Latest news with #Lucey
Irish Examiner
6 days ago
- Health
- Irish Examiner
'Serious concerns' after 17 areas of non-compliance found at Central Mental Hospital
The chief mental health inspector has said the regulatory and legal breaches at the country's state-of-the-art forensic mental hospital – opened just over two years ago – raise 'serious concerns' about the operation of the facility. The Central Mental Hospital in Portrane, north Dublin – with a construction cost of €200 million – is the country's only secure forensic institution and provides therapeutic detention to those found not guilty by reason of insanity and other categories of offenders. The move of the CMH from Dundrum was delayed by over two years before it opened officially in November 2022. Forensic bed capacity was supposed to increase from around 100 in Dundrum to 170 at Portrane. When it opened it had 110 beds. According the Mental Health Commission CMH Inspection Report 2024, the centre is registered to cater for 130 people with a capacity for 114 people and 110 residents during inspection. The report said the CMH had a compliance rate, in relation to laws and regulations, of just 51% in 2024, down from 69% in 2023 and 82% in 2022. The Inspector of Mental Health Services, Professor James Lucey, said: 'The 2024 inspection report highlighted an unprecedented 17 areas of non-compliance for the centre, a concerning upward trajectory of non-compliance from the previous year, of 11.' He said 10 of 17 areas were reoccurring, and five regulatory areas were deemed a higher risk than the previous year, one of which was rated 'critical', on the use of seclusion. Prof. Lucey said: This level of non-compliance raised serious concerns regarding the operation of the approved centre and its potential impact on residents. He said that following the unannounced inspection, during May 28-31, 2024, the MHC issued an 'immediate action' to the CMH management, which provided 'assurances and undertakings'. This included actions on monitoring of seclusion rooms, improvements to risk management and review of individual care plans. Prof. Lucey said 'evidence' was provided to the MHC of these improvements. The CMH has a high secure unit for 40 men, a medium secure unit for 30 men and a unit for 18 women. There is a separate unit for 10 men with intellectual and developmental disabilities and a further 18-bed unit for males in recovery or pre-release. A planned forensic child forensic unit, with 10 beds, has not yet opened. It said there were 'staffing shortages' across the centre, including nursing, occupational therapy, psychology and social work, pointing out that with the HSE embargo, the centre was unable to recruit for vacant posts. It said psychology had waiting times from two weeks to six months. The report said feedback from residents and families was that the new CMH was 'more restrictive' than Dundrum, with some family members reporting difficulties accessing the site on public transport for visiting times. It said 'staff were described as brilliant and being approachable mostly', with people commending activities, such as the gym, music and gardening. The inspection team found the centre was 'not ventilated throughout and had offensive odours' and that the bathrooms, with rooms with a physical bath, were 'extremely malodorous'. Read More Why prison is no place for the mentally ill
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Western New York Catholics attend Pope Francis' funeral
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — In a weekend marked by reverence and reflection, Catholics from around the world gathered in St. Peter's Square to bid farewell to Pope Francis, who died earlier this month at the age of 88. Among the hundreds of thousands in attendance were several dozen pilgrims from the Diocese of Buffalo, whose journey to the Vatican took a profoundly unexpected turn. Originally in Rome to witness the canonization of Blessed Carlo Acutis — poised to become the first millennial saint in the Catholic Church — the group found themselves instead participating in the funeral mass for the late pontiff. Despite the change in plans, members of the group described the experience as deeply moving and spiritually purposeful. 'We were pilgrims, not tourists,' said Father Leon Biernat of St. Gregory the Great Parish, who has been leading the group through Rome and surrounding cities. 'Pilgrims are meant to be here to experience this and that's exactly what happened.' The trip, planned since July, was organized around the life and legacy of Acutis, a young Italian Catholic known for his devotion to the Eucharist and use of technology to spread the faith. His canonization, originally expected to be presided over by Pope Francis this month, was postponed following the pope's death. 'A lot of the young church was really excited for this canonization,' said Kyle Lucey, one of the pilgrims. 'A lot of us look up to Carlo as a pillar in the young church.' Despite the shift in focus, group members said the spiritual depth of the experience was undeniable. Lucey and fellow pilgrim Gregory James recalled waking up before dawn on Saturday to secure a place in St. Peter's Square for the funeral Mass, joining over 250,000 others in a moment of global communion. 