Latest news with #Carthy
Irish Independent
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Review of bail laws will consider introducing tougher new rules for offenders
People released on bail may also be electronically tagged as part of a pilot monitoring programme being rolled out this year. The Government is understood to be concerned about not interfering with the independence of the courts and judges, who decide if bail can be granted, as well as the presumption of innocence. The review will examine the entirety of the State's bail laws before making recommendations on possible reforms. It is expected that one of the recommendations may be removing bail for certain offences, but with a high threshold to be set on what those offences are, and what the conditions around them may be. The court can refuse bail to an individual if it believes the chances are high that they will commit an offence while out on bail. Those facing trial in the Special Criminal Court also cannot get bail unless the DPP has approved it. Senior counsel Lorcan Staines, who has been tasked with carrying out the review, will report to the Government in September. The review comes in the wake of the death of Evan Fitzgerald, who fired shots in a Carlow shopping centre and then took his own life. He was on bail after having been detected trying to buy guns over the dark web. In recent weeks, Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan delivered a state apology to the family of hit-and-run victim Shane O'Farrell (23), who was killed in 2011 by a driver out on bail at the time. We need more youth diversions programmes and more gardaí to avert potential crimes, but there also needs to be a more robust application of our bail laws Data provided by the minister in response to questions from Sinn Féin justice spokesman Matt Carthy revealed there has been a 12pc rise in crimes committed by those on bail over the past two years. It also showed that 64 crimes between 2022 and 2024 involving the possession of firearms were committed by people on bail. Other statistics released to Mr Carthy over the same three-year period show 2,312 crimes involving possession of an offensive weapon were committed by those on bail. In addition, 49 sexual assaults were committed by people on bail between 2022 and 2024. The statistics also reveal that 40,348 crimes in 2024 were carried out by suspects who were out on bail. Mr Carthy called for sweeping reform of bail laws, while acknowledging that issues such as the lack of prison space and the constitutional right to the presumption of innocence should be taken into account. 'People committing crimes while out on bail is a growing problem,' he said. 'We need more youth diversions programmes and more gardaí to avert potential crimes, but there also needs to be a more robust application of our bail laws.' The Sinn Féin TD said prison is not always the answer, especially considering Irish re-offending rates. 'A huge amount of our prison population comprises people serving short sentences. There is no societal benefit to that. There are a number of issues and it's not an easy problem to solve,' he added. Meanwhile, a judge in Co Kildare said last Wednesday that he wanted to 'set the record straight' in relation to the case of Evan Fitzgerald. Gardaí have their job to do, and if we feel someone should not be granted bail because they are a danger to the public or are a flight risk, we will object District Court Judge Desmond Zaidan said it had been reported that Fitzgerald was on bail on firearms charges at the time of the shopping centre incident. Judge Zaidan criticised the reporting and said while there were 'a lot of headlines about a man on bail', they omitted certain key things. 'Once gardaí consent to bail, the court cannot go beyond that. Remember that,' he told reporters. 'This judge — and no judge in Ireland — has the power to go behind that. They would be running to the High Court if I did. Once gardaí consent to bail, it must be granted. Amen. 'Please report sensibly. Please tread carefully,' he said. 'There are some sensational headlines out there about objections to bail, but my function ceased straight away, once there was consent to bail. I have to set the record straight.' A security source pointed out that bail applications can be 'complex'. Gardaí frequently object to bail at court hearings. It is a matter for the judge in each case to determine if it should be granted, and the person's constitutional rights must be taken into account, among a number of other factors. 'It is a tricky and complex situation,' a security source said. 'Gardaí have their job to do, and if we feel someone should not be granted bail because they are a danger to the public or are a flight risk, we will object. 'The judge has various factors they must take into account and gardaí understand the criminal justice system. The elephant in the room is that there isn't adequate space in the prison system.'
