Latest news with #Scannell
Irish Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Murder accused threatened to chop off chef's fingers in text before fatal attack
A man charged with the murder of a 33-year-old chef sent him a text threatening to chop off his fingers just hours before he was fatally attacked in a car park, a court in Cork has heard. Dylan Scannell, 30, is on trial at a sitting of the Central Criminal Court in the city charged with the murder of Ian Baitson in a car park in Cobh, Co Cork in March of last year. Mr Scannell has pleaded guilty to manslaughter. However, he denies murdering the father of two. The trial previously heard evidence that Mr Baitson suffered a 'mostly severed (left) leg' and 'catastrophic bleeding' after he was attacked by a man with a sword in the Eurostar car park on March 15, 2024. He died in Cork University Hospital four days later. On Wednesday, evidence was given of texts and phone calls between the two men. Detective Garda David Kelleher completed a forensic extraction of a mobile phone believed to be that of Ian Baitson. The mobile phone was found in the Eurospar car park in Newtown Road in Cobh in the aftermath of the attack. The court was told that over 300 interactions occurred on WhatsApp between Mr Baitson and Mr Scannell over a period covering August 2023 to March 2024. A number of the messages consisted of the men making plans to meet up so that Ian Baitson could pay off a debt he owed to Mr Scannell. In the period before his death, Mr Baitson maintained he owed Scannell 'less than €500'. However, Mr Scannell insisted that the deceased man owed him €2,500. On February 20, 2024 Scannell texted Mr Baitson that he was 'delusional' after Baitson said he was being 'snappy' and queried the amount owed. On March 10, 2024 Mr Baitson texted Scannell that he would give him €185 that Thursday and then they were 'done'. 'I pay this €185 on Thursday, that is the end of it. You can delete my name, we are done bud.' Mr Scannell, of O'Rahilly Street in Cobh called Mr Baitson a 'cheeky pr***' in response. He said that he had stopped a fella from cutting off his private parts a few months earlier. He subsequently called Mr Baitson a 'scumbag'. On March 14, 2024, Mr Scannell texted Mr Baitson and said he was going to call to his home. Mr Baitson texted back the following day about a text Mr Scannell had sent him of a sexual nature and asked was it a 'threat'. Mr Scannell told him to call it whatever he wanted. 'I am going to smash you when I see you.' A few texts later, Mr Scannell messaged Mr Baitson saying: 'Who do you think you are? Think you are a hard man? I am going to chop your fingers off, you smart c***." The pair arranged to meet that night (the evening of March 15, 2024) in the Eurospar car park in Cobh. The last text Mr Baitson sent Scannell was later that evening, when he told the accused he was on the way to the car park. Evidence was given by Helen Goggin, the mother of the deceased, that Ian had told her he would be back home in a matter of minutes on the evening of March 15, 2024. At about 8.40pm that day he told her he was going to Eurospar. Twenty minutes later, Ms Goggin heard sirens. She was told her son was en route to hospital. She said that four days later, they had to turn off the machine at the hospital. Her son was declared dead. The case will continue on Thursday morning. It is being presided over by Ms Justice Eileen Creedon and is expected to last a week.
RTÉ News
27-05-2025
- RTÉ News
Man goes on trial charged with murder of chef in Cobh
A 30-year-old man has gone on trial at the Central Criminal Court in Cork charged with murdering a 33-year-old chef in Cobh in March of last year. Dylan Scannell of O'Rahilly Street in Cobh denies murdering Ian Baitson. When he was arraigned yesterday, he replied: "Not guilty to murder, guilty of manslaughter". Ian Baitson was a father of two, a son and a brother. He worked as a chef in the east Cork area. He died on 19 March 2024, four days after he had been attacked with a sword. This morning, at the Central Criminal Court in Cork, Mr Scannell went on trial charged with Mr Baitson's murder. Prosecuting Senior Counsel Dónal O'Sullivan told the jury of six men and six women it is the State's case that Mr Scannell was the person who attacked and struck Mr Baitson with the sword. He said, given that Mr Scannell had pleaded guilty to manslaughter and accepted he caused Mr Baitson's death, his job as prosecutor was to prove that he intended to kill or cause serious injury to Mr Baitson when he attacked him. He said the two men were known to each other and it appeared there was a debt owed by Mr Baitson to Mr Scannell which was being paid off bit by bit. He said after the attack, Ian Baitson's mobile phone was recovered. WhatsApp messages and voice notes between Mr Scannell and Mr Baitson were analysed and the prosecution will say that in the run-up to the events of 15 March the messages from Mr Scannell were becoming more threatening. On the night of the attack, Mr Baitson left his mother's home and went to the nearby Eurospar shopping centre at around 8.50pm. The jury is expected to be shown messages between Mr