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Sunday World
38 minutes ago
- Sunday World
Man described as ‘Jekyll and Hyde' character jailed after reckless road rampage
Owen Orr committed a series of offences on St Valentine's Day in 2019 leaving a trail of destruction in his wake A man described as a 'Jekyll and Hyde' character after he drank alcohol has been jailed for eight months and put off the road for five years after going on a rampage in Co Donegal. Owen Orr committed a series of offences on St Valentine's Day in 2019 leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. The father-of-five punched another motorist in the face, assaulted a Garda, damaged his motorbike and then crashed his car into a terrified mother and daughter. Orr, who has 31 previous convictions, appeared at Letterkenny Circuit Court where he pleaded guilty to a range of offences which all occurred on the same evening. Judge Roderick Maguire said it was completely unacceptable that Gardai had been put in such danger while doing their duty. He also said members of the public were fortunate not to have suffered more serious and lasting injuries as a result of Orr's actions. The 32-year-old was charged that, at Cullion Road, Letterkenny, he assaulted Garda Michael Kilcoyne, a peace officer, acting in the course of his duty. The charge is contrary to Section 19 (3) of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act, 1994, as amended by Section 185 of the Criminal Justice Act, 2006. He was charged that he did without lawful excuse damage property, to wit, a Garda Honda motorcycle, belonging to the Chief Superintendent, An Garda Siochana. The charge is contrary to Section 2 (1) of the Criminal Damage Act, 1991. Orr was charged with the unlawful interference with a mechanically propelled vehicle, the property of Charles Bonner, while such vehicle was stationary at Manorcunningham by removing the key from the ignition. The charge is contrary to Section 113 or the Road Traffic Act, 1961, as amended by Section 6 of the Road Traffic Act, 1968 and Section 18 of the Road Traffic Act, 2006. He is also charged with dangerous driving o the N13 on February 14th, 2019 He is further charged that, at Dromore, Letterkenny, on February 14, 2019, that he did without lawful excuse damage property, to wit, a Toyota Corolla belonging to Kathleen Birch intending to damage such property or being reckless as to whether such property would be damaged. The charge is contrary to Section 2 (1) of the Criminal Damage Act, 1991. He is also charged with failing to report an accident when injury was caused to property or a person at Dromore Lower on February 14th, 2019 being the driver of a vehicle involved in the accident. Other charges were also taken into account by the court. Prosecutor for the State, Ms Fiona Crawford, BL, along with Garda Daire Sheridan outlined the series of events on the day which led to Orr's arrest. He told how another motorist, Charles Bonner, was driving on the dual carriageway into Letterkenny when he saw another car overtaking a series of other vehicles before pulling in front of him. Mr Bonner flashed his lights at the car but the other driver, now known to be Owen Orr, slammed on his brakes forcing the other driver to brake. Mr Bonner stopped and the driver of the other car came over, punched him in the nose, pulled the keys out of his jeep and then threw them into a hedge and drove off with the entire incident being captured on dashcam. At Dromore Lower, some kilometres down the road, Mrs Kathleen Birch and her daughter were traveling towards Letterkenny down Lurgybrack when a car pulled out and smashed into them. Mrs Birch suffered pain in her back and legs and feared her car was going to go on fire as other motorists came to her aid. The driver of the other car fled on foot but left his wallet with bank cards and identification at the scene. Garda motorcyclist Michael Kilcoyne arrived at the scene of the accident and went in search of the driver of the other car and found Owen Orr walking at nearby Cullion Road. He addressed Orr who became aggressive and assaulted the Garda by grabbing him by the neck causing his motorbike to fall to the ground. Owen Orr at Letterkenny Circuit Court. (North West Newspix) News in 90 Seconds - Wednesday, July 30 A scuffle broke out and Orr lashed out at the arresting officer by kicking him before he was taken to Letterkenny Garda Station for questioning. While in the station, Orr refused to give either a blood or urine sample to a registered nurse. The accused man was interviewed four days later when sober and the court was told he was very apologetic about the incident. Barrister for Orr, Mr Ciaran Elders, BL, directed by solicitor Frank Dorrian, said his client was very cooperative during the second interview describing him as a 'Jekyll and Hyde' character when he had alcohol taken. He added that he finds himself in a better place today and has been sober since 2023 after two periods in rehabilitation apart from a small lapse. The accused man had a total of €2,000 in compensation to offer including a sum to replace the €500 key for Mr Bonner's jeep, another €750 for the damage to his glasses and €750 to be given to a charity of Garda Kilcoyne's choice. A further €500 was also available to Mrs Birch while the court was also told that civil proceedings are also ongoing arising from the collision. Mr Elders added that his client was now trying to put his life back together and was a man with a high IQ with five children, the oldest of which were also academically gifted and wanted to attend college. Judge Roderick Maguire addressed