Courts / Cork / Report
Blarney Castle owner gets permission to challenge drink and dangerous driving convictions
Summary
Charles Colthrust, owner of Blarney Castle, has been granted leave by the High Court to challenge two convictions—drink driving on the M8 in October 2024 and dangerous driving on the M8 in September 2023—on the basis that crucial CCTV footage was lost. The convictions were handed down by Fermoy District Court after the court found the requested CCTV relevant. Colthrust's lawyers had requested preservation of the footage in November 2023, but the footage was overwritten after 28 days and could not be recovered from the public office channel. Defence technicians later retrieved footage from 16 other channels, but not the relevant one. The High Court has ordered a stay of the convictions pending the judicial review, with the case adjourned to April 2026. The review will consider whether the loss of the footage affected the fairness of the proceedings. The case remains at the High Court stage.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Blarney Castle owner gets permission to challenge drink and dangerous driving convictions. Charges or matters: drink driving while involved in the use of a silver VW Golf on the M8 motorway, Gortnahown, Mitchellstown, Cork and of dangerous driving on the M8 Ballinglanna, North Kilworth, Cork on September 17, 2023. Procedural stage: finding. Findings: Convicted
When:
- October 11, 2024 Hearing Or Sentence
- September 17, 2023 Incident
- November 20, 2023 Hearing Or Sentence
- November 29, 2023 Hearing Or Sentence
- February 23, 2024 Adjournment
- April 12 Adjournment
- December 9, 2023 Other
- December 2023 Other
- October 2024 Hearing Or Sentence
- November 2023 Adjournment
- 2025-03-10 Publication
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Charges: drink driving while involved in the use of a silver VW Golf on the M8 motorway, Gortnahown, Mitchellstown, Cork and of dangerous driving on the M8 Ballinglanna, North Kilworth, Cork on September 17, 2023 (Proven)
Finding: Convicted
Outcome: Convicted; The District Court judge deemed the disclosure relevant and on February 23, 2024 ordered that expert inspection of the CCTV system be facilitated, with the matter adjourned to April 12.
Places mentioned
- Fermoy
- Fermoy District Court
- High Court
- The District Court
- Colthrust wrote to Fermoy Garda Station
- Fermoy
- footage from the Fermoy Garda Station
Topics
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