This article is from page 12 of the 2008-07-29 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 12 JPG
THE garda investigation into allega- tions of false pretences and decep- tion took place over a three-and-a- half year spell and culminated in the five-week trial of Paschal Carmody.
In 2004, gardai in Killaloe and the Irish Medicines Board received complaints from former patients of Paschal Carmody and William Por- om
These complaints prompted an in- vestigation to be launched, but what took those involved by surprise was
how extensive the probe was going to be.
The complaints, relating to Mr Car- mody and Mr Porter, were numerous and dozens of witnesses were inter- viewed. Searches of the East Clinic in Killaloe, along with various other premises were carried out in July 2004, as part of the investigation.
A full-time team of gardai was ap- pointed to the investigation which was headed up by Killaloe-based Detective Sergeant Oliver Nevin. Members of the Dublin-based Na- tional Bureau of Criminal Investiga-
tion (NBCI) were brought in to assist in the complex probe.
After months of extensive inves- tigations, a file was prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). This file related to 11 patients and in December 2007, the DPP ruled that 44 charges be brought against Paschal Carmody, relating to Six patients.
No charges were brought in rela- tion to Mr Porter, who had left the jurisdiction. He is now believed to be bm Ov ebb
Mr Carmody appeared before Lim-
erick District Court last December, on 44 charges. 19 of those charges were later dropped and he went on trial last month, facing 25 charges, relating to six patients.
In summing up at the end of the evidence, Judge Rory McCabe di- rected the jury to find Mr Carmody not guilty on eight of the charges.
One of these related to John Sheridan, three related to Jose- phine Durkan, two related to Mary O’Connor and two related to Karen Kurvink.
The jury found Mr Carmody not
guilty on two charges relating to John James Gallagher and disagreed on two other charges relating to him.
Of the six charges relating to John Sheridan, Mr Carmody was found not guilty on four and the jury disa- greed on the other two.
The jury could not decide on any of the seven charges relating to Conor O’Sullivan and recorded verdicts of disagreement on those.
The matter will now go back to the Director of Public Prosecutions, who will decide if Mr Carmody is to be re-tried on those 11 charges.