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A former fifty-nine-year-old Circuit Court judge, who was also a former Dublin Secondary School Teacher; a Solicitor and a Thurles Fianna Fáil local District Councillor, is expected to be sentenced on May 29th next, having been found guilty of the sexual abuse/assault of six young men, some 30 years previously.
Mr Gerard O’Brien, a Thurles native, with an address at the Old School House, Slievenamon Road, Thurles, Co Tipperary, was earlier found guilty by a jury, in 2023, of one count of attempted rape and eight counts of sexual assault, in relation to the six unnamed complainants.
These offences are understood to have taken place in Dublin, between March 1991 and November 1997. Mr O’Brien was a secondary school teacher and aged in his late 20s and early 30s at that time, while the unnamed complainants were his students or former students. Latter were aged between 17 and 24 and are now aged in their 40s and early 50s.
Former barrister and now a Judge of the High Court since 2019; Mr Justice Alexander Owens has stated that it was likely he would impose a custodial sentence on Mr O’Brien and has asked for a report from the prison service about how they can meet Mr O’Brien’s needs in prison, in view of his obvious disabilities.
Mr O’Brien was born with the rare congenital condition, known as Phocomelia, which has resulted in him being born with no arms and only one leg; same injuries brought on by the congenital anomaly of the drug Thalidomide, brought into prominence as a characteristic side effect of the use of the drug thalidomide, used during pregnancy.
Mr O’Brien had initially denied all the allegations against him, but following the guilty verdict, he conveyed his resignation to the President in accordance with the requirements of section 6 (2) of the Courts (Establishment and Constitution) Act 1961, in early January of this year.
Mr Justice Alexander Owens has today questioned if the school could have done more to protect their students.
Two people, a male and female, have been arrested following the seizure, by a multi-agency led operation, of some 62,500 tablets suspected to be Alprazolam* and Clonazepam, following an intelligence led operation.
*According to press reports, alprazolam was found during the autopsies held on singer Whitney Housten and Hollywood actor Heath Ledger. High levels of alprazolam several times greater than its therapeutic range can contribute to death, due to its respiratory and central nervous system-depressant effects.
The controlled drugs are benzodiazepine medication, both of which are legitimately prescribed by qualified medical professionals, to treat anxiety and panic disorders, but are sold illegally as street drugs in almost every town and village in Ireland.
The tablets were discovered during a multi-agency operation carried out between Revenue; Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau; and the Tipperary Divisional Drugs Unit in Tipperary Town, yesterday evening.
The man arrested is understood to be aged in his 40s, while the woman is aged in her 30s. Further investigations continue, while the couple arrested remain held under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996, at a Garda station in Co. Tipperary.
Mr Sean Fitzpatrick, aged 21 years, of Killpurcell, Ballybrophy Co. Laois, came before Thurles District Court today, Tuesday, charged with dangerous driving, resulting in the death of a student named as Mr Adam Kirwan, aged 20 years, also from Co. Laois.
Mr Kirwan had been a student at Mary Immaculate College, (MIC), studying on the third level St. Patrick’s Campus, here in Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
The deceased, sadly, lost his life following a single vehicle collision in the area of College Green, Monakeeba, in Thurles town, on March 2nd of last year, (2023). Sadly pronounced dead at the scene, Mr Kirwan’s body was removed to University Hospital Limerick (UHL), where a post-mortem examination later took place.
Two other female passengers in the motorised vehicle thankfully escaped injury.
Today, Mr Sean Fitzpatrick was again released on bail, to appear before Thurles District Court on June 25th next, when a prepared book of evidence will be served on the accused.
A Tipperary Roads Policing Unit, carrying out ‘Hi-Visibility’ patrols in Nenagh Co. Tipperary earlier today, intercepted a vehicle, which it flagged for having no insurance using the new Garda Insurance Application.
The driver of the vehicle was also arrested on suspicion of drug driving, having failed a roadside ‘DrugWipe’ test for Cocaine.
The vehicle in question was seized, with a Court appearance to follow.
Tipperary Roads Policing Unit; latter carrying out speed compliance checks in the Tipperary North area, detected a vehicle travelling at 89km/h in a 50km zone in the Birdhill area of the county.
The driver, a new learner permit holder, was identified driving unaccompanied and with no L-plates displayed.
Having failed a ‘DrugWipe’ test for Cannabis, he was arrested on suspicion of Drug Driving.
The motor vehicle has now been seized, with a Court appearance to follow.
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