Newspaper editors to face judge as Paschal Carmody case collapses

The editors of two national newspapers could be held in contempt of court following the collapse of the trial of former Clare doctor Paschal Carmody today.

The jury in the trial of the 63-year-old accused of defrauding terminally ill cancer patients was discharged today due to the content of court reports in today's Irish Times and Irish Examiner.

Paschal Carmody of Ballycuggeran, Killaloe pleaded not guilty to nine charges of obtaining money from the families of two now deceased cancer patients though deception.

Over 17 days in court, the State argued that the former GP told the families of 15-year-old Wexford teenager Conor O'Sullivan and 58-year-old Kilkenny man John Sherdian that he could cure them.

Trial judge Donagh McDonagh was due to conclude his final charge today but the case came to an abrupt end when counsel for the defence raised concerns that newspaper articles in today's Irish Times and Irish Examiner contained references to matters raised in the absence of the jury yesterday.

Judge McDonagh deemed the reports to be in breach of how newspapers publish court reports and said they presented a danger that the accused may not get a fair trial.

Discharging the jury, he asked that the editors of both the Irish Times and Examiner or their legal agents be present in court tomorrow morning to explain why they should not be cited for contempt of court.