theirishtimes--2020-12-14--Cork braces itself for possible flooding as weather warning issued

Met Éireann has issued a weather warning for parts of Tuesday and Wednesday , when strong winds are forecast to meet spring tides , bringing a risk of floods , particularly in Cork and elsewhere on southern coasts .
The status yellow wind warning is valid from 9pm on Tuesday to 9am on Wednesday and covers Carlow , Kilkenny , Wexford , Wicklow , Cork , Kerry , Limerick , Tipperary and Waterford .
During the period in question , southerly winds are expected to reach mean speeds of 50 to 65km/h with gusts of up to 100km/h .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for small craft on all Irish coasts is currently in place .
Cork city , which was flooded in 2014 , 2019 , and again as recently as October last , is bracing itself for possible further flooding amid the conditions expected in the coming days , with Cork County Council also issuing a warning over possible flooding to residents and traders in coastal areas and in Dunmanway and Midleton .
The council warned that “ a period of very high astronomical spring tides approaching what is known as the highest astronomical tide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and continue for four days up to Friday , December 18th ” .
Coastal areas where high tides of 3.6m are expected include Bantry on Tuesday , Wednesday and Thursday .
Storm surge levels are predicted to increase by 0.5m in Bantry from Tuesday afternoon and into Wednesday .
Cork County Council ’ s Severe Weather Assessment Team convened on Monday .
In a statement on Monday afternoon , the council said that while it was “ too soon to forecast surge conditions that will occur ” , the council called on coastal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dunmanway and Midleton to undertake appropriate measures to protect property .
It highlighted the Bailick Road and Dwyers Road in Midleton as areas of particular concern .
Council staff are deploying sandbags and pumps and the council said members of the public were advised to “ stay high , stay dry and stay away from the coast , rivers and lakes ” .
Issues such as fallen trees and road damage can be reported to the local Cork County Council office during working hours ( Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm ) or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these hours .

Strong winds are forecast to meet spring tides in the coming days, bringing a risk of floods, particularly in Cork. File photograph: Laura Hutton/The Irish Times
Met Éireann has issued a weather warning for parts of Tuesday and Wednesday, when strong winds are forecast to meet spring tides, bringing a risk of floods, particularly in Cork and elsewhere on southern coasts.
The status yellow wind warning is valid from 9pm on Tuesday to 9am on Wednesday and covers Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, Wicklow, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford. During the period in question, southerly winds are expected to reach mean speeds of 50 to 65km/h with gusts of up to 100km/h.
The new warning comes as a marine warning for small craft on all Irish coasts is currently in place.
Cork city, which was flooded in 2014, 2019, and again as recently as October last, is bracing itself for possible further flooding amid the conditions expected in the coming days, with Cork County Council also issuing a warning over possible flooding to residents and traders in coastal areas and in Dunmanway and Midleton.
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The council warned that “a period of very high astronomical spring tides approaching what is known as the highest astronomical tide (HAT) will commence on Tuesday and continue for four days up to Friday, December 18th”.
Storm surges
Coastal areas where high tides of 3.6m are expected include Bantry on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Storm surge levels are predicted to increase by 0.5m in Bantry from Tuesday afternoon and into Wednesday.
Cork County Council’s Severe Weather Assessment Team convened on Monday. In a statement on Monday afternoon, the council said that while it was “too soon to forecast surge conditions that will occur”, the council called on coastal communities and property owners and those in Dunmanway and Midleton to undertake appropriate measures to protect property.
It highlighted the Bailick Road and Dwyers Road in Midleton as areas of particular concern.
Council staff are deploying sandbags and pumps and the council said members of the public were advised to “stay high, stay dry and stay away from the coast, rivers and lakes”.
Issues such as fallen trees and road damage can be reported to the local Cork County Council office during working hours (Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm) or via the emergency number 021-4800048 outside of these hours.


theirishtimes--2020-12-14--Gardaí warn of loan scam where fraudsters seek advance fees

People have been warned to look out for so-called advance fee frauds in which they are requested to pay a small amount of money in order to secure a loan that never materialises .
Sophisticated in design , the scam involves legitimate-looking websites , application processes and even phone interaction .
In the run up to Christmas when people may be looking to secure funds , gardaí and the Central Bank issued a detailed notice about such scams saying there are also instances of “ clones ” whereby the details of an authorised entity are copied to give the impression @ @ @ @ @ @ @ requires individuals to pay a fee before receiving a promised sum of money which is never paid , ” gardai said .
“ Gardaí have noticed an increase in this practice recently with a number of websites offering quick , easy , unsecured loans.
” Victims of the scam are asked to complete a short application which seeks their personal details .
A follow-up phone call is then received from what appears to be an Irish number .
During this call the person is told their loan has been approved but they must @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transferred for a variety of reasons such as insurance or setup fees .
A number of red flags to look out for include the promise of quick and easy funds , no requirement for security , and no checks on a person ’ s ability to repay the loan .
In many cases they do not look for documents or ID , and often the person is pressurised into accepting on the pretence the “ opportunity ” will be lost .
Such firms are never regulated by the Central Bank and this can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There may also be instances where a firm ‘ clones ’ the details of an authorised entity by taking the details ... and claiming to either be that entity or an associated entity , ” gardaí said .
“ Further information in respect of unauthorised firms that have already come to the attention of the Central Bank is available on the Central Bank ’ s website but please be warned that there may be scams out there that have not yet come to the attention of the Central Bank .
”

A number of red flags to look out for include the promise of quick and easy funds, no requirement for security, and no checks on a person’s ability to repay the loan. Photograph: iStock
People have been warned to look out for so-called advance fee frauds in which they are requested to pay a small amount of money in order to secure a loan that never materialises.
Sophisticated in design, the scam involves legitimate-looking websites, application processes and even phone interaction.
In the run up to Christmas when people may be looking to secure funds, gardaí and the Central Bank issued a detailed notice about such scams saying there are also instances of "clones" whereby the details of an authorised entity are copied to give the impression of legitimacy.
“Advance fee fraud requires individuals to pay a fee before receiving a promised sum of money which is never paid,” gardai said.
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“Gardaí have noticed an increase in this practice recently with a number of websites offering quick, easy, unsecured loans.”
Victims of the scam are asked to complete a short application which seeks their personal details. A follow-up phone call is then received from what appears to be an Irish number.
During this call the person is told their loan has been approved but they must make an advance payment before it is transferred for a variety of reasons such as insurance or setup fees.
A number of red flags to look out for include the promise of quick and easy funds, no requirement for security, and no checks on a person’s ability to repay the loan.
In many cases they do not look for documents or ID, and often the person is pressurised into accepting on the pretence the “opportunity” will be lost. Such firms are never regulated by the Central Bank and this can be checked on their website.
“There may also be instances where a firm ‘clones’ the details of an authorised entity by taking the details...and claiming to either be that entity or an associated entity,” gardaí said.
“Further information in respect of unauthorised firms that have already come to the attention of the Central Bank is available on the Central Bank’s website but please be warned that there may be scams out there that have not yet come to the attention of the Central Bank.”


theirishtimes--2020-12-14--Leaving Cert oral exams could be held online or during Easter

The possibility of holding Leaving Cert oral and practical exams online or holding them during the Easter holidays are among a number of options being considered by the State Examinations Commission .
It is also understood that education authorities will announce details of extra choice to be given to candidates shortly in a number of key subjects in the summer written exams .
This is due to concerns that students affected by disruption to the school year will not have time to complete the curriculum .
The options were outlined in a presentation by the State Examinations Commission during a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Monday , according to sources .
Minister for Education Norma Foley and the Department of Education have said it is their “ firm intention ” to hold the 2021 State exams with appropriate contingency and public health measures in place .
No decisions have been taken yet , but education sources say a key aim is to ensure exams will take place in as traditional a manner as possible .
Further meetings to discuss options are due in January .
A number of education partners are understood to have said the Leaving Cert @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Junior Cert in the coming year due to social distancing challenges .
The traditional Junior Cert written exams were cancelled last year and replaced with in-school assessment .
Among the groups present at Monday ’ s meeting were representatives of students , parents , teachers , school leadership and management bodies , the State Examinations Commission , the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment , the Department of Further and Higher Education and National Educational Psychological Service .
All members of the advisory group were invited to share their expertise and experience in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will resume when the group next meets in January 2021 .
The group was also advised of clarifications to the assessment arrangements for the 2021 state exams which originally issued to schools in August .
In a statement , the Department of Education said these clarifications , and “ a small number of adjustments ” , take account of comments received from stakeholders and will be sent to schools shortly .
The group was also advised of additional flexibility in the arrangements for the completion of coursework where such measures are required to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ details will shortly be issued to schools by the State Examinations Commission .
The option of moving oral and practical exams to the Easter period is attractive to some stakeholders on the basis that it could ease pressure sourcing teachers to work as examiners .
Many teachers who currently work in this capacity are retired and are at higher risk if they contract Covid-19 .
Schools also say they are under pressure to source substitute teachers due to teachers reporting sick or self-isolating after being labelled as close contacts during term time .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ keen to ensure oral and practical exams take place as normal outside the holiday period .
Most education partners are keen to avoid the cancellation of exams and the use of calculated grades , if at all possible .

