‘Obsessed’ farmer shot neighbour in dispute over right of way

Ted O’Donoghue, (74) admitted firing a shot from his legally-held gun at John Hayes

A farmer who shot and injured a neighbour had “turned into an obsessive fool” over a “festering” dispute about a right of way on his land, a court has heard.

Ted O’Donoghue, (74), has admitted firing a shot from his legally-held shotgun at John Hayes on June 16, 2017, but said he did not mean to harm him.

He pleaded guilty at Limerick Circuit Court to assault causing harm, reckless discharge of a firearm and animal cruelty.

The court heard that as Mr Hayes (66) went to open a gate at a right-of-way on O’Donoghue’s land, he way met by his neighbour holding a shotgun.

O’Donoghue, of Kilmoreen, Kildimo, told Mr Hayes, “you are never coming in here again” before he fired the shotgun.

The shot went through the window of Mr Hayes’s tractor, killing his sheepdog Lassie. Mr Hayes was injured when the same shot grazed his shoulder.

The right of way, at Ballycasey, Kildimo, is located on O’Donoghue’s land, but a number of farmers, including Mr Hayes, use it to gain access to their own lands.

O’Donoghue’s barrister, Anthony Salmon, SC, told his client’s sentencing hearing on Thursday that he had become “obsessed” about the ancient passageway, which the court heard dated back to the “horse and cart” era.

He said O’Donoghue was concerned the laneway was being destroyed by tractors driving on it.

After he was arrested over the shooting, O’Donoghue told gardaí: “They have it tore asunder with tractors...but I’ll stop them.”

The dispute specifically involving the defendant and the victim had gone on for 10 years the court heard. However, one neighbour told gardaí there were issues in the local farming community over the right of way going back “40 years”.

Mr Salmon said his client had “tried to deal with it through solicitors, but he wasn’t getting anywhere with it.”

He said: “It was festering away. It was like an obsession boiling over.”

Mr Salmon described O’Donoghue as “a decent hardworking man” was was now facing serious consequences.

“These disputes have a way of turning right-minded people into obsessive fools. Incidents of a minor nature can become obsessive and overshadow their lives.”

He said O’Donoghue “deeply deeply regrets his actions”.

The defendant told gardaí that, on the morning in question, he saw Mr Hayes heading for the passageway and he “drove up ahead of him”.

“He wanted to open the gate. I blazed at him,” O’Donoghue said.

“I fired a shot at him, and that’s that,” he said. “He was outside the gate, but it’s my land. He shouldn’t have been there. He was trespassing.”

When gardaí asked O’Donoghue if he had deliberately tried to hurt Mr Hayes, he replied: “Not exactly. I don’t know. I don’t think so.”

Mr Salmon stressed that the DPP’s view was, there had been “no intent” to endanger life.

In his victim impact statement, Mr Hayes said he had become withdrawn socially, fearful and stressed. “I was sure he was going to kill me. He had an angry look about him,” he said. “I was terrified.”

Evidence was heard that O’Donoghue had appeared in court in 2016 charged with producing a knife during the course of a dispute with the son of another neighbour. At the time, he escaped a conviction after the court applied the Probation Act.

O’Donoghue is facing up to five years in jail in relation to the shooting charge, as well as a possible fine of up to €250,000 for the animal cruelty offence.

Mr Hayes has begun civil proceedings against O’Donoghue, the court heard.

Judge Tom O’Donnell said he needed to consider the evidence carefully and remanded O’Donoghue on continuing bail to appear before Limerick Circuit Court for sentencing on December 19th.

Robber tipped taxi-driver who drove him to and from raid, court hears

Dean Gray (30) to be sentenced next month for spate of shop raids in Dublin

A robber who tipped a taxi driver who had “unwittingly” driven him to and from the crime scene will be sentenced later for a spate of shop raids.

The court heard the taxi man had driven Dean Gray (30) to a number of locations, including XL Fintstones,Baldoyle, Dublin, and that the fare had come to €64.

Detective Garda Darren Burke said Gray went into the shop with his face uncovered, pulled out a “small fishing-type knife” and robbed €350. He then returned to the waiting taxi and handed the driver €70 to cover the fare.

Det Gda Burke said gardaí ­ later obtained CCTV footage and fingerprints from the store and a statement from the taxi driver who had “unwittingly” driven Gray to the scene.

Gray, of Buttercup Drive, Darndale, Dublin came forward on signed pleas of guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to robbery and production of a knife at the shop on May 21st, 2017.

