Celebrity chef Gallagher remanded in custody

Celebrity chef Conrad Gallagher, who was charged with stealing paintings from a hotel has been “branded a fugitive“, a court heard today.

Conrad Gallagher, 32, was flown into Dublin early this morning after his extradition from New York.

The court heard that the Donegal-born chef failed to appear in court in Ireland last October because he thought the proceedings might affect his application for US citizenship.

His lawyer told the Circuit Criminal Court that Gallagher sincerely apologised for not turning up, and that he had been “caught between a rock and a hard place“.

The chef – who is alleged to have stolen artworks from Dublin’s Fitzwilliam Hotel, where his Peacock Alley restaurant was located – was remanded in custody until Tuesday, when a date will be set for his trial.