Norma Foley and the Department of Education have said it is their “firm intention” to hold the 2021 State exams with appropriate contingency and public health measures in place. File photograph Nick Bradshaw
The possibility of holding Leaving Cert oral and practical exams online or holding them during the Easter holidays are among a number of options being considered by the State Examinations Commission.
It is also understood that education authorities will announce details of extra choice to be given to candidates shortly in a number of key subjects in the summer written exams.
This is due to concerns that students affected by disruption to the school year will not have time to complete the curriculum.
The options were outlined in a presentation by the State Examinations Commission during a meeting of an examinations advisory group on Monday, according to sources.
READ MORE
Minister for Education Norma Foley and the Department of Education have said it is their "firm intention" to hold the 2021 State exams with appropriate contingency and public health measures in place.
No decisions have been taken yet, but education sources say a key aim is to ensure exams will take place in as traditional a manner as possible. Further meetings to discuss options are due in January.
A number of education partners are understood to have said the Leaving Cert written exams should be prioritised over the Junior Cert in the coming year due to social distancing challenges.
The traditional Junior Cert written exams were cancelled last year and replaced with in-school assessment.
Among the groups present at Monday's meeting were representatives of students, parents, teachers, school leadership and management bodies, the State Examinations Commission , the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, the Department of Further and Higher Education and National Educational Psychological Service.
All members of the advisory group were invited to share their expertise and experience in relation to the exams.
These discussions will resume when the group next meets in January 2021.
The group was also advised of clarifications to the assessment arrangements for the 2021 state exams which originally issued to schools in August.
In a statement, the Department of Education said these clarifications, and “a small number of adjustments”, take account of comments received from stakeholders and will be sent to schools shortly.
The group was also advised of additional flexibility in the arrangements for the completion of coursework where such measures are required to support students due to Covid-19.
These details will shortly be issued to schools by the State Examinations Commission.
The option of moving oral and practical exams to the Easter period is attractive to some stakeholders on the basis that it could ease pressure sourcing teachers to work as examiners.
Many teachers who currently work in this capacity are retired and are at higher risk if they contract Covid-19.
Schools also say they are under pressure to source substitute teachers due to teachers reporting sick or self-isolating after being labelled as close contacts during term time.
However, many teachers and others are keen to ensure oral and practical exams take place as normal outside the holiday period.
Most education partners are keen to avoid the cancellation of exams and the use of calculated grades, if at all possible.


theirishtimes--2020-12-14--Gardaí warn against social media prank of lying in front of traffic

Gardaí have warned against a “ new social media trend ” involving people lying in front of oncoming traffic to prank motorists .
The phenomenon , known as ghosting , is “ extremely irresponsible and poses a serious danger to those taking part in the ‘ ghosting ’ and to motorists , ” Garda headquarters said in a statement on Monday .
The prank typically involves somebody lying in the road with a sheet over them to cause oncoming cars to stop or take notice .
The reaction of the driver is then filmed and uploaded to social media platforms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Garda warning follows an incident in the south of the country in recent days where a girl was injured by a vehicle while “ ghosting ” .
She was taken to hospital , where she spent several days receiving treatment for minor injuries to her back , torso and ankle .
“ An Garda Síochána are urging people not to engage in this social media trend .
Gardaí are particularly appealing to parents to educate their children on the dangers of participating in such activity and to highlight the importance of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” the Garda statement said .

‘Ghosting’ typically involves someone lying in the road with a sheet over them to cause oncoming cars to stop or take notice. Photograph: iStock
Gardaí have warned against a “new social media trend” involving people lying in front of oncoming traffic to prank motorists.
The phenomenon, known as ghosting, is “extremely irresponsible and poses a serious danger to those taking part in the ‘ghosting’ and to motorists,” Garda headquarters said in a statement on Monday.
The prank typically involves somebody lying in the road with a sheet over them to cause oncoming cars to stop or take notice. The reaction of the driver is then filmed and uploaded to social media platforms in the hope it will go viral.
The Garda warning follows an incident in the south of the country in recent days where a girl was injured by a vehicle while “ghosting”.
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She was taken to hospital, where she spent several days receiving treatment for minor injuries to her back, torso and ankle.
"An Garda Síochána are urging people not to engage in this social media trend. Gardaí are particularly appealing to parents to educate their children on the dangers of participating in such activity and to highlight the importance of being seen while using Irish roads," the Garda statement said.


theirishtimes--2020-12-14--Cycle paths could ‘destroy’ Sandymount

Cycle paths could ‘destroy’ Sandymount

Sandymount village could be “ absolutely destroyed ” if a cycle path is built through it , a Dublin City Council meeting has heard .
The council ’ s transportation department is examining “ mitigation measures ” to calm traffic in the Dublin 4 village after the Strand Road cycle route comes into operation in February for a six-month trial .
The two-way cycle route on Strand Road will see traffic limited to one lane , with cars allowed to travel outbound only to the Merrion Gates .
Local residents have raised the concern this will push cars into the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two-way cycle path could be built through Sandymount village , along with car restrictions , including traffic barriers , reduced parking and one-way systems to curb traffic and make the streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists .
Brendan O ’ Brien of the transportation department told councillors on Monday he had been asked to provide a report on possible mitigation measures that could be put in place if particular problems arose as a result of the Strand Road cycle path .
One of these measures was protected cycle lanes in the village .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ if there could be additional protection for cycling in Sandymount village , he said .
Fianna Fáil councillor Claire O ’ Connor asked why the idea of a cycle path through the village was only now emerging .
“ The fact now that this second cycle track has emerged , you ’ d have to wonder if [ it ] is such a well-conceived idea , why wasn ’ t it introduced right back at the start of this process , ” she said .
“ I have had concerns all along with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made up as as we go along.
” Ms O ’ Connor also raised doubts about a consultation process which found that 56 per cent of respondents were in favour of the Strand Road trial .
“ This figure being bandied about in the media that 56 per cent of people are in favour of the project , they are from all over the country , ” she said .
“ Some of them are from Cork.
” While the cycle paths were being introduced as a Covid-19 measure , she said it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long after Covid ” .
Independent Mannix Flynn said the cycling proposals had been initiated by council chief executive Owen Keegan and the National Transport Authority , and not by local residents .
“ Mr Owen Keegan can push through these measures whether we like it or whether we don ’ t ...
It seems to me that Owen Keegan is sitting pretty here laughing at us.
” Mr Flynn said he was “ pro cycling ” but the plan “ will see Sandymount village on the one hand maybe getting a cycle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entirely and absolutely destroyed ” .
Lord Mayor Hazel Chu said the mitigation measures were put forward to do what was best for the community during the trial period .
“ Ultimately it is a trial , ” she said .
“ I know people don ’ t believe it ’ s a trial , but it is a trial.
” Labour ’ s Dermot Lacey said a situation had emerged where “ the local community – or large swathes of it – just don ’ t trust Dublin City Council on this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the mitigation measures would be introduced only by agreement .

The Strand Road cycle route will come into operation in February for a six-month trial.
Sandymount village could be "absolutely destroyed" if a cycle path is built through it, a Dublin City Council meeting has heard.
The council’s transportation department is examining “mitigation measures” to calm traffic in the Dublin 4 village after the Strand Road cycle route comes into operation in February for a six-month trial.
The two-way cycle route on Strand Road will see traffic limited to one lane, with cars allowed to travel outbound only to the Merrion Gates. Local residents have raised the concern this will push cars into the residential areas of Sandymount.
A second two-way cycle path could be built through Sandymount village, along with car restrictions, including traffic barriers, reduced parking and one-way systems to curb traffic and make the streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists.
READ MORE
Brendan O’Brien of the transportation department told councillors on Monday he had been asked to provide a report on possible mitigation measures that could be put in place if particular problems arose as a result of the Strand Road cycle path.
One of these measures was protected cycle lanes in the village. A consultative community forum had also asked if there could be additional protection for cycling in Sandymount village, he said.
Fianna Fáil councillor Claire O’Connor asked why the idea of a cycle path through the village was only now emerging.
“The fact now that this second cycle track has emerged, you’d have to wonder if [it] is such a well-conceived idea, why wasn’t it introduced right back at the start of this process,” she said. “I have had concerns all along with this that it’s almost been made up as as we go along.”
Ms O’Connor also raised doubts about a consultation process which found that 56 per cent of respondents were in favour of the Strand Road trial.
“This figure being bandied about in the media that 56 per cent of people are in favour of the project, they are from all over the country,” she said. “Some of them are from Cork.”
While the cycle paths were being introduced as a Covid-19 measure, she said it was clear the measures would remain “long after Covid”.
No local initiation
Independent Mannix Flynn said the cycling proposals had been initiated by council chief executive Owen Keegan and the National Transport Authority, and not by local residents.
“Mr Owen Keegan can push through these measures whether we like it or whether we don’t...It seems to me that Owen Keegan is sitting pretty here laughing at us.”
Mr Flynn said he was "pro cycling" but the plan "will see Sandymount village on the one hand maybe getting a cycle lane, on the other hand being entirely and absolutely destroyed".
Lord Mayor Hazel Chu said the mitigation measures were put forward to do what was best for the community during the trial period. "Ultimately it is a trial," she said. "I know people don't believe it's a trial, but it is a trial."
Labour's Dermot Lacey said a situation had emerged where "the local community – or large swathes of it – just don't trust Dublin City Council on this".
Mr O’Brien said the mitigation measures would be introduced only by agreement.


theirishtimes--2020-12-14--Man (80s) dies in house fire in south Dublin

A man aged in his 80s has died in a Dublin house fire .
The fire started shortly after 4pm on Monday at a house on the Dundrum Road in south Dublin .
A woman , also aged in her 80s , was taken to St Vincent ’ s University Hospital as a precaution following the outbreak of the blaze .
In a statement , gardaí said the man was pronounced dead at the scene and his body was removed to St Columcille ’ s Hospital in Loughlinstown .
A postmortem will take place at a later date .
Foul @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the fire , although investigations will have to take place .
In a tweet , Dublin Fire Brigade said the woman was treated at the scene and brought to hospital for further treatment .
“ Our thoughts are with [ the deceased ’ s ] family , friends and neighbours at this especially difficult time.
” The incident follows the death of a couple in their late 60s and 70s in a house fire in Portmarnock , north Co Dublin , earlier this month .
Dublin Fire Brigade was called to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Portmarnock home at 9.45pm on Saturday , December 5th .

