A CRIME reporter with the Star newspaper, summonsed on contempt of court charges following the Brendan O'Donnell murder trial, was given the Probation Act after his employers agreed to pay £2,000 to charity yesterday.
Before the Dublin District Court was Mr Senan Molony (33), Terenure Road North, Dublin, who pleaded guilty to contempt offences committed at the Central Criminal Court last February 7th.
Det Insp Michael Duggan, of Fitzgibbon Street Garda station, said O'Donnell's solicitor left some files on his bench at 10.30 a.m. that morning in Court 2 of the Central Criminal Court.
When the solicitor, Mr Garret Sheehan, returned he found Mr Molony reading a section of the files relating to O'Donnell's "early history" and expressed his outrage, the court heard yesterday. Mr Sheehan then left the court followed by Mr Molony, who apologised and handed back notes he had taken. Later that day Mr Justice Lavin ordered the DPP to investigate the matter.
Defence counsel, Mr Felix McEnroy, said Mr Molony had no previous convictions of any kind and he had made a mistake which would not be repeated. He said Mr Molony was a journalist who wrote about crime and had in the past "materially" assisted the gardai on matters that had come to his attention.
He added that Mr Molony was very apologetic and had co operated fully with all parties involved in the case. Mr McEnroy said his client's newspaper was prepared to pay £2,000 to a charity by way of compensation.
Judge Clare Leonard questioned how somebody with so much experience could make such a "mistake" and asked what might have happened if the solicitor had not returned. The judge said she accepted the paper's £2,000 and ordered it go to drug rehabilitation projects. She discharged the summons against Mr Molony under the Probation Act.