A public prosecutor in Brazil has formally charged Patrick Hickey and Kevin Mallon over their role in the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) ticketing affair at the 2016 Olympic Games.

Rio de Janeiro public prosecutor Marcos Kac signed the indictment on Tuesday morning after reviewing the police investigation. The charges include supplying tickets for the purpose of touting, false advertising, fraud, money laundering and tax evasion.

Also charged are several employees of THG, the British company Mr Mallon was working for at the Games, including its owner Marcus Evans, as well as the three directors of Pro10, the Dublin company that was the OCI’s official ticket vendor for Rio. Read More

Source: www.irishtimes.com

 A formal charge has been made against Irish man Kevin Mallon along with three other people for his involvement in an alleged illegal ticket selling scheme at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Dubliner Mr Mallon, an employee of sports hospitality company THG, was arrested on Friday night at a hotel in the city along with a translator, with police saying he was in possession of 813 tickets for high-profile sporting events at the Games as well as the opening and closing ceremonies.

The formal charge claims that he was “arrested in the act, providing, diverting or facilitating of tickets for cambismo” – the Brazilian term for the illegal resale of tickets. Read More

Source: www.Irishtimes.com

Oscar Pistorius has been sentenced to six years in prison for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

The South African was released from prison last October after serving one year of a five-year term for culpable homicide (manslaughter). However, an appeals court found that he should have been convicted of murder after shooting Steenkamp four times on Valentine’s Day 2013.

The fresh sentencing hearing today was presided upon by Judge Thokozile Masipa. She told the court that she found there were more mitigating than aggravating factors in the case and, therefore, she should deviate from the 15-year prescribed sentence for murder.

In her hour-long judgement, she outlined why she found there to be compelling and substantial circumstances in this case.
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In her concluding remarks, she described Pistorius’s wish to perform community service as noble but added that punished is “not what you choose to do” but is “something that is imposed on you”. Read More

An Irishman has died after being stabbed in Sydney, Australia.

Keith Collins, who lived in Terrigal, New South Wales, was attacked while dining with a woman in Hornsby Mall last night.

The woman, Jobi Pilapil, was also stabbed during the incident.

The 38-year-old was taken to hospital to receive treatment for her injuries.

It is believed Mr Collins, 53, was from Dublin, but had been living in Australia for some time. Read More