Suspended jail term for drug offence
A NORTHERN Ireland insurance company has apologised after using an article about the death of a Co Antrim mountain climber to promote travel insurance.
Barney Dobbin (25) was killed in December 2018 after reaching the summit of Mount Chimborazo, South America’s highest mountain.
Mr Dobbin, who came from Artlone, a small townland between Randalstown and Toome, was a teacher at the British School in Quito, Ecuador.
His friends expressed shock after Compare NI posted an article on its website about his death, with details of its travel insurance packages at the end. The website has since taken down the article.
His friend Niall Quinn (24), whose brother was also good friends with Barney, was one of the first to spot the article and spoke about it to the BBC’s Nolan programme yesterday.
“I was shocked when my brother sent me the article. We wrote them an email. I thought it would be best if they just took it down, we wouldn’t have to contact Barney’s family,” he told the Belfast Telegraph.
“We never heard back from them and that’s when I decided to tweet them.”
Barney’s family were too distressed to speak about the article, which Mr Quinn described as “disgusting”.
The Compare NI article also had advice on taking out specialised travel insurance cover with the company for anyone undertaking high-altitude mountain ascents overseas.
“It is also important for any overseas travel insurance to include cover to ensure the body of the deceased can be repatriated,” the post read. The article has now been removed from Compare NI’s website.
The company had yet to contact Mr Quinn or Barney’s family to apologise directly for the post, he said yesterday. Mr Quinn said he wants to get justice for his friend, who he says would do the same for anyone in a similar position.
“I owe so much to Barney,” he said, of the man he knew for more than a decade and who shared his love of hiking and music. He described Mr Dobbin as someone who always advocated for others and who showed a special devotion to children with additional needs while working at Camp America in the United States.
“I wouldn’t have gotten a 2.1 in my degree without him. He once called me for two hours to reassure me and when I was running the Dublin Marathon in 2018, he texted me at 3am Ecuador time to wish me good luck just before I set off.
“We spoke at least every second day on the phone or Whatsapp. He was my best friend.”
Mr Quinn, who has since run the Belfast Marathon to raise money for the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust in memory of his friend, said he’s calling on Compare NI to make a donation to the charity and to the Mourne Mountain Rescue Team.
He said the company’s decision to delete the article was not “good enough”, adding: “It’s disrespecting Barney’s legacy — he was one of a kind.”
In a statement, Compare NI managing director Ian Wilson said: “On reflection, we completely understand why the family feels this article was not sensitive to their loss, we have removed it from our website.”
A CUSTOMER who spilled Class C tablets in a Coleraine chip shop “fell asleep” on the floor as he tried to pick them up, the town’s magistrates court has heard.
Steven McCloskey (29), of Rosemary Place in Coleraine, admitted unlawful possession of Diazepam on February 5 this year.
Police arrived and found the defendant heavily under the influence, the court heard.
There were 22 tablets and some fragments of Diazepam at the scene. The defendant told police he bought them