In The News

A Belfast court delivered a not-guilty verdict on Thursday in the trial of a former British Army paratrooper accused of the murder of two young men in the Bloody Sunday shootings in Derry 53 years ago.It was the first-ever trial of a former British soldier accused of killing unarmed civilians during the massacre.The veteran, referred to as Soldier F for legal reasons, was accused of the murders of James Wray and William McKinney during a civil rights march in the city on January 30th, 1972.By the end of that dreadful day, 13 unarmed civilians had been shot dead by the Parachute Regiment while 17 were left with injuries.So how was the verdict received in the packed courtroom, particularly by the Bloody Sunday families whose fight for justice has endured for more than a century. A UK public inquiry had already found that the army unlawfully killed 13 people in Derry on that day, so why did the prosecution against this former paratrooper fail?Irish Times Northern editor Freya McClements was in court for the verdict.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Andrew McNair and John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Crimes carried out by a loose syndicate of about 60 teenagers spread across north and South Dublin, who are more interested in capturing their joyriding escapades on social media than making money, are on the rise.Known as the Lucky Dip Gang, these groups of young, low-level criminals focus on burglaries and vehicle theft. These often failed and haphazard attempts to steal bikes and cars contrast starkly with the other side of the burglary trade, which is dominated by tight-knit, dangerous organised gangs known for their forensic and meticulous planning.But if the Lucky Dip Gang is running riot across the Greater Dublin Area, and organised burglary gangs are so active across the country, why have burglaries fallen by almost 65 per cent in a decade?Today, on In The News, Irish Times crime and security editor Conor Lally discusses the TikTok inspired crime trend among young offenders in Dublin, the reasons some teenagers are pushed into joining more serious gangs and the significant drop in burglaries nationwide over the past ten years.And what measures should homeowners take to protect their home to deter burglars and avoid from break-in?Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Declan Conlon and Andrew McNair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In chaotic and violent scenes reminiscent of the street riots in Dublin city centre two years ago, around 1,000 protesters outside the Citywest IPAS centre in Saggart threw missiles, set fires, used fireworks as weapons and roared racist chants on Tuesday evening.They had gathered in response to news that a man had been arrested in connection with the alleged sexual assault of a 10-year old Irish girl outside the centre, which is home to mostly Ukrainians but also international protection applicants.The man, a failed asylum seeker in his 20s, has been in the State for six years and is the subject of a deportation order since March 2025.There had already been protests by locals throughout the summer following news that the Government intended buying the hotel – Ireland’s largest with more than 750 bedrooms – and turning it into a State-run, permanent asylum centre. The sale, for €148 million, has now been finalised. But Tuesday’s protest was very different, not least because many of those present were not local.So who were they and what did they want?And how did the Garda manage and then diffuse such an incendiary situation? Has the force learned from the Dublin riots two years ago?Irish Times crime and security editor Conor Lally was at Citywest and he reports on how events unfolded.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Tuesday, almost six months after she took her own life, the posthumous memoir of Virginia Giuffre went on sale. ‘Nobody’s Girl’, which was completed by Giuffre before her death, details how she feared she might “die a sex slave” at the hands of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Giuffre also says she was made to have sex with Prince Andrew on three occasions.Prince Andrew, who has always denied any wrongdoing, and who reached a financial settlement with Giuffre in 2022, announced last week he would voluntarily no longer use his titles, including the Duke of York. He said he had made the decision following a discussion with King Charles, his family, and in consultation with Prince William.Meanwhile, MPs in Britain moved on Tuesday to lodge a parliamentary motion to strip Prince Andrew of his dukedom, with pressure also mounting on the British government to address the prince’s luxury residence in Windsor. It was recently revealed the King’s younger brother has not paid rent on the Royal Lodge for more than two decades.The House of Commons, which is not permitted to discuss issues that reflect badly on Britain’s royal family, has maintained an uneasy silence as the Prince Andrew scandal continues to grow legs.Why are UK politicians not allowed to debate Royal scandals, or any issues that reflect badly on Royals, in Westminster? And is that about to change?Irish Times London correspondent Mark Paul discusses the latest revelations from Giuffre’s memoir and examines the steps needed for Westminster to take stronger action against the disgraced prince.Presented by Sorcha Pollak, produced by Suzanne Brennan and Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shortly after 9.30am on Sunday, when the Louvre in Paris had just opened its doors to visitors, alarm bells started to ring out through the halls of the world-famous museum.Four thieves had managed to access the building via the first floor balcony facing the river Seine. Seven minutes later they escaped on motorbikes carrying priceless French crown jewels.The robbery has sparked outrage across the French political spectrum – the country’s president Emmanuel Macron called the raid “an attack on our history”, while the leader of the far-right National Rally party Jordan Bardella said it was an “intolerable humiliation”.The heist has also prompted serious questions about the security needed in high profile museums and art galleries, and the increasingly brazen nature of criminal art robberies.How exactly did these thieves manage to steal priceless artefacts from one of the most secure museums in Europe in broad daylight? And why are the French authorities now racing against the clock to track down the missing items?BBC Paris Correspondent Hugh Schofield discusses how this audacious heist was pulled off and whether the jewels will ever be seen again.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Andrew McNair.