EXCLUSIVE | 

Warrant issued for AWOL Irish former super-heavyweight boxing champion

Judge is furious as businessman fails to turn up in court to face charge of model airplane damage at Ryanair headquarters

Yesterday at 12:55

A warrant has been issued for the arrest of an Irish former super-heavyweight boxing champion who didn’t turn up in court for arraignment this week because he was too busy conducting business in Bolivia.

John Kinsella (54), who was also previously a pilot and aviation broker, was due before Dublin Circuit Court on Wednesday for arraignment on charges relating to an alleged incident at Ryanair HQ in Swords last year.

Kinsella, who currently lives in Spain but whose address was given as Dunshaughlin, Co Meath, was charged with damaging a model Ryanair plane at the company’s Dublin offices on May 4 last year.

A previous court sitting had heard Kinsella had been charged with threatening and abusive behaviour on the same date.

When his case was called before Judge Martin Nolan at Dublin Circuit Court on Wednesday, his legal representative said he didn’t turn up as he had important business meetings abroad.

“He’s not present today. He lives in Spain. He has business meetings today be present next week,” his representative said.

Judge Nolan responded with incredulity and said if he didn’t turn up the next day a warrant would be issued for Kinsella’s arrest.

“Tomorrow or I get a bench warrant. Nobody is entitled not to attend,” Judge Nolan said.

“If he is not here a bench warrant will be issued. Mr Kinsella, like everyone, shows up. If he doesn’t show up tomorrow there’ll be a bench warrant,” he said.

The following day when the case was called again Kinsella’s legal representative said he was not present and said the earliest he could get back was next Wednesday.

He told Judge Nolan that Kinsella was in Bolivia conducting business.

“Bench warrant. The sheer arrogance of him to leave this jurisdiction,” Judge Nolan said.

Kinsella’s barrister explained that he currently lives in Spain.

“He might not be going back to Spain when he turns up,” replied Judge Nolan. “I have no tolerance for people who don’t show up.”

When Kinsella appeared in court last year on the same charges, gardai objected to the fact he had been granted legal aid, saying he was living and working in Spain and gardai believed he was “a man of substantial means”.

Kinsella was born in Luton in England but grew up in Dublin and lived for a number of years in Meath before more recently moving to Spain.

He was a Irish national boxing champion and one-time bouncer who then went on to become a high-flying businessman setting up a company involved in the executive aviation industry.

He has been the director of a number of companies, some of which have been based abroad.