Emergency service personnel attend the scene of the house fire in Dundrum, Dublin. Photograph: Damien Storan
A man aged in his 80s has died in a Dublin house fire.
The fire started shortly after 4pm on Monday at a house on the Dundrum Road in south Dublin.
A woman, also aged in her 80s, was taken to St Vincent’s University Hospital as a precaution following the outbreak of the blaze.
In a statement, gardaí said the man was pronounced dead at the scene and his body was removed to St Columcille's Hospital in Loughlinstown. A postmortem will take place at a later date.
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Foul play is not expected as a cause of the fire, although investigations will have to take place.
In a tweet, Dublin Fire Brigade said the woman was treated at the scene and brought to hospital for further treatment.
“Our thoughts are with [the deceased’s] family, friends and neighbours at this especially difficult time.”
The incident follows the death of a couple in their late 60s and 70s in a house fire in Portmarnock, north Co Dublin, earlier this month.
Dublin Fire Brigade was called to the blaze at Michael and Beatrice Hurley’s Portmarnock home at 9.45pm on Saturday, December 5th.


theirishtimes--2020-12-15--Man jailed for indecently assaulting boy (8) in the 1980s

A man who indecently assaulted an eight-year old boy in the 1980s has been jailed for one year .
The victim , who can not be named for legal reasons , said of his attacker , Thomas Deegan : “ Any power he had over me as a child is gone ” , Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard on a previous sentencing date .
Deegan ( 55 ) of Oakwood Road , Finglas , Dublin pleaded guilty to one count of indecently assaulting the boy at a field in Dublin on a date between May 1982 and October 1985 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ November last year , but he did not show up and a warrant was issued for his arrest .
He was eventually “ tracked down ” in Donegal and placed in custody , Detective Garda Paul Fahey told the court .
A new trial was set down for earlier this month , but on the first day of that trial , Deegan entered a guilty plea .
Passing sentence on Tuesday , Judge Elma Sheahan said that while the plea in this case was by no means early , it had value in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through the rigours of the trial process .
Judge Sheahan said the victim had laid bare the distress and damage he said this offence had done to him .
She said he was to be commended for his bravery in coming forward and that he did so out of concern for others .
She said the case was aggravated by the seriousness of the offence , the disparity in ages and the breach of trust .
She said the court took note of Deegan ’ s previous good character , his apology to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Judge Sheahan sentenced Deegan to two years imprisonment .
She said that owing to the absence of offending by Deegan in the time since this incident , she believed it appropriate to suspend the final 12 months of the sentence on strict conditions .
At a previous sentencing hearing , Det Gda Fahey told the court that the boy was playing in a field with a friend one day when Deegan , who was then aged around 18 , came into the field and defecated in front of the children .
Some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was playing on a wall when Deegan approached him and gestured to the child to follow him .
The boy , who was around 8 at the time , felt intimidated and followed Deegan into the field , where Deegan indecently assaulted him .
The boy repeatedly said he needed to go home and managed to get up and walk away .
Deegan followed him and told him not to tell his parents what had happened .
From then on , the boy gave Deegan “ wide berth ” whenever he saw him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In 2015 the victim , who is now aged 45 , felt it was time to give a statement to gardaí about what had happened to him as a child .
Deegan was arrested and eventually charged in 2017 .
In a victim impact statement read out in court by Det Gda Fahey , the complainant said : “ What people like Thomas Deegan need to know is that little people grow up to be bigger and stronger .
Any power he had over me as a child is gone.
” The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the hearing , said he suffered from low self-esteem and anxiety as a result of Deegan ’ s actions that day .
He said he felt “ ashamed ” that this was his first experience of sexuality and that he is now over-protective of his own children .
He said he still feels a “ deep anger ” towards Deegan .
Seoirse Ó Dúnlaing BL , defending , said his client wished to formally apologise to the victim for his “ shocking and disgraceful ” actions .
He submitted that this offence was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never repeated .
The court heard Deegan has no previous convictions and has not come to garda attention apart from this offence .
Mr Ó Dúnlaing said his client was a man of otherwise good character , who worked in the construction industry until he had a number of heart attacks some years ago .
He was briefly married when he was younger but now lives an “ isolated life ” .
The court heard Deegan was drinking heavily and “ burying his head in the sand ” when he moved to Donegal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would just go away .
Mr Ó Dúnlaing urged Judge Sheahan to consider imposing a suspended sentence .

Judge Elma Sheahan said that while the plea in this case was by no means early, it had value in that it spared the victim from going through the rigours of the trial process. Photograph: Dave Meehan
A man who indecently assaulted an eight-year old boy in the 1980s has been jailed for one year.
The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said of his attacker, Thomas Deegan: “Any power he had over me as a child is gone”, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard on a previous sentencing date.
Deegan (55) of Oakwood Road, Finglas, Dublin pleaded guilty to one count of indecently assaulting the boy at a field in Dublin on a date between May 1982 and October 1985.
Deegan was due to stand trial in November last year, but he did not show up and a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was eventually “tracked down” in Donegal and placed in custody, Detective Garda Paul Fahey told the court.
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A new trial was set down for earlier this month, but on the first day of that trial, Deegan entered a guilty plea.
Passing sentence on Tuesday, Judge Elma Sheahan said that while the plea in this case was by no means early, it had value in that it spared the victim from going through the rigours of the trial process.
Judge Sheahan said the victim had laid bare the distress and damage he said this offence had done to him. She said he was to be commended for his bravery in coming forward and that he did so out of concern for others.
She said the case was aggravated by the seriousness of the offence, the disparity in ages and the breach of trust. She said the court took note of Deegan’s previous good character, his apology to the victim and his physical health issues.
Judge Sheahan sentenced Deegan to two years imprisonment. She said that owing to the absence of offending by Deegan in the time since this incident, she believed it appropriate to suspend the final 12 months of the sentence on strict conditions.
At a previous sentencing hearing, Det Gda Fahey told the court that the boy was playing in a field with a friend one day when Deegan, who was then aged around 18, came into the field and defecated in front of the children.
Some time after this incident, the boy was playing on a wall when Deegan approached him and gestured to the child to follow him. The boy, who was around 8 at the time, felt intimidated and followed Deegan into the field, where Deegan indecently assaulted him.
The boy repeatedly said he needed to go home and managed to get up and walk away. Deegan followed him and told him not to tell his parents what had happened. From then on, the boy gave Deegan “wide berth” whenever he saw him around the area, the court heard.
In 2015 the victim, who is now aged 45, felt it was time to give a statement to gardaí about what had happened to him as a child. Deegan was arrested and eventually charged in 2017.
In a victim impact statement read out in court by Det Gda Fahey, the complainant said: “What people like Thomas Deegan need to know is that little people grow up to be bigger and stronger. Any power he had over me as a child is gone.”
The man, who was in court for the hearing, said he suffered from low self-esteem and anxiety as a result of Deegan’s actions that day. He said he felt “ashamed” that this was his first experience of sexuality and that he is now over-protective of his own children.
He said he still feels a “deep anger” towards Deegan.
Seoirse Ó Dúnlaing BL, defending, said his client wished to formally apologise to the victim for his “shocking and disgraceful” actions.
He submitted that this offence was a single, isolated incident that was never repeated. The court heard Deegan has no previous convictions and has not come to garda attention apart from this offence.
Mr Ó Dúnlaing said his client was a man of otherwise good character, who worked in the construction industry until he had a number of heart attacks some years ago. He was briefly married when he was younger but now lives an “isolated life”.
The court heard Deegan was drinking heavily and “burying his head in the sand” when he moved to Donegal, in the hopes that the charges would just go away. Mr Ó Dúnlaing urged Judge Sheahan to consider imposing a suspended sentence.


theirishtimes--2020-12-15--Man found with 3,500 sexual abuse images of children as young as three, court told