Baitson and Mr Scannell arranging to meet up. Mr O'Sullivan said CCTV footage would also be shown to the jury showing a person leaving O'Rahilly Street in Cobh in a silver Skoda Octavia and travelling to the car park of the Eurospar in Cobh. He said the State's case is that Mr Scannell attacked Mr Baitson with the sword, causing his death, before leaving the scene in the car. The car was subsequently tracked on CCTV returning to O'Rahilly Street. Gardaí subsequently searched a beach area close to the Mall in Cobh and recovered the sword. Mr Baitson's DNA was found on the sword when it was analysed. A floor mat from the Skoda Octavia was also tested and was found to have Mr Baitson's blood on it. A man who witnessed the attack and a number of people who witnessed the immediate aftermath also gave evidence. Shop worker Eric Thomas said he came out of the shop and saw Mr Baitson lying on his stomach on the ground. He said the man's leg had been almost severed and there was a lot of blood. Emergency first responder Liam Leahy was in the Eurospar when the alarm was raised. He said he heard someone saying a man outside was after having his leg chopped off. He went to help and saw Mr Baitson had suffered a catastrophic bleed. He said he knew the situation was grave. He tried to stop the bleeding with a tourniquet. A doctor arrived along with two paramedic crews in ambulances. Mr Baitson was removed to the emergency department of Cork University Hospital, where he died on 19 March. The trial is continuing. It is expected to last around a week.
The Irish Sun
26-05-2025
- The Irish Sun
Former barber & tattoo artist admits killing young chef in Cork with manslaughter plea but denies murder as trial starts
A FORMER barber and tattoo artist admitted killing a young chef in Cork last year after pleading guilty to manslaughter today. But 30-year-old Dylan Scannell denied murdering Ian Baitson in Cobh, in March 2024, when he stood before a jury panel in a Central Criminal 2 Ian Baitson died in Cork University Hospital on March 19 last year Credit: PA 2 Dylan Scannell denied murdering the chef in Cobh when he appeared before a Central Criminal Court jury panel in Cork today Credit: Cork Courts Limited When the charge was put to him that he murdered Mr Baitson in the Eurospar car park on Newtown Road, March 19, 2024, Scannell replied: 'Not guilty to murder, guilty of manslaughter.' The date on the charge refers to March 19, 2024, where it is alleged that the deceased was fatally injured four days earlier. He was taken to A jury of six men and six women was sworn in to hear the case before Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford. Read more in News She told them that Judge Creedon would be hearing the case which opens tomorrow morning. The case is expected to conclude by June 6. The judge told the jury panel they should not serve as jurors if they knew any of the many witnesses - a long list of which was read out to them. She said that if they were from Cobh or closely connected with the area it was likely that they would know a witness in the case. Most read in The Irish Sun The jury panel was told that the late Mr Baitson had been working at Fitzpatrick's in Glounthaune, County Cork. Prosecution senior counsel, Donal O'Sullivan, said previously that the indication of a plea of guilty to manslaughter was of assistance as it would make the trial shorter in relation to the issue of murder. TRIAL TO START Scannell was remanded in custody to appear in court tomorrow for the commencement of his trial for murder. Scannell, who is a father of three, previously ran a barber and tattoo shop which closed during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Irish Examiner
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Munster welcome Crowley, Barron, Scannell, Loughman and Edogbo back for Sharks quarter-final
Munster are heading to Durban boosted by the presences of a quintet of fit-again frontline players on the plane to South Africa ahead of Saturday's URC quarter-final at the Sharks. Fly-half Jack Crowley, and hookers Diarmuid Barron and Niall Scannell have each been passed fit to travel on Monday and have been joined by loosehead prop Jeremy Loughman and lock Edwin Edogbo in a 32-player travelling squad led by captain Tadhg Beirne. Munster booked their place in the URC play-offs with a final-round, 30-21 victory over Benetton in Cork on May 16, when interim head coach Ian Costello had the luxury of selecting an unchanged matchday 23 form the previous weekend's 38-20 Thomond Park derby win over Ulster. Those back-to-back bonus-point successes secured sixth place in the final regular season standings and booked a trip to third seeds the Sharks and Munster's hand has been strengthened by those reinforcements among the travelling party. Crowley and Scannell started the Benetton game but the Ireland playmaker played through a bang to the ribs which forced him to pass goal-kicking duties onto half-back partner Craig Casey before he was finally withdrawn on 75 minutes. Scannell, meanwhile was withdrawn for a Head Injury Assessment after 33 minutes but also been passed fit for the Kings Park mission. Diarmuid Barron