THIS is the moment disgraced solicitor Cahir O’Higgins reported to prison after being handed 16 months for harassment and assault.
Our exclusive images show the lawyer arriving at Dublin’s Mountjoy Prison to begin his jail sentence for assaulting former colleague Stephen O’Mahony.
O’Higgins was jailed for assaulting former colleague Stephen O’Mahony[/caption]
Before assaulting his victim, O’Higgins sent him a video and said: “I will f***ing get you.”
In our first snap, the 50-year-old legal eagle is seen arriving at the Dublin prison in a taxi.
We then show O’Higgins collecting his suitcase and backpack from the vehicle before making his way into the high-security prison to start his sentence.
O’Higgins arrived at the jail on September 30.
He received the sentence on July 22 after pleading guilty to one count of assaulting Mr O’Mahony and one count of harassing him between June 25, 2020 and February 11, 2021.
But O’Higgins was given time to shut down his law firm and settle his affairs before his jail time started.
He was also allowed to fly to Spain for a week in July and also to cycle at the Gran Fondo World Championships in Denmark in September.
One source said: “He would have been used to visiting prisons to meet his clients but this time it’s going to be his home for a good while.
“He may have thought he was the big man when he was in court but it’s a different story in prison.
“It’s hard to believe that someone who had such a big legal firm is now behind bars.”
‘SUCCESSFUL PRACTICE’
Shortly before his sentence, O’Higgins posted on social media that he was closing his firm — described in court as the “most successful practice in the country” — due to a “variety of circumstances”.
He said he intended to “retire by 50 and I’m glad one way or another that gift and opportunity has been given to me”.
And he said criminal law “should be about kindness and getting people a second chance”.
‘PEACE AND QUIET’
O’Higgins also said he was “looking forward to peace and quiet” before saying: “I’m off to learn a few lessons.”
But there was no mention of his conviction for breaking his former colleague’s nose or subjecting his victim to a prolonged campaign of harassment.
The only reference to his sentence came from another social media user who said: “All the best, enjoy your time in prison.”
During sentencing, Judge Kenneth Connolly described his actions as “deranged”, “thuggish” and “despicable”.
‘IRRATIONAL OBSESSION’
The senior judge said: “The harassment arose from an irrational obsession deriving from the fact the two parties were in competition for the same work.”
O’Higgins initially received a 32-month sentence but the last 16 months were suspended on a number of conditions, including that he has no contact with his victim, his wife or his family.
The court also heard how he had been convicted of a public order offence when he abused two plain clothes gardai while he was out cycling.