He affirmed signed guilty pleas to robbing €425 using a screwdriver from Petmania, Gulliver’s Retail Park, Northwood, Dublin, on March 17th, 2018.

He also affirmed signed guilty pleas to robbing €200 from tanning salon Tan Me on New Cabra Road, Dublin 7 on March 12th, 2018 and a further €300 from the same store on April 10th, 2018.

He came forward on further signed pleas of guilty to robbing €200 from Centz shop on North Circular Road on March 14th, 2018 and attempted robbery, threats to kill and producing an article at Spar, Harts Corner, Dublin 9, on April 10th, 2018.

Garda Deirdre Gill told Monika Leech BL, prosecuting, that Gray committed the second Tan Me robbery 10 minutes after the failed Spar raid on April 10th.

Garda Gill and Det Garda Burke both agreed with Karl Monaghan BL, defending, that his client made no attempt to conceal his face in any of the CCTV footage obtained from the shops.

They accepted that Gray had a drug addiction and was robbing to feed his habit.

The court heard Gray has 69 previous convictions, including 21 robberies, four burglaries and public order offences.

Mr Monaghan submitted to JudgePatricia Ryan that his client had had a difficult upbringing and was in a vicious circle of homelessness, drug abuse and criminality to fund his addiction.

He said though his client had become institutionalised, he did aspire to employment and wished to get onto residential treatment for his drug problem.

Judge Ryan put the matter back until late November.

China and Japan reset strained relationship with new deals

Shinzo Abe hails agreements as ‘historic turning point’ on rare official visit to Beijing

Beijing and Tokyo reset their troubled bilateral relationship on Friday asShinzo Abe concluded a range of agreements on his first official visit to the Chinese capital since becoming Japanese prime minister for a second time in 2012.

The agreements – ranging from a three-year, $30 billion credit swap agreement between the two countries’ central banks to co-operation on overseas development projects – are the most substantive reached between the world’s second- and third-largest economies since 2011.

Mr Abe hailed the agreements as the start of a “historic turning point”. Li Keqiang, who in May made his first visit to Japan since becoming premier in 2013, said China was willing to “return to a normal track” with Japan. He also urged Mr Abe to help Beijing “safeguard” global trade and economic growth and said China would not devalue its currency to boost exports.

The renminbi is threatening to fall through 7 to the dollar, which would be its lowest level in a decade. But Chinese officials and most analysts say that Beijing has been working to support the currency, not weaken it, in order to reduce trade frictions with the US and guard against capital flight.

Bilateral relations between Japan and China were effectively frozen in 2012-13 after the Japanese government purchased the Senkaku Islands, known in China as the Diaoyutai and claimed by Beijing, from their private owner to head off a counterbid by the then-nationalist governor of Tokyo.

Large-scale protests across China intimidated many Japanese companies, which scaled back their investment plans. “The situation in 2012 influenced Japanese investment decisions,” a Japanese diplomat said on the eve of Mr Abe’s three-day visit, which began on Thursday. “[But] we are neighbours and our two economies are interdependent.”

Repairing relations

The two governments began to re-engage in late 2014, when Mr Abe held a brief meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation leaders’ summit in Beijing. But it was only over the past two years, as Chinese economic growth began to slow and US president Donald Trump launched a trade war against Beijing, that Mr Xi accelerated efforts to repair relations

“Strategic confrontation still exists between Japan and China but it is under better control compared to 2014,” said Shi Yinhong, professor of international relations at Renmin University in Beijing.

In addition to Mr Abe’s meetings with Mr Xi and Mr Li, this week’s flurry of diplomatic activity included a “third country co-operation forum”, bringing together hundreds of Japanese and Chinese corporate executives.

The forum is aimed at finding areas in which Japanese and Chinese companies can co-operate with each other, rather than compete, for example on rail projects in southeast Asia. Japanese officials see such co-operation as one way of blunting the impact of Mr Xi’s Belt and Road Initiative, which has encouraged large overseas infrastructure investments by Chinese state-owned enterprises.

But they have stopped short of formally endorsing the BRI programme or joining the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, China’s flagship development bank.

“We have emphasised the importance of respecting international standards,” said the Japanese diplomat. “We do not want to see recipient [countries] accumulate massive debts or their economies suffer.”