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Scam call centres are paying up to €1,200 per person for the contact details of potential Irish victims.And once they have a name and number, it’s game on, with highly-trained fraudsters working the phones to persuade victims to part with their money via bogus investment “opportunities”.Analysis by The Irish Times has identified 31 Irish victims who lost a combined total of nearly €300,000. This includes a 76-year-old man who lost €61,720, and a high-ranking diplomat who lost more than €31,000.Details of the transactions are contained in a vast data leak - including recordings of the phones calls - from a Georgian scam call centre which was provided to The Irish Times by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OOCRP), a non-government investigative journalism organisation.Irish Times crime and security correspondent Conor Gallagher is part of that project and he explains to In the News exactly how the scams work. And he talks to some of the Irish victims.But how do these scammers collect the phone numbers they call; how do they identify their victims and what sophisticated sales techniques do they use to persuade unsuspecting victims to “invest” in the bogus schemes?Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon and Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eleven years after the bodies of Anthony Keegan (33) and Eoin O’Connor (32) were discovered buried on Inchicup Island, Dublin woman Ruth Lawrence (45) has gone on trial for their murder. She has pleaded not guilty.The prosecution has laid out its case: alleging that Lawrence worked “as a unit” with her South African boyfriend Neville van der Westhuizen to kill O’Connor, a drug dealer and his friend Keegan.Van der Westhuizen was in considerable debt to O’Connor.It was further alleged that Lawrence and her boyfriend had “spoken openly” about “the murders and disposing of the bodies”.The jury has already heard from the landlord of the remote Co Meath lakeside cottage where the accused and her boyfriend were living at the time of the murder. He testified how they had asked to borrow a boat with an engine and had done so.Set to last until November, the judge sent the jury away on Tuesday due to a medical issue with a witness but the court heard on Thursday that the trial would continue.Court reporter Alison O’Riordan has been following the trial.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Irish Olympic swimmer Shane Ryan can now take all the performance-enhancing drugs he wants as part of his training plan.And if anabolic steroids, human growth hormone (HGH), or testosterone supplements show up in his system next May when he competes in Las Vegas, the organisers will congratulate him for playing by the rules.The Enhanced Games dubbed the Steroid Olympics – was dreamed up by Australian businessman Aron D’Souza as a sporting event that lets competitors maximise their performance by doping.Ryan, who was the first swimmer to compete in three Olympics for Ireland, says the decision to join the Enhanced Games is financial. He will, he says, be “making over six figures for nine months and then potentially making over $600,000 when it comes down the line”.But Wada (World Anti-Doping Agency) rules exist not just to level the playing field for all athletes but also to protect them from the health impacts of doping. So isn’t the 31 year-old worried?Irish Times sports writer Malachy Clerkin talked to him from his new training base in Nevada.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The number of people falling victim to online fraud, and in some cases losing their life savings as a result of being scammed, is skyrocketing. Banks have warned of a sharp increase in phone calls and text messages from criminals purporting to be delivery companies or Government agencies. However, in some of the most disturbing cases, victims are targeted with the promise of love and romance.Romance scams are not new – lonely people have always been targeted by criminals. But with the omnipresence of social media in people’s daily lives, and the rapid development of AI, criminal gangs are using more sophisticated methods than ever before to exploit the human need for connection, trust and affection.The sheer extent and impact of these scams remains unknown because many people are too embarrassed to report the relationship, or their lost funds, to the authorities. They are often also left heartbroken after truly believing they had found their soul mate.One Irish woman in her 60s, who recently lost more than €291,000 through a sinister romance scam to a man who claimed to love and want to marry her, shared her experience with The Irish Times this week.On today’s In The News episode Conor Pope, Irish Times consumer affairs correspondent, shares the story of Mary* who has been left with huge debts, and potentially serious legal implications, after being financially exploited, and emotionally manipulated, by a man who called himself Donald.What are the red flags people should watch out for if they begin a relationship online?And can further steps be taken by authorities to track down the criminal gangs behind this financial fraud?Today, the story of one woman who lost everything through an elaborate romance scam.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Andrew McNair.*Pseudonym requested to protect woman’s identity  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Monday, more than two years after the conflict in Gaza began – a war which has killed tens of thousands, including an estimated 20,000 children – the remaining living Israeli hostages returned home.Meanwhile, about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners – including 1,700 from Gaza who have been held by Israel without charge – were released and reunited with family.The return of hostages and release of prisoners is all part of the first phase of Donald’s Trump’s peace plan for Gaza.Trump, who spoke before the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem on Monday, told cheering lawmakers that the “long and painful nightmare is finally over” and that the agreement marked a “historic dawn of a new Middle East”.But is the US president correct? Will both sides honour the agreement and what will the next stage of this peace plan look like?And when so many lives have been lost, where do Palestinians begin when it comes to rebuilding the Gaza Strip?Irish Times contributors Mark Weiss and Michael Jansen discuss how Trump’s peace plan will work and what the future holds for Palestinians.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Declan Conlon and Suzanne Brennan.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.