'One of the highlights was seeing 250,000 people partaking in the Eucharist together,' Lucey said. 'It was a beautiful thing.' 'The whole square went quiet, and you could sense that reverence,' James said. Just a day earlier, the group had walked through the Sistine Chapel — a poignant moment as the conclave to elect the next pope approaches. 'There was definitely a mix of emotions,' Lucey said. 'We were aware that soon, the heads of our church will gather in this space to choose the successor to the seat of Peter.' Despite their solemnity, the group described a sense of joy and unity throughout their time in Rome, pointing to public expressions of gratitude and hope from mourners. 'To be among the people who were present to pray our Holy Father into heaven — there was great joy in that,' James said. 'People were applauding, cheering, singing,' Biernat said. 'From balconies and buildings, banners were unfurled reading 'Grazie.' It felt like a celebration of a life well lived, people knew he had done what he was called to do.' The canonization of Acutis will be rescheduled following the election of the next pope. The papal conclave, during which cardinals from around the world will choose the new pontiff, is set to begin on May 7. Dillon Morello is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has been part of the News 4 team since September of 2023. See more of his work here and follow him on Twitter. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Irish Independent
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Cork graveyard that is the burial site of a legendary 18th Century figure gets funding for vital repairs
Dún Dea-Radhairc Graveyard Committee were successful in their application for a portion of the €7.5m available from the 2025 Community Monuments Fund. The funding awarded will go towards creating a conservation report to identify the repairs required for the graveyard at present and plan for future improvements. The graveyard walls were identified as a part of the resource that requires work. Fine Gael Councillor Ted Lucey said the committee applied for the funding last year but were unsuccessful, and he believes this year's funding will allow them to apply for a bigger grant next year. 'The boundary wall is in very bad condition and the graveyard itself could do with an uplift. 'There is a lot of history there,' Mr Lucey said. Legendary Cork hero Art Ó Laoghaire – of Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire fame – who was killed by shots fired by soldiers but paid for by a local sheriff who Mr Ó Laoghaire refused to sell his horse to, 253 years ago on Sunday, May 4, was buried outside the graveyard. 'He was buried outside the graveyard first, but I don't know where he ended up, but there is a pile of history there,' Mr Lucey added. The premise of the fund is to protect monuments from the effects of increased weathering and severe climate events. Mr Lucey said he is 'glad' that the Dún Dea-Radhairc Graveyard Committee received the funding. 'It would be great if they qualified for the funding again next year. 'I was glad that they got it because they are a good community and organisation. 'This will give them the platform to create a plan, do more investigating and pave the way to apply for stage one of a bigger bracket next year,' Mr Lucey concluded.
Time of India
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Harvey Weinstein retrial begins: Prosecutors say Hollywood mogul made assault victims 'feel small'
Prosecutors in Harvey Weinstein's retrial told a Manhattan jury on Wednesday that the disgraced Hollywood mogul used his power and influence to sexually assault women and make them 'feel small,' ignoring their pleas to stop. Weinstein, 73, is facing retrial on charges of sexually assaulting former production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006 and raping aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013. A new count has also been added, alleging he assaulted a 19-year-old aspiring model, Kaja Sokola , in a Manhattan hotel that same year. Assistant District Attorney Shannon Lucey, in her opening statement, detailed the alleged assaults, saying all three women resisted Weinstein's advances. 'He made all these women feel small,' Lucey said. 'When he wanted something, he took it.' Describing the 2006 assault, Lucey told jurors that Weinstein, 'three times her size,' cornered Haleyi in an apartment, kissed and groped her, and forced oral sex on her despite her repeated rejections. Weinstein, dressed in a dark suit and appearing in a wheelchair, occasionally glanced at the jury during proceedings. Lucey called him 'one of the most powerful men in show business,' asserting he used that status to exploit vulnerable women in the industry. The trial is expected to run for five to six weeks and includes testimony from accusers who were central to the 2020 conviction that was later overturned. That ruling by New York's highest court found that the inclusion of additional uncharged testimony at the original trial had prejudiced the jury. Weinstein's lawyer, Arthur Aidala, challenged the prosecution's narrative, saying the jury would hear no proof of force or lack of consent. He claimed Mann introduced Weinstein to her mother after the alleged rape and that Haleyi continued to have a 'consensual' relationship with him. 'Not guilty, not guilty, not guilty,' Aidala repeated to the jury. More than 80 women have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct since his downfall in 2017, including Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Ashley Judd. He has denied all allegations and maintains the encounters were consensual. Weinstein is currently serving a 16-year prison sentence in California following a separate conviction for raping a European actress. The retrial in New York comes more than seven years after his fall from power triggered the global #MeToo movement.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Yahoo
