Paul Williams (media personality)

Last updated

Paul Williams
Born15 December 1964 (1964-12-15) (age 59)
Nationality Irish
OccupationJournalist
Notable credit(s) Dirty Money: The Story of the Criminal Assets Bureau
Paul Williams Investigates—The Battle for the Gas Fields

Paul Williams (born 1964) is an Irish journalist.

His TV credits include Dirty Money and the self-regarding title Paul Williams Investigates—The Battle for the Gas Fields.

Contents

In 2011 he joined the Irish Sun , where he is employed as "Investigations Editor", after the closure of the Irish News of the World .

He previously worked for the Sunday World tabloid newspaper; he moved to the Irish News of the World in 2010 before it was caught up in the News International phone hacking scandal and shut down.

Education

Williams was first educated in Ballinamore and then in Carrigallen (both in County Leitrim). He moved to Dublin in 1984 to study journalism at the Rathmines School of Journalism but dropped out after one year. [1]

Personal life

Paul Williams is married to wife, Ann, with whom he has two children.

Williams has been satirised as Paul 'The Hack' Williams on Oliver Callan's Nob Nation sketches on RTÉ Radio. [1]

While on Liveline , Williams denied attempting to link the Republican movement with the criminal underworld. This prompted several people, whom Williams had linked to crime in his articles, to phone in and tell Joe Duffy that Williams was always making false allegations against them. Williams attempted to deflect the questions by focusing on their time spent in prison and implying that they had therefore lost any right to a reputation. [2] In 2010, Williams contradicted himself by telling an audience that the Republican movement was linked with organised crime, so much so, he claimed, somewhat uncertainly, that 1969 was "probably the last truly peaceful year in this nation of ours. That", he said, "changed with the escalation of problems in Northern Ireland." [3]

Books

Williams pens books with titles like Gangland (1998), Evil Empire (2001), Crimelords (2003), The Untouchables (2006), Crime Wars (2008), and Badfellas (2011). [4]

His notorious 2014 book (titled Murder Inc) prompted objections and calls for a boycott from disgusted residents of Limerick when he attempted to do a signing there. A local bookstore owner posted a letter online saying he had never before had a visiting writer stir up so much anger from the public. [5] Barrister and politician Emmett O'Brien, speaking on radio following Williams's self-promotional appearance on The Late Late Show, said the same crime stories are continually being "rehashed" and that Williams declined to mention any positive development, i.e. a decline in the city's murder rate. Photographer Darren Ryan said of Williams: "He's making a personal profit off the misery that the good citizens of Limerick have had to endure." [6]

Williams also ghost-wrote the book Secret Love (1995) with Phylis Hamilton; this tells the story of her secret 20-year love affair with Ireland's most outspoken Catholic priest on issues of sexual morality, Fr. Michael Cleary. Hamilton, who worked as Fr. Cleary's housekeeper, had two sons with the celebrity cleric. [7]

Television

Dirty Money: The Story of the Criminal Assets Bureau , a six-part TV series on the history of the Criminal Assets Bureau by Paul Williams, began in January 2008 on TV3; it won Best Documentary at that year's TV Now Awards.

In Paul Williams Investigates—The Battle for the Gas Fields aired in June 2009 on TV3, Williams reported on the Corrib gas controversy. [8] Campaigners who protest the Corrib gas project argued the documentary was biased in favour of Royal Dutch Shell – the title itself shows that the "battle" is "for" the gas fields. Irish Independent reviewer John Boland also criticised Williams' obvious bias – "instead of providing an exposé [Williams] contented himself with innuendo and abuse", while "At the outset, he disingenuously asked if these 'vocal underdogs' were national heroes or 'villains' standing in the way of national progress, but he himself had no doubt about the answer, his attitude announcing itself in the language he used". [9] The Irish Times reporter Frank McDonald reported that the documentary failed to explain the Shell's aims to Sea protesters. . Complaints were made to the Broadcasting Complaints Commission but were rejected on the grounds that the broadcast gave a fair opportunity for both sides to have their say. [10]

Journalism

Williams has been the subject of criticism that he is a mouthpiece for the gardaí "who use his column to shape the public perception of the criminals he writes about and, quite possibly, to stir up tensions between rival gangs and major league villains". [11] The Sunday Tribune said a common criticism of Williams is that he is "little more than a cheerleader for the gardaí" and noted Williams's tendency to steer away from any crime or corruption within the force. [1]

