Arrest of council candidate ordered

The High Court has ordered the arrest of a local election candidate over her failure to remove allegedly defamatory material about Bundoran Town Council posted on YouTube.

Mr Justice Paul Gilligan ordered Patricia McCafferty, who is seeking election as an Independent to Donegal County Council, be arrested and brought before the court to answer claims of contempt of orders directing her to remove the video clips posted by her.

The council claims its members and officials have been defamed in the posts in which allegations of corruption, fraud and intimidation are made by Ms McCafferty, a former traffic warden who was dismissed in 2008 by the council.

The council claims the clips are highly defamatory of its employees and elected members.

Orders were granted against Ms McCafferty, Rockingham, Main Street, Bundoran on May 1st last directing her to remove the YouTube posts and also remove large signs in the town alleging members and officials in the town council are corrupt.

While the signs in the town have been removed, the posts have not been removed from YouTube, the court heard yesterday. Ms McCafferty was not in court for the application and was not represented.