Latest news with #Flavin
Sunday World
11 hours ago
- Sunday World
Drug dealer dubbed Albus Dumbledore jailed over cannabis haul
The judge commended him for writing a 'candid' letter to the court A drug dealer who nicknamed himself 'Albus Dumbledore' has been jailed after he was caught on camera picking up a shopping bag full of cannabis. Jacob Flavin (29) used the name of the famous Harry Potter character on the encrypted communication app, Signal. He was described in court as a 'significant figure' in a five-man gang of drug dealers who sold wholesale amounts of cannabis on Signal, Manchester Evening News reports. Jacob Flavin News in 90 Seconds - June 20th Manchester Crown Court heard how Flavin advertised 500 grams of 'super skunk' for £1,000 on November 3, 2023. He also included a photograph of the product being held in a latex-gloved hand. When his potential buyer said 'leave it with me', the 29-year-old replied, 'Can do nothing but make money. Soon as these main ones land, I will send a list.' Flavin also advertised other kinds of cannabis, including 'Tropical', 'Gelato' and 'Banana' with prices ranging from £2,800 to £3,100 per kilo. He was ultimately caught when undercover police photographed him collecting an Aldi shopping bag that he believed was full of cannabis. Cops were monitoring the gang as part of 'Operation Global'. During his arrest at his deluxe apartment in Salford, Manchester, police seized a Rolex worth between £6,000 and £8,000 as well as small bags of cannabis. Detectives also found menus, price lists and two mobile phones. They also found a ledger with details of debtors and how much they owed. Examination of his mobile phone found he was also involved in the sale of cocaine, heroin and ketamine with other 'unknown conspirators'. It's estimated that the gang were involved in the supply of approximately 180kg of cannabis in a period of seven weeks. Neil Fryman, for the prosecution, told the court that Flavin could be linked to the sale of 3.5kg of cocaine, 2.5kg of heroin and 5kg of ketamine. The court heard that he had six previous convictions for 10 offences, including possession of cannabis with intent to supply, for which he spent nine months behind bars. At sentencing, Judge Sarah Johnson said the damage done to communities by drugs was 'far reaching', adding: "So much of the suffering we see in these courts has its roots in this trade and those who seek to profit from it." She told the court that Flavin had written a 'commendably candid' letter detailing his "first-hand experience of the dreadful consequences of this evil trade". "It appears to be to your eternal shame that you sought to profit from other's misery,' she said. Flavin was handed down nine years in prison after pleading guilty to four counts of conspiracy to supply cannabis, cocaine, heroin and ketamine.
The Journal
05-06-2025
- The Journal
Jury told to find garda not guilty on five counts over alleged motor insurance record tampering
LAST UPDATE | 8 mins ago A JURY IN the trial of a Limerick garda accused of 'sorting out' motoring offences for drivers were today directed by the trial judge that they should find him not guilty of some of the charges. Tom Flavin, (51), Rathkeale Garda Station, Co Limerick, should be acquitted of all of the charges as there is no real evidence against him, his barrister, senior counsel, Mark Nicholas, said in his closing speech to the jury today. Flavin went on trial before Limerick Circuit Criminal Court on 27 May accused of 22 counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice. Today, senior prosecuting counsel, Fiona Murphy, told the jury they were to find Flavin not guilty of five of the charges and that they would consider verdicts on the 17 remaining counts. Flavin, who denies all the charges, is accused of attempting to pervert the course of justice by entering false motor insurance details on the garda PULSE records computer system, in an attempt to frustrate potential prosecutions against persons for driving without insurance. The drivers involved were stopped at routine garda checkpoints around the country and asked by the garda present to produce their insurance and licence details at a nominated garda station within ten days of the traffic stop. All of the drivers asked to do this nominated Rathkeale garda station. Later, when the investigating garda in each of the stops carried out follow up checks of PULSE, they were satisfied that details entered into the system indicated that the driver in each case was insured. However, the court heard the drivers were actually not insured and some were even prosecuted in court afterwards after pleading guilty to driving without insurance at the time they were stopped. In his closing speech to the jury, Nicholas SC, instructed by solicitor Dan O'Gorman, described Flavin as an exemplary garda who had served with dedication in Croom and Rathkeale, Co Limerick, for many years. Urging the jury to acquit Flavin and not fall into the trap of speculation, Nicholas added there was radically insufficient evidence to support a conviction. 'He served his community without blemish and without any disciplinary blots – you know that from the evidence. When other gardaí came to give evidence, his superiors, they spoke of him very fondly and well – it wasn't far off gushing and they spoke with knowledge,' Nicholas told the jury. Advertisement The defence barrister spoke of the 'unique challenges' gardaí face in Rathkeale as opposed to other jurisdictions. 'People who live down here know it has an enormous population, transient, in and out at various times of the year. One policeman said (the population) quadruples and with that comes its own set of problems and own sets of vehicles – UK car registrations, UK insurance, some not insured, some not being entirely truthful.' 'We know that a certain number of times that people who were pulled up and stopped and asked for their documentation, produced bogus insurance certificates.' Nicholas said the charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice is an extraordinarily, serious allegation to make against a serving garda. 