Two men charged over alleged Limerick protection racket

Two men have appeared in court accused of engaging in a protection racket on a building site in Limerick by demanding money from a site foreman.

At Cork District Court on Friday, John McCarthy (43) of The Orchards, Castletroy, Limerick and Willie O'Reilly (53) of Kilmurry View, Castletroy, Limerick, were each charged with a single offence.

Mr McCarthy was charged that on January 8th at Lonsdale Road, National Technology Park, Limerick, he made a demand for payment with menaces by intimidating the foreman of the Monami construction site,.

Mr O’Reilly was charged with a similar offence at the same site on November 19th 2019 .

Time capsule containing visions for 2020 reopened for first time

---

Irish unity poll is a precondition for coalition – Mary Lou McDonald

---

Howlin says Ireland now ‘vulnerable to the capricious politics of Boris Johnson’

---

Social Democrats pledge to build 100,000 houses

---

Inspector Noel Madden said there was no Garda objection to the accused men being remanded on bail. However, one of the conditions of bail was that neither of them would enter any building site.

Judge Olann Kelleher remarked that not going on any building site in the country seemed like a very restrictive condition. Insp Madden said it was one which had been agreed with defence lawyers in advance of the court hearing.

The other bail conditions required the two men to keep a curfew between 11pm to 7am and not to approach any witness to the case.

Insp Madden applied for a four-month adjournment to allow time for DPP directions with the consent of both accused.

Judge Kelleher remanded both men on bail to appear again at Limerick District Court on May 25th.