|
|
 A serving member of the Tipperary Garda Traffic Corp, Ms Louise Lordan, aged 41, who was kicked and punched in the head while attempting to arrest known drug users, was awarded almost €156,000 in compensation yesterday.
Justice Mr Bernard Barton stated, during a Garda Compensation hearing in the High Court, that Garda Lordan was still suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and would need to be treated on an ongoing basis in relation to this and continuing dental repairs. In a reserved judgement Justice Barton informed barrister Mr Aidan Walsh SC that the court accepted that Garda Lordan, with an address at Clonmel in Co Tipperary, still remained extremely vulnerable and suffering from deep depression following the incident, which left her unable to return to outside duties.
Back in November of 2007, Garda Lordan, who was a serving member of the Traffic Corps Unit working from Cahir, Co Tipperary, had been patrolling in a car with her colleague and driver, Garda Mark Darmody, when they recognised the drug addict. They had followed the male driver and using sirens and flashing lights attempted to stop his vehicle. But he sped off in an attempt to avoid arrest, driving erratically, forcing other cars from their original route, before eventually colliding with a concrete barrier, causing a front tyre to blow out. The male driver then continued to drive with sparks flying from the vehicle’s wheel rim.
On eventually being forced to stop, a female jumped from the front passenger seat of the vehicle, which led to Garda Lordan giving chase and apprehending the woman; latter who was found to be intoxicated and high on drugs. Her prisoner had became abusive and had struck her heavily on the left hand side of her face with a large over weighted handbag, spitting on her as she made the arrest.
Garda Lordan had then returned to her colleague, who was attempting to arrest the driver of the car. During his arrest the man had punched her several times into the face and had threatened to shoot both her and Garda Darmody.
Because of her injuries Garda Lordan was taken to South Tipperary General Hospital with extensive injuries to her back, shoulder and neck areas. Her face was extremely swollen and she was also found to have three broken teeth, as a result of this incident.
Congratulations to Chief Superintendent Catherine Kehoe and her Garda team on the success of their initiative in organising the Tipperary Division Community Policing Seminar, which took place in St Patrick’s College, Cathedral Street, Thurles, Co Tipperary, on Thursday evening last, with a truly massive crowd visiting the event in search of advice; from all over the Premier County.
County Tipperary, like so many Irish counties in recent years, has suffered badly with large increases in the number of residential homes and farm premises being burglarized, particularly in our large towns and but also in our less populated smaller rural communities. For the most part these robberies are the work of criminal gangs taking advantage of Ireland’s fast network of roadways, which allow small time criminal gangs to target these rural and urban areas, returning to in many cases our major cities, often before their criminal activities have even been discovered.
 Pictured Shows L – R: Chief Superintendent Catherine Kehoe, Garda Annette Connolly and Garda Chris Verling who are all leading with the implementation of new policing initiatives for Thurles Town. New Thurles Community Text Alert Scheme
Here in Thurles as a follow up part of this aforementioned Tipperary Division Community Policing Seminar; a meeting will take place this week to launch a new Thurles Community Text Alert Scheme. Same will take place this Wednesday night (January 21st 2015) at 7.30pm in the Anner Hotel, Thurles, Co Tipperary.
Thurles Gardaí are leading this particular community initiative headed up by Chief Superintendent Catherine Kehoe and is being co-ordinated by Garda Annette Connolly, latter who has considerable previous experience in organising Community Text Alert Scheme in other Garda districts.
Speaking with Garda A. Connolly today, latter was at great pains to point out the importance of the Community Text Alert Scheme and extended an open invitation to all the people of Thurles to attend at next Wednesday night’s meeting. “Anywhere that Text Alert Schemes are in operation in Ireland, statistics prove that it works hugely in reducing the levels of crime in all these areas, the fast recovery of stolen goods and the early arrest of those criminals involved,” stated Garda Connolly. “Over 100 people from all over Thurles have already signed up for this Text Alert Scheme, since same was first muted by Thurles Gardaí back in Oct/Nov,” continued Garda Connolly.
The initial cost of signing up to this Community Text Alert Scheme proposed for Thurles, is a meagre €10 Euro per household, per annum for the first year. This sum is used to erect proper signposting in each community area and to cover costs of insurance for those who choose to be involved in assisting the setting up of the scheme and obviously the cost of sending you Text Messages warning you of criminal and other problems which may manifest themselves in your particular “neck of the woods”. As a general rule this initial €10 Euro fee is greatly reduced at the beginning of year two, once the cost of initial signage and other necessities have been adequately put in place.
I understand people who wish to register to be part of a Community Text Alert Scheme can sign up on Wednesday night next at the Anner event or can contact Thurles Garda Station on Telephone 0504-25100 for further information about this new welcome initiative.
Thurles Community Neighbourhood Watch
Meanwhile, also as a follow up part of this aforementioned Tipperary Division Community Policing Seminar, Garda Chris Verling has been busy with the setting up of Community Neighbourhood Watch groups, particularly focusing on recently built estates in Thurles, many of which are now fully participating in such schemes, despite a reluctance to previously participate.