Williams has been criticised for his tendency to give nicknames such as "The Tosser", "The Penguin", "Babyface" and "Fatpuss" to the criminals he is reporting on. [1] Critics complain this has served to glamourise the criminals and to boost their public profile. [1]

Williams has been the recipient of several death threats from organised crime and terrorist groups and has been receiving armed Garda protection for several years. The cost of this to the tax payer has been heavily criticised. [11] On 16 March 2007, a man was acquitted at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court of "threatening to kill or cause serious harm" to Paul Williams. [12] The jury of four men and seven women deliberated for just one hour and thirty minutes to acquit Walsh on both charges on the sixth day of the trial.

Sunday World

After the murder of noted crime correspondent Veronica Guerin in 1996, Williams took over the mantle of Sunday World reporting on what he considered to be some of Ireland's most notorious criminals, i.e. people like Martin Cahill (whom he nicknamed "The General"). The General was made into a 1998 movie directed by John Boorman. His articles appear weekly there where, according to the newspaper's website, he maintained a vast archive of background material. However, Williams's life's work has now been lost – the newspaper deleted it after he left. [13]

In April 2000, the Sunday World defamed a man who gave evidence in the murder trial of Catherine Nevin, falsely stating the witness offered to sell photographs to Williams. The witness said the article also defamed him by claiming he "bragged about his sexual prowess" to Williams. The article also unsuccessfully tried to falsely link the witness to Martin Cahill and the Dublin/Monaghan bombings. Sunday Newspapers Ltd, trading as the Sunday World, asked the High Court to dismiss the witnesses lawsuit, citing the length of time that had passed since the incident; the judge granted the tabloid's application. [14]

In 2002, Williams and the Sunday World were sued for libel after a story he had written in 1999 was proved to be untrue. In the article, Williams claimed a nun named Nora Wall had procured children so that they could be raped by paedophile priest Brendan Smyth. The paper issued a full apology and was forced to pay a €175,000 settlement to Ms. Wall. [15]

In 2008, the Sunday Tribune said that Williams' "stories these days almost take second place to his personal celebrity" and that "friends say that he is only too aware of this and has renegotiated his contract throughout the years to reflect his market value". [1]

News of the World

In January 2010, after receiving what he described as "a substantial offer", Williams left the Sunday World, where he had worked for 23 years, and joined the Irish News of the World as its crime editor. [4] However, the Sunday World took out a High Court injunction in an effort to prevent him from taking up his new position until his three months' notice to leave had expired. [16] The dispute was later settled. [17]

Williams' Sunday World contract had included a salary of €145,000. [16]

The Irish Sun

After the closure of the News of the World, Williams joined fellow News International paper The Irish Sun in October 2011.[ citation needed ]

Irish Independent

Since 2012, he has contributed to the Irish Independent . There, under the title of "Special Correspondent", he writes primarily on crime. [18] [ better source needed ]

In 2012, TD Joan Collins named Williams under Dáil privilege as having had penalty points cancelled by Gardaí. [19] Collins was criticised for this move by several politicians and figures in the media. [20] [21]

After Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan resigned as part of the fallout from the Garda whistleblower scandal, of which the issue of cancelled penalty points was part, Collins criticised Williams and his RTÉ counterpart Paul Reynolds and called on them to resign their positions too. [22]

Radio

In 2016 Williams joined the Newstalk breakfast show as a co-presenter.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garda Síochána</span> Police and security service of the Republic of Ireland

The Garda Síochána is the national police and security service of Ireland. It is more commonly referred to as the Gardaí or "the Guards". The service is headed by the Garda Commissioner, who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are in Dublin's Phoenix Park.

Thomas Murphy, also known as Slab, is an Irish republican, believed to be a former Chief of Staff of the Provisional Irish Republican Army. His farm straddles County Armagh and County Louth on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. In December 2015, Murphy was found guilty on nine counts of tax evasion following a lengthy investigation by the Criminal Assets Bureau of the Republic of Ireland. In February 2016, Murphy was jailed and sentenced to 18 months in prison. One of three brothers, Murphy is a lifelong bachelor who lived on the Louth side of his farm before his imprisonment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Special Criminal Court</span> Irish specialist court

The Special Criminal Court is a juryless criminal court in Ireland which tries terrorism and serious organised crime cases.