Irish Examiner
03-06-2025
- Irish Examiner
Man who fired shotgun in Carlow shopping centre had a known 'fascination for firearms'
A man with a known 'fascination for firearms' was on bail for gun charges when he fired shots in a Carlow shopping centre before fatally shooting himself. Gardaí had objected to bail for Evan Fitzgerald, aged 22, after he was caught last year with guns and ammunition which they said he admitted to having bought on the dark web. However, he was given bail on strict conditions and was due back in court on the charges this week. On Sunday, he walked through the Fairgreen Shopping Centre in Carlow firing a shotgun in the air. He then shot himself outside the shopping centre after being challenged by armed gardaí. It was a 'terrifying experience' for shoppers who fled the building when the gunman started shooting in the air, Assistant Garda Commissioner Paula Hilman said. The scene at Fairgreen Shopping Centre, Carlow on Sunday Photo: A girl sustained a minor leg injury when she fell while running from the centre. No one other than any of the shots fired injured the gunman, the assistant commissioner said. Mr Fitzgerald, who was from Portrushen, Kiltegan, at the border between Co Wicklow and Co Carlow, was arrested in March 2024 following an intelligence-led firearm trafficking operation. Gardaí seized a semi-automatic M1911 pistol, an automatic Koch G3 rifle, and ammunition after a car in which Mr Fitzgerald was travelling was stopped at Ponsonby Bridge near Straffan, Co Kildare. 'Mr Fitzgerald has a fascination with firearms,' Detective Garda Gavin Curran told the court. Mr Fitzgerald was granted bail in March 2024. Gardai blocking off roads leading to Fairgreen Shopping Centre, Carlow yesterday evening Photo: Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy said reports that the suspect was on bail for firearms charges is 'deeply concerning'. It is unacceptable to have such serious crimes carried out by those on bail, he said. Figures released to Mr Carthy in recent weeks showed that, between 2022 and 2024, 64 crimes were committed by those on bail for possession of firearms — while 2,312 crimes in the period were carried out by individuals on bail for possession of offensive weapons. Mr Carthy called for a wider review of the enforcement and operation of bail laws. Following the shooting, bomb disposal experts were called from Collins Barracks in Cork to examine a possible explosive device after gardaí found a bottle containing an unknown substance on the body of the dead man. However, the area was later declared safe. Multiple reports of shots being fired in the shopping centre were made to gardaí at around 6.15pm on Sunday. 'Gardaí responded to the scene and met a large number of people running from the shopping centre,' Assistant Commissioner Hilman said. 'An unarmed uniform unit arriving at the scene observed the suspect exiting the shopping centre. 'The suspect discharged a firearm — a shotgun — into the air. Another plain clothes-armed garda unit responding drew their official firearms and identified themselves as armed gardaí. 'The suspect discharged the firearm again, self-inflicting a fatal wound. 'No member of An Garda Síochána discharged a weapon. This was meant to be a normal day out on a bank holiday weekend. This was a terrifying experience for every person that was present.' Forensic investigators at Fairgreen Shopping Centre, Carlow, where a man died following a shooting incident on Sunday evening. Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire An autopsy will be carried out by the State pathologist in Dublin today. The suspect was described as 'white Irish' by gardaí after far-right and anti-immigrant sentiment was being stoked online, with false rumours circulating about the scale of the attack and the ethnicity of the shooter. The Hope and Courage Collective said the tragic incident was being used by prominent anti-migrant accounts to spread false claims and conspiracies. Gardaí have appealed for witnesses to come forward. Read More 41643889[#embed5]
Belfast Telegraph
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Belfast Telegraph
Artist makes mini versions of Brutalist buildings to champion ‘unloved' style
Adam Carthy, 39, started his business called Spaceplay around 2016 – the same time as the demolition of Birmingham Central Library which was heralded for its Brutalist architecture, a style popular in the 1950s to 1970s and characterised by block-like, hulking concrete structures. His mission is to champion Brutalist buildings by replicating them in miniature. Mr Carthy, who is from Balsall Heath in Birmingham and has an architectural background, has so far made tiny versions of around 60 buildings, many from around the UK including Trellick Tower and Alexandra Road Estate, both in London, and the University of East Anglia library. He has also made his own small takes on international buildings including the Jenaro Valverde Marin Building in San Jose, Costa Rica, and Torres Blancas in Madrid, Spain. 'A lot of Brutalist buildings are being demolished now, a lot of them are being neglected, a lot of them are unloved and so we're losing part of our urban heritage, and particularly urban heritage that my generation and the previous two generations grew up with,' Mr Carthy told the PA news agency. 'There were a lot of exciting buildings that came from the 60s and 70s, some that are still very successful and loved or have had a kind of renaissance, like the Royal National Theatre or the Hayward Gallery. 'What we are trying to do is bring attention to something that is unloved and giving it value.' He often visits the buildings he recreates and says holding his models up to their larger counterparts feels 'magical'. 'I visited Alexandra Road Estate last week and to hold the model and see the estate in the background felt magical,' he said. He said that recreating Trellick Tower was especially meaningful as he got to tour the inside of the building with someone who has lived there since it was opened. 'When I started making London buildings, it was Trellick Tower that stood out like nothing else and just how many people know about that building and feel connected to it,' he said. 'There's nobody that doesn't know it – it's so iconic – and I love every time I drive into London on the A40 and I can see it just standing there, clear above everything else in the landscape. 