders restraining him from only to paying €1,000 per business transaction apart from normal wages, all monitored by the liquidators put in to replace him. He also must 'come clean' and disclose all other assets, he said. The judge said he wanted the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) to be notified and supplied with court papers so that it could tell the court whether it wished to be a notice party in the case. The other orders require that Mr Kennedy is only entitled to €15,000 in living expenses until the end of October and that he repay funds he had diverted from the plaintiff companies and restraining him from reducing assets in his consulting company below €588,301. He must also transfer €300,000 from a Bank of Ireland account he held to Micheál Leydon, the receiver who has now been appointed by the court to recover the funds. The court heard he had already transferred €200,000 from that account back to receivers who replaced in as liquidators of the plaintiff companies. He must deliver to those liquidators all books and records of those companies. The court heard gardaí were investigating him and had removed records and the Office of Corporate Enforcement had also been notified. The orders provide that proceedings against his wife, Danielle Colgan, who is also a defendant, can be adjourned generally on payment of €19,000 to the receiver. Mr O'Connell said she was the unknowing recipient of funds from her husband. Ms Colgan is the sole shareholder of David Kennedy Financial Consulting. Earlier this month, the court granted orders freezing assets of the defendants below €800,000, the sum which Mr Kennedy was engaged to capitalise on behalf of the two plaintiff companies. When the case returned, the court was told Mr Kennedy had 'put his hands up' in relation to the misappropriation and wished to be as much assistance as he can in recovering the money. Mr Justice Cregan adjourned the case to October but said in the meantime he would like to hear from the ACCA in relation to possibly making it a notice party.