'Flagrant' contempt of witness who booked holiday to Ayia Napa sees him jailed and fined

A 20-year-old plasterer from Killala, Cork has been sentenced to two months imprisonment and fined €1,000 for contempt of court at the Central Criminal Court. Craig O'Donoghue breached a witness order by travelling to Cyprus on 27th May instead of attending a trial scheduled for early June. He had been served with the order on 3rd May requiring his attendance as a witness in a violent disorder case arising from the Cameron Blair murder investigation. Despite multiple contact attempts by gardaí, including a superintendent based in Cyprus, O'Donoghue refused to return and powered off his phone after a bench warrant was issued. He eventually returned on 2nd July and was arrested at Dublin airport. Justice David Keane described the contempt as premeditated, deliberate, and flagrant, noting O'Donoghue's high culpability. The judge acknowledged his remorse and previous good character in reducing the headline sentence from three months. O'Donoghue contracted Covid-19 upon return, which the judge stated he had brought upon himself.