A former security guard who accessed thousands of child sexual abuse images has lived a “ sad ” life in social isolation for many years , a Dublin court has heard .
Owen Shannon ( 53 ) was found with nearly 3,500 images and videos on various devices in his home of children as young as three being sexually abused , Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard .
Shannon , of Carrickhill Road , Portmarnock , Dublin worked as a security guard for a number of years but has principally been a carer for his mother and , more recently , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child pornography at his home on June 23rd , 2016 .
He has no previous convictions .
Detective Garda Brian Pentony told the court that gardaí were alerted to Shannon ’ s home address following a tip-off from Russian authorities .
Shannon opened the door and , when questioned by gardaí , brought them to his bedroom and told them he had been accessing child sexual abuse material .
He admitted to gardaí that the material would show girls as young as five being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to delays in the system , the material was only analysed last year .
Gardaí found a total of 3437 images and 56 movies on two laptops , one computer and a hard drive which had been seized .
Much of the material was at the most serious category 1 level , which takes into account “ the level of distress experienced by the children ” , Elva Duffy BL , prosecuting , said .
Some of the children depicted were as young as three .
Shannon first accessed the material in 2007 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the court heard .
Defence counsel , Gerardine Small BL , said her client lives a “ solitary , isolated life ” .
He has lived in the family home all his life .
The court heard Shannon started caring for his mother , who suffered ill health , from when he was an adolescent .
He was very close to her and “ devastated ” when she died , Ms Small said .
He worked for a number of years as a security guard but gave it up to care full-time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in his 80s .
Counsel handed up a letter from Shannon in which he said he deeply regrets his actions .
“ He has remorse for his disgusting actions and he realises that every photo and video is of a victim who suffered terribly at the hands of people who are beyond evil , ” Ms Small said .
“ He is ashamed of himself .
He will never have a good name again.
” Ms Small said Shannon had gone to one therapy session and found it helpful but did not have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ His personal circumstances are quite sad , ” she said .
“ This man has experienced social isolation for a prolonged period of time .
He has no interactions outside the home.
” Judge Melanie Greally ordered a Probation Services report to further investigate Shannon ’ s circumstances .
She adjourned the matter to March 2nd next year for finalisation .

Owen Shanon pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child pornography at his home on June 23rd, 2016. File photograph: Dave Meehan
A former security guard who accessed thousands of child sexual abuse images has lived a “sad” life in social isolation for many years, a Dublin court has heard.
Owen Shannon (53) was found with nearly 3,500 images and videos on various devices in his home of children as young as three being sexually abused, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard.
Shannon, of Carrickhill Road, Portmarnock, Dublin worked as a security guard for a number of years but has principally been a carer for his mother and, more recently, his father for most of his life.
He pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child pornography at his home on June 23rd, 2016. He has no previous convictions.
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Detective Garda Brian Pentony told the court that gardaí were alerted to Shannon’s home address following a tip-off from Russian authorities.
Shannon opened the door and, when questioned by gardaí, brought them to his bedroom and told them he had been accessing child sexual abuse material. He admitted to gardaí that the material would show girls as young as five being sexually abused by adult men.
Due to delays in the system, the material was only analysed last year. Gardaí found a total of 3437 images and 56 movies on two laptops, one computer and a hard drive which had been seized.
Much of the material was at the most serious category 1 level, which takes into account “the level of distress experienced by the children”, Elva Duffy BL, prosecuting, said. Some of the children depicted were as young as three.
Shannon first accessed the material in 2007, but his viewing spiked in 2016, the court heard.
Defence counsel, Gerardine Small BL, said her client lives a “solitary, isolated life”. He has lived in the family home all his life.
The court heard Shannon started caring for his mother, who suffered ill health, from when he was an adolescent. He was very close to her and “devastated” when she died, Ms Small said.
He worked for a number of years as a security guard but gave it up to care full-time for his father, who is currently in his 80s.
Counsel handed up a letter from Shannon in which he said he deeply regrets his actions. “He has remorse for his disgusting actions and he realises that every photo and video is of a victim who suffered terribly at the hands of people who are beyond evil,” Ms Small said.
“He is ashamed of himself. He will never have a good name again.”
Ms Small said Shannon had gone to one therapy session and found it helpful but did not have the means to pay for further sessions.
“His personal circumstances are quite sad,” she said. “This man has experienced social isolation for a prolonged period of time. He has no interactions outside the home.”
Judge Melanie Greally ordered a Probation Services report to further investigate Shannon’s circumstances. She adjourned the matter to March 2nd next year for finalisation.


theirishtimes--2020-12-15--Covid-19 vaccine plan to be rolled out in three phases, says Donnelly

The State ’ s Covid-19 vaccination plan will be rolled out in three phases , Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has announced .
In a statement to mark the publication of the report of the Government ’ s high level vaccination taskforce , Mr Donnelly said the vaccination will be “ bigger and more complex than previous vaccination programmes .
It will play a central role in our exit from the pandemic ” .
He said that over time , “ it will allow us to return to reopen our society and to reconnect in the ways we once took @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be rolled out in three phases , Mr Donnelly ’ s statement says .
An initial rollout will be followed by a mass ramp-up and finally , open access .
The highest priority groups – those over 65 in long-term care facilities , and frontline healthcare workers in direct contact with patients – will receive the vaccine first .
“ Today is a really positive day for all of us , ” Mr Donnelly said .
“ After a very difficult year , we are hopefully that Covid-19 vaccines will be approved for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weeks.
” He said the vaccine strategy being announced today “ means we will be ready if a vaccine passes the rigorous quality and safety tests by the European Medicines Agency ” .
The agency will seek to approve “ if possible ” the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine on December 21st , eight days earlier than planned , potentially allowing for the vaccine to be cleared for use before Christmas .
The committee had originally been scheduled to convene on December 29th , meaning that the new date may shift forward the vaccination schedule @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week .
The EU body said its human medicines committee ( CHMP ) had been “ working intensively ” to check data sent by the pharmaceutical companies over the past few weeks , and on Monday had received additional information it requested .
“ Pending the outcome of its evaluation , an exceptional meeting of the CHMP has now been scheduled for 21 December to conclude if possible , ” the agency said in a statement .
Mr Donnelly thanked taskforce chair Prof Brian MacCraith for his work on the strategy , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ co-operation between the Department of Health , the HSE and other stakeholders .
Vaccines will be administered from long-term care facilities , mass vaccination clinics , GP surgeries and community pharmacies , and will be carried out by trained healthcare workers .
The Minister said Ireland had largely avoided a significant rise in ICU admissions and many deaths due to its pre-emptive action in recent months , but that Covid-19 is “ still out there ” .
“ Cases of Covid-19 have crept up again in recent days , and so we must @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The statement says that once approval for the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine is forthcoming , it will be rolled out in a “ matter of days ” .
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said on Tuesday the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines would in part be determined by drug companies ’ capacity to produce doses , as well as authorisation timelines .
Mr Martin told reporters before Cabinet on Tuesday morning that the rollout of the State ’ s immunisation “ all depends on the manufacturing capacity within the various companies , and the timing of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said the timing was “ very much subject ” to these factors .
Mr Martin said earlier this week that the “ optimal ” time for administering the innoculations would not be until late spring , tempering expectations that the rollout will quickly follow the approval of the first vaccine by regulators , which is expected before the end of the year .
A new report prepared by a high-level taskforce chaired by Prof Brian MacCraith details the types of locations which will be used at different stages of the planned rollout .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ followed by long-term residential care facilities , which will be served by mobile distribution teams from a nearby hospital .
There will then be centralised mass vaccination centres , and once broader sections of society are vaccinated GPs and pharmacies will play a bigger role .
The programme will draw on the existing pool of vaccinators working within the health system , and sources said there were a number of options being progressed to scale up the workforce for the roll-out .
The HSE is also working on a new IT system which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bookings and monitoring .
Sources said a “ ready-made software solution ” was being sourced , and is hoped it will be ready by the end of the year .
Up to 14 million doses may be purchased by the State , depending on whether a sixth advanced purchase agreement is signed off by the EU with drug company Sanofi .
Sources have said the cost of the drugs will be about €112 million .

