Latest news with #LukeHorgan
Perth Now
4 days ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
Luck of the Irish
Rockingham Mandurah will have the luck of the Irish on their side when they chase Premier Cricket glory next summer. The Mariners have announced Irish-born batter Luke Horgan to bolster their line-up as they attempt to build further on last season's success, when they won a first round final and finished in the top four of WA's district cricket competition. Horgan, 22, this week told Mandurah Times he had always wanted to test his skills on Australian wickets and was looking forward to joining the Mariners at Lark Hill when the season starts in October. Your local paper, whenever you want it. 'A few of my mates have been over to Perth to play cricket and have some great stories and have said how much fun it is,' he said. 'Once I came over to the east coast for a few weeks for the Christmas and New Year period in 2016-17 on a family holiday, but I have never been to Perth. 'Everyone keeps saying how Perth has the best beaches in the world, so excited for that. 'I've heard the summers are hot, so I've been told to stack up on factor 50 and watch out for the heat.' The right-handed Horgan hopes to slot in anywhere in the top order for the Mariners, having opened for his university team and batted No.5 for his current club Dorridge in the Birmingham and District Premier League. He has just finished an economics degree in Nottingham and said it was a quick and easy decision to spend summer in Perth once Rockingham Mandurah had reached out. 'I have always wanted to come out for a season after finishing studies,' he said. 'I am looking forward to making new mates and playing cricket somewhere completely different to home will be a good challenge. 'Once my agent messaged about the interest from the Mariners, I was very keen to sign so it was a pretty smooth process.' Horgan was a relatively late starter in cricket, having grown up in Cork, Ireland, where Gaelic football is king. 'I only started playing when I was 12 when I joined secondary school,' he said. 'I played a lot of rugby, football and hockey growing up and played Gaelic football during the winters at university.' Being here at the same time as the England tour for what promises to be another compelling Ashes series of Test cricket is another bonus. 'Obviously being Irish I'm probably a bit more neutral than most of the English lads coming over, but I'll definitely be trying to watch as much of it as possible,' he said. 'I'm definitely going to go to the first test in Perth and will try get over to the last two in Melbourne and Sydney but the series could well be done by then.'
Irish Examiner
21-05-2025
- Irish Examiner
Cork student with drug-induced psychosis who harassed woman for years avoids jail
A drug-induced psychosis following a 'bad acid trip' saw a student harassing a young woman for years to the point she suffered post-traumatic stress disorder. 25-year-old Luke Horgan, of Bunakilla, Donoughmore, Co Cork, was on Wednesday given a three-year suspended sentence and was reminded by Judge Helen Boyle of an order requiring him to have no contact of any kind with the injured party for the next 20 years. Paula McCarthy, prosecution barrister, confirmed there were no further incidents of harassment by Luke Horgan. Judge Boyle said in relation to the gravity of the crime the victim was a friend who came to his assistance when he had a bad trip on LSD. What followed involved persistent texts and communications and even involved the accused showing up at her place of work. He failed to stop even after being told to do by the gardaí. 'She was deeply affected as a result of this and was diagnosed with PTSD. As she said, no one deserves to live in a constant state of fear. She just wanted this to be over — she wanted to get on with college education and work. 'This came against a background of mental illness, of psychosis. You [Luke Horgan] had drug-induced mental illness/ psychosis. You did engage with the probation service, following harsh words from the court. And you been assessed by probation at being a low risk of reoffending. 'Of concern to the probation service is that they want you to continue with your anti-psychotic medication. If you stop taking your medication you will be brought back before this court and sentenced accordingly. You have to keep going to your GP and psychiatrist and keep taking your medication,' Judge Boyle warned. Defence barrister Elaine Audley said when the young man took LSD in 2018, it had a terrible effect on him and it led to psychosis. 'She [the victim[ was trying to help him. But [afterwards] he saw her as the only person who could help him,' the barrister said. While there were extensive contacts by the accused through texts, turning up at her home and appearing where she worked, Ms Audley submitted the harassment arose out of the persistence of the communications rather than threats. The young woman said in her victim impact statement she no longer felt safe going to college or work or even in her own home. She has had therapy for anxiety and post-traumatic stress and almost lost her job because of the Luke Horgan's repeated appearances at her workplace to see her. Garda Kay Griffin said the injured party was very distressed when she contacted gardaí in March 2022. The two parties had no relationship other than both of them being in a wider group of friends. She told gardaí that back at a house after a night out in October 2018, Luke Horgan took a tablet and had a very bad experience that lasted hours and she looked after him that night. A few days later, he told her she was speaking to him through the lyrics of a song. The harassment went on from November 2018 until May 2022. Matters abated for some periods but flared up again, most recently in March 2022 when 'he told her he was God or Jesus or something along those lines', Garda Griffin said.
