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A DISPUTE between a furniture shop manager and a member of staff led to the employee stealing more than €3,000 worth of furniture from the store.

As aresult, the now former employ- ee was charged with five offences in connection with the disappearance of the furniture from the shop, in NJ erveveeyee

Brian McDonnell went in at night and took an assortment of furniture from his former employer at Smith- town Furniture.

McDonnell (25), of Lismorris, Cuthar Rea, Lissycasey, admitted entering the premises as a trespasser and stealing a television unit and cof- fee table, valued at €719, between November | and 6 last.

He pleaded guilty to stealing a nest of tables, six chairs, two coffee tables, a coat stand, recliner chair, foot stool and two lockers – valued at €1,773 – from the premises between October 1, 2006 and October 1, 2008.

He also admitted stealing a nail gun, valued at €7/50, between No- vember 7 and 12 last.

He also admitted entering the premises as a trespasser with intent to commit theft on November 21 Ee

Garda Bryan McCarthy told Shan- non District Court on Thursday that he arrested the accused on February 12 last. He did not make any reply when five charges were put to him. Defending solicitor Tara Godfrey said her client was pleading guilty to WSO ENE one

Inspector Tom Kennedy, prosecut- ing, said there were a number of charges of theft.

He explained that the total value of the property taken was €3,242. While it was recovered, it had to be resold as second-hand property and €1,246 was outstanding. “It tran- spired furniture was disappearing from the shop,” he said.

Garda McCarthy told the court that the accused had been employed for a number of years at Smithstown Fur- niture World, Smithstown, Shannon,

which was the injured party in the case.

He said McDonnell’s employment had ceased in September or Octo- ber last and subsequent to that “‘it’s alleged the shop was burgled four abe stone

“Since he was an employee, he still had a key. He used to open the front door and disarm the alarm and remove items of furniture from the shop,” he said.

“We viewed CCTV and we ob- served Mr McDonnell. He had his

van parked at the back,” he said.

‘As far back as two years, a certain amount of furniture was stolen from the shop,” he added.

Gda McCarthy said the property was for the defendant’s own use. He said that between October 1, 2006 and October 1, 2008, other items had been taken and were found on the de- fendant’s own property.

However, Ms Godfrey said her cli- ent would refute a large part of what the garda had said.

She said that her client – who has

no previous convictions – had been friendly with his employer Noel Justice for many years and they had gone on holidays to Orlando together with their families last June.

However, the relationship between the two men broke down after that and she said her client had since “walked out” on his job.

“Mr McDonnell will say he gave Noel Justice €2,000 in May of last year, in consideration of furniture,” she said. Gda McCarthy accepted that that had been said to him and

said that when the accused was ques- tioned initially, he told gardai that a dispute between himself and Mr Jus- tice had been behind it all.

Ms Godfrey said her client discov- ered that stamps had not been paid in respect of his employment and “un- der tremendous pressure” he went to the premises and took the furniture.

“My client had become so annoyed, so antagonised by the situation, his judgment was clouded. He accepts he shouldn’t have dealt with it in the way he did,” she added.

“He is mortified. He is embar- rassed. He is upset. Everything that was taken was recovered. My client has instructed me to pursue Mr Jus- tice separately for the €2,000,” she said.

“To use a colloquial term, he lost it. He felt that Mr Justice was not giving him satisfaction in any respect. He took the furniture, which in his mind was rightfully his. He should have taken a case against Mr Justice for either the money or the furniture,” added Ms Godfrey.

Noel Justice then took the stand and asked by Judge Joseph Mangan had there been a dispute, he said, “Yes.” Referring to the €2,000, he said that the accused had received furniture to the value of €1,520 and he had noti- fied him that a voucher for €480 was available for him in the shop “when he returned the items he had taken. . . He wasn’t happy with that.”

Ms Godfrey put it to Mr Justice that her client had €1,316 in court and that would ensure the witness would not be at any loss. He replied, “Td much prefer to seek legal advice off my own solicitor before I could decide what I could do.”

The solicitor said her client was well respected in his community.

Judge Mangan imposed a fine of €300 on one of the charges and took the others into consideration. He fixed a bond in the event of an ap- peal.

MAYOR of Clare, Madeleine Taylor Quinn (FG) is leaving frontline poli- tics when her term in office finishes in June.

She will not stand in the upcom- ing local elections for Fine Gael, and confirmed that she would not be run- ning as an independent candidate.

On Friday last, Cllr Taylor Quinn announced her intention to leave elected politics for now, although she warned she was not leaving politics.

“Sometimes people go on a leave of absence and on this occasion I am taking a break. I am not saying I am quitting politics but I am not seeking a nomination to run as a Fine Gael candidate,’ she told the party’s Kil- rush convention on Friday night last.