Congratulations and every success to all Thurles Garda personnel involved in leading these very welcome initiatives and to the people of Thurles please do turn out in large numbers to demonstrate your full support.
 Mr David Church, a married father-of-four, who used false identifications to fraudulently claim almost half a million Euro (€478.000) in social welfare payments over the past 12 years, has received a 5 year prison sentence at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court today.
Mr Church, with an address at Parnell Street, Dublin 1, who formerly resided at Monadreen, Thurles, Co Tipperary, had faced 199 charges of unlawfully claiming Jobseekers’ Allowance and Rent Allowance from various post offices in the Dublin area, between September 2002 and July 2013.
Mr Church had admitted acquired unlawfully €478,052 from the State, which Judge Martin Nolan confirmed as averaging some €40,000 a year over the period for which his offences took place. The court heard that Mr Church had drunk or gambled most of the money and had no substantial wealth accumulated, when first arrested in July 2013.
The fraudulent offences came to light following the Department of Social Protection’s use of facial recognition software, which had established that the same photo was being used on six other social welfare identities. Investigating Detective Garda Colin Rochford stated that Mr Church had created these false identities by travelling to a Manchester Records Office to obtain birth certificates and for which he had paid £10 in each case.
This facial recognition software had identified four people as having the same photograph, while using the names of Adam Cole, Paul Anthony O’Brien, Derek O’Brien and Darren O’Brien, who were all claiming Social Welfare payments from at least two Dublin post office outlets.
A Tipperary Division Community Policing Seminar is scheduled to take place in St Patrick’s College, Cathedral Street, Thurles, Co Tipperary, this evening (Thursday 15th) at 7.00pm.
Chief Superintendent Mrs Catherine Kehoe believes that it is vital that An Garda Siochana, here in County Tipperary continues to maintain the strong trust and long standing support from all members of our community in which her officers serve.
Through this Seminar it is hoped to provide, you the public, with an opportunity to meet with your local Community Gardaí and gain further insight into the work performed by An Garda Siochána as a whole, everyday here in the Tipperary Garda Division.
In attendance at this Seminar will be senior Garda Officers, together with community police officers from across the five Garda divisions and to this end members of the public are being strongly encouraged to attend.
Your attendance at this event as a member of the public will also assist you in obtaining up to date information, latest initiatives and other various community schemes now in operation, which are aimed at tackling urban and rural crime, including community text alert schemes already in operation.
Remember the expression “better to light a candle than curse the darkness,” so please do show your support for this most welcome of Community Garda initiatives.
 A cold case review sanctioned by former Justice Minister Alan Shatter in September 2013 on a man hanged for murder almost 74 years ago, is to receive a pardon.
Mr Harry Gleeson was executed for the murder of Miss Mary (Foxy Moll) McCarthy, latter who was found shot dead in Tipperary on November 21st 1940; executed by the then British hangman Albert Pierrepoint (1905 – 1992) in Mountjoy jail in April 1941. Pierrepoint executed at least 433 men and 17 women during his time as a hangman.
According to a fictional novel, The Dead Eight by Carlo Gebler, Moll McCarthy’s story truly begins with her mother, who was reportedly a woman of ‘ill repute,’ and who sold sex to improve her impoverished lifestyle during a sojourn in Dublin city. Moll, her daughter, lived in a children’s home here in Thurles, Co Tipperary for the first sixteen years of life and was never acquainted with her actual father.
Carlo Gebler paints Moll, like her mother, as somewhat of a promiscuous woman, even by the then standards of her time, having had numerous relationships with local men, both married and unmarried and also used these encounters to gain basic economic support, e.g. Unexplained Loads of Turf, Bags of Spuds, Groceries paid for at local shop etc..
Minister for Justice Mrs Frances Fitzgerald is due to bring a memo to Cabinet in the coming weeks recommending that Irish President Michael D Higgins now pardon Mr Gleeson.
Senior Counsel Mr Shane Murphy has since reviewed the case on behalf of the Department of Justice; based on new submitted and compelling evidence from the Irish Innocence Project, based at Griffith College in Dublin. New evidence is understood to relate to withheld information by the prosecution which shows a discrepancy in their case in relation to a local gun and ammunition register.
Evidence submitted is also understood to show that the then police involved may have encouraged witnesses to submit less than true statements relating to these events.
Mr Harry Gleeson, a neighbour of Ms Mary McCarthy, latter a single mother of seven, had first reported the discovery of her body and some 5 months later was hanged for her murder.
Previously this story was documented by the late broadcaster and journalist Mr Cathal O’Shannon (1928 – 2011) in a TV series entitled “Thou Shalt Not Kill, ” back in 1995. Perhaps it is time to dig into the archives and refresh our memories.
|
Support Us Help keep Thurles.info online by donating below. Thank you.
Total Donated 2026: €290.00
Thank You!
Daily Thurles Mass Livestream
|
Recent Comments