the accused and asked him how his family were now keeping and how his life was now that he is trying to remain sober. Orr said that he was attending AA meetings four times a week. Mr Elders added that now that it appears that Orr has been rehabilitated and has also come a long way since this incident in 2019, he was not sure how a custodial sentence could benefit Orr or society at large. Passing sentence, Judge Maguire outlined all the events of the night saying he had considered all matters. He outlined a headline sentence but then said he had to consider mitigation before passing a final sentence. He said Gardai had noted that Orr was very easy to deal with when sober, he had not come to Garda attention since, had entered an early plea and was in a much better place today. The Judge also noted his probation report, the fact that he has five children and also considered the management of his alcohol abuse and that he is now attending alcoholics anonymous four times a week. He also noted that compensation had been offered to those caught up in Orr's rampage which he said were concrete expressions or remorse of the accused. Taking all these matters into account, Judge Maguire reduced the headline sentence to one of sixteen months with the last eight months suspended and banned Orr from holding a driving license for five years. He also ordered him to enter a bond to keep the peace for a period of two years upon his release from prison.
The Irish Sun
4 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Man, 20s, dead & woman, 30s, in ‘serious condition' after horror M50 crash as second man, 20s, arrested at scene
A MAN in his 20s has died and a woman in her 30s has been seriously injured following a collision on the N2/M50 early this morning. A second man, also in his 20s, was arrested at the scene of the crash under the Road Traffic Act. The single-vehicle crash occurred on the The body of the man in his 20s has been removed to the morgue at Whitehall, where a postmortem will take place. The injured woman has been conveyed to the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital and remains in "serious" condition. The busy stretch was closed for a time tonight and this morning as a technical examination was carried out. READ MORE IN NEWS This has since been completed and the road is Gardai have now issued a major witness appeal following the fatal collision. They are particularly interested in speaking to anyone who may have dash-cam footage from the area early this morning. In a statement Most read in Irish News "The single-vehicle collision involving a car occurred on the N2/M50 Northbound slip road at Junction 5 shortly after 1:00am. "One of the occupants of the vehicle, a male in his 20s, was fatally injured. "Another passenger, a female in her 30s, was conveyed to the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital where she remains in a serious condition. "A male aged in his 20s was arrested at the scene under the Road Traffic Act and is currently detained at a Garda station in the "The body of the deceased male was removed to the morgue at Whitehall where a post-mortem examination will take place in due course." The spokesperson continued: "A technical examination has since been conducted by Garda Forensic Collision Investigators and the road is expected to reopen shortly. Gardai are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed this collision to contact them. "Any road users who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) and were travelling in the area between 12:30am and 1:30am this morning are asked to make this footage available to investigating Gardai. "Anyone with information is asked to contact Blanchardstown Garda Station on 01 666 7000, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111". Witnesses can alternatively make contact with any Garda station. 1 The collision took place around 1am Credit: Paddy Cummins/
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Cycling Gardai who've raised over €1m for Irish charities back on the saddle with 500km Spanish trek for guide dog funds
COPS who have raised well over €1million for Irish charities are set for their latest ride on the saddle. The Advertisement 3 Cops who have raised well over €1million for Irish charities are set to hit the road again Credit: Marie Keating Foundation 3 The 500km journey will take cyclists from the Pyrenees to Barcelona Credit: Marie Keating Foundation The expedition is expected to take days. Their launch took place today at the Spanish Ambassador's Residence, in Ballsbridge in south The Garda Tour de Force was established in 1991 and has raised funds for multiple Irish This year's funds will be donated to Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind. Advertisement READ MORE IN IRISH NEWS Retired top investigator Adrian Whitelaw hailed the ongoing support from its sponsors including the Irish Sun, Quanta Capital, Fleet Plan, Copper Face Jacks and FBD Insurance. Blooms Hotel, Oliver St John Gogarty, the Fitzwilliam Hotel, Euro Cycles, and Irish Independent Newspapers also sponsor the event. The former Detective Sergeant said: 'On behalf of everyone involved, I would like to thank all sponsors for their generous support in backing the Garda Tour De Force team year after year." The cycle takes place annually, with funds donated to a different cause each year. Advertisement Most read in Irish News Last year, cycling Gardai The cyclists took on a 500km trek from popular Spanish hotspot Seville to party town Malaga in September 2024. Gardai roll out new tool in crackdown on e-scooters And the 24-strong group were again joined by their Spanish colleagues on the journey. Commenting on the good cause, Assistant Commissioner Paul Cleary said: "The Garda Tour de Force has done excellent work over the years in raising much-needed funds for very worthy causes. Advertisement "Serving and retired Garda members are to be commended for their continuous charitable efforts." 3 The Garda Tour de Force was established in 1991 and has raised funds for multiple Irish charities Credit: Marie Keating Foundation
