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Kerry man's crystal meth trial adjourned over defence request for witnesses' phone data

The Special Criminal Court adjourned until Friday the trial of James Leen, accused over a €32.8m crystal meth seizure at Cork Port, after the defence sought access to witnesses' phone data. The presiding judge said it was not appropriate to seek an adjournment on the day of trial.

2 outlets · 1L · 0C · 1R First reported Account updated
Image: The Irish Times
Image: Irish Independent

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The story, neutrally told

Left · 1The trial of James Leen (43), of Pilgrim Hill, Kilmorna, Listowel, Co Kerry, was adjourned until Friday after he sought access to witnesses' phones. It is described as concerning the country's largest-ever crystal meth seizure. Left · 1Leen faces five charges, including directing the activities of a criminal organisation between February 7th, 2023, and February 16th, 2024, importing methylamphetamine at Cork Port, Ringaskiddy, on October 16th, 2023, and possession of crystal meth at Ballyseedy Garden Centre in Tralee between October 27th, 2023, and February 12th, 2024. Left · 1The case relates to the seizure of 564kg of methamphetamine, estimated at €32.8 million, from a container at Cork Port on February 16th, 2024. The State's case is that the drugs were imported from Mexico and stored at the Ballyseedy Garden Centre before being taken to Cork, where they were destined for export to Australia.

Left · 1The trial at the three-judge, non-jury Special Criminal Court was expected to begin on Monday. Colm Smyth, for Leen, asked for an adjournment so an expert in Texas could analyse data from phones belonging to various proposed witnesses. Left · 1John Berry, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, said gardaí had already disclosed all relevant material from the phones. He said the defence wanted all data on them, including deeply personal material irrelevant to the trial, and that Irish courts cannot impose safeguarding conditions on an expert working in the US. Mixed · 2Judge Caroline Biggs said experts in Ireland could do the work and that it was not appropriate to seek an adjournment on the day of trial for the same reason an adjournment was granted a year earlier. She asked for every effort to secure an Irish expert this week and adjourned the matter until Friday; if no Irish company can do it, the court will consider whether to allow analysis outside the jurisdiction.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.

Left1 outlet

Framing
Court report leading on the defence's request for witnesses' phone data and the adjournment, with detailed charges and the State's case.
Emphasis
Charges, seizure details, and the arguments of defence, prosecution and judge.
Leaves out or plays down
Nothing notable relative to the other outlet, whose text is limited.
For example
“Man accused of importing crystal meth worth €32m seeks access to witnesses’ phones” — The Irish Times

Centre0 outlets

No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.

Right1 outlet

Framing
Headline leads on the judge's criticism that it was 'not appropriate' for lawyers to seek an adjournment on the day of trial.
Emphasis
The judicial rebuke of the defence's timing.
Leaves out or plays down
Phone-data dispute and prosecution privacy argument not visible in its headline.
For example
“Not appropriate’ for lawyers to seek adjournment on day of Kerry crystal meth accused's trial” — Irish Independent