Detective Garda Jerry McCabe was a member of the Garda Síochána, the national police force of Ireland. McCabe was killed in Adare, County Limerick on 7 June 1996, by members of the Provisional IRA, during the attempted robbery of a post office van.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garda Emergency Response Unit</span> Unit of the Irish national police

The Emergency Response Unit (ERU) is the police tactical unit of the Garda Síochána, Ireland's national police and security service. The unit was a section of the forces' Special Detective Unit (SDU), under the Crime and Security Branch (CSB) until 2017, when the Special Tactics and Operational Command was created to take over its operational duties alongside Armed Support Units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shell to Sea</span> Activist organisation in County Mayo, Ireland

Shell to Sea is an Irish organisation based in the parish of Kilcommon in Erris, County Mayo.

The Special Detective Unit (SDU) is the main domestic security agency of the Garda Síochána, the national police force of Ireland, under the aegis of the Crime & Security Branch (CSB). It is the primary counter-terrorism and counter-espionage investigative unit within the state. The Special Detective Unit superseded the Special Branch, which itself replaced the older Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which was founded in 1921. They work in conjunction with the Defence Forces Directorate of Military Intelligence (J2) – Ireland's national intelligence service – on internal matters. The unit's headquarters are in Harcourt Street, Dublin City.

Willie Corduff is an Irish environmental activist from the farming community of Rossport, Kilcommon, Erris. Corduff's parents first arrived in Rossport in 1947, and reclaimed a farm by hand out of bogland. He became a campaigner against Royal Dutch Shell's activities in his local area when the Corrib gas controversy began. He is married to Mary and they have six children and four grandchildren.

The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) is an independent statutory body in Ireland charged with overseeing the Garda Síochána, the national police force. It is a three-member body established under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 to deal with complaints from members of the public about the conduct of Gardaí.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corrib gas controversy</span> Protest campaign against an Irish gas project

The Corrib gas controversy was a social protest campaign against the Corrib gas project in north-western County Mayo, Ireland. The project involves the processing of gas onshore through Broadhaven and Sruth Fada Conn Bays in Kilcommon. Originally spearheaded by local advocacy groups Shell to Sea and Pobal Chill Chomáin, the protests later grew to national prominence due to the heavy-handed approach taken by the Garda Síochána and private security firms towards the protestors. The project was jointly managed by Shell E&P Ireland and Statoil Exploration Limited, and supported by the Irish government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Cowen nude portraits controversy</span>

Two oil paintings depicting the then-Taoiseach Brian Cowen in the nude were briefly displayed in Dublin art galleries in March 2009. The response of the media, politicians and the Garda Síochána led to a sustained controversy referred to by some as Portraitgate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder of Shane Geoghegan</span> Murdered rugby player

Shane Geoghegan was an Irish rugby player for Garryowen who was shot and killed in a case of mistaken identity as part of a gang feud in Dooradoyle, a suburb in the city of Limerick, Ireland. The murder took place in the early hours of Sunday morning, 9 November 2008. He had no links with organised crime gangs.

The National Surveillance Unit (NSU) is the principal clandestine intelligence gathering and surveillance operations unit of the Garda Síochána, the national police force of Ireland. The unit operates under the Crime & Security Branch (CSB), based at Garda Headquarters in the Phoenix Park, Dublin, and also works from Harcourt Street, Dublin. Members of the unit are specially trained and selected Detective Gardaí who are tasked to remain covert whilst on and off duty, tracking suspected criminals, terrorists and hostile, foreign spies operating in Ireland. The unit's detectives are routinely armed. The National Surveillance Unit is understood to possess a manpower of approximately 100 officers, and is considered to be the most secretive arm of the force.

Larry Murphy is an Irish convicted felon. After his conviction for kidnapping, repeatedly raping, and attempted murder of a young Carlow woman on 11 February 2000, in the Wicklow Mountains, he was jailed in January 2001. His release from prison less than 10 years later drew widespread criticism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder of Adrian Donohoe</span> Irish police officer murdered during an armed robbery in 2013

Adrian Donohoe was an Irish detective in the Garda Síochána based at Dundalk Garda Station in County Louth, who was fatally shot in Bellurgan on 25 January 2013 during a robbery by an armed gang of five people on a credit union. He was the first garda officer to be murdered in the line of duty since 1996, and was afforded a full state funeral.

