Latest news with #JudgeHalpin
BreakingNews.ie
4 days ago
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Dog owner could face jail after 'scared, malnourished' pet found living in own filth
A man faces sentencing after animal welfare inspectors last year found his scared, malnourished Dobermann confined in a squalid cage without fresh water, mired in her own excrement, at a Dublin property. Richard Vynsiauskas, originally from Lithuania but with a residential address at Old North Road, Coldwinters, failed to turn up for his scheduled hearing at Dublin District Court on Friday. Advertisement Judge Anthony Halpin convicted him in his absence and issued a bench warrant to bring him before the court to be sentenced. He faces prosecution under the Animal Health and Welfare Act. It follows an inspection by the Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA), which had to retrain the seven-year-old dog since renamed Delilah before she could be placed in a new home. DSPCA inspector Shane Lawlor told prosecutor Danny Comerford BL that he went to the property on April 16th last year following an allegation that the dog was cruelly treated. Advertisement There was no one there when he arrived, and he found that the large Dobermann, weighing 45kg, was kept in a six-foot by six-foot cage with a makeshift kennel inside and a broken shelter. The enclosure was covered in faeces and "the smell was extremely overpowering." There was no clean water, and the dog came out of her kennel "very scared" and was suffering mentally. He described the Dobermann as "whale-eyed," a term to describe a frightened and nervous dog. The enclosure was covered in faeces and 'the smell was extremely overpowering', the court was told. Photo: DSPCA She was "pacing around, constantly standing in her own faeces, nowhere to sit or eat without standing or lying in her own waste." The conditions inside her kennel were the same. Advertisement The inspector told Mr Comerford that his chief concern was that the animal had nowhere to move and was very scared. She looked malnourished and had inadequate shelter or space to express her behaviour. The accused agreed to surrender the dog. Ireland Judge orders 'destruction' of XL Bully dogs owned... Read More The DSPCA witness said a Dobermann, as an intelligent breed, responds well to training, but this dog was left "to waste away." That can lead to boredom and aggression, and it took the DSPCA just over six months to correct her behaviour before she could be re-homed. The court heard Vynsiauskas told him that he had "no time" to look after or let the dog out. The judge also noted she was not micro-chipped, the owner had no licence, and she had never been brought to a vet. Photos of the dog's living conditions were furnished to the court. The accused could face a €5,000 fine and six-month imprisonment.
BreakingNews.ie
26-05-2025
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
Boots Ireland found guilty of misleading Black Friday discounts
Boots Ireland has admitted breaking pricing laws during a 2023 Black Friday sale, triggering a Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) investigation. The retail giant was summoned to appear before Judge Anthony Halpin at Dublin District Court on Monday, with the case centred on electric toothbrushes and perfume. Advertisement It was prosecuted under a law that compelled traders to base any discount on the lowest price in at least the previous 30 days and to display this price clearly on any price tag or advertisement. The case centred on Oral-B toothbrushes. Noting that the wrongly advertised price information stemmed from "human error", the firm's lack of prior convictions and its guilty plea, Judge Halpin said Boots could avoid a court conviction. He adjourned the case until June 26th, saying that if it paid €4,624 toward the CCPC costs and €1,000 to the Little Flower Penny Dinners charity, he would apply the Probation of Offender's Act. It was among the first batch of prosecutions under new sales pricing rules introduced in 2022. Advertisement Cathal Ó Braonáin BL, for the competition regulator, said the offence arises when a retailer announces a reduced selling cost without announcing the product's prior price, which must be the lowest offered by that trader in the preceding 30 days. Boots Ireland pleaded guilty to a sample count, with two others withdrawn. Counsel explained that a proposal was accepted on the basis that the company would pay costs and the court would hear facts on all three charges. Mr Ó Braonáin said CCPC authorised officer David Mulholland was tasked with overseeing and managing traders' price reduction announcements on their websites for the November 17th, 2023, Black Friday sale. Data collected from Boots revealed there had been three breaches. Advertisement The first involved a black limited edition Oral-B iO 10 electric toothbrush, which was advertised for sale at €470, and the prior price indicated was €999.99. The date of the reduction announcement was November 16th, 2023, but that was not the lowest price applied to the product over the previous 30 days. Judge Halpin heard that from November 11 – 14th, it was offered for sale at €470, the same price, so €999.99 was not the correct prior price. The next item was another Oral B electric toothbrush advertised on November 16 for €240, with the indicated prior sale price being €590.99. However, from November 9th – 14th, it was offered at a lower cost of €228. Advertisement The final charge involved the sale of Dior Eau de Toilette at €104 when the previous price indicated was €123, but it had been offered at a lower cost of €94 earlier that month. Boots' solicitor, Eoin Mac Aodha, pleaded for leniency, telling Judge Halpin that it was a human error and the firm was remorseful. He stressed that there were about 104,000 products on promotion on Black Friday, and these offences represented a tiny number of items on sale. A full review of internal processes has since taken place, and guidance, protocols, and governance have been updated. Advertisement Mr MacAodha submitted that Boots was happy to make a charitable donation and to pay costs. Judge Halpin remarked that Boots was a very reputable firm in Ireland with branches and employees throughout the country, and he noted a senior compliance officer from the company had travelled over from the UK to attend the proceedings. The charge came under the European Union (Requirements to Indicate Product Prices) (Amendment) Regulations introduced in November 2022. Lifestyle Sports (Ireland), DID Electrical Appliances, Rath-Wood Home and Garden World pleaded guilty to the same charges on March 10th. On Monday, Judge Halpin noted they had each paid €1,000 to the Little Flower Penny Dinners and the costs of the CCPC; consequently, he spared them convictions and applied the Probation of Offenders Act in their cases.