'That he (Flavin) must have deliberately, knowing the (insurance) certificate to be false, inputted it into the system with the intention that it would frustrate a prosecution. There has been nothing close to this level of proof in this case whatsoever,' added Nicholas. The court heard evidence of persons providing documents at Rathkeale garda station, however it was unclear who exactly produced what at the Garda station, and what exactly was produced. Fiona Murphy SC, prosecuting, said all of the relevant data entries onto PULSE 'were entered under the ID of Thomas Flavin'. Murphy told the jury that a statute of limitation of 'six months' generally applied in respect of prosecuting offences of driving without insurance. 'It is the prosecution's case that Tom Flavin knew they (the motorists involved) were not covered (by insurance) and that he entered the details onto PULSE to ensure they (appeared) covered,' Murphy told the jury. 'Flavin knew what he was doing, and he did so to ensure those persons were insured (on PULSE) when they were not, in order to ensure there was no prosecution,' Murphy alleged. The prosecuting barrister told the jury that Tom Flavin enjoyed the presumption of innocence and that the burden of proof 'beyond a reasonable doubt' was all on the prosecution while, Flavin 'has nothin to prove'. Murphy told the jury the prosecution case was 'a circumstantial case, there is no direct evidence, instead the prosecution relies on indirect evidence'. It is anticipated the jury will retire to consider its verdicts on each of the 17 counts on Friday. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Daily Mirror
29-05-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
Garda denies 22 counts of perverting course of justice on road traffic offences
When Gardai carried out checks of persons stopped for traffic violations on the Garda "PULSE" computer records system, they were satisfied these individuals had produced their insurance documents, however, in fact, they were not insured, a court heard. Evidence is continuing in the trial of a Limerick Garda who is accused of "sorting out" potential prosecutions for motorists who were stopped by Gardai and found without their driving licence or motor insurance details/certificates. Tom Flavin, (51), with an address in west Limerick, has pleaded not guilty to 22 counts of perverting the course of justice, contrary to Common Law. Mr Flavin's trial is being heard before judge Colin Daly and a jury of eight men and four women at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court. Several Garda prosecution witnesses called by the prosecution gave evidence of stopping vehicles in various parts of the country and requesting the motorist to produce their driving licence and insurance details. When the driver was not able to do this at the side of the road, they were given the opportunity to nominate a Garda station where they would produce their documents within 10 days. All the drivers, who were living in or near Rathkeale, nominated their local station. The Garda witnesses said that, later, where they checked PULSE, they believed documents had been produced. However, the court heard that some of the motorists were not insured, and they subsequently pleaded guilty and were convicted of driving without insurance. One of the Garda witnesses said they had checked with an insurance company about one of the motorists, and were informed the company did not have a policy for the driver. The Garda witnesses agreed under cross-examination by Mr Flavin's barrister, senior counsel Mark Nicholas with barrister Amy Nix, instructed by solicitor Dan O'Gorman, that, while they had satisfied themselves, from checking the PULSE system that documents had been produced, they did not actually know what had been produced at the garda station, nor did they know who had received the documents. Sergeant Martin Egan, Policy Enforcement Unit of Road Traffic Legislation, An Garda Siochana, told the court that Gardai, who receive motorists' documents following a traffic stop, are expected to enter the insurance and licence details into PULSE via the computer records "DLIP" Driving licence Insurance Production feature. Sergeant Egan agreed with senior prosecution counsel Fiona Murphy that the PULSE system "automatically" notes or records the identity of a Garda who enters information into PULSE. In her opening address to the jury last Tuesday, Ms Murphy, with Maddie Grant BL, instructed by solicitor Lisa O'Reilly, office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, said allegations of wrongdoing surfaced against Mr Flavin when he was serving out of Rathkeale Garda Station, in respect of a number of traffic stops on roads around the country, on dates between November 2016 and September 2018. "Information came to light concerning a Garda allegedly engaged in sorting out driving insurance detections for individuals - that Garda was Tom Flavin," Ms Murphy alleged. Mr Flavin is charged that, on the above dates, he did an act, namely to enter or cause to be entered, certain information on the Garda PULSE system, which had a tendency or was intended to pervert the course of justice in respect of the prosecution of named persons for the offence of driving without insurance. Ms Murphy said the prosecution's case was that Tom Flavin allegedly entered details into PULSE relating to persons' motor insurance certificates "which suggested they were in order, when they weren't". Ms Murphy said the jury would hear allegations that "alterations" were made to the information being input into the PULSE system, and that the prosecution would show that "Tom Flavin made these entries". Ms Murphy told the jury that when a Garda is logged into the PULSE system they automatically leave a "digital footprint". She said the prosecution would produce "CCTV and phone evidence which would corroborate" these allegations. Ms Murphy told the jury that Mr Flavin was entitled to the presumption of innocence unless the jury otherwise found that the allegations against him were proved "beyond a reasonable doubt". The prosecution barrister said the "burden of proof" lies with the prosecution, and that Mr Flavin does not have to prove anything. She said the jury were "not entitled to speculate" in the case, and they must only consider evidence heard in court when reaching a verdict. Judge Colin Daly issued a warning to the jury members "not to conduct your own investigations" into anyone involved in the trial; to avoid media coverage of the trial; and not to discuss the case with anyone outside of the jury. The trial is continuing at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court.
