Carey takes issue with home raid by the Gardai

Convicted fraudster Catriona e former Ireland hockey player made a complaint to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (Gsoc) about the criminal investigation into claims she ran a mortgage scam. e nature of the complaint is not clear, and Gsoc does not comment on individual cases.

Carey has taken issue with an early morning search carried out at her home in Kilkenny by detectives last year, informed sources have told the Irish Independent.

Gardaí armed with a warrant searched her residence in March last year, seeking nancial documents and receipts. ey removed boxes of records from the property.

In her only interview to date, Carey told the Sunday World: “Gardaí took receipts, my laptop, some personal jewellery. ey took my purse and my passport and my children’s passports — because someone told them I was a ight risk.”

She also said she was “quite happy” to be under investigation, because she had done nothing wrong.

“I phoned Gardaí after they raided my home and said: ‘Here is my number and my email. I am very happy to deal with you on anything you need. I will deal with you on everything.’ I gave them passwords to everything.” e alleged con was rst exposed by an RTÉ Investigates documentary in February 14, of Health. It is expected to recommend that the mandatory three-day waiting period for women having a medical abortion be relaxed.

News of Carey’s complaint has emerged as the criminal investigation into allegations that she defrauded struggling mortgage holders out of €400,000 nears an end.

Meanwhile, in a series of parliamentary responses, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said a review was also under way to decide if remote consultation for women seeking a medical abortion with their doctor, in- troduced during the pandemic, should become permanent.

He said that in April 2020 remote consultation, instead of face-to-face consultation, was introduced in early pregnancy.

“No formal research or analysis on remote consultation has been conducted in Ireland.

“However, there has been positive feedback from providers and patients and there is strong evidence from published literature in the UK and Europe that remote provision of abortion care is safe and effective.

“In light of the easing of Covid-19 restrictions in in the last quarter oof 2021, the department requested the HSE to revisit the model of care to review its operation and consider whether it should be re- tained going forward,” the Minister for Health said.

“ is review has shown that including remote consultation as part of the termination of pregnancy service is safe, effective and acceptable to both service users and providers.

“It improves access for many women and addresses geographical and logistical barriers.” e new loans never materialised and a number of people lost their homes as well as their deposits. e Garda National Economic Crime Bureau took over the investigation following the programme. Two weeks later, on March 1, Gardaí armed with a warrant moved to search Carey’s home. ere has been little sign that property owners who claim they have been defrauded will get their money back. e money appears to have been frittered away.

2022, when 18 people claimed Carey had conned them out of tens of thousands of euro by promising to re nance their loans for a fee.

Some clients said they handed over deposits of €5,000, while others paid her up to €60,000.

Gardaí made the rst arrest in the case in February, when a man was arrested in Wexford and questioned about conspiracy to commit deception.

Garda sources said it was a “signi cant arrest”, though he was released without charge.

Two people who are suspected of being the organisers of the scam, are expected to be arrested within weeks.

Property owners are alleged to have paid tens of thousands in deposits to Carey’s UK-registered company, Careysfort Asset Estates, over two years.

Carey also asked clients to transfer deposits to bank accounts in Germany and Belgium. Garda sources say the accounts were tracked down through international police authorities — but they contained little or no funds.

Easter activity for children at Evergreen

is Easter will see thousands of children getting active with camps taking place across the country including Evergreen FC in Kilkenny.

Right across the country, from basketball to sailing and rowing to scouting, sports tech company, Clubforce is reporting the largest number of sports clubs running Easter Camps this year.

“We’re delighted to see the growth in Easter Camps this year and particularly to see the range of di erent sports, not just soccer and GAA,” said Noel Murray, Clubforce’s Chief Executive.

“ ere are so many bene ts to the kids taking part, even beyond the obvious health bene ts – being active boosts creativity, builds con dence and can help develop other life skills.”

A pleasant function took place at Ballylarkin, Freshford on a Saturday recently when the ‘Bishop’s Tree’ was replanted close to Ballylarkin Church. Legend has it that seven bishops were hanged on an old ash tree in this area. Local oral history laid the blame at the feet of Oliver Cromwell but Canon Carrigan suggested the tale probably emanated from Viking times. It is clear from his writing that the tree was shown to him. e tree fell in the early 1950s. Local resident Mick Burke recalled that, even though rewood was scarce in the locality at that time, not a twig or a branch was used by the locals because it would have been deemed unlucky. e tree eventually rotted away.

On the Saturday locals and visitors gathered in the eld known as the

Eleven Acres. Landowners Willie and Fintan White carried out the replanting which was topped o by Mick Burke whose idea it was to replant the tree. Ned Kennedy gave a short history of the site and of the townsland of Ballylarkin.

Ballylarkin Castle, the seat of the Shortalls, stood at the entrance to the ‘Eleven Acres’. It was later replaced by a house known as ‘Mortimer’s House’. As the Whites are descended from a branch of the Shortall family, it can be said that these lands have been in the hands of the same family for over 800 years. e tree for the replanting was supplied by the Acorn Project, thanks to Máire Brennan.

Pictured above local men and a woman outstanding in their own eld... planting the Bishop’s Tree...