Bid to enforce instalment order on alleged fraudster Catherine O’Brien fails

Catherine O'Brien's debt arose from loans given to her over 17 months by her former friend, Marie O’Shea. Picture: Irish Mail on Sunday

Efforts to enforce an instalment order on alleged fraudster Catherine O’Brien requiring her to clear a debt judgement of almost €300,000 through weekly instalments of €10,000 have failed.

The debt arose from loans given to her over a period of 17 months by her former friend, Waterford woman Marie O’Shea. Ms O’Shea died in 2016 and efforts to have the loans of €215,093 and interest of €10,754.65 repaid to her before her death failed.

Efforts by the estate of Ms O’Shea to have the money repaid have also failed.

The loans were given to Ms O’Brien by cheque, bank transfer, and cash lodgments between June 2007 and November 2008 by Ms O’Shea, from Stradbally, Co Waterford.

Ms O’Brien, who has an address in Dungarvan, Co Waterford, is wanted for questioning by gardaí investigating allegations of fraud in the sale of horses in the past three to four years.

She has not lived at her Dungarvan address for several months.

The Irish Examiner is continuing its investigation into Ms O’Brien, who has issued judicial review proceedings against the Director of Public Prosecutions following her conviction, in her absence, in June 2021 for 34 counts of animal welfare legislation breaches relating to horses seized in Co Wexford. A bench warrant was issued for her arrest following her conviction.

In relation to the funds owed to the estate of Ms O’Shea, a High Court judgment was made in June 2009 after legal proceedings were taken by Ms O’Shea when efforts to have the loans repaid to her failed.

In that case, the court ordered that a total of €289,194.47 be paid to Ms O’Shea by Ms O’Brien to include the balance due to her from the loans, as well as costs, expenses, and interest. 

An affidavit in that case stated that Marie had become attached to both Catherine and Catherine’s children. The affidavit also stated that Marie had been influenced by the attention, affection, and time given to her by Catherine.

Judgement

A judgement was made in her absence on December 4, 2019, at Dungarvan District Court, that she pay the amount from the June 2009 judgement, along with €990 in legal costs relating to the 2019 case, to the estate of the late Ms O’Shea.

The judgement ordered: “By weekly payments of €10,000 per week the first payment to be paid, 14 days after service of the instalment order on the debtor”.

The order declared that failure to make a payment may lead to a further summons being issued against her to attend the district court, “which may lead to your being arrested and imprisoned for a period of up to three months”.

However, the money has not been repaid to date as the summons server was unable to serve the instalment order on Ms O’Brien.

The case was due back before the district court in mid-2021 but Ms O’Brien failed to appear.

The court was told that her whereabouts were unknown.