Judge: Trial is an utter farce

The trial of a man, accused of deception in relation to the supply of sets of replicas of historical artifacts such as beehive huts and the Ardagh Chalice to schools, came to an abrupt end as the trial judge described it as a total and utter farce yesterday.

Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin said he did not know why the DPP brought the case in the first place, and directed the jury to find the accused not guilty on all 15 charges.

The sets of replicas were to have included models of 17 items including the Ardagh chalice, a beehive hut, the Gallarus oratory, a dolmen, and the Book of Kells, reproduced at a factory in China.