Catherine the Fake Q&A podcast special: Who is she, and why should people care? 

In this special edition podcast, we seek to answer the question 'who is Catherine O'Brien' – and many others
Catherine the Fake Q&A podcast special: Who is she, and why should people care? 

Who is Catherine O’Brien, and why should people care? 

Alleged fraudster Catherine O'Brien has left a trail of destruction in her wake, from the west coast, across the Midlands and south, to the east coast. 

So why is it only in recent years that the spotlight has come on her, including from the Criminal Assets Bureau who secured a High Court judgement endorsing the bureau’s seizure of one of her vehicles earlier this year?

The Buttevant woman has issued judicial review proceedings following her conviction in her absence of animal cruelty over the seizure of horses in Wexford in 2019. The case is to be heard next July. 

Presently, a bench warrant exists for her arrest for sentencing in that case, and she is also sought for questioning about alleged scams in the horse industry.

But who is Catherine O’Brien, and why should people care? 

Catherine the Fake, the trail
Catherine the Fake, the trail

In this special edition podcast, we seek to answer that question – and many others. 

Since the Irish Examiner published the first three podcasts in the Catherine the Fake series in October, several questions have been posed by listeners about the woman who is now a wanted person by gardaí. Questions are also being asked by people she stung in different schemes, who are keen to track her down. 

Here, reporter Ann Murphy answers those questions in conversation with Irish Examiner news editor Deirdre O’Shaughnessy.

Two more episodes of Catherine the Fake will be released over the Christmas period; When in Rome, and Tall Tales in Tipperary. 

Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or acast.

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