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly during the launch of the National Covid-19 vaccination strategy at the Department of Health, Miesian Plaza, Baggot Street Dublin. Photograph: Gareth Chaney/Collins
The first Covid-19 vaccinations could begin before the new year depending on approval from the European Medicines Agency, the Minister for Health said on Tuesday.
Stephen Donnelly said: “It is possible that if the EMA does authorise this vaccine that an initial – it would be a very low level – but that an initial round of vaccination could actually begin before the new year”.
The Minister’s comments came after the agency said it would seek to approve “if possible” the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine on December 21st, eight days earlier than planned.
The committee was originally scheduled to convene on December 29th. The new date may shift forward the vaccination schedule for the EU by more than a week.
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The EU body said its human medicines committee (CHMP) had been “working intensively” to check data sent by the pharmaceutical companies over the past few weeks, and on Monday had received additional information it had requested.
“Pending the outcome of its evaluation, an exceptional meeting of the CHMP has now been scheduled for December 21st to conclude if possible,” the agency said in a statement.
In a statement to mark the publication of the report of the Government’s high level vaccination taskforce, Mr Donnelly said the vaccination programme would be rolled out in three phases.
An initial rollout will be followed by a mass ramp-up and finally, open access. The highest priority groups – those over 65 in long-term care facilities, and frontline healthcare workers in direct contact with patients – will receive the vaccine first.
“It will be bigger and more complex than previous vaccination programmes. It will play a central role in our exit from the pandemic”.
He said over time, “it will allow us to return to reopen our society and to reconnect in the ways we once took for granted”.
However, Mr Donnelly cautioned: “A vaccine won’t have a positive impact on the direct trajectory of this disease for at least months to come.”
Dr Lorraine Nolan, the chief executive of the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA), said that if the EMA made a positive decision on the Pfizer vaccine on the December 21st, it would be several days before a conditional marketing approval was granted, which would allow for the distribution of the vaccine. She said that could happen by the 23rd.
“It will then take a number of days, potentially up to a week for the initial vaccination here,” Mr Donnelly said.
Training materials would have to be developed for vaccinators which would take seven to ten days, Professor Brian MacCraith said. But this could not happen until the conditional marketing approval was granted, and that cannot be completed until the CMA is granted.
Prof MacCraith, who chaired the taskforce, said there were a “number of unknowns” at the time the report was being written, including approval dates, delivery schedules and in some cases the specific characteristics of the vaccines.
He said consequently there were some open issues on how the programme would be implemented. In addition to the two sites mentioned in the report as potential mass vaccination centres - Citywest and the National Exhibition Centre in Dublin - Prof MacCraith said he had held talks with the presidents of NUI Galway, Waterford Institute of Technology, the University of Limerick and UCC.
Disease trajectory
Dr Tony Holohan, the Chief Medical Officer, struck a more cautious tone, welcoming the report and warning against misinformation, particularly online. He said, however, that the virus “doesn’t care that the vaccine is on the horizon”.
He said that in “medical and technical terms”, the virus is just as big a danger to those who are infected as it was in March. “A vaccine won’t have a positive impact on the direct trajectory of this disease for at least months to come. And in the meantime, we need to continue to do all that we can to save lives now,” he said.
Dr Holohan said the State is “actively planning” to vaccinate people in early 2021, but speakers at the launch repeatedly emphasised that the first consignments of the vaccine will be limited in scope and scale.
Paul Reid, the chief executive of the HSE, said “it is widely expected that the delivery of volumes in the first phase will be smaller.” He said the HSE is establishing a plan for the workforce for administering the vaccine, and has selected an IT provider - a joint venture of IBM and Salesforce - to administer the “digital process” underpinning the rollout. That system will cover making appointments, the administration of the shots needed, and ongoing monitoring and reporting after vaccination, he said.
A backup IT system, Healthlink, which currently manages GP referrals, would be ready to support the first wave of vaccinations if the full system was not ready to deploy. “If it’s not ready we have a backup solution that will work. So we won’t be delaying the rollout”, he said.
Mr Reid said the HSE was working on a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) of the project, and was in dialogue with the Data Protection Commissioner.
In addition to trained vaccinators, GPs, pharmacists and other medical professionals, recent retirees may play a role in administering the vaccine, as might the national ambulance service, he said, adding that the HSE would be engaging with GP and pharmacist representative bodies. Some 26 private nursing homes will be part of the first deployment, he said.
The news conference heard that the first batch of Pfizer-BioNtech vaccines would be produced in Belgium, before being shipped from Karlsruhe to the State’s central cold storage facility in Citywest, where ultra low temperature freezers have been installed. Mr Donnelly said he did not anticipate Brexit impacting on the delivery of the vaccines “at all”. The first phases of rollout will be on a “hub and spoke” model, done by mobile units or through hospitals.
Adverse reactions
Asked about the potential for adverse incidents and associate legal actions, Dr Nolan said an “absolute guarantee” that the vaccines would be risk free is “simply not possible”.
“We know this vaccine will have the typical profile of any vaccine and we can expect there will be effects,” she said, adding they would be mild. She said that moving from clinical trials to real world use of the vaccine, however, “you have to be open to the possibility that that widespread use and that scale may show up rare effects that the clinical trials haven’t shown”.
Dr Nolan argued that any such incidence would be very rare, “less than one in a hundreds [of] thousands”, and that Covid, on the other hand, is associated with “very real risks”. “One in 40 people that have got this have actually died, and in Ireland, 8 per cent of people that have got Covid have ended up in hospital with severe disease,” she said.
Dr Holohan said he hoped that daily updates on the number of people vaccinated would be issued next year, along with the daily case numbers.
In his statement, Mr Donnelly said: “Today is a really positive day for all of us. After a very difficult year, we are hopefully that Covid-19 vaccines will be approved for use in Ireland in a matter of weeks.”
Mr Donnelly thanked Prof MacCraith for his work on the strategy, which he said was the result of close co-operation between the Department of Health, the HSE and other stakeholders.
Vaccines will be administered from long-term care facilities, mass vaccination clinics, GP surgeries and community pharmacies, and will be carried out by trained healthcare workers.
The Minister said Ireland had largely avoided a significant rise in ICU admissions and many deaths due to its pre-emptive action in recent months, but that Covid-19 is “still out there”.
“Cases of Covid-19 have crept up again in recent days, and so we must all be careful,” he said.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said on Tuesday the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines would in part be determined by drug companies’ capacity to produce doses, as well as authorisation timelines.
Mr Martin told reporters before Cabinet on Tuesday morning that the rollout of the State’s immunisation “all depends on the manufacturing capacity within the various companies, and the timing of the various vaccines getting authorisation”. He said the timing was “very much subject” to these factors.
Mr Martin said earlier this week that the “optimal” time for administering the inoculations would not be until late spring, tempering expectations that the rollout will quickly follow the approval of the first vaccine by regulators, which is expected before the end of the year.
Up to 14 million doses may be purchased by the State, depending on whether a sixth advanced purchase agreement is signed off by the EU with drug company Sanofi.
Sources have said the cost of the drugs will be about €112 million.


theirishtimes--2020-12-15--Five years’ jail for man who laundered €342,000 for Kinahan gang

A trusted gang “ adherent ” who laundered hundreds of thousands of euro for the Kinahan criminal organisation was jailed for five years by the Special Criminal Court on Tuesday , while his partner and co-accused received a suspended sentence .
Jonathan Harding , of Kerdiff Avenue , Naas , Co Kildare , was caught after he was spotted by gardai leaving an arsenal of firearms and ammunition that could “ arm a small country ” .
Harding ( 48 ) was sentenced on Tuesday for laundering a total of over €342,000 for what Mr Justice Tony Hunt called a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Harding was a “ trusted adherent ” from 2012 to 2016 .
Mr Justice Hunt sentenced Harding to six years and nine months ’ imprisonment but suspended the final 18 months on five separate charges , leaving a net sentence of five years and three months .
All the sentences are to run concurrently .
Mr Justice Hunt mitigated the sentences downwards for Harding ’ s early plea of guilty to the five offences under the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Act 2010 .
Forensic analysis of accounts linked to Harding ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Clonmacnoise Road , Crumlin , Dublin 22 , had also revealed that over €44,000 was spent on travel while €40,000 was spent on a mobile home , the non-jury court heard .
An analysis of accounts linked to Harding showed that €52,000 was spent on travel alone , but that gardaí had no ability to say who took the flights concerned .
Ms Davis , who was not aware of Harding using her accounts , pleaded guilty to three offences under the same Act and received a three-year suspended sentence on all offences @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau , previously told Ms Fiona Murphy SC , prosecuting , that on January 24th , 2017 , on foot of a warrant targeting organised crime , gardaí went to a business premises in Greenogue , Rathcoole , Dublin 24 .
Det Sgt Anderson said that two men were observed leaving the premises while the search was about to be executed .
The witness said that 15 firearms , including a Kalashnikov , a sub-machine gun , and a semi-automatic weapon were found alongside a device @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stolen forklift and a mobile tracking device were also found .

