Latest news with #PatrickBerry
Sunday World
8 hours ago
- Sunday World
Man involved in theft of 12 e-scooters from Dublin business ‘ashamed of his actions'
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that the 12 e-scooters, worth €7,780, have never been recovered A man involved in the 'opportunistic' theft of 12 electric scooters from a Dublin business has been handed a suspended prison sentence. Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that the 12 e-scooters, worth €7,780, have never been recovered. Patrick Berry (40) of Labre Park, Kylemore Road, Ballyfermot, Dublin 10 pleaded guilty to theft on November 16, 2020 from a storage unit at a business park in Ballymount. An investigating garda gave evidence that a patrol car was flagged down by men outside a storage complex in Ballymount. The injured party told gardai he had an e-scooter sale and repair business and his storage unit had been broken into. He said that he was not sure the shutter had closed properly when he left the unit two days earlier. Stock image News in 90 Seconds - June 20th CCTV played to the court showed a white van stopping outside the storage unit. The shutter was slightly open. The van's driver – who has not been identified – got out and looked under the shutter. He then got back into the van and parked it closer to the storage unit. After the shutter was lifted, Berry and the driver placed 12 boxed e-scooters in to the van. The shutter was then lowered and the van left the area. Berry was identified from the CCTV. When his address was searched on November 24, 2020, the white van was parked outside and seized by gardai. He was arrested and nothing of evidential value was obtained when he was interviewed by gardai. A victim impact statement was handed to the court but not read aloud. Berry has 30 previous convictions including eight for theft. All of his previous convictions were at the District Court and Berry has had no new offences since 2021, the court heard. The investigating garda agreed with defence counsel that Berry has addiction issues, which he has taken steps to address. The garda also accepted that testimonials on behalf of Berry are positive. Defence counsel said €3,200 had been gathered by his client's parents and was available in court as a token of remorse. He said Berry was apologetic and deeply ashamed of his actions. His client was using cocaine and crack cocaine. Berry has taken steps to address his addiction and is engaging with relevant services. Clean urine analysis was provided to the court, along with testimonials and an offer of trial employment Family members were also in court to support Berry. Judge Orla Crowe noted that this incident took place during the Covid-19 pandemic, and that it appeared the business park was 'quiet' at the time. The judge said this was an 'opportunistic' theft, which took place 'very quickly'. Referring to the victim impact statement, the judge noted while €7,780 may in some circumstances be a small amount for a business, for the injured party's business at that time it was 'almost existential'. Judge Crowe said the theft 'almost caused the collapse' of what was then a new business. She noted this caused great stress to the injured party. The judge noted the business had endured and the court commended them for that. The judge said it showed 'how one offence can have larger consequences'. Judge Crowe said the impact on the injured party, Berry's previous convictions and the value of the goods were aggravating factors. Having considered the mitigation, the judge imposed a sentence of two years and six months. Judge Crowe said the court wished to 'give this man a chance' and suspended the sentence on strict conditions, including that Berry remain drug-free, for four years. The judge also directed that the €3,200 brought to court should be paid to the injured party's company.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Gulf World loses International Alliance Accreditation
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – The alliance of marine mammal parks and aquariums, or AMMPA is an association that acts as a sanctioning body for marine parks worldwide. AMMPA lists 26 accredited parks in the US, nine of them in Florida. Gulf World Marine Park is no longer one of them. Gulfarium in Fort Walton Beach is a completely separate facility from Gulf World. It's been accredited through AMMPA for almost 15 years. 'The alliance enables us to reach for the gold standard of animal care and welfare, taking that knowledge and best practices of so many organizations throughout the world that care for marine mammals and be able to implement those,' Gulfarium Director Patrick Berry said. AMMPA's website claims the alliance has the 'most comprehensive and stringent' accreditation standards. Facilities must pass the requirements every five years, which involves a multi-day, on-site inspection. Gulf World has filed for bankruptcy The list of inspection requirements is long and covers just about everything in a marine park, including animal health and welfare, public interaction programs, and record keeping. 'They're extremely thorough. There's 11 different sections in our standards guidelines, and within each of those sections, they're broken down into even finer details of what standards we need to follow. So it's a very detailed, very scrutinized accreditation inspection,' Berry said. It is unclear whether Gulf World failed the inspection, opted out of renewing, or had the accreditation removed. Gulf World first came under fire in March after a dolphin died during a public show, the fourth in less than six months. Drone videos posted online show dark, murky, algae-filled pools where dolphins are still housed. The park remains open to the public and as of April 24th, they're still offering dolphin encounter experiences. Gulf World and owners, The Dolphin Company, have remained tight-lipped about operations, and have refused to return any of News13's calls or emails. Last month, Gulf World filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in federal court, gutted the leadership staff, and hired a restructuring team. That team has also failed to return News13's communication attempts. The bankruptcy proceedings are ongoing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