'I've also had the fortune to connect with people that live there and be shown around by a lady who has lived there since it opened and I was blown away by how connected the people there felt – everyone coming in and leaving seemed really happy and it felt like everyone knew each other.' He said it can take anywhere between a month to two months to create the miniature models, depending on the level of detail required. As for the process, Mr Carthy starts by creating a brand new digital model of the buildings he is depicting based on things like architectural drawings and photographs he has taken from visits to the sites. He 3D prints those files using resin printing before making moulds and then the concrete is involved. 'Concrete is a wonderful material, it's so versatile, and I love the process of how you start with a powder and then it becomes a liquid and then it sets into a solid,' he said. 'You can't remould it, you can't adjust it, so you have this one-time process of the set-up and the action and then it's done forever and you can't undo it. 'I embrace that process and really enjoy it and over the years, I've introduced more refined processes through talking to people, through watching videos, testing and trial and error, trying out different mixes and different types of aggregates.' He added he also uses a vibrating table which vibrates the concrete so air bubbles are reduced, and a compression tank to make the models compact. He said he has achieved thousands of sales as he often makes multiple versions of the same model for those with a similar love of Brutalism, with his work being requested as far away as America and South Korea. 'There's definitely a sense of community around the love of Brutalism and to be part of that and connecting to people through the work I do is amazing,' he added. 'I've designed the models so they can sit in the palm of a hand so people can feel connected to them because they might have a particular memory linked to the building. 'People can feel a sense of ownership over it – it's your place and it's part of you.'
North Wales Chronicle
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- North Wales Chronicle
Artist makes mini versions of Brutalist buildings to champion ‘unloved' style
Adam Carthy, 39, started his business called Spaceplay around 2016 – the same time as the demolition of Birmingham Central Library which was heralded for its Brutalist architecture, a style popular in the 1950s to 1970s and characterised by block-like, hulking concrete structures. His mission is to champion Brutalist buildings by replicating them in miniature. Mr Carthy, who is from Balsall Heath in Birmingham and has an architectural background, has so far made tiny versions of around 60 buildings, many from around the UK including Trellick Tower and Alexandra Road Estate, both in London, and the University of East Anglia library. He has also made his own small takes on international buildings including the Jenaro Valverde Marin Building in San Jose, Costa Rica, and Torres Blancas in Madrid, Spain. 'A lot of Brutalist buildings are being demolished now, a lot of them are being neglected, a lot of them are unloved and so we're losing part of our urban heritage, and particularly urban heritage that my generation and the previous two generations grew up with,' Mr Carthy told the PA news agency. 'There were a lot of exciting buildings that came from the 60s and 70s, some that are still very successful and loved or have had a kind of renaissance, like the Royal National Theatre or the Hayward Gallery. 'What we are trying to do is bring attention to something that is unloved and giving it value.' He often visits the buildings he recreates and says holding his models up to their larger counterparts feels 'magical'. 'I visited Alexandra Road Estate last week and to hold the model and see the estate in the background felt magical,' he said. He said that recreating Trellick Tower was especially meaningful as he got to tour the inside of the building with someone who has lived there since it was opened. 'When I started making London buildings, it was Trellick Tower that stood out like nothing else and just how many people know about that building and feel connected to it,' he said. 'There's nobody that doesn't know it – it's so iconic – and I love every time I drive into London on the A40 and I can see it just standing there, clear above everything else in the landscape. 'I've also had the fortune to connect with people that live there and be shown around by a lady who has lived there since it opened and I was blown away by how connected the people there felt – everyone coming in and leaving seemed really happy and it felt like everyone knew each other.' He said it can take anywhere between a month to two months to create the miniature models, depending on the level of detail required. As for the process, Mr Carthy starts by creating a brand new digital model of the buildings he is depicting based on things like architectural drawings and photographs he has taken from visits to the sites. He 3D prints those files using resin printing before making moulds and then the concrete is involved. 'Concrete is a wonderful material, it's so versatile, and I love the process of how you start with a powder and then it becomes a liquid and then it sets into a solid,' he said. 'You can't remould it, you can't adjust it, so you have this one-time process of the set-up and the action and then it's done forever and you can't undo it. 'I embrace that process and really enjoy it and over the years, I've introduced more refined processes through talking to people, through watching videos, testing and trial and error, trying out different mixes and different types of aggregates.' He added he also uses a vibrating table which vibrates the concrete so air bubbles are reduced, and a compression tank to make the models compact. He said he has achieved thousands of sales as he often makes multiple versions of the same model for those with a similar love of Brutalism, with his work being requested as far away as America and South Korea. 'There's definitely a sense of community around the love of Brutalism and to be part of that and connecting to people through the work I do is amazing,' he added. 'I've designed the models so they can sit in the palm of a hand so people can feel connected to them because they might have a particular memory linked to the building. 'People can feel a sense of ownership over it – it's your place and it's part of you.'
