MacSharry defends intervention in case of developer jailed for assault on three boys
Former TD Marc MacSharry provided a character testimonial for a property developer who decided to act as “judge, jury and executioner” and gave three young boys a “terrible beating” when they were found without permission in his warehouse.Cathal O’Connor (40) was on Friday sentenced at Sligo Circuit Criminal Court to five years in prison with the final three years suspended for six years. O’Connor must also pay his three victims €35,000 each. The father of two, of Farmleigh Manor, Sligo, pleaded guilty to three counts of assault causing harm to three 13-year-old boys at the Northwest Business Park, Collooney, on March 18th, 2024. Six other charges of false imprisonment and making threats to kill were taken into account. MacSharry’s testimonial said O’Connor had an “impeccable record as a law-abiding citizen”.READ MORECork man Morgan McSweeney perplexes Westminster as he finally speaks How can I get the bank to take my husband off our €120k mortgage as part of our divorce? Gary Lydon: Actor best known for Banshees of Inisherin role diesHow weight-loss drugs are reshaping modern life: ‘I’m paying €250 a month not to eat’ The former politician, now managing director of public affairs and advocacy firm Pontis Advisory Ltd, said in his character reference he was “disappointed to learn the details of what had occurred and firmly believes the incident was completely out of character” for O’Connor.Judge Keenan Johnson said aggravating factors included the brandishing of a saw to one boy’s neck; O’Connor’s threat to cut off the boy’s arms, legs and head – which was “shocking beyond belief” and caused enormous distress to both him and a 13-year-old girl who was made watch, and the repeated punching and kneeing of the three victims. The assault lasted over 48 minutes, with the boys subjected to multiple death threats.A co-accused, Simon Cavanagh (39), of Brú na hAbhainn, Collooney, received a suspended sentence for falsely imprisoning the boys.On Friday MacSharry, a former Sligo-Leitrim Fianna Fáil TD who left the party in 2022 after an internal row, defended his intervention in the case while also expressing concern for the victims.He said he is “very conscious of the seriousness of those offences” and noted the “guilty plea of the accused”.[ Convicted killer allowed on family holiday before sentencing over serious crashOpens in new window ]MacSharry said: “I am particularly concerned obviously for the wellbeing and full recovery of the victims of this crime. Obviously I outlined that in a testimonial to the court.”He said he had been happy to provide the testimonial “on the basis that I’ve known Mr O’Connor and his family for over 30 years” and “I spoke to the character of the person I have known in that regard over those 30 years”.MacSharry said he would have provided a number of testimonials during his political career and that it is “not something that I would do lightly”.“I was happy to do it in this instance. That doesn’t mean for one moment I’m condoning remotely the terrible ordeal that those young people have suffered,” he said.“The court must carry out its work. Justice must be served. Again I reiterate my hope that the victims are recovering fully from their ordeal.”The Irish Times asked MacSharry if he had concern over the appropriateness of providing testimonials for defendants in court cases.He said: “There’s no question that the provision of testimonials has served a role of sorts in our justice system over many, many generations.”MacSharry said it was “a matter for the Oireachtas and the judiciary to consider what’s appropriate and what isn’t appropriate”.He said: “In the here and now it is a matter of practice that testimonials are provided in cases.”MacSharry has forged a new career in consultancy work, setting up a company, Pontis Advisory Ltd, early last year after 20 years in the Oireachtas.
