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Allegations hung over ex-rugby star like 'Sword of Damocles', defence barrister tells jury

Summary

Former Ireland rugby international Brendan Mullin, 61, of Donnybrook, Dublin 4, is on trial in the Central Criminal Court, accused of stealing over €570,000 from Bank of Ireland Private Bank between 2011 and 2013. He has pleaded not guilty to one count of stealing €500,000 on December 16, 2011, eight other counts of stealing just over €73,000, one count of deception, and five counts of false accounting. The jury was instructed to find him not guilty of one specific count of deception relating to a payment authorisation letter. Defence counsel Brendan Grehan SC argued in closing submissions that Mullin never intended the bank to suffer a loss, noting that the bank was made whole by payments made in 2013 and 2015. Grehan described the decade-long delay in bringing the case to trial as a "Sword of Damocles" hanging over Mullin, asserting there was no good reason for the delay and that the bank prioritised recovering funds over investigation. The defence contended that the €500,000 transfer involving Spice Holdings resulted from a processing error and that Mullin arranged for his company, Quantum, to repay the sum under pressure to clear his name. Grehan further stated that legal fees paid by the bank were returned by Mullin in April 2013. The jury is due to begin deliberations.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Allegations hung over ex-rugby star like 'Sword of Damocles', defence barrister tells jury. Charges or matters: one count of stealing €500,000 from Bank of Ireland Private Bank, Mespil Road, Dublin 4 on December 16, 2011, along with eight other counts of stealing various amounts of money amounting to just over €73,000 from the bank on various dates; one count of deception and five counts of false accounting. Procedural stage: trial

When:

• April 2013 Hearing Or Sentence
• April 2 Hearing Or Sentence
• May 2013 Other
• December 16, 2011 Other
• July 2011 Incident
• March 2013 Incident
• 2013 and 2015 Other
• 2011 and 2013 Other
• 2024-11-01 Publication

Why: Mr Mullin arranged for his company Quantum to make a €500,000 repayment to the bank because he felt under pressure and to ensure there was no serious allegation hanging over him, the jury was told. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Fraud Stage Trial Theft

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Read the original CNI report