Leader Live
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Leader Live
Artist makes mini versions of Brutalist buildings to champion ‘unloved' style
Adam Carthy, 39, started his business called Spaceplay around 2016 – the same time as the demolition of Birmingham Central Library which was heralded for its Brutalist architecture, a style popular in the 1950s to 1970s and characterised by block-like, hulking concrete structures. His mission is to champion Brutalist buildings by replicating them in miniature. Mr Carthy, who is from Balsall Heath in Birmingham and has an architectural background, has so far made tiny versions of around 60 buildings, many from around the UK including Trellick Tower and Alexandra Road Estate, both in London, and the University of East Anglia library. He has also made his own small takes on international buildings including the Jenaro Valverde Marin Building in San Jose, Costa Rica, and Torres Blancas in Madrid, Spain. 'A lot of Brutalist buildings are being demolished now, a lot of them are being neglected, a lot of them are unloved and so we're losing part of our urban heritage, and particularly urban heritage that my generation and the previous two generations grew up with,' Mr Carthy told the PA news agency. 'There were a lot of exciting buildings that came from the 60s and 70s, some that are still very successful and loved or have had a kind of renaissance, like the Royal National Theatre or the Hayward Gallery. 'What we are trying to do is bring attention to something that is unloved and giving it value.' He often visits the buildings he recreates and says holding his models up to their larger counterparts feels 'magical'. 'I visited Alexandra Road Estate last week and to hold the model and see the estate in the background felt magical,' he said. He said that recreating Trellick Tower was especially meaningful as he got to tour the inside of the building with someone who has lived there since it was opened. 'When I started making London buildings, it was Trellick Tower that stood out like nothing else and just how many people know about that building and feel connected to it,' he said. 'There's nobody that doesn't know it – it's so iconic – and I love every time I drive into London on the A40 and I can see it just standing there, clear above everything else in the landscape. 'I've also had the fortune to connect with people that live there and be shown around by a lady who has lived there since it opened and I was blown away by how connected the people there felt – everyone coming in and leaving seemed really happy and it felt like everyone knew each other.' He said it can take anywhere between a month to two months to create the miniature models, depending on the level of detail required. As for the process, Mr Carthy starts by creating a brand new digital model of the buildings he is depicting based on things like architectural drawings and photographs he has taken from visits to the sites. He 3D prints those files using resin printing before making moulds and then the concrete is involved. 'Concrete is a wonderful material, it's so versatile, and I love the process of how you start with a powder and then it becomes a liquid and then it sets into a solid,' he said. 'You can't remould it, you can't adjust it, so you have this one-time process of the set-up and the action and then it's done forever and you can't undo it. 'I embrace that process and really enjoy it and over the years, I've introduced more refined processes through talking to people, through watching videos, testing and trial and error, trying out different mixes and different types of aggregates.' He added he also uses a vibrating table which vibrates the concrete so air bubbles are reduced, and a compression tank to make the models compact. He said he has achieved thousands of sales as he often makes multiple versions of the same model for those with a similar love of Brutalism, with his work being requested as far away as America and South Korea. 'There's definitely a sense of community around the love of Brutalism and to be part of that and connecting to people through the work I do is amazing,' he added. 'I've designed the models so they can sit in the palm of a hand so people can feel connected to them because they might have a particular memory linked to the building. 'People can feel a sense of ownership over it – it's your place and it's part of you.'
