Court archive
Court reports mentioning Ballinode, Monaghan
2025-02-13 · Dublin
A second jury failed to reach a verdict in the trial of Ciara Kelleher (53), the former senior portfolio relationship manager of Custom House Capital Ltd (CHC), who was accused of conspiring with others to defraud investors, clients, and customers of CHC by intentionally misleading them as to where or how their assets had been placed between October 2008 and July 2011. Kelleher, of Blackhorse Avenue, Dublin 7, denied the charge. The case was adjourned to February 27 for the prosecution to obtain further directions, with Kelleher remanded on continuing bail to that date. Meanwhile, CHC's former CEO Harry Cassidy (69), along with former head of private clients John Whyte (55), former head of finance Paul Lavery (49), and non-executive director John Mulholland (75) had previously pleaded guilty to related charges. Cassidy was sentenced to six years and ten months, Whyte to four years, Lavery to three years, and Mulholland to 12 months at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court almost two years ago. The court heard that €56 million of client money had been inappropriately transferred to property investments, with €61 million found to have been misappropriated, of which €39 million has been recovered as of March 2023.
2023-04-21 · Dublin
At Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Orla Crowe adjourned the sentencing of four men until May 12, remanding them on the same terms. The defendants, former CHC CEO Harry Cassidy, John Whyte, Paul Lavery, and John Mulholland, pleaded guilty to charges including conspiring to defraud investors and clients of Custom House Capital Ltd (CHC) by misleading them regarding asset placement between October 2008 and July 2011. Mulholland also admitted to neglecting his duties as a non-executive director. The court reviewed 197 victim impact statements detailing severe financial and emotional losses. While the judge indicated a need to review extensive material before finalising the case, the matter was adjourned rather than concluded. Cassidy is disqualified as a director for 15 years, while Whyte faces a 10-year disqualification. A fifth defendant, Ciara Kelleher, pleaded not guilty to conspiracy charges, with her case status remaining contested. The liquidation process has recovered €41 million of the €61 million in misappropriated funds.
2023-03-08 · Dublin
Four senior executives of Custom House Capital are scheduled for sentencing at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on April 21 before Judge Orla Crowe. Former CEO Harry Cassidy, former head of private clients John Whyte, and head of finance Paul Lavery pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to defraud investors and clients by intentionally misleading them regarding asset placement. Non-executive director John Mulholland also pleaded guilty to one count of neglectful discharge of a director's duty in relation to the company's dishonest acts. The offences are alleged to have occurred between October 2008 and July 2011. The sentencing hearing is expected to last one day. Separately, former senior portfolio relationship manager Ciara Kelleher pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiring to defraud investors and clients. After a jury failed to reach a verdict earlier this month, Judge Martin Nolan set a re-trial date for January 13, 2025. The matter involving Kelleher remains pending and has not been concluded.
2023-02-14 · Dublin
The fraud trial of former Custom House Capital (CHC) manager Ciara Kelleher heard on day 11 that former CEO Harry Cassidy, John Whyte, Paul Lavery, and John Mulholland have pleaded guilty to charges arising from a Garda investigation. Cassidy, Whyte, and Lavery admitted to conspiring with others to defraud investors and clients of CHC between October 2008 and July 2011. Mulholland, a non-executive director, pleaded guilty to one count of neglect on the part of a director of a body corporate regarding the company's dishonest acts. Kelleher, who pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiring to defraud CHC investors by misleading them about asset placement, remains the sole defendant facing trial. Evidence presented included testimony from Detective Garda David Coyne regarding Kelleher's 2016 arrest and Detective Garda Aidan Deveney, who detailed the retrieval of 2.5 million objects from a server and the use of forensic tools to search over 1.2 million emails. Deveney acknowledged that Cassidy allegedly pressured Kelleher regarding client valuations and fees. The trial continues before Judge Orla Crowe and the jury.
2022-07-12 · Sligo
The Court of Appeal has increased the jail sentence of John McDonagh, a knife-wielding burglar who carried out a violent home invasion in Sligo Town in January 2020. McDonagh and a teenage accomplice broke into a house, threatened four occupants with a knife, and caused significant damage to property. The occupants were threatened with death if they contacted the gardaí. Both McDonagh (27) of Brookfield, Ballinode, Sligo, and his accomplice pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary and burglary at a house at Glencarrig, Ballinode, and were sentenced in March of last year. Sligo Circuit Criminal Court judge Francis Comerford initially sentenced both men to five-and-a-half years in jail with the final two years suspended for three years. However, the Court of Appeal found the original sentence unduly lenient. The court heard that the offences were in the upper range of offending and that a headline sentence between nine and 14 years should have been identified. The appeal court quashed the previous sentence and substituted it with a seven-year term, with the final 18 months suspended for two years. The sentence was backdated to August 1, 2020, when McDonagh was first taken into custody. The matter was adjourned at the appeal stage.