Mr Justice Tony Hunt said Harding was a “trusted adherent” of a “serious criminal organisation” from 2012 to 2016. Photograph : iStock
A trusted gang “adherent” who laundered hundreds of thousands of euro for the Kinahan criminal organisation has been jailed for five years by the Special Criminal Court, while his partner and co-accused has walked from court with a suspended sentence.
Jonathan Harding, of Kerdiff Avenue, Naas, Co Kildare, was caught after he was spotted by gardaí leaving an arsenal of firearms and ammunition that could “arm a small country”.
The non-jury court found on Tuesday that it “did not require a great leap of the imagination” to conclude that accounts belonging to Harding and his co-accused were used as a “travel service” by the criminal organisation.
Harding (48) was sentenced for laundering a total of over €342,000 for what presiding judge Mr Justice Tony Hunt called a “serious criminal organisation” of which Harding was a “trusted adherent” from 2012 to 2016.
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Mr Justice Hunt sentenced Harding to six years and nine months’ imprisonment but suspended the final 18 months on five separate charges, leaving a net sentence of five years and three months. All the sentences are to run concurrently.
Mr Justice Hunt mitigated the sentences downwards for Harding’s early plea of guilty to the five offences under the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Act 2010.
Forensic analysis of accounts linked to Harding’s partner Carol Davis (45) of Clonmacnoise Road, Crumlin, Dublin 22, had revealed that over €44,000 was spent on travel while €40,000 was spent on a mobile home, the non-jury court heard. Davis pleaded guilty on the basis that she was “reckless” to allow Harding access to her accounts and the court heard she was “not involved in any underlying criminality”.
An analysis of accounts linked to Harding showed that €52,000 was spent on travel alone, but that gardaí had no ability to say who took the 100 flights concerned.
Ms Davis, who was not aware of Harding using her accounts, pleaded guilty to three offences under the same Act and received a three-year suspended sentence on all offences.
Detective Sergeant Tom Anderson, of the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, previously told Ms Fiona Murphy SC, prosecuting, that on January 24th, 2017, on foot of a warrant targeting organised crime, gardaí went to a business premises in Greenogue, Rathcoole, Dublin 24.
Det Sgt Anderson said that two men were observed leaving the premises while the search was about to be executed.
The witness said that 15 firearms, including a Kalashnikov, a sub-machine gun, and a semi-automatic weapon were found alongside a device to manufacture vehicle registrations, while a stolen forklift and a mobile tracking device were also found.
Harding previously pleaded guilty to the possession of nine revolvers, four pistols, a sub-machine gun, an assault rifle and various ammunition magazines and was sentenced to ten years in prison with one year suspended in January 2018.
In July 2019 Declan Brady (54), who is known as ‘Mr Nobody’ and who was tasked by senior criminal figures abroad to supervise the weapons cache, was sentenced to 11-and-a-half years imprisonment after pleading guilty to possession of the weapons.
Passing sentence on Tuesday, Mr Justice Hunt said that Harding’s guilty plea to five money laundering offences had been accepted and that other offences under the Act had been taken into account.
Mr Justice Hunt said that after the search of the business premises, a follow-up search was carried out on Harding’s Naas home that uncovered financial information that led to an AIB account holding €48,553 being frozen by the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) before being seized by the State.
Information regarding 13 accounts in various financial institutions was investigated by gardaí, with five accounts deemed relevant to Harding’s and Davis’ laundering charges.
Two of the accounts were held in Harding’s name while three were held in Davis’ name and related to EBS, Bank of Ireland and AIB accounts.
Harding had described himself as a self-employed “mobile mechanic” but had no limited company status, nor a trading name.
Mr Justice Hunt said that Harding had accepted responsibility for using Davis’ account without her knowledge and said that Harding’s guilty plea was of “substantial value” in avoiding a lengthy and technical trial.
Mr Justice Hunt said that Harding had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and had expressed remorse in a letter regretting his lapse back into criminality after his release in 2009.
The judge said that aggravating factors in Harding’s case was the facilitation of the activities of a criminal organisation, to which Harding was a “trusted adherent”, the amount of money involved — €342,748 in total - the protracted period of the offences and the intentional deception of his co-accused.
Mr Justice Hunt said that if neither Harding nor Davis availed of the money from the accounts for travel then it “did not require a great leap of the imagination” to conclude that it was a “travel service” of significant value to the criminal organisation.
Mr Justice Hunt said a pre-mitigation headline sentence of nine years was appropriate before reducing that to six years and nine months after giving credit for Harding’s early guilty plea and co-operation.
The maximum sentence for a money-laundering offence under the 2010 Act is 14 years.
Mr Justice Hunt said that Harding had positively engaged with courses in prison but said that Harding had an “appalling previous record”.
Mr Justice Hunt suspended the final 18 months on all five sentences and Harding signed a bond to be of good behaviour for three years after his release.
Regarding Davis, who was on bail, the judge said that she had assisted in CAB inquiries and had not come to adverse attention before or since her arrest.
Mr Justice Hunt said that her barrister, Mr Ronan Kennedy SC, said that Davis made “unwise decisions”, had been of good character, had entered her guilty plea at the earliest opportunity and was a carer for her aunt.
The court previously heard that Davis told her interviewers that what was being put to her was “a lot to take in” and heard that she seemed in “genuine disbelief” over the offences and that medical assistance had been sought for her when in custody.
Mr Justice Hunt said that a pre-mitigation headline sentence was three years for each of Davis’ three offences before he suspended all three in their entirety with Davis signing a bond to be of good behaviour for that time.


theirishtimes--2020-12-15--New strain of Covid-19 in UK has not been found in Ireland

The new variant of coronavirus identified in the UK has not been detected in Ireland so far , according to Irish experts .
Based on the available sequence data the novel variant of SARS-CoV-2 virus has not been detected here , Dr Cillian de Gascun , director of the National Virus Reference Laboratory has said .
The new variant is currently present in the UK and Denmark only , according to European scientists tracking the genetic mutations of the virus .
Dr de Gascun said this highlighted the continued importance of surveillance and maintaining public health measures .
Immunologist Prof @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be concerned over the newly identified mutation .
“ This is what viruses do , and coronavirus is no different , ” he said , pointing out that there have been thousands of mutations of SARS-CoV-2 so far .
“ It ’ s possible that the novel variant might be more resistant , but equally the vast majority of mutations that happen in the setting of an evolving virus tend not to have a huge impact , so put into context , the SARS-CoV-2 acquires mutations at a rate of about one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the course of the last year thousands of mutations have emerged and some of those will confer a benefit to the virus and many will not , ” Dr de Gascun said .
Prof Moynagh , from Maynooth University , said he would not be concerned about the potential of the mutation to affect the efficacy of vaccines , although it does involve a mutation in the spike protein .
There have been large number of mutations in the spike protein so far , he told RTÉ ’ s PrimeTime , and none @ @ @ @ @ @ @ problem .
In a surprise announcement on Monday , the UK health secretary Matt Hancock told the Commons that more than 1,000 cases of the new virus strain had been found in almost 60 areas , predominantly in southern England .
He suggested the new strain was growing faster than already existing variants but stressed that clinical advice suggested it was “ highly unlikely ” the mutation would fail to respond to a vaccine .
Public Health England ( PHE ) said that as of December 13th , 1,108 cases with this new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been named VUI - 202012/01 - the first variant under investigation in December .
British virologist Dr Chris Smith said this morning that despite being spread more quickly , the new variant of coronavirus may not be any “ nastier.
” Speaking on BBC Breakfast , Dr Smith said : “ Once it infects you , once it gets in you , it doesn ’ t actually make you any iller , ” he said .
“ That appears to be the pattern at the moment and the other crucial question at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to side step what the vaccine does to protect us ?
’ “ For now the answer seems to be no , but that ’ s something we need to watch.
” Dr Smith added that the discovery of the new variant reassured him as “ it shows the system is working.
” Prof Chris Whitty , England ’ s chief medical officer , said there was no evidence the variant is more dangerous and said it would be picked up by tests .
British scientists said any potential impact on the Covid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need to be examined .
Prof Wendy Barclay , from Imperial College London and a member of the British government ’ s expert advisory group Sage , said : “ This variant contains some mutations in spike protein that is the major target of vaccines , and it will be important to establish whether they impact vaccine efficacy by performing experiments in the coming weeks.
” Sir Jeremy Farrar , director of the Wellcome Trust , said there had been several mutations in the virus , which was to be expected .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ serious ; the surveillance and research must continue and we must take the necessary steps to stay ahead of the virus.
” A spokesperson for the World Health Organization said it was in touch with UK experts on the identification of the variant .
To date they did not have evidence that it was behaving differently , but they will follow developments .
- Additional reporting agencies

British health secretary Matt Hancock has said a new strain of coronavirus has been identified in southern England. Video: UK Parliament
The new variant of coronavirus identified in the UK has not been detected in Ireland so far, according to Irish experts.
Based on the available sequence data the novel variant of SARS-CoV-2 virus has not been detected here, Dr Cillian de Gascun, director of the National Virus Reference Laboratory has said.
The new variant is currently present in the UK and Denmark only, according to European scientists tracking the genetic mutations of the virus.
Dr de Gascun said this highlighted the continued importance of surveillance and maintaining public health measures.
READ MORE
Immunologist Prof Paul Moynagh said people should not rush to be concerned over the newly identified mutation.
“This is what viruses do, and coronavirus is no different,” he said, pointing out that there have been thousands of mutations of SARS-CoV-2 so far.
“It’s possible that the novel variant might be more resistant, but equally the vast majority of mutations that happen in the setting of an evolving virus tend not to have a huge impact, so put into context, the SARS-CoV-2 acquires mutations at a rate of about one to two per month – obviously over the course of the last year thousands of mutations have emerged and some of those will confer a benefit to the virus and many will not,” Dr de Gascun said.
Prof Moynagh, from Maynooth University, said he would not be concerned about the potential of the mutation to affect the efficacy of vaccines, although it does involve a mutation in the spike protein.
There have been large number of mutations in the spike protein so far, he told RTÉ’s PrimeTime, and none of them have been identified with a problem.
In a surprise announcement on Monday, the UK health secretary Matt Hancock told the Commons that more than 1,000 cases of the new virus strain had been found in almost 60 areas, predominantly in southern England.
UK Secretary of State for Health Matt Hancock told MPs on Monday a new faster growing variant of coronavirus had been detected in certain parts of England. Photograph: EPA
He suggested the new strain was growing faster than already existing variants but stressed that clinical advice suggested it was “highly unlikely” the mutation would fail to respond to a vaccine.
Public Health England (PHE) said that as of December 13th, 1,108 cases with this new variant had been identified. It has been named VUI - 202012/01 - the first variant under investigation in December.
British virologist Dr Chris Smith said this morning that despite being spread more quickly, the new variant of coronavirus may not be any “nastier.”
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Dr Smith said: “Once it infects you, once it gets in you, it doesn’t actually make you any iller,” he said.
“That appears to be the pattern at the moment and the other crucial question at the moment is ‘is that change sufficient to side step what the vaccine does to protect us?’
“For now the answer seems to be no, but that’s something we need to watch.”
Dr Smith added that the discovery of the new variant reassured him as “it shows the system is working.”
Prof Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, said there was no evidence the variant is more dangerous and said it would be picked up by tests.
British scientists said any potential impact on the Covid vaccine rollout from the new strain would need to be examined.
Prof Wendy Barclay, from Imperial College London and a member of the British government’s expert advisory group Sage, said: “This variant contains some mutations in spike protein that is the major target of vaccines, and it will be important to establish whether they impact vaccine efficacy by performing experiments in the coming weeks.”
Sir Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, said there had been several mutations in the virus, which was to be expected. But he warned: “This is potentially serious; the surveillance and research must continue and we must take the necessary steps to stay ahead of the virus.”
A spokesperson for the World Health Organization said it was in touch with UK experts on the identification of the variant. To date they did not have evidence that it was behaving differently, but they will follow developments. - Additional reporting agencies


