Rory O'Brien jailed for 18 months at original animal cruelty sentencing

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

Rory O'Brien, 60, of Killicane, Mitchelstown in north Cork, was sentenced to 18 months in prison at Cork Circuit Criminal Court. He had pleaded guilty to five charges of animal cruelty, which included the cannibalisation of animals and failing to comply with a welfare notice. The proceedings were reported on 13 February 2015, the update date displayed by RTÉ.

Department of Agriculture Veterinary Inspector John McConville told the court that inspectors visiting the piggery between May and September 2011 found sick, starving and dying pigs and boars. Some units were overrun by rats, animals lacked drinking water and pigs had cannibalised each other. The report said O'Brien claimed in correspondence that his piggery met the highest standards.

Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin said O'Brien openly defied the Department of Agriculture. He accepted that the animal welfare problems occurred while O'Brien was under severe financial pressure, but said their severity required a custodial sentence. The report said O'Brien owed banks €22 million and that the court was told the cruelty resulted from bad management rather than his financial circumstances.

This case may have concluded differently. The outcome has not yet been confirmed by a public source we could find.