Guilty Verdict in pig’s head trial

A JURY took just 44 minutes to convict a man of sending a pig’s head through the post to the Kilkee home of Garda Paul Heaslip in 2012, at Wednesday’s sitting of Ennis Circuit Court.

The trial of Brendan Mahoney, a 48-year-old Dublin man with an address at Cabra Park, Dublin 7, who has spent time living in Clare, began last week.

The court heard from both Garda Heaslip and his then fiancée, now wife Natalie, who spoke about their disgust when the box containing the pig’s head, which was said to have had a “very pungent odour”, was opened on the afternoon of January 31, 2012.

Mahoney has been in custody since January, having been arrested in Spain after taking up work abroad while on bail.

During the course of the trial, which began last week, the jury were shown CCTV footage of a man in Prussia Street Post Office in Dublin. Garda Sergeant Ronan O’Hara said that following examination of the footage in question, the defendant had been questioned.

While he initially denied knowing where Prussia Street Post Office was, he subsequently accepted he had been there, claiming he had sent items from there including a tracksuit, runners and a card to a person in Australia.

During questioning, he said he would laugh it off if he received such a package and at one stage he commented, “It’s only a pig’s head, not a human head”.

The trial also heard that a text message sent from a phone seized at the defendant’s home urged the recipient to go on the internet to see Evening Herald and Irish Independent stories about the pig’s head.

After the guilty verdict was returned, Judge Gerald Keys heard further evidence in advance of sentencing.

Sergeant O’Hara was asked if Mahoney had come to garda attention in the past and was said to have 46 previous convictions, recorded between 1983 and March 2013.

The offences were said to have included larceny, robbery and solicitation for the purpose of prostitution.

When asked what the background to the matter was, Sergeant O’Hara said that after coming to West Clare, Mahoney had been “associating with people of interest to us”.

He said that on one occasion, Garda Heaslip had been detailed to work with individuals from a particular agency and Mahoney had been spoken to. He said that Garda Heaslip had been seen to be in their company and it appeared he had been “in the wrong place at the wrong time”.

Sergeant O’Hara said that the incident had brought “serious consequences” for Garda Heaslip.

He said that in 2012, Garda Heaslip had been “a determined young guard”, very efficient in his work and was establishing a life for himself.

After getting the pig’s head through the post, he went on sick leave for a period of time, his wife had to leave her teaching job in the area and she had been in fear of being in the house on her own. They left the house they had been renting and Garda Heaslip had transferred, he added.

Mahoney’s barrister, Breffni Gordon, said that the defendant is unmarried, has a 28-year-old daughter and has worked in a variety of jobs, including as a tyre fitter, a truck driver and had a spell in a hardware store.

Mr Gordon also said the defendant wants to leave Ireland. “He would prefer to live abroad. He tells me he has been very unhappy living here and has a number of personal problems.”

Acknowledging that his client had not complied with his bail conditions, Mr Gordon said he had gone away on holiday, got a job and ended up staying there.
Judge Keys noted that he had abused the bail system and Mr Gordon said that, as a result, he had “suffered very significantly” having been arrested in Spain on January 8 and having been in custody there until March 5. The time in a Spanish prison had been “somewhat overwhelming” he added.

Judge Keys said that apologies and remorse can be mitigating factors and following this, Mr Gordon said that his client has no intention of making an appeal, while he was willing to apologise and would not make any further contact with the offended parties.
Penalties for the offence can be a prison sentence of up to five years, a fine of up to €75,000, or both.

Judge Keys adjourned the matter until May 8.