missed the last two rounds with a shoulder injury but travelled south as one of three hookers alongside Scannell and new signing Lee Barron, who impressed coming off the bench with a try-scoring performance. The returns of Loughman and Edogbo come after lengthier absences. Loosehead prop Loughman's hamstring injury in the Champions Cup knockout win at La Rochelle prompted Munster to bring forward Michael Milne's arrival on loan from Leinster alongside Lee Barron ahead of their permanent summer moves. Milne has also impressed on his arrival and Loughman's return gives Costello a strong suite of front-row forwards ahead of a potential battle royal with a heavyweight Test-level Sharks front row. Edogbo had been sidelined since December 2023 with an Achilles tendon injury but the Cobh powerhouse made a successful return in Munster A's win over Connacht Eagles in Cork, also on May 16, although the province on Monday cautioned that 'his return will continue to be managed as he recovers from a long-term injury'. Tighthead props Oli Jager (head) and Roman Salanoa (knee), scrum-half Ethan Coughlan (hamstring), fly-half Billy Burns (shoulder), and back-three player Shane Daly (hamstring) remain on the Munster rehab list. Munster Travelling Squad For URC Quarter-Final Forwards: Tom Ahern, Stephen Archer, Diarmuid Barron, Lee Barron, Tadhg Beirne, Gavin Coombes, Ronan Foxe, John Hodnett, Alex Kendellen, Jean Kleyn, Jeremy Loughman, Michael Milne, Jack O'Donoghue, Peter O'Mahony, John Ryan, Niall Scannell, Fineen Wycherley, Josh Wycherley. Backs: Thaakir Abrahams, Tony Butler, Craig Casey, Jack Crowley, Tom Farrell, Mike Haley, Diarmuid Kilgallen, Conor Murray, Alex Nankivell, Calvin Nash, Seán O'Brien, Paddy Patterson, Rory Scannell, Andrew Smith.
RTÉ News
13-05-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Lack of deepfake laws leaving victims 'up against it'
Scams, fraud and harassment are on the increase, as so called "deepfakes" grow in popularity and sophistication. A deepfake is when an existing image or video is altered using artifical intelligence (AI) technology. One example people may remember is the image of Pope Francis in a white puffer jacket. It was a deepfake but a very good one, and the technology is getting better by the day, in particular when it comes to video and audio. There are both innocent and harmful reasons why people make deepfakes. "People might use it for entertainment, for creativity, or just to create low cost material," said Dr Eileen Culloty, of the DCU School of Communications. "But the flip side is manipulation, scams and fraud but also bullying and harassment, and in particular sexual harassment using deepfakes," she added. Deepfakes have also been used for political interference. In 2022, a deepfake video was circulated showing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, falsing showing him surrendering. Real images from RTÉ News have been used in scam videos and posted on social media platforms and gaming apps. The voices of presenters have been altered and fake video interviewes edited into a news report, to make it appear as though the news programme is endorsing what is essentially a scam. As the technology improves the fakes are becoming harder to spot and as it stands there are few laws in this area, although they are promised. Barry Scannell, a specialist in AI and technology law, said legally, those who have their image or voice manipulated are up against it to find a law that protects them. "Without any laws on deepfakes, the victims of deepfake technology are having to be as creative, if not more creative, than the perpetrators using this technology," he said. 'Personality right' protection There are protections in law if a brand name is used without agreement, a legal concept known as 'passing off'. Other images, of a person, are not protected in the same way. "Ireland doesn't have what's called a 'personality right', like they have in the United States. Where you actually have a right to your image, we don't have that," he added. The AI Advisory Council, of which Mr Scannell is a member of, recommended such a change to Government. The AI Act has provisions on deepfakes but that's not coming into force until August next year. "The AI Act only says that you need to mark it as a deepfake, provided that it isn't obvious," Mr Scannell said. "The problem is that deepfakes are now so sophisticated that what's obviously a deepfake isn't clear," he added. The online platforms have ways to report deepfakes, but frequently those reporting them are told they do not breach the platform's guidelines. RTÉ News shared one video, which has been on Facebook for over a year, with Meta. The social media company replied in a statement to say: "We are constantly developing new ways to make it harder for scammers to deceive others - including using facial recognition have removed and disabled the video that was shared with us." With more and more people accessing news and information online, the ability to think to ask questions and double check a source will become the most valuable tool in deciphering what is real and what is not. Mr Scannell said: "There isn't any silver bullet.
