Law « Thurles Information

Court Of Appeal Rejects Murder Appeal By Patrick Quirke.

The Court of Appeal has rejected an appeal by Tipperary farmer Mr Patrick Quirke, against his 2019 conviction in relation to the murder of Mr Bobby Ryan, a lorry driver and DJ known as “Mr Moonlight”.

Mr Quirke is presently serving a life sentence, following a 15-week trial back in 2019, during which he had denied any involvement in Mr Ryan’s murder.

The trial had heard that he murdered his love rival Mr Ryan, in an effort to rekindle an affair with farm owner Mrs Mary Lowry.

Mr Ryan’s remains were found some two years later in 2013, after he went missing June in 2011; located in a disused underground run-off, slurry tank on Mrs Lowry’s farm.

The prosecution maintained that Mr Quirke had staged the discovery of Mr Ryan’s body, as he was about to give up his lease on the farm, fearing he would be found out.

Mr Quirke watched the proceedings by video link from Portlaoise Prison.

Revenue Officers Seize Drugs Destined For Tipperary.

Revenue officers have seized drugs at two premises in Dublin, with a street value of €159,700.

In all, the seizure contained over 7.8kg of herbal cannabis and 252 ecstasy tablets, discovered with the assistance of Revenue Customs detector dog Bailey.

The narcotics were concealed in parcels labelled as various types of herbal tea, and appear to have originated in the US, Canada, Spain and the Netherlands.

We understand that the drugs were destined for addresses in Tipperary, Waterford and Wexford.

Businesses or members of the public who may have information regarding smuggling can contact Revenue in complete confidence on Tel No: 1800 295 295.

Ministers Welcome Allocation Of Dormant Accounts Funding For Justice Initiatives.

**Minster for Justice** **Helen McEntee TD**

Minster for Justice, Mrs Helen McEntee TD, and Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Mr James Browne TD, have welcomed the allocation of funding, from the Dormant Accounts Fund, to a number of Department of Justice projects and initiatives.

Earlier today, the Department of Rural and Community Development announced that a total of €55.5 million has been allocated from the Dormant Accounts Fund to address disadvantage right across the country.

In total, approximately €10 million has been allocated to Department of Justice related projects and initiatives.

Welcoming this additional funding, Minister McEntee said,

“The funding we have been allocated will greatly assist us in the work we are doing to combat Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence, roll out our Community Safety Partnerships, support victims of crime and support vulnerable young people.
The allocation of €250,000 for the implementation of targeted crime prevention and harm-reduction recommendations contained in the Drogheda Community Safety & Wellbeing Scoping Report will support, amongst others, The Red Door project for the provision of drugs outreach work, counselling, family support, client progression pathways, Court-related and prisoner support and additional harm reduction services in the Drogheda area.”

Welcoming the substantial allocation of €5,000,000 for Youth and Community Justice services, Minister Browne said,

“I very much welcome the Dormant Accounts Fund allocation for Youth Justice services. Together with the additional €6.7m extra Exchequer funding I obtained in Budget 2022, this allows us to make a very substantial start to the implementation of the Youth Justice Strategy.
The additional funding will allow us to ensure the Youth Diversion Project service is available throughout the State by end 2022 or early in 2023. It will also fund additional work in the areas of early intervention with children at risk, family support and outreach work with harder-to-engage young people in particular.
This work is vital to help divert young people from crime and anti-social behaviour and to protect victims by reducing future offending.”

Garda Arrested On Suspicion Of Sending False Allegations To Investigators.

A male member of An Garda Síochána, has been arrested in the Munster region, accused of sending false allegations to criminal investigators, regarding their ongoing inquiries.

The member of the Garda force was placed under arrested this morning before being taken to a station in the south of the country, where he was later questioned.

The investigation we understand may be focused on anonymous letters forwarded to other investigators of serious crime. The Garda under investigation graduated from the Garda Training Centre in Templemore, Co. Tipperary in recent times and prior to his arrest was stationed within the Munster region.

In a statement via a Garda spokesperson, the arrest was confirmed as having occurred today.

The statement reads, “A male in his 20s has been arrested on suspicion of alleged offences contrary to the Criminal Law Act 1976. The male is currently detained under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984.”

Tipperary Gardaí Seize Alprazolam Pills & Heroin.

On Tuesday afternoon last, Carrick-on-Suir Gardaí assisted by the Regional Dog Unit, Henry Street, carried out a number of searches in the town of Carrick-on-Suir.

Suspected Alprazolam pills and Heroin (pending analysis) with an estimated street value of €3,350 was recovered during the course of the searches.

**Photo courtesy An Garda Síochána, Co. Tipperary.**

Alprazolam pills can slow or stop your breathing, especially if you have recently used an opioid medication, alcohol, or other drugs that can slow your breathing. This drug can cause birth defects or life-threatening withdrawal symptoms in a newborn baby. Misuse can cause addiction, overdose, and certain death.

No arrests were made, however, investigating Gardaí are following a definite line of enquiry.

Over a 12 hour period yesterday, Gardaí removed drugs with a market value of over €11,350, from Co. Tipperary streets.