Mr Abe’s visit was timed to coincide with the 40th anniversary of Deng Xiaoping’s first and only visit to Japan as paramount leader in October 1978, shortly before he officially launched his economic “reform and opening” programme. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2018

Where Is Khashoggi's Body?: Turkey's Erdogan Asks Saudi Arabia

Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi praised Canada for “raising the flag” on human rights in an interview with Global News’ Jeff Semple just months before he was killed.

Khashoggi, an outspoken critic of the Saudi royal family, was killed inside the Kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. Officials have admitted it was a “premeditated” attack.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey had more information on Khashoggi's case than it shared so far 

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan urged Saudi Arabia on Friday to disclose who gave the order to kill journalist Jamal Khashoggi, as well the location of his body, saying Turkey had more information about the case than it has shared so far.

Erdogan also said Riyadh needed to reveal the identity of the "local cooperator" who Saudi officials earlier said had taken Khashoggi's body from Saudi agents after the journalist was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

Saudi Arabia said on Thursday the killing of Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and a critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was premeditated, reversing previous statements that it was unintended.

Khashoggi's murder has sparked global outrage and mushroomed into a crisis for the world's top oil exporting country and Prince Mohammed, the kingdom's de facto ruler.

"Who gave this order?" Erdogan said in a speech to members of his AK Party in Ankara. "Who gave the order for 15 people to come to Turkey?" he said, referring to a 15-man Saudi security team Turkey has said flew into Istanbul hours before the killing. Erdogan also said Saudi's public prosecutor was due to meet the Istanbul prosecutor in Istanbul on Sunday.

Saudi officials initially denied having anything to do with Khashoggi's disappearance after he entered the consulate, before changing the official account to say an internal investigation suggested he was accidentally killed in a botched operation to return him to the kingdom.

On Thursday, Saudi state TV quoted the Saudi public prosecutor as saying the killing had been planned, and that prosecutors were interrogating suspects on the basis of information provided by a joint Saudi-Turkish task force.

Senator Ibikunle Amosun, visited 67 years old woman Who gave birth to a baby boy

Senator Ibikunle Amosun, today in Abeokuta, visited 67 years old Mrs. Ajibola Oluwatowoloj

u Otubose, who gave birth to a baby boy, after 40 years of expecting a child

THIS IS WHAT SAUDI CROWN PRINCE'S 18 MAN KILLER SQUAD DID TO THE JOURNALIST JAMAL KASHOGGI

THIS IS WHAT SAUDI CROWN PRINCE'S 18 MAN  KILLER SQUAD DID TO  THE JOURNALIST JAMAL KASHOGGI

INSIDE THE SAUDI ARABIAN EMBASSY  IN TURKEY. THE  SAUDI ARABIAN GOVERNMENT AND IT'S RULERS  ARE THE MOST EVIL & BARBARIC OF ALL GOVERNMENTS  IN THE WORLD.

Gen . TY Danjuma explodes

Gen . TY Danjuma explodes

Retired Lt. Gen. Theophilous Danjuma yesterday asked the people of Middle-Belt, South-West, South-South & South-East to forget all about 2019 Elections but to first fight back the Fulani murderous invaders and reclaim their lands which are now under Fulani occupation.

General Danjuma stated unambiguously that President Buhari is the direct founder and sponsor of Miyetti Allah and had concluded plans to provide safe heavens for all West African Fulanis in the entire SOUTH and the MIDDLE BELT. He made it clear that War had already been declared, going by the spate of relentless killings here and there, lamenting that helpless victims are predominantly Christians.

The retired General warned that Buhari has used Tinubu to divide South-West and that plans are underway to overrun Yoruba Kingdom and make them subordinate to Hausa-Fulani Oligarchy.

He equally lamented that from secrets file obtained, the conquest of Yoruba would commence as soon as they are through with Middle-Belt reqions. And that soonest they take hostage of Yoruba, their brothers from Sudan, Guinea, and other West African descent would combine to fight South-East and South-South.

Danjuma regretted that while the rest of Middle Belt and South are under invasion led by Army Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Buratai, our politicians are playing to the gallery, giving Buhari all necessary supports.

Danjuma opined that at present the Presidency has been taken over by Miyetti Allah and has vowed to retain Buhari in power even if it means shedding the blood of any opposition. Stating that should the people fail to rise now and put an end to this, either you are a moslem after 2019 or in Exile.

Note:
War has been going on in Taraba and parts of Jigawa States and hundreds are killed daily. In Kaduna few days ago more that 220 persons were killed by foreign mercinaries imported by Buhari's Fulanis.