Francis Tiernan jailed over forged will conspiracy

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Francis Tiernan was jailed for three years at Newry Crown Court on 24 October 2014 after pleading guilty to conspiring to use a false instrument.

The conspiracy involved a forged will and a document purporting to sell a property owned by Catherine Haughey, according to the prosecution case. The altered will redirected much of an estate worth about £1m, while two charities received nothing. Tiernan’s defence said he maintained the forged will reflected Haughey’s wishes but accepted that he had changed it in the wrong way. The judge gave limited credit for his guilty plea, noting his earlier opposition to extradition proceedings.