O’Brien loses bid to halt trial for alleged theft

Businessman Breifne O’Brien has lost his Sup-reme Court bid to halt his trial for alleged offences including theft and deception.

A three-judge Supreme Court ruled yesterday the trial could proceed at any time after June 2014.

The court accepted there had been unsatisfactory publicity in relation to the matter arising from various media reports, statements made by Mr Justice Peter Kelly in civil proceedings against Mr O’Brien, a chapter in a book written by journalist Dearbhail McDonald, and a TV3 documentary.