Woman, 39, found guilty of managing brothels

A CORK woman has been fund guilty of seven charges relating to the managing of brothels in the city.

Caroline O’Leary, 39, of Scartbarry, Watergrasshill, Co Cork, was remanded in custody to May 12 for sentencing.

The jury also found Ms O’Leary not guilty on 43 counts related to the alleged organisation of prostitution and the keeping of brothels at 26 John Street and 18 Grafton Street, Cork, on dates between January 2006 and May 2007 and there was failure to reach any verdict on 19 counts.

Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin refused to remand the accused on bail for sentencing and said he was differentiating between herself and her husband by remanding him on bail as he had pleaded guilty.

O’Leary showed no visible reaction to her conviction for managing brothels.

Defence senior counsel, Tom Creed, earlier described the case as “one of the thinnest cases I have ever seen put forward by the Director of Public Prosecutions”.

He went on: “This is ultimately about money and they have followed the money trail and they have got their scalps. In terms of the prostitutes, no doubt those ladies will go somewhere else.

“This is a very successful operation by the Gardaí and they are to be commended for their work.”

He reminded the jury that the woman’s partner, Tony Linnane, 53, who still faces sentence for his crimes, has pleaded guilty to organising prostitution and keeping the two brothels, and that the Criminal Assets Bureau had obtained a ‘significant’ sum of money from him.

However, Mr Creed said the jury was being asked to conclude that O’Leary probably knew what her partner was doing.

But he added: “That is not enough, they have to prove beyond reasonable doubt that she was organising prostitution and managing brothels. They have significantly failed to do that.”

Mr Creed argued there was an innocent explanation for three texts the prosecution had linked to Caroline O’Leary and that the texts did not prove the charges against her.

He said the fact that she signed the document for the purchase of the Grafton Street building 15 years ago proved nothing as the ownership could have changed hands four times since and there was no evidence about when the brothel started operating there.

The other key piece of evidence against O’Leary was a little black book containing details of girls described as prostitutes.

Mr Creed said they could not possibly convict her on that.

Mr Creed said the case was opened on the basis that there would be evidence linking O’Leary to a computer at her home which had live links from cameras in bedrooms at the two brothels but he said there was absolutely no evidence in relation to that claim put before the jury.

He said the prosecution told the jury on the first day that they would show that O’Leary was ‘Jade’ and texts on phones would show her as organising prostitution.

However, Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin told them at the end of the trial: “As a matter of law there is insufficient evidence for you to infer that Ms O’Leary is Jade.”

He also said they could not conclude that two key phones were hers.

But the judge did say that if they were satisfied that one text showed her organising prostitution in their judgment then they could convict. He said they did not have to have hundreds of texts.

Ms O’Leary will be sentenced on May 12 as will Julieanne Gibson, 41, of 4 Springvale, Old Youghal Road, Cork, who has pleaded guilty to five counts of keeping brothels at 18 Grafton Street and 26 John Street on various dates in 2006 and 2007 and Tony Linnane, who has admitted organising prostitution and keeping the two brothels.

The prosecution dropped its prosecution of Bobby Healy, 48, of 63 Mervue Lawn, Ballyvolane, Cork, on Monday.