The Limerick feud is a feud between rival criminal gangs in Limerick City, Ireland. The feud started between two criminals in the year 2000 and then spread to involve several criminal families, mainly the Keane-Collopy gang from St. Mary's Park and the McCarthy-Dundon gang from Ballinacurra Weston. While control of the drug trade is a factor in the feud, according to Garda Superintendent Gerry Mahon, the primary driving force is "absolute hatred by each side for the other". Up to twenty murders and hundreds of shootings, stabbings, and pipe bomb attacks have been attributed to the feud since it began.

Martin Hyland was a major Irish criminal and gang boss.

The Hutch–Kinahan feud is a major ongoing feud between two criminal organisations in Ireland that has resulted in the deaths of eighteen people, the majority of which have been perpetrated by the Kinahan family. The Hutch gang, led by Gerry Hutch, and the Kinahan Family, led by Daniel Kinahan, are the main participants.

David "Daithí" Douglas, an Irish zookeeper turned criminal, was shot dead on 1 July 2016. He had convictions dating from the 1980s as well as more recent ones and had survived a shooting the previous November. His murder is part of the Hutch–Kinahan feud. In August 2018 'Fat' Freddy Thompson was found guilty of the murder by the Special Criminal Court.

Sinéad Kelly was an Irish prostitute who was murdered in an alleged contract killing in Dublin city on 22 June 1998. As of 2024, her murder remains unsolved.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 McCaffrey, Mick. "Profile – Paul Williams" Archived 19 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine . Sunday Tribune . 26 October 2008.
  2. ↑ "The infamous telephone conversation between John Daly and Joe Duffy on his 'Liveline' programme on May 1 was initially sparked by a discussion between Sinn Fein councillor Christy Burke and 'Sunday World' crime correspondent Paul Williams". Irish Independent. 23 October 2007. Retrieved 23 October 2007.
  3. ↑ Kelly, Tom (28 April 2010). "Describing crime from the front line". Westmeath Examiner. Archived from the original on 5 March 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
  4. 1 2 Carroll, Steven (15 January 2010). "Williams for 'News of the World'". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 5 March 2015.
  5. ↑ Sheridan, Anne (15 November 2014). "Limerick objects to signing by Paul Williams". Limerick Leader. Archived from the original on 5 March 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  6. ↑ Sheridan, Anne (11 November 2014). "Limerick crime book a hit despite local reservations". Limerick Leader. Archived from the original on 5 March 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  7. ↑ Hamilton, Phylis; Williams, Paul (1995). Secret Love: My Life With Father Cleary. Mainstream Publishing. ISBN   978-1-85158-814-5.
  8. ↑ "TV Guide" TV3.
  9. ↑ Boland, John. "If only paul had piped down a bit". Irish Independent. 6 June 2009.
  10. ↑ Looney, Cormac (1 October 2009). "Paul's Corrib documentary fair – watchdog". Evening Herald . Archived from the original on 1 August 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2009.
  11. 1 2 "Paul Williams to have round the clock Garda protection after events of the last few days" Archived 11 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine . 4 May 2007.
  12. ↑ "Man acquitted of threatening journalist". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 16 March 2007. Retrieved 9 June 2007.
  13. ↑ Columnists index."Paul Williams: Crime Writer" Archived 11 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine . Sunday World . 2008.
  14. ↑ O'Loughlin, Ann (31 May 2014). "Nevin trial witness says Sunday World defamed him in 2000". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 5 March 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  15. ↑ "Sunday World apology for libelling Nora Wall". Archived from the original on 5 March 2015.
  16. 1 2 "Sunday World and Paul Willi back in court on Friday". Business & Leadership. 19 January 2010. Archived from the original on 5 March 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2010.
  17. ↑ "Sunday World settles with Williams". The Irish Times. 22 January 2010. Archived from the original on 5 March 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2010.
  18. ↑ "Burglars target Schmidt's home day after match". Irish Independent. 4 March 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  19. ↑ McEnroe, Juno (12 December 2012). "Williams linked to points row". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 5 March 2015. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
  20. ↑ Brennan, Michael (12 December 2012). "TD 'abused privilege' by naming writer and rugby player over penalty points". Irish Independent. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
  21. ↑ Sheahan, Fionnan (12 December 2012). "TD Joan Collins reported to Dáil watchdog for naming journalist and rugby writer in penalty points row". Irish Independent. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
  22. ↑ "I'm looking at you Pauls". 25 March 2014. Archived from the original on 5 March 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.