Irish Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Sophie Toscan du Plantier murder is still one of the most mysterious of our time
Who killed Sophie Toscan du Plantier is one of the greatest riddles of our time. If it wasn't the so-called prime suspect Ian Bailey, then who actually did it? Here we are almost 30 years later and the Gardai seem to be no nearer to solving the case than they were all those years ago. The Garda review into the murder is now going three years. It was announced in a blaze of fanfare and publicity in June, 2022 and has not published any findings into the case so far. A parallel team of detectives are carrying out the actual murder probe but no new arrests have been made and no new leads they are following have been disclosed publicly. We do know the director and filmmaker Jim Sheridan, who made the smash hit documentary on the Sophie case, Murder At The Cottage, has passed on information about a man who was seen following the French woman in Schull, west Cork on the afternoon before she died. He has identified him and given the name to the Gardai. However we have no idea if detectives have gone to France where he lives to track him down and interview him. Ian Bailey on his deathbed always believed a Frenchman known to Sophie had something to do with her murder. Her heartbroken family, her elderly mother and son Pierre are all convinced Ian Bailey did it. Their suspicions are based on much of the evidence heard in the French murder trial which the suspect himself did not appear at. Ian Bailey. (Image: (Photo by)) Sophie Toscan du Plantier. (Image: PA) However much of this "evidence" was based on hearsay and would never have been permitted in an Irish court of law. The other big player in the whole saga is the painter Jules Thomas who lived with Ian Bailey for over 30 years until they split up three years before he died. She provided him with an alibi on the night of the murder on December 23, 1996 and is adamant her former lover did not kill Sophie. Some Gardai were hoping she might change her story after they stopped living together on the basis she was no longer under " Bailey spell" whatever that was supposed to mean. But Jules was not for turning and has stuck to her guns. I spoke to her at length only last week and she told me Bailey may have been a lot of things but he was not a killer. She said: "He couldn't kill a turkey for God's sake, never mind a human being." She is fighting a serious illness but Jules is now spending all her spare time writing a book on the case, giving her side of the story. "The whole Sophie murder ruined both of our lives and we will never get that time back," she told me. Jules is also convinced that she knows who did kill the French film producer and it was someone with huge local connections. Her account of the case and what really happened will be fascinating to read. The current Garda Commissioner Drew Harris is due to leave office in September. It would be a positive move if he released details of the review before he leaves office. It is shocking to think that if Bailey didn't do it well then the killer is still out there and that person has been getting away with murder for years. Everybody from Sophie's heartbroken family, to all the locals around Schull and west Cork, to Jules Thomas want the truth to come out once and for all. Trump runs rings around EU There is only one winner in the Tariff war between Europe and America and that is Donald Trump and the USA. European goods imported into the United States will be subject to a 15% tariff while American goods imported into Europe will be subject to zero tariffs. The EU negotiators have failed miserably to get a decent deal and don't mind all the spin that the Irish government and Brussels puts on it. The bottom line is they didn't have the courage for a trade war with Trump and he knew it. The result will give the US a staggering €90b dollars every year in tariffs, great money if you can get it. The only positive outcome for us is it brings stability so at least we know where we stand for future budgets. I can tell you one thing, Trump is no idiot and he proved it here. President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump. (Image: Getty Images) Housing crisis fix I have spent a lot of time around Ireland in the past few weeks and there is dereliction and empty spaces over shops in almost every town and village I visited. The answer to our housing crisis is there before our eyes by giving out large grants and tax breaks for people to renovate these properties and to get people living above shops again like they do all over mainland Europe. In one town Ballinrobe, Co Mayo, a beautiful place by the way, there was one small street with six derelict buildings. This is where we should be investing at a hundred miles an hour. There are currently more than 750 council homes across Ireland which have been boarded up for more than a year (Image: Getty) Plane sailing for Ryanair boss You can say what you like about Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary but at least he lives all year round in Ireland and pays his taxes here. The same can not be said about some of our so-called wealthy elite who prefer to live elsewhere because of better climate and lower taxes and fly in and out of the Emerald Isle on their private jets to their holiday homes here. Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary (Image: PA Archive/PA Images) Congrats to the Kingdom Fair play to Kerry for winning their 39th All Ireland. I predicted all last week that they would hammer Donegal and got abused and insulted for daring to have such an opinion. The fact is the wide open spaces in Croke Park do not suit the defence minded Northern teams and Donegal could not handle the all out attacking style of the lads from the Kingdom. Kerry coach Jack O'Connor deserves great credit and has now won five All Irelands as manager putting him up there with the other greats Mick O'Dwyer and Jim Galvin. For the Donegal manager Jim McGuinness, it is back to the drawing board and he took his defeat in fairness with great calm and dignity. Let's face it there is not a lot you can say when you are beaten by the better team on the day. From the get go Kerry were always in control and were never in any danger of losing the game. The new rules are fantastic and have saved the great game that we all love. Roll on next year, Louth for Sam. You read it here first. Kerry's David Clifford and son Ogie celebrate with the Sam Maguire Cup (Image: ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne) Summer means Galway Races All eyes are on the city of Galway this week for the races which are one of the sporting highlights of the summer. Every day crowds from all over the country will descend on the Ballybrit track on what is a wonderful social occasion. I have had some great times in Galway over the years and loved every minute of the atmosphere. The Galway races means we are at the height of summer time in Ireland so enjoy every second of it. Racegoers attempt to shield themselves from the rain during The Galway Races Summer Festival (Image: Niall Carson/PA Wire) Fine Gael need to wise up There is no way this Government should be helping the hospitality sector before struggling families in the October Budget. Fine Gael who are pushing this agenda need to cop themselves on. There is no doubt some pubs and restaurants need some help. But reducing the VAT rate from 13 to 9pc while doing nothing for working families who are finding it difficult to pay their bills, especially rising energy costs, is not the solution. Remember the big five star hotels that are already charging customers a fortune and will get the biggest boost from a VAT cut for this sector. There must be another way to help the bars and restaurants such as tax relief against their soaring energy costs. There must also be energy credits once again for families on low incomes. The economists and financial experts keep saying the country is booming but many people don't feel like that and have little or no spare cash. Fine Gael leader, Simon Harris. Take care of our own I see 56 illegal Irish immigrants have been kicked out of the United States. Most were arrested in the New York and Boston areas and had overstayed their 90 day visas. There are still thousands of Irish illegals in America with some there 10 to 20 years. It is a real worrying time for them. The sooner our Government tries to help them get green cards the better. Remember if you are going to the US come home before 90 days or you are looking for trouble. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), agents detain an immigrant. (Image: Getty Images) Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
Irish Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Man in critical condition after alleged assault as suspect flees scene
A man is in a critical condition at Cork University Hospital as Gardaí appeal for witnesses to an alleged assault that took place in Tipperary last week. The victim, a man in his 30s, was rushed from Clonmel to the hospital last Thursday night, July 24, after sustaining life-threatening injuries during an attack in the town. The attacker, another man whose age is currently unknown, fled the scene, reports Cork Beo. Gardaí are appealing for any witnesses to get in contact with them after launching an investigation into the alleged assault. The attack occurred on O'Connell Street in Clonmel shortly after 5pm last Thursday and as of Monday evening, the victim remained in a critical condition in hospital. The victim is in a critical condition at Cork University Hospital (Image: CUH) Witnesses or drivers who have dash cam footage from the area around the time of the attack have been asked to come forward. A report can be made at any Garda station or via the Garda Confidential Line, which allows people with knowledge of a crime to come forward in strict confidence. A Garda spokesperson said: "Gardaí are appealing for witnesses following an alleged assault that occurred at O'Connell Street, Clonmel, Co Tipperary, on Thursday the 24th of July 2025. "Shortly after 5pm that evening, a man aged in his 30, was assaulted by a male. The man was transferred by ambulance to Cork University Hospital, where he is in critical condition. "Gardaí in Clonmel are appealing for witnesses to this incident. Any road users who were travelling in the vicinity of O'Connell Street and surrounding areas between 4.45pm and 5.15pm and who may have camera footage (including dash cam and action cameras) is asked to make this available to Gardaí." Anyone with information that may assist Gardaí in their investigation is asked to contact Clonmel Garda Station on 052 6177640, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week
