Paul Kelly, Console Charity, a Sad End.

PAUL KELLY CONSOLE CHARITY SUICIDE BEFORE COURT CASE FULL DETAILS

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Paul Kelly was the founder and former chief executive of Console, an Irish suicide prevention and bereavement charity established in 2002. The charity collapsed in 2016 following a major scandal involving financial mismanagement, which severely damaged public trust in Ireland’s charity sector. Below is a detailed account of the events leading to Kelly’s death by suicide in February 2020, just before he was due to face court charges, based on available information.

Background and the Console Scandal

• Founding of Console: Kelly founded Console, reportedly motivated by the suicide of his sister, Sharon Kelly, in 1995. He claimed her death inspired him to address the lack of counseling services for those bereaved by suicide. However, discrepancies emerged about the timeline and details of her death (e.g., Kelly claimed she died in 2001 and was 21, but she was 23 and died in 1995).
• Financial Mismanagement: In June 2016, an RTÉ Prime Time investigation exposed significant financial irregularities at Console. Between 2012 and 2014, Kelly, his wife Patricia, and their son Tim allegedly ran up credit card bills of nearly €500,000 on personal expenses, including:
  • Designer clothes, groceries, foreign holidays (e.g., trips to Hong Kong, New Zealand, and Australia).
  • Luxury cars (a €47,000 Mercedes CLS for Paul and a €40,000 Audi Q5 for Patricia).
  • Rugby World Cup tickets and other lavish expenditures.
• Scale of Misconduct: A Health Service Executive (HSE) audit revealed that the Kelly family benefited from €491,649 in salaries and cars, with an additional €464,777 spent via 11 charity credit cards. Approximately €223,000 was funneled into Paul and Patricia’s personal accounts through fraudulent invoices and payments. Console received €2.03 million in state funding (mostly from the HSE) between 2010 and 2016.
• Impact on Console: The charity, which operated Ireland’s only national suicide helpline and employed 58 part-time counselors serving over 300 clients, was liquidated in July 2016. Its services, including the 24/7 helpline, were transferred to Pieta House. The scandal led to a sharp decline in donations to the broader charity sector.
• Public and Legal Fallout: Kelly resigned in June 2016 after the exposé. He was ordered to return a 2014 People of the Year award, and the High Court issued injunctions to prevent him from accessing Console’s bank accounts and credit cards. A liquidator later sought judgments totaling €750,000 against Paul, Patricia, and Tim Kelly.

Investigations and Charges

• ODCE Investigation: The Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE) launched a probe into Console’s affairs, securing a High Court order in July 2018 to examine material on the charity’s computers. The investigation focused on potential breaches of company law and fraud. It was criticized for taking over three years to bring charges, which delayed justice.
• Decision to Charge: In early February 2020, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) authorized over ten charges against Paul Kelly for fraud and breaches of company law related to his role at Console. However, Kelly was not immediately arrested due to a hospital stay following a suspected overdose on February 3, 2020.
• Patricia Kelly’s Case: Patricia Kelly faced charges of fraudulent trading and concealing crime proceeds in March 2020. She later pleaded guilty in December 2023 to a single count of failing to keep proper books of account (not willfully), receiving a €1,500 fine in February 2024. The court noted that the “lion’s share” of evidence pointed to Paul, who controlled the accounts, and Patricia was living in “straitened circumstances” on a widow’s pension.

Paul Kelly’s Death

• Suicide in February 2020: On February 9, 2020, Paul Kelly, aged 62, was found dead in the garage of his home in Alexandra Manor, Clane, Co Kildare, by his wife Patricia. An inquest in September 2020 confirmed his death was caused by asphyxiation due to hanging. He left a “deeply personal, loving, and warm-hearted” handwritten note to his family.
• Context of Death: Kelly’s suicide occurred just days after the DPP’s decision to charge him and a week after a failed suicide attempt on February 3, when he was hospitalized in Navan, Co Meath, for a suspected overdose. He signed himself out of the hospital before taking his life. Gardaí treated the incident as a “personal tragedy” and found no evidence of foul play.
• Prior Threats: In July 2016, after his arrest by Gardaí for his own safety (following concerns he might drive into Dun Laoghaire harbour), Kelly had vowed to take his own life. This followed the public exposure of his lavish lifestyle funded by Console’s resources.

Kelly’s Background and Character

• Pattern of Deception: Kelly was described as a “Walter Mitty” figure with a history of fabricating identities. In the 1980s, he posed as a doctor, priest, pilot, and social worker, and faced court for impersonating a doctor in 1983 (avoiding jail via the Probation Act). He also ran a charity, Christian Development Services, in the 1980s, which faced similar financial controversies.
• Console Operations: Whistleblower Tommy Morris and former counselors described Kelly as elusive, always “on the phone” and running the charity with “smoke and mirrors.” Suspicions about his genuineness dated back to 2008, when a whistleblower raised concerns.
• Public Persona: Despite his deceptive practices, Kelly was eloquent on suicide prevention, inspiring some, like journalists, while others found him arrogant. His 2014 People of the Year award cemented his public image before the scandal.

Broader Impact and Aftermath

• Charity Sector Damage: The Console scandal, described as a “tactical and considered web of deceit” by interim CEO David Hall, caused a “plummeting of public confidence” in charities, leading to a difficult fundraising environment. It prompted the Irish government to strengthen the Charities Regulator’s investigative powers.
• Unanswered Questions: Kelly’s death left many questions unresolved, as he never faced trial. Campaigners like David Hall called for a review of the ODCE’s slow investigation and better protections for the charity sector.
• Tim Kelly’s Denial: Tim Kelly, who ran Console’s UK branch, has denied any wrongdoing in ongoing civil proceedings by the liquidator. He has not faced criminal charges.

Critical Notes

• The delay in the ODCE investigation (over three years) was widely criticized, potentially contributing to the lack of closure in the case.
• While Kelly’s actions caused significant harm, his death was acknowledged as a personal tragedy for his family, with no one wishing for his suicide.
• The narrative around Kelly’s motivations (e.g., his sister’s death) was inconsistent, raising questions about his sincerity, though the charity did provide valuable services before its collapse.