PAWS is accused of illegal trading

FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE IRISH MAIL ON SUNDAY ON 12/06/2011

By: Michael O’Farrell
Investigations Editor

ANIMAL welfare charity Paws may face prosecution for alleged illegal street trading, the Irish Mail on Sunday can reveal.

Confirmation of a Garda investigation into the animal rescue centre for breach of the casual trading act came when gardaí in Clonmel objected in open court to an application for a lottery licence that the charity had been seeking.

The application – which would have allowed Paws to run a nationwide lottery with prizes of up to €25,000 – was made on May 18 in Clonmel District Court.

Both Paws founder Gina Hetherington and her main fundraiser, Tevian Mirrelson, were present in the court with their legal advisers. Mrs Hetherington maintains that she is not worried about the investigations, and that she believes there is a vendetta against her.

PAWS had received an identical lottery permit last year. It is not known how much the registered charity earned from fundraising connected to the licence.

But during this year’s application hearing Inspector Kevin Bowen of Clonmel Garda station stated that gardaí wished to oppose the granting of the lottery licence because gardaí were processing a number of cases against the Tipperarybased animal welfare charity.

Judge Eamon O’Brien adjourned the matter for three months to allow for the concerns expressed by gardaí to be addressed.

Mrs Hetherington told the MoS she was aware of three cases, including one in Limerick. She said she understood another one had been dropped because the street trading concerned had occurred in a private shopping centre.

The third case, involving a teenager selling Santa hats for Paws without the correct permit in Thurles is understood to be continuing.

However, mrs Hetherington said she was not concerned about the possible prosecution.

‘This is a kid selling Santa hats at Christmas and because a person with an agenda has complained the guards have to do something about it,’ she said. ‘it’s a prosecution under the Casual Trading Act so it’s a fine of €120. What annoys me about it is the fact that a person with a vendetta had done it.’

Mrs Hetherington has publicly acknowledged the role played by her fundraiser, Mr Mirrelson, although she has steadfastly refused to answer questions about what company, if any, he is operating through. Mr Mirrelson said he was ‘contracted’ by Paws and like many fundraisers for other charities received a commission for his work.

A fortnight ago panto queen Twink was at the centre of a mystery over the fate of a four-figure sum she helped raise for the charity during an event in Co Cork. Paws said Twink told them €1,600 had been collected at a performance of cult show The Vagina monologues more than two years ago. However, a money order for the donation is believed to have disappeared.

Twink has never commented on the claims.

Paws attracted considerable criticism last summer as a nationwide campaign was rolled out using student volunteers who earned commission selling Paws-branded merchandise, which according to locally based groups takes up donations that would otherwise go to local dog homes.

The matter has featured in several local newspapers throughout the country as individual groups accuse Paws of operating a team of so-called ‘chuggers’ – charity muggers. Emotions have even become so fraught that a ‘boycott Paws’ Facebook campaign has been posted online.

Mary Chundee, who runs the Friends of Animals shelter in Westmeath, said her efforts to fundraise were being frustrated by Paws. ‘We can’t stop them. What they’re doing is perfectly legal,’ she said. ‘We don’t have the manpower, the resources or the time to compete with this.’ Mrs Hetherington has defended her organisation’s right to collect funds throughout the country, accusing her critics of ‘professional jealousy’.