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TYRONE Gaelic football star Cathal McCarron has been spared a criminal record and a sentence after he had to be restrained when he got into a row with staff at a Temple Bar pub.
The 2008 All-Ireland winner, who hit the headlines over a gay porn video and his chronic gambling problems, had pleaded guilty to engaging in threatening and abusive behaviour at Anglesea Street in Dublin city-centre on 12 May last. The public order offence can result in a conviction, fine and a three-month sentence.
Dublin District Court had heard that an irate McCarron had to be restrained by security staff before he was put of the Auld Dubliner pub and he then became aggressive to gardaí who tried to calm him down.
Last week, Judge Michael Walsh held that McCarron would be spared a criminal record if he gave €500 to a homeless charity. The case resumed yesterday but the Dromore and Tyrone corner back was excused from having to attend.
Defence solicitor Peter Connolly furnished the court with a receipt showing his client had complied and had donated the money at which Judge Walsh said he was striking out the case.
Pub security
Earlier, Garda Sergeant Gail Smith told Judge Walsh that gardaí responded to a public order incident at the Auld Dublin pub where McCarron was being “restrained by security staff”. Gardaí separated him from the pub security to ask him what happened and be became aggressive to them.
Garda Sergeant Smith said the Gaelic games star was directed on numerous occasions to calm down but when he threw his top on the ground gardaí arrested him.
The court heard he had no prior criminal convictions and has not come to Garda attention since.
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Defence solicitor Peter Connolly had handed in to court a letter from his client in which he apologised to gardaí. He said his client is now studying psychotherapy part-time while continuing to work as a business development officer in a successful firm.
The court heard the 28-year-old, from Tummery Road, Dromore, Omagh, who also has three Ulster title medals, has been nominated for the 2016 All-Star football awards.
Connolly said the footballer is very embarrassed and regrets the incident. He only drinks alcohol three or four times a year, the solicitor said. He said his client was out with a friend after they completed an exam, however bar staff refused them service.
McCarron began to remonstrate and was restrained with his hand behind his back and became “irate”, Connolly said.
The judge was asked to noted McCarron has had a number of well documented difficulties in his personal and professional life.
Pleading for leniency, Connolly described the Temple Bar incident as the “last speed bump in his situation” and he added that his client has received support from his family and the GAA.
He also asked the court to note that the footballer was recovering from a serious gambling addiction. The solicitor added that McCarron is in a relationship and his partner is expecting a child and he is focused on sport, work and his family.
Genuine remorse
Judge Walsh said he noted he pleaded guilty, his genuine remorse and that he was under certain emotional stress which may have been a factor. He said McCarron was a distinguished member of his team and he had watched him over the years playing in an exemplary manner for Tyrone. The judge also said the footballer would not be likely to re-offend.
The footballer, who helped his county win this year’s Ulster Championship, has released an autobiography titled Out of Control, which was co-written by journalist Christy O’Connor.
It tells the story of his football success but also delves into his other personal issues including his chronic gambling problems, his move to London and taking part in a hardcore gay porn video before returning home to Tyrone to play for his county again.
This fella is a tinker of the highest order. Making money off the back of bringing shame on his family and thieving from his friends and family. I know people from his home town and they’re embarrassed to be from the same place as him and think he has some nerve trying to get public sympathy for what he’s done.
One can see from this case how easy is can be for ones life to spiral out of control. Gambling is a real menace to Irish society and destroys as many lives as drugs. Hopefully his life will stay back on track now.
@John O’Neill:it’s a scourge, yet one that’s feted by government. The whole country comes to a standstill during certain racing festivals. Rte full of people giving tips. Bookies co-located with pubs. Tax free betting. It’s a vice that has ruined many families and individuals. Where I live there are more bookies than pubs and they seem to be open round the clock. However, the government are now proposing that shops have separate areas for the sale of alcohol and like cigarettes, the areas should either be behind closed doors or fully covered so the products can’t be seen. Why not therefore have bookies banned within 500m of a pub and prohibit advertising at sporting events? I’m not advocating it. Just can’t understand why one potentially extremely harmful addiction is encouraged
I’ve just finished his book and to be honest it left me very cold. He associates pretty much every bad thing he has done in his life – and he’s done an awful lot of very bad things – with his gambling issues. But there are times when his gambling and behaviour have to be viewed seperately. He’s managed to come back from something that would destroy anyone who hasn’t got so many people willing to forgive his behaviour and yet he keeps letting people down. Remarkable that he is still involved in high level sport, given his past.
It never ceases to amaze me,really it doesn’t.helped his county win finals blah blah! Has 3 medals blah blah! So it’s OK for this gay porn star to behave like a crazed thug and get away with it.
If you look or read any articles any day you’ll see the s–m that get off daily in our courts suspended sentence because of family situation or they get their money grabbing free legal aid solicitor to give a sob story to get these creatures back on the streets
There were probably numerous others on lessor charges in courts around the country today left with a conviction on their record because even if given the chance to “buy” their way out of court they couldn’t afford it.
To be fair, there’s plenty of ‘ordinary’ people in similar situations (relatively minor charges, no previous convictions) who get the same treatment. If he’d have been given a conviction, he probably wouldn’t have been fined more anyway.
Ok what he done was wrong his a trouble maker. But the fact his a gay porn star should have nothing to do with what happened in Temple Bar. People so quick to judge him get over it he had gay sex. Gaa player who’s gay that’s a first not haha
He was desperate for money. So desperate he’d do anything. Including having sex with a man even though he’s straight. He’d have done anything. In his book he said if he was told he had to lie down and be beaten black and blue with a baseball bat and have his bones broken, he’d have done it.
If no one knew about his gay sex video do you honestly think it be written into his book. He would say anything to make people believe the shit in his book. Just saying were all short of cash now and again but come gay for pay you really that stupid. I just pity his wife or girlfriend. She is probably as gullible as you.
The common thread running through all these comments is that you all hate the chap but none of you have ever met him.
99% of comments on this site are negative, bitter and pure poison .
There’s a lot of defamatory comments about this guy on this thread, all of which have been allowed to remain here for hours. If I were this guy, I’d be seeing my solicitor in the morning. His financial worries might soon be behind him because, in defamation, the publisher is as guilty as the person making the defamatory statement.
@ John
What exact is defamatory?
He admitted appearing in porn.
He admitted he had a gambling addiction.
He admired he was with the 15 year old, albeit he ‘thought’ she was 18
He admitted he stole.
So where are the defamatory comments?
On the subject of gambling massive problem in this country.
Log into any bookmakers this hour of the night & have a look at the numbers in the casinos, bingo, slots etc
24-7 the numbers are enormous
It’s ever age, male & female loads with huge addictions.
Seriously needs to be addressed
How in God’s name are Amy of the comments defamatory when he open admits to everything he’s done in his book? Don’t want people to talk about your personal, don’t wrote a book about it. Easy.
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