A DUBLIN MAN continues to live free in his Ballsbridge home while not having paid a penny off his €2.3 million debt to Bank of Ireland Finance, Judge Geoffrey Shannon was told in the Circuit Civil Court today.

Barrister Micheál O’Connell, SC, said the last €1,463 repayment Richard Farrington and his wife, Audrey, had made on their Heytesbury Lane home mortgage was 15 years ago in November 2009.

“Bank of Ireland Finance has been around the block with Mr Farrington for a long time while he hasn’t paid a penny off his mortgage yet continues to live in his Ballsbridge home,” O’Connell said.

O’Connell, who appeared with Michael O’Sullivan BL and Emma Morrison of Whitney Moore Solicitors, told the court that since having obtained a repossession order against the couple in 2011, Farrington had made multiple applications as high as the Court of Appeal, frustrating the bank in recovering the property.

He said Bank of Ireland Finance had now brought an application to the Circuit Court for leave of execution of the 2011 judgment and Farrington now appeared in court attended by a barrister (Eugenie Houston) without a solicitor.

O’Connell told Judge Shannon he did not know if Houston intended addressing the court but in a March 2024 appeal by Farrington, the Court of Appeal judge had told her in no uncertain terms that she had no right of audience.

Houston told Judge Shannon that Farrington would submit the Circuit Court and he, Judge Shannon, did not have any jurisdiction to do anything in his case.

Judge Shannon said he had considered the authorities placed before the court on the question of Houston’s right of audience and, while not determining the matter, the court was not aware of any framework whereby counsel in a case could file documents, issue notices of motion or serve documents.

Following further statements by Houston, O’Connell said there was not a shred of bona fides in anything Houston had submitted to the court. He said it was Alice in Wonderland stuff.

Judge Shannon adjourned the bank’s application to 26 November and said he would allow Farrington to file what submissions he may wish to make.

He told Farrington the matter would proceed to a finality on that date.