Repossession action dismissed

A High Court judge has dismissed an action by a man, which included an “incredible” €500,000 damages claim for “loss of goods”, over repossession of a council house where he lived for some four years under a caretaker agreement.

Ms Justice Deirdre Murphy said she “has considerable sympathy” for officials of Mayo County Council who have had to deal with Thomas McCormack, aged in his sixties, and who made “all reasonable efforts” to accommodate him.

Mr McCormack seems to be a man “extremely exercised by his ‘entitlements’ but appears to have scant regard for his responsibilities”, she said.