theirishtimes--2020-12-15--State to pay firm €20m to chase unpaid M50 tolls

The State roads agency has put out a €20 million tender for a company to pursue unpaid M50 tolls .
The tender for enforcement services of the Dublin motorway ’ s barrier free-tolling has been advertised by Transport Infrastructure Ireland .
Toll income on the M50 amounted to €158 million in 2019 , of which €9 million was from “ default tolls ” – also called penalties – which are currently administered by Co Kerry-based Pierse Fitzgibbon Solicitors .
The tender for “ enforcement services ” is for six years and has a value in the region of €20 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Revenues from TII ’ s tolling business helped pay for the €1 billion M50 upgrade which widened the motorway a decade ago , and the maintenance and operation of the road .
The revenue also contributes to the cost of maintenance of the wider national roads network , including the Dublin Tunnel and the Jack Lynch Tunnel .
This year traffic volumes , particularly among private cars have fallen from the record highs recorded on the M50 in 2019 , due to Covid-19 travel restrictions .
The estimated annual average daily traffic across @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 104,826 vehicles .
The busiest part of the M50 is near Finglas , where the annual average daily traffic was 149,537 vehicles in 2019 .
This year the traffic at Finglas is expected to be down to about 110,000 .
Costs of travel past the toll start at €2 for tag holders , while those who are not registered pay €3.10 .
There are higher charges for commercial vehicles with the highest being €6.40 for goods vehicles with an unladen weight exceeding 10,000kg , which are not registered for a toll tag .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the following day may see their penalties escalate rapidly .
If the payment is not made by this time , a penalty charge of €3 will be incurred and a penalty letter to this effect will be issued to the registered owner of the vehicle .
If the payment has not been made within 14 days , an additional late penalty of €42 will be applied .
Failure to pay this outstanding amount within 56 days results in an additional late penalty charge of €105 .
Following this motorists are liable to legal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 22 motorists were hit with fines totalling €205,000 after they failed to turn up to court accused of M50 toll dodging .
Most of the 22 had records of between 100 and 200 unpaid trips .
Thousands of warning letters had been sent to the motorists but the majority did not reply .
In 2018 , 950 cases of drivers withholding payment of tolls and penalties were sent to the sheriff , who is responsible for the repossession of homes and belongings on foot of court orders or Revenue warrants .
Forty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alone on foot of court judgments against people for dodging the M50 toll .
Transport Infrastructure Ireland said enforcement of toll collection was “ about fairness for the 97 per cent of people who play by the rules ” .
A spokesman said there were 54.9 million journeys under the eflow barrier free toll system on the M50 in 2019 , and “ the enforcement services are key component in helping to maintaining that high standard ” .

The estimated annual average daily traffic across the barrier-free toll this year is just 104,826 vehicles. File photograph: Crispin Rodwell
The State roads agency has put out a €20 million tender for a company to pursue unpaid M50 tolls.
The tender for enforcement services of the Dublin motorway’s barrier free-tolling has been advertised by Transport Infrastructure Ireland.
Toll income on the M50 amounted to €158 million in 2019, of which €9 million was from “default tolls” – also called penalties – which are currently administered by Co Kerry-based Pierse Fitzgibbon Solicitors.
The tender for “enforcement services” is for six years and has a value in the region of €20 million to whoever is awarded the contract.
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Revenues from TII’s tolling business helped pay for the €1 billion M50 upgrade which widened the motorway a decade ago, and the maintenance and operation of the road.
The revenue also contributes to the cost of maintenance of the wider national roads network, including the Dublin Tunnel and the Jack Lynch Tunnel.
This year traffic volumes, particularly among private cars have fallen from the record highs recorded on the M50 in 2019, due to Covid-19 travel restrictions.
The estimated annual average daily traffic across the barrier-free toll this year is just 104,826 vehicles.
The busiest part of the M50 is near Finglas, where the annual average daily traffic was 149,537 vehicles in 2019. This year the traffic at Finglas is expected to be down to about 110,000.
Costs of travel past the toll start at €2 for tag holders, while those who are not registered pay €3.10. There are higher charges for commercial vehicles with the highest being €6.40 for goods vehicles with an unladen weight exceeding 10,000kg, which are not registered for a toll tag.
Those who do not pay before 8pm the following day may see their penalties escalate rapidly. If the payment is not made by this time, a penalty charge of €3 will be incurred and a penalty letter to this effect will be issued to the registered owner of the vehicle.
If the payment has not been made within 14 days, an additional late penalty of €42 will be applied.
Failure to pay this outstanding amount within 56 days results in an additional late penalty charge of €105.
Following this motorists are liable to legal proceedings and court costs.
Last year, 22 motorists were hit with fines totalling €205,000 after they failed to turn up to court accused of M50 toll dodging.
Most of the 22 had records of between 100 and 200 unpaid trips. Thousands of warning letters had been sent to the motorists but the majority did not reply.
In 2018, 950 cases of drivers withholding payment of tolls and penalties were sent to the sheriff, who is responsible for the repossession of homes and belongings on foot of court orders or Revenue warrants. Forty cars were seized by the Dublin sheriff alone on foot of court judgments against people for dodging the M50 toll.
Transport Infrastructure Ireland said enforcement of toll collection was “about fairness for the 97 per cent of people who play by the rules”.
A spokesman said there were 54.9 million journeys under the eflow barrier free toll system on the M50 in 2019, and “the enforcement services are key component in helping to maintaining that high standard”.


theirishtimes--2020-12-15--Callers to Samaritans worried about spending Christmas alone

Spending Christmas without family and loved ones is one of the biggest concerns among callers to Samaritans , the charity has said .
A survey of its volunteers show that almost a third of the callers said they were feeling concerned about their wellbeing over Christmas .
The majority of people said they are worried about being separated from family and coping with being lonely during Christmas or having to spend the holidays alone .
Niall Mulligan , executive director for Samaritans Ireland , said the calls this year has been “ unprecedented ” with the pandemic affecting many people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ volunteers in Ireland answered almost 40,000 calls in December 2019 .
More than 50 volunteers answered over 1,150 calls and written contacts on Christmas Day alone .
Mr Mulligan said : “ Some may not be able to visit family or friends , others may have family oversees who can not travel home , and for others missing normal events , like Christmas mass or socialising in the local pub , can be devastating .
“ We know that people struggle more at Christmas , as it ’ s a time when loneliness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ volunteers on duty this Christmas Day will be Bernie Keane and her brother Thomas Carbery , who will be on duty together in Samaritans ’ Waterford branch .
Ms Keane said it is “ no sacrifice ” to volunteer on Christmas night as she loves being there for others when they need someone to talk to .
Ms Keane , who joined Samaritans 12 years ago , said : “ I find it very rewarding to volunteer on Christmas Day .
“ A lot of places close for Christmas , like care and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lonely people , some with mental health issues , who may not see anyone for the whole of Christmas .
“ Giving them 15 minutes just to talk to someone can make a difference .
“ They may not be suicidal , but they ’ re so lonely .
“ Other callers may have had a fall out with family members or other issues may surface like bereavement.
” Mr Carbery joined Samaritans five years ago when he retired as a sergeant in the Irish Defence Forces .
“ It can be hard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the end of that call when someone says thank you for being there it feels good .
“ You can ’ t get that feeling anywhere else , ” he said .
“ It ’ s nice to be there at Christmas when people need you and when they do not have anyone else to chat to .
“ You could be the only person they talk to all day .
“ It ’ s a good feeling to know you have been there for that person .
“ It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Samaritans wants to mark the longest night of the year , the Winter Solstice on Monday , December 21 , by landmarks illuminating in green .
Dublin ’ s Convention Centre , The Rock of Cashel , Kilkenny Castle , Millmount in Drogheda and Limerick County Council offices are among those taking part to raise awareness of the Samaritans service .
Samaritans volunteers are available 24/7 on freephone 116 123 or email jo @ samaritans.ie