The west Clare woman has had a distinguished career in politics as the only Clare Fine Gael TD ever to sit on the front bench. She was a mem- ber of the Seanad and a member of Clare County Council for 30 years. She followed her father, Frank Taylor, into the world of politics.

A MAN whose heroin addiction costs him €100 a day is a threat to society and has a ‘dysfunctional lifestyle’, according to gardai.

In objecting to bail for the father- of-two, who faces five drug-related charges, gardai said he was a flight risk. After hearing that the accused injects himself three times a day and his addiction costs him €100 a day, Judge Joseph Mangan refused to grant bail.

Emmet Curley, (28), of Rineanna View, Shannon, is accused of posses- sion of cocaine and ecstacy for sale or supply, at Tullyvarraga, Shannon, on April 11, 2008.

He is also accused of possession of cocaine, ecstacy and cannabis, on the SENSO Esl Kom ;

Garda Sean O Murcht told Shan-

non District Court last Thursday that he arrested the accused the previous morning in Cork City.

Mr Curley was brought to Shannon Garda Station, where he was charged with five alleged offences.

He did reply to each of the charges when they were put to him, said the garda. In reply to one, he said, “I apologise. I had a serious problem with coke at the time.” In reply to another charge, he said, “I apologise for being involved in ecstacy as I don’t take them but they were for my friends, so I picked them up.”

His response to another charge was, ‘“T apologise for having the ecstacy as I don’t take them. They were for my friends,” while in reply to another charge, he said, “I apologise about the cocaine as I had a serious prob- lem at the time.”

Replying to the fifth charge, he said,

“T had that for my own personal use to help me sleep as I have an anxiety problem.”

Judge Mangan asked what quantity of drugs would the State be alleging was involved. The garda said it was €1,700 in total.

Inspector Tom Kennedy said the DPP would be consenting to summa- ry disposal of the case in the district court, but only on a plea.

However, defending solicitor Jen- ny Fitzgibbon said she wasn’t in a position to comment on that at this stage. She sought bail for her client, but Inspector Kennedy said the State would be resisting this.

The solicitor said her client has been living in accommodation pro- vided by the Simon Community in Cork for the past couple of months.

Inspector Kennedy said that two of the charges were for alleged sale or

supply of drugs.

“They go back to last April when they were detected. Shortly after that, he left the area and his whereabouts was not known until yesterday. Garda O Murcht went to Cork looking for him. It was fortuitous that he found him on the street in Cork,” he said.

Garda O Murchu then explained that the accused had left Shannon in ALbn ten

“I was made aware that he was in Cork city, but that he was living rough. When he was stopped by gardai in Cork city, he was giving his Shannon address,” he said.

Inspector Kennedy said the accused was giving the Shannon address as it was “convenient” for him. “He has no address. He has a dysfunctional lifestyle. He is addicted to substances by his own admission. He represents a flight risk. He’s in a vulnerable po-

sition and he is also a threat to soci- ety, he said.

Garda O Murchu explained that the accused is addicted to heroin. “He’s injecting himself three times a day, at a cost of €100 a day,” he said.

Mr Curley told the court that his wife has been encouraging him to return to their home for the past two months, but “because of my problem with heroin I didn’t want to go home to my kids.”

He said he gave his Shannon ad- dress to gardai in Cork as he still con- sidered it as his home address.

“I begged for money in Cork to feed my habit, which I’m afraid of. I never committed any crime in Cork. I am not a threat to society,” ater BCG

Judge Joseph Mangan remanded Mr Curley in custody to reappear in court later this month.

KATE Winslett warmed up for her best actress triumph at Sunday night’s Academy Awards ceremony with a Clare hooley in honour of her agent, Hylda Queally from Barefield, who was honoured at a prestigious pre-Oscar event in Hollywood.

The ‘Oscar Wilde; Honouring the Irish in Film’ award was presented to the Clare woman by Ms Winslett who said she was delighted that her “long-time friend and agent” was be- ing honoured. The star of the award- winning movie

AN additional 20 charges have been brought as part of an investigation into the discovery of a haul of sever- al thousand euro worth of jewellery, which was stolen from several homes in Ennis late last year.

The jewellery was discovered in November, after a major investiga- tion, “Operation Ennis’, was set up to tackle the spiralling rate of daytime burglaries in Ennis.

An Iranian national, Ali Reza Ve- layati, was charged in November with entering three houses – at Ard na Greine; Dun na R1, Tobartaoscain; and Ard Aoibhinn, Limerick Road, Ennis – as a trespasser and stealing aia oes

SU sloma eT Comey Mm NaloMn (AW o) UJ a’amr-NE (orees edly taken from the house at Dun na Ri was €1,950, while €500 worth of jewellery was allegedly taken from the house at Ard Aoibhinn.

Velayati (40), of Avondale, Kilrush Road, Ennis, was also charged with handling stolen jewellery, at Oakwood Drive, Ennis, on November 8 last.

