Three law abiding middle aged men were sentenced to 15 years behind bars by a vengeful state for standing up for an Irish family who allegedly owed money to a bank. They were acting in the tradition of the founding fathers of the Irish Republic. The family’s bank sold the debt to KBC a Belgian bank who came to Ireland to cash in on the aftermath of the 2008 bank crash. Their aim was to act like vultures feeding off the corpses of the Irish banks victims. They decided to set a heavy handed example by violently evicting an elderly family from their dwelling, their home and farm. They hired a security company who in turn hired what amounted to a bunch of low life thugs from Northern Ireland who unceremoniously went about forcibly and violently evicting the family onto the side of the road. The Gardaí stood idly by and ignored the fact that people were being violently assaulted. Isn’t the Garda presence at an eviction for the purpose of preventing a breach of the peace.
The Incident Went viral
This disgraceful episode was captured on video and went viral worldwide. Countless Irish people and indeed people everywhere were incensed. The violence and the failure of the Gardaí to prevent it incensed the population. This resulted in a carefully planned and well carried out eviction of the gang of violent thugs who were placed in possession of the house at the behest of the bank. Three men were subsequently prosecuted for this incident of evicting the thugs. In the resulting court case the Gardaí told the Courts that this operation was carried out by 30 men in a convoy of jeeps, vans, cars and trucks. Despite this dramatic claim by Gardaí only 3 men were subsequently arrested and stood trial. A fourth man, David Lawlor, 43, of Bailis Downs, Navan, Co. Meath was found not guilty of the same charges.
Multiple Offence
The three men were convicted of multiple offences which the Gardaí claimed were carried out during the eviction of a gang of unlicensed security guard in possession of the repossessed farmhouse at Falsk, Co. Roscommon. This all took place 5 years ago. The judge said she had taken into account the fact that the men had never been in custody for serious offending before as well as their family circumstances. Despite that she threw the book at them and sentenced each of them to 15 years in jail.
Found Guilty of Many things
They were found guilty in June of this year of 15 charges including aggravated burglary, violent disorder and criminal damage to a door of a house in relation to the Falsk eviction incident of December 16th, 2018. They were also found guilty of false imprisonment and of assault causing harm to Ian Gordon, Mark Rissen, John Graham, and Gary McCourtney. They were further convicted of three counts of arson in relation to the burning of three vans and to causing unnecessary suffering to an animal by causing or permitting it to be struck on the head. The sentenced men were Martin O’Toole, aged 59 a farmer of Stripe, Irishtown, Claremorris, Co. Mayo, PJ Sweeney, aged 44, a builder of High Cairn, Ramelton, Co Donegal and Paul Beirne, aged 57 a cattle farmer from Croghan, Boyle, Co Roscommon.; Sweeney. Following a three-month long trial, a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court jury returned guilty verdicts in respect of 15 charges faced by the three men. They were acquitted of robbery of a wristwatch from John Graham and one count of arson in relation to a car.
The Judge Went on a Rant
Imposing sentence last Friday, Judge Martina Baxter said a “mob” carrying weapons arrived at the property in a rural location in the early hours of the morning. She said that this was a “well-executed plan” and that they were there to “make a point about repossession” and to “terrify the security men” to ensure they never came back. The Judge said the group arrived at the property to “cause havoc” and to insure that the people there would “never come back”. The defendants she said were “part of and actively participated” in events “extensive planning and pre-mediation” on the part of those involved. She continued saying that these were “highly organised and deliberate crimes” including an element of “calculated cruelty” designed to create “fear and terror”. Judge Baxter went on saying that this case falls into the “exceptionally serious category of offending” and the defendants had a “high degree” of moral culpability. She said there was a “large absence of mitigation” and the “absence of humanity”.
Never Been in Custody for Serious Offending
She said she took into account the fact that none of those men had ever been in custody for serious offending before as well as their family circumstances. Judge Baxter noted the maximum sentence for false imprisonment is life imprisonment. The aggravating features in this case include that the injured parties faced humiliation and violation of their bodily integrity. The evidence showed Mr Gordon was “singled out for particular attention” and was beaten and humiliated in a “truly callous” manner.
Draconian Sentence
Before imposing sentence, Judge Baxter asked Mr O’Toole, who was representing himself, if he wished to address the court or to seek the assistance of counsel. O’Toole said: “I’ve been denied the right to a free and fair trial because my legal team refused to take my instructions, that’s all I have to say”. She imposed a
- 15-year custodial sentence on each of the three accused for the false imprisonment of Mr Gordon.
- She imposed 14-years for the false imprisonment of the other security guards.
- She imposed 13 years for aggravated burglary,
- 10 years for violent disorder and arson charges,
- 8 years for criminal damage
- 5 years for the charge of animal cruelty.
All sentences are to run concurrently and are backdated to the date they entered custody Judge Baxter said there was no proof before the court of rehabilitation and despite the men’s lawful lives she declined to suspend any element of the sentences.
Anger at the Judge
About 60 family members and supporters of the three defendants were present in the court. There was shock at the extreme severity of the sentences followed by angry heckling and shouting as the sentences were handed down with shouts of “what a joke” and “you should be ashamed of yourself judge”. It was obvious to all in attendance and to the wider audience of all who care that these men were being made an example of to anyone else who would dare to stand up to the bully boys of the banks, the correctly named Vulture Funds and the complicity of the state.