Sean Barrett: GUILTY BY ASSOCIATION OR JUST GUILTY?

national | anti-capitalism | opinion/analysis Wednesday December 31, 2014 15:48 by IonS

Deputy Sean Barrett as we now know, is a major shareholder in a Jersey based investment vehicle called Grove Ltd which in turn runs a major care homes based in the UK and now as it turns out controls the Barchester Healthcare empire of more than 200 care homes. Grove Ltd as it happens is also a major shareholder in Cygnet, one of the largest private provider of psychiatric care services to the NHS.

Deputy Barrett is key shareholder along with four of Ireland's billionaire financiers, JP McManus, Dermot Desmond, Denis Brosnan and John Magnier, all known for their love of horses and hence the link with Deputy Barrett through his plethora of bloodstock companies. No only was Deputy Barrett exposed through this medium as a secret millionaire who hadn't disclosed his true income to the Dail Register but it can be revealed that one of the companies Casterbridge is owned by his financier colleagues and was culpable in the death of two-year-old Rhiya Malin at its Eton Manor nursery in Chigwell, Essex in 2007.

Castlebeck Ltd which uses the trading name Casterbridge Care is owned by fellow Irishman Denis Brosnan and his son Paul Brosnan who in turn own Jersey-based Lydian Capital, which is backed by fellow Irish tycoons JP McManus, John Magnier and Dermot Desmond. What makes the situation more appalling was that it emerged that Casterbridge had re-registered the nursery under a different company name presumably to avoid prosecution or litigation.

Castlebeck Ltd was also the company behind Winterbourne View, the care home at the centre of the a BBC Panorama abuse exposé concerning the serious abuse of clients in the home in 2011 and caused the resignation of key management including Chairman Paul Brosnan the son of billionaire financier Denis Brosnan.

The primary point of this post is two things, one is to expose Deputy Barrett's further involvement and his non disclosure to the register in both Barchester and Cygnet through his shares in Grove Ltd and then his involvement with four of Ireland's billionaires which is at odds with his position as Ceann Comhairle because of his business dealings.

Deputy Barrett should now take serious stock of his position as Ceann Comhairle and fully consider tendering his resignation without further adieu!