League of Ireland

A former League of Ireland footballer and two other men will be sentenced early next year after pleading guilty to moving just under €200000 in criminal ...

O'Neill had some financial difficulties at the time, and was approached by a childhood acquaintance with the chance to make a modest sum of money. Mr Spencer said Fitzpatrick had been using cocaine “as a crutch” following the death of a friend, but is making efforts to deal with his addiction. An analysis of the phones showed that Barton and Fitzpatrick had been in contact three times on the day in the question. He is a volunteer with the FAI's youth services. Det Flanagan agreed with defence counsel for O'Neill that the three accused were not known to each other before the day in question. Fitzpatrick admitted to gardaí that his role was to package the cash for transport. In 2013, he was treated for cancer, which went well but he experienced mental health issues which re-surfaced around the time of this incident. Counsel for the three accused handed in references on their behalf. Barton was also dealing with a cocaine addiction at the time. The blue shopping bag was found in the boot of O'Neill's car. They observed a van driven by Barton pull up outside a property, later identified as Fitzpatrick's residence, at 3.25pm on the day in question. Det Flanagan agreed with defence counsel for Barton that his client's previous conviction was over 10 years ago.