NYC prosecutors open Harvey Weinstein retrial with accusations he sexually assaulted a 16-year-old
NEW YORK — The ailing and jailed film producer Harvey Weinstein was once a titan of industry who preyed upon young women in a 'profoundly psychological' manner while holding their dreams in his hands, a jury heard in opening statements Wednesday at his Manhattan rape and sexual assault retrial. Five years after Weinstein's landmark conviction — last year overturned by an appeals court due to errors at the first trial — a prosecutor unveiled new allegations against the disgraced producer involving a minor victim. Assistant District Attorney Shannon Lucey told jurors in Manhattan Supreme Court that over the course of the trial, they would hear from that woman, Kaja Sokola, a native of Poland who is now 38, about Weinstein allegedly molesting and sexually assaulting her multiple times starting when she was 16, and two others who allege they were raped and sexually assaulted by Weinstein, Jessica Mann and Miriam Haley. Describing Weinstein as now 'a frail man in a wheelchair,' Lucey said evidence would make clear that he was for a long time larger than life and 'one of the most powerful men in show business' who enjoyed unfettered power in the industry for more than 30 years. 'Who was so used to getting what he wanted when he wanted,' Lucey said. 'Even when the women he wanted told him no and resisted him.' The fallen moviemaker's landmark 2020 conviction and subsequent 23-year prison sentence were thrown out last year by New York's Court of Appeals, which found that the trial court judge, James Burke, erroneously permitted a jury to hear testimony concerning incidents for which Weinstein was not charged. He had been convicted on counts stemming from allegations involving Haley and Mann, both set to testify again. In his opening statement, Weinstein's lawyer, Arthur Aidala, accused the alleged victims of lying and said they engaged in yearslong, 'mutually beneficial' relationships with Weinstein. 'He gets them jobs, and in return, they fool around — consensually,' Aidala said, adding the 'casting couch' was not a crime scene and had been going on 'since the beginning of time.' 'Was it immoral? 100%,' Aidala said. 'Immoral on both ends.' The defense attorney said Mann, Haley and Sokola had 'four million reasons' to lie, due to their collecting a total of $4 million in civil matters for Weinstein's abuse. Sokola is expected to testify about Weinstein first molesting her when he was in his fifties, and she was 16, visiting the city for the first time for a modeling job. Four years later, in 2006, he would subdue her in a Manhattan hotel room and forcibly perform oral sex on her 'while she cried and said, 'Please don't do this,'' the prosecutor alleged. Lucey told the jury they'd hear from Haley about how Weinstein began preying upon her after getting her a job in production on 'Project Runway,' which was paid in cash as she was undocumented, and forcing oral sex on her after luring her to his SoHo loft in 2006. Lucey said Mann would testify about a toxic relationship with Weinstein, who was nearly twice her age, that began after she moved to Los Angeles from a poor upbringing in an evangelical family as she sought to make it as an actor. Mann, who first met the 'Pulp Fiction' producer at an event with her roommate, dodged Weinstein's advances successfully until she didn't, the prosecutor said, acknowledging several of their sexual encounters were consensual. Lucey said jurors would hear from Mann and an expert about the confusing dynamic she had with her abuser and a disturbing incident at the DoubleTree hotel on E. 51st St. and Lexington Ave. in 2013 when Mann said no and Weinstein didn't listen, raping her against will. 'She will explain in her own words why she attempted human connection with a man who was abusing her,' the ADA said. Weinstein's downfall came in 2017 when more than 80 women accused him of sexual misconduct in exposés in The New Yorker and The New York Times, supercharging the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment in the workplace. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges in the case being retried by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who was not yet in office when Weinstein last went on trial in New York. In December 2022, Weinstein was convicted a second time at a separate Los Angeles trial and sentenced to another 16 years in prison, a term he's set to continue serving regardless of the outcome of his retrial. _____
