New criminal damage charges against boxer Michael O’Reilly

Two others allegedly involved in incident also due before Thurles District Court

Michael O’Reilly was already charged with being intoxicated in a public place and engaging in abusive, insulting or threatening behaviour. Photograph: Tobias Schwartz/AFP/Getty Images
Michael O’Reilly was already charged with being intoxicated in a public place and engaging in abusive, insulting or threatening behaviour. Photograph: Tobias Schwartz/AFP/Getty Images

International boxer Michael O’Reilly has been charged with three criminal damage offences as a result of an alleged incident in Co Tipperary last year.

The boxer from Mountrath, Co Laois, was already before the district court for alleged breaches of the Public Order Act and was on Tuesday charged with three new offences at Thurles courthouse.

Sergeant Declan O'Carroll told Judge Elizabeth MacGrath at Thurles District Court that Mr O'Reilly (23) made no reply to any of the charges.

The sergeant said the DPP’s directions were that the three new criminal damage charges should be dealt with by summary disposal.

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There are also two public order charges ready to proceed, he said, while a third charge relating to an alleged breach of the Public Order Act, that Michael O’Reilly failed to comply with the directions of a garda, was being withdrawn by the State.

Defending solicitor JJ Fitzgerald said he had received statements on the matter and he understood there were “other individuals” involved in the case.

Sergeant O’Carroll said “two other co-accused have to be brought before the court” and he was expecting that to happen in the next number of weeks.

New bail condition

He asked for an adjournment until March 7 and said the only new bail condition the gardaí­ wanted in relation to Mr O'Reilly was that he stay out of the village of Littleton in Co Tipperary.

There was no objection to this condition from the accused’s solicitor, who said “he would have no business there anyway”.

The boxer, who left the Olympic Games in Rio in August after news emerged of a failed drugs test taken before he departed for the games in which he was due to compete in the middleweight division, was already charged with being intoxicated in a public place and engaging in abusive, insulting or threatening behaviour.

The court heard last year that the offences are alleged to have occurred during an “incident” at Ballybeg, Littleton, Co Tipperary, on April 18th last.

Judge MacGrath agreed to remand the accused on continuing bail, on his own bond of €500, until March 7, with the additional condition that he stay out of Littleton in the meantime.