He re-appeared in court last Friday where the court heard he had been charged with another 20 alleged of-

fences, the previous day.

He is charged with 19 counts of theft of jewellery or cash from houses on various dates between September 19 and November 8 last.

The total amount of jewellery list- ed on the charge sheets 1s €48,050,

along with 5,000 dollars.

The homes are in various parts of Ennis, including Clon Road, Shan- non Park, St Senan’s Road, Elm Park, Glensheen, Cahercalla Estate, Tulla Road, Tobartaoscaoin, College Grove, College Green, Abbey Court,

Victoria Court, Oakpark, Bramble Lane, Glenina and Inis Carraig.

He is also charged with handling €50,150 worth of stolen jewellery and €8,500 cash, at his home on No- (ole mC Ee

Garda Cyril Page told Ennis Dis-

trict Court that the accused did not make any reply to 10 of the charges after caution.

Sergeant John Cunningham told the court that in reply to the other 10 charges, the accused said, “I will talk to my lawyer.”

Inspector John Galvin told the court that the new charges will form part of a book of evidence which is due to be served next month.

Defending solicitor Daragh Hassett said his client had been “deprived of his liberty” for two months and was led to believe he would be facing up to 50 charges, when, in fact, he is now facing 24 charges.

Inspector Galvin said he under- stood the book of evidence would be ready for the next date. “This is the final chapter. These are the final charges,” he said.

Judge Joseph Mangan heard that the accused is currently on bail and said he would not mark it peremptory against the State.

Forum hits out at ‘anti-business’ policies

Council awaits funding for John Paul Estate works

THE husband of a woman murdered by a man who was last week jailed for attempting to abduct a child has said questions must be asked over decisions to grant him bail.

Gerard McGrath (24), was jailed for life last month for murdering Sixmi- lebridge resident Sylvia Roche-Kelly (below), in a Limerick hotel, in De- cember 2007.

At Clonmel Circuit Court last week, McGrath was jailed for 10 years for choking and falsely imprisoning a five-year-old girl who he tried to ab- duct.

McGrath, of Ballywalter, Cashel, County Tipperary, committed this offence in October 2007, just two months before he murdered Ms Ro- che-Kelly.

McGrath had previously assaulted a female taxi driver in April 2007.

MORE than 500 Clare farmers will be hit with interest charges and non- payment penalties following the Government’s decision to default on the payment of the Farm Waste Man- agement Scheme.

Farmers all over the county have taken out bank loans to fund the construction of storage facilities for farm waste following the introduc- tion of tight environmental controls in the 2007 EU nitrate regulations.

However, following the downturn in the public finances the Minister for Agriculture, Brendan Smith, has confirmed that the Government will not be able to fully fund a Govern- ment scheme to help cover the cost of some of the construction work.

These have left many Clare farmers with large bank loans that they can no longer afford to pay. It is feared in some quarters that banks will not be willing to extend more credit to farmers who cannot meet repay- ments.

“We would hope that things don’t get as bad as that. We would hope that any farmer with a decent credit history would be given some backing by the banks on this issue, especially as the banks are to blame for a good part of this situation,’ said Clare IFA Chairman, Michael Lynch.

“We will hope that the Govern-

ment will be able to help out in in- terest and charges from the bank as a result of this. The minister will be meeting with representatives from the bank later this week and the hope is that some sort of arrangement can be reached.”

More than 17,000 farmers through- out the country will be effected by the Governments failure to fully fi- nance this scheme.

IFA National President, Padraig Walshe, accused agricultural minis-

ter of abject failure and of “breaking his word” on the issue.

According to Walshe, Irish farmers who have carried out work have up to €500 million borrowed in bridging finance, which is costing them be- tween €2.5 million and €3.1 million per month.

DESPITE giving up home advan- tage, Tulla United came through a tough third round tie with Shannon Olympic at Lees Road on Sunday

morning. In a hotly contested affair, Tulla physicality saw them through a very spirited challenge from the Shannon side, who will rue not tak- ing the chances that came their way.

Tulla just about shaded an even first

half with Keith Lenihan and Alan Brigdale both failing to capatalise on good openings.

The vital breakthrough came with just over half an hour on the clock. A corner from the right was flicked

on well at the near post by Andy McMahon. Keith Lenihan then got a touch to the ball, which was goal bound when Olympic keeper Kieran McCarthy fisted the ball into his own net.

Olympic will have been dissap- pointed not to go in at half time on terms with Paul O’Connor shoot- ing wide when one on one with the Neale

Olympic had the better of much of the second half with Ricky Collins making a number of quality saves to keep the Shannon men at bay. The best chance of the half fell to Donnacha Kelly whose header went inches wide.

Best for Tulla were Alan McMahon, Keith Lenihan and Denis Murphy.