A Fresh appeal by Gardai in the
Emer O’Loughlin Galway murder 
John Griffin (44) formerly of Cardinal Cushing Road, Mervue, Galway, has been on Interpol’s “most wanted” list since last year.
Gardaí have issued a fresh appeal for information in relation to the murder of Emer O’Loughlin in Kinvara, Co Galway six years ago.
Remains of the 23-year-old woman were found in burnt-out caravan in 2005. Gardaí in Galway have issued a fresh appeal for information in relation to the murder of a 23-year-old woman in Kinvara six years ago.
Gardaí in Galway have issued a fresh appeal for information in relation to the murder of a 23-year-old woman in Kinvara six years ago.
A substantial reward is being offered for information on the whereabouts of John Griffin.
Gardaí believe he may be able to assist in the investigation into the death of Emer O’Loughlin from Ennistymon in Co Clare.
She was a student of art at the Galway Mayo Institute of Technology in Galway.
Ms O’Loughlin’s remains were found in April 2005 in a burnt-out caravan in an isolated area between Tubber and Kinvara.
A post mortem at the time did not indicate the cause of death.
Her body was exhumed five years later and a new post mortem established that she had met her death in a violent manner before the fire occurred.
As part of the murder investigation, gardaí have appealed for information as to the whereabouts of 44-year-old John Griffin originally from Mervue in Galway City.
He has also used the name John McDermott in the past.
Mr Griffin is described as being 1.75m (5’9″) and has a distinctive Celtic design tattoo on the Adams apple area of his neck.
He was last seen on the Aran Islands in 2005 and gardaí say he left his clothes off a cliff edge at the time to give the impression that he had died.
However, it is believed he is living in mainland Europe under an assumed name.
Superintendent Pat Murray said anyone with information on Mr Griffin’s whereabouts, or with any information on the case, should asked to contact Crimestoppers on 1800-250025.
Calls to Crimestoppers are strictly confidential and callers do not need to leave their name or address.
Irish Mortgages in arrears or restructured are now 100,000
ALMOST 100,000 of the State’s mortgages are in arrears or have been restructured, according to Central Bank data.
The number of mortgage holders voluntarily giving up properties to the banks has remained steady, while an increasing number of mortgages were restructured during the third quarter of the year.
About 8.1 per cent of home loans have fallen behind by 90 days or more, which accounts for 62,970 mortgages, compared with 7.2 per cent at the end of June.
The figures showed that almost 70,000 residential mortgage accounts have been restructured, compared with 66,732 at the end of June 2011, and 33,359 of these are now in some form of arrears. More than 36,300 are keeping up with the arrangements, giving a total of 99,346 accounts either in arrears or having been restructured .
Banks repossessed 162 properties during the quarter, the majority of which – 119 – were voluntarily surrendered or abandoned. The remainder were repossessed by way of court orders. Lenders disposed of 87 properties during the period.
Director of consumer protection at the Central Bank Bernard Sheridan said it was important for consumers struggling with mortgage repayments to get in touch with their lender as soon as possible.
The Central Bank said the number of mortgages also continued to fall in the three months to the end of September, with 773,420 private residential mortgage accounts held in the State at the end of September, totalling €114.4 billion. That compares with 794,609 held at the end of September 2009.
The Central Bank’s figures do not include mortgages with arrears of fewer than 90 days.
Fianna Fáil finance spokesman Michael McGrath said on RTÉ Radio 1 that the number of mortgages in difficulty was closer to 150,000 when these numbers were taken into account.
Figures supplied to the Oireachtas finance committee last month showed 46,634 mortgages were in arrears of fewer than 90 days by the end of June.
“Clearly some of those mortgages will resolve themselves over time,” Mr McGrath said, “but equally it could be a sign of further difficulty to come.”
He called for a decision to be taken on the recommendations of the Keane report and for the Government to set out an implementation strategy. “There needs to be a greater level of urgency applied to this issue,” he said.
The Irish Banking Federation said the Central Bank figures reflected the deteriorating situation for some borrowers.
Separately, the Central Bank has published research on arrears and negative equity which estimates that about 34 per cent or mortgages from the four main lenders are in negative equity.
The majority of the home loans were taken out between 2005 and 2008; of this group, 51 per cent are said to be in negative equity.
However, by the end of 2010, the bank claims that the majority of those in negative equity – about 90 per cent – were not in arrears. The average negative equity of a borrower without arrears is €67,768; that jumps to an average of €83,911 for those in arrears.
Many people eat foods past the use by date in Ireland
Deborah Condon www.irishhealth.com]
Almost half of Irish people are happy to eat food that is past its use by date, a new survey by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has shown.
The survey of 1,000 consumers nationwide focused on best before and use by dates on food labels. It found that while the vast majority of people claimed to understand what these terms meant, when questioned further, half did not fully understand them.
Best before dates tend to be seen on longer life products, such as frozen foods. These foods can be expected to remain at peak quality up until the date provided if they are stored properly. They may still be edible after this date, however their quality may suffer.
Use by dates are put on highly perishable items, such as milk and meat. These products can be considered unsafe to eat if they are consumed after the date provided.
According to the findings, almost half of people said they had no problem eating food that was past its use by date, while one-third said they tended to ignore use by dates if food products looked and smelled okay.
“It is somewhat alarming that almost five out of 10 people are misunderstand the meaning of use by and best before and this may be the reason why almost half of people think it’s okay to eat foods after the use by date has expired.
“We would caution people to be careful in this regard as food products contaminated with harmful bacteria may look okay and taste and smell no different when they have gone beyond their use by date,” commented Dr Wayne Anderson of the FSAI.
On the other hand, the survey also noted that almost four in 10 people do not use foods that have passed their best before date even if the product looks and smells ok. This, the FSAI said, leads to an unnecessary waste of food. It advised consumers to use their judgement with such products. If they look and smell okay, they can be eaten.
Meanwhile, the survey also found that eight out of 10 people who are buying highly perishable products, such as milk, will choose products from the back of the fridge in order to find the one with the longest use by date.
Dr Anderson said that the FSAI regularly monitors how food businesses decide on their best before and use by dates, as it is essential that these dates are accurate.
“The food industry must have a valid basis for setting the date they put on their products. Use by dates must be set on the basis of safety and best before dates must be set on the basis of quality. Consumers have to be able to trust the use by dates on their foods and know that the food is safe if eaten before the use by date,” he commented.
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