Last year, more than 50 volunteers answered over 1,150 calls and written contacts on Christmas Day alone. Photograph: iStock
Spending Christmas without family and loved ones is one of the biggest concerns among callers to Samaritans, the charity has said.
A survey of its volunteers show that almost a third of the callers said they were feeling concerned about their wellbeing over Christmas.
The majority of people said they are worried about being separated from family and coping with being lonely during Christmas or having to spend the holidays alone.
Niall Mulligan, executive director for Samaritans Ireland, said the calls this year has been “unprecedented” with the pandemic affecting many people’s health and wellbeing.
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Samaritans volunteers in Ireland answered almost 40,000 calls in December 2019.
More than 50 volunteers answered over 1,150 calls and written contacts on Christmas Day alone.
Mr Mulligan said: “Some may not be able to visit family or friends, others may have family oversees who cannot travel home, and for others missing normal events, like Christmas mass or socialising in the local pub, can be devastating.
“We know that people struggle more at Christmas, as it’s a time when loneliness can really hit home.”
Among the volunteers on duty this Christmas Day will be Bernie Keane and her brother Thomas Carbery, who will be on duty together in Samaritans’ Waterford branch.
Ms Keane said it is “no sacrifice” to volunteer on Christmas night as she loves being there for others when they need someone to talk to.
Ms Keane, who joined Samaritans 12 years ago, said: “I find it very rewarding to volunteer on Christmas Day.
“A lot of places close for Christmas, like care and day centres, and there are very lonely people, some with mental health issues, who may not see anyone for the whole of Christmas.
“Giving them 15 minutes just to talk to someone can make a difference.
“They may not be suicidal, but they’re so lonely.
“Other callers may have had a fall out with family members or other issues may surface like bereavement.”
Mr Carbery joined Samaritans five years ago when he retired as a sergeant in the Irish Defence Forces.
“It can be hard sometimes on a particular call, but at the end of that call when someone says thank you for being there it feels good.
“You can’t get that feeling anywhere else,” he said.
“It’s nice to be there at Christmas when people need you and when they do not have anyone else to chat to.
“You could be the only person they talk to all day.
“It’s a good feeling to know you have been there for that person.
“It’s definitely been hard for people this year.”
Samaritans wants to mark the longest night of the year, the Winter Solstice on Monday, December 21, by landmarks illuminating in green.
Dublin’s Convention Centre, The Rock of Cashel, Kilkenny Castle, Millmount in Drogheda and Limerick County Council offices are among those taking part to raise awareness of the Samaritans service.
Samaritans volunteers are available 24/7 on freephone 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.ie


theirishtimes--2020-12-15--Multi-bed rooms at HSE care home had ‘significant impact’ on virus outbreak

Multi-occupancy bedrooms at a HSE-run residential care facility in Co Cork had a “ significant impact ” on the management of a Covid-19 outbreak , the State ’ s health service watchdog has said .
The Health Information and Quality Authority ( Hiqa ) said in an inspection report of Clonakilty Community Hospital that symptomatic and Covid-positive residents remained living with asymptomatic and Covid-negative residents due to multi-bed rooms and a shortage of single rooms .
The regulator called on the HSE to undertake a review of the management of the Covid-19 outbreak , in which 10 residents died , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ place to adhere to national Health Protection Surveillance Centre guidelines “ in the event of a further outbreak.
” The inspection report into the Clonakilty care home is one of 34 published by Hiqa into residential care facilities for older people on Tuesday , including a number that had Covid-19 outbreaks , multiple deaths and widespread staff shortages due to illness and self-isolation .
Inspectors found evidence of non-compliance at 23 care homes in areas such as infection control , residents ’ rights , governance and management , and healthcare .
The HSE-run @ @ @ @ @ @ @ non-compliant on seven regulations , or a third of the regulations checked , during the unannounced inspection over two days in June .
Hiqa had raised concerns about rooms for residents at the facility in five previous inspection reports dating back to March 2017 and in three face-to-face meetings with senior HSE managers dating back to April 2017 , according to the inspection report .
The HSE had appealed a direction from Hiqa to reduce beds to the District Court but dropped the legal action during the summer .
The number of residents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 77 arising from the decision not to admit any new residents during the Covid-19 outbreak .
As a result of the reduction , bedrooms that previously accommodated five , six and seven residents now had a maximum of four , though the spare beds were not removed from the rooms .
Management were unable to clarify whether this was a permanent or temporary arrangement .
Hiqa found that there was still insufficient space for residents to sit at their besides due to the proximity of the beds to each other which mean @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their space.
” During the two-day inspection , most residents were seen to spend a significant time in their bedrooms and residents had only recently commenced leaving their rooms after the outbreak .
“ Photographs and memorabilia were usually stored over the head of the bed where it was not possible for residents to see them while in bed , ” the inspectors said in the report .
One resident asked that photographs of family member be stored over a vacant bed on the opposite side of the room so that they could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The multi-occupancy nature of the bedrooms “ did not support residents to receive personal care in a manner that protected privacy and dignity , ” the inspectors said .
Residents were complimentary of staff during the inspection and inspectors noted from discussions with staff that there was “ sadness at the loss of some residents during the outbreak.
” In a separate inspection of a Dublin care facility that suffered one of the worst Covid-19 outbreaks , Hiqa found Phoenix Park Community Nursing Units , part of the HSE-run St Mary ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ substantially compliant on nine regulations checked .
The June 2020 inspection , announced at short notice , was triggered by the outbreak that led to the deaths of 22 residents and up to 60 per cent of the staff being affected or forced to self-isolate .
The home was found to be “ using best available evidence to ensure compliance with the regulations and standards ” and was “ predominantly in line with national guidance relating to infection prevention and control , with a small number of issues noted for improvement.
” Residents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” not to see relatives during the pandemic but window or balcony visits had helped .
They used expressions like “ I ’ m okay ” and “ staff are very kind.
” “ A number of those who were aware of the Covid-19 pandemic said it had been hard , and others said they were looking forward to getting back to normal , ” the report says .

The HSE-run Clonakilty Community Hospital was found to be non-compliant on seven regulations during an unannounced Hiqa inspection over two days in June.
Multi-occupancy bedrooms at a HSE-run residential care facility in Co Cork had a “significant impact” on the management of a Covid-19 outbreak, the State’s health service watchdog has said.
The Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) said in an inspection report of Clonakilty Community Hospital that symptomatic and Covid-positive residents remained living with asymptomatic and Covid-negative residents due to multi-bed rooms and a shortage of single rooms.
The regulator called on the HSE to undertake a review of the management of the Covid-19 outbreak, in which 10 residents died, to ensure there are robust processes in place to adhere to national Health Protection Surveillance Centre guidelines “in the event of a further outbreak”.
The inspection report into the Clonakilty care home is one of 34 published by Hiqa into residential care facilities for older people on Tuesday, including a number that had Covid-19 outbreaks, multiple deaths and widespread staff shortages due to illness and self-isolation.
READ MORE
Inspectors found evidence of non-compliance at 23 care homes in areas such as infection control, residents’ rights, governance and management, and healthcare.
The HSE-run facility at Clonakilty was found to be non-compliant on seven regulations, or a third of the regulations checked, during the unannounced inspection over two days in June.
Hiqa had raised concerns about rooms for residents at the facility in five previous inspection reports dating back to March 2017 and in three face-to-face meetings with senior HSE managers dating back to April 2017, according to the inspection report.
The HSE had appealed a direction from Hiqa to reduce beds to the District Court. However it dropped the legal action during the summer.
The number of residents at the home had dropped from 122 to 77 arising from the decision not to admit any new residents during the Covid-19 outbreak.
As a result of the reduction, bedrooms that previously accommodated five, six and seven residents now had a maximum of four, though the spare beds were not removed from the rooms.
Management was unable to clarify if this was a permanent or temporary arrangement.
Hiqa found there was still insufficient space for residents to sit at their bed sides due to the proximity of the beds to each other which mean they found it difficult to “personalise their space”.
During the two-day inspection, most residents were seen to spend a significant time in their bedrooms and residents had only recently commenced leaving their rooms after the outbreak.
“Photographs and memorabilia were usually stored over the head of the bed where it was not possible for residents to see them while in bed,” the inspectors said in the report.
One resident asked that photographs of family member be stored over a vacant bed on the opposite side of the room so that they could be seen from their own bed.
The multi-occupancy nature of the bedrooms “did not support residents to receive personal care in a manner that protected privacy and dignity,” the inspectors said.
Residents were complimentary of staff during the inspection and inspectors noted from discussions with staff there was “sadness at the loss of some residents during the outbreak”.
Phoenix Park
In a separate inspection of a Dublin care facility that suffered one of the worst Covid-19 outbreaks, Hiqa found Phoenix Park Community Nursing Units, part of the HSE-run St Mary’s Hospital in Dublin, was compliant or substantially compliant on nine regulations checked.
The June 2020 inspection, announced at short notice, was triggered by the outbreak that led to the deaths of 22 residents and up to 60 per cent of the staff being affected or forced to self-isolate.
The home was found to be “using best available evidence to ensure compliance with the regulations and standards” and was “predominantly in line with national guidance relating to infection prevention and control, with a small number of issues noted for improvement.”
Residents told inspectors it had been “difficult” not to see relatives during the pandemic but window or balcony visits had helped. They used expressions like “I’m okay” and “staff are very kind”.
“A number of those who were aware of the Covid-19 pandemic said it had been hard, and others said they were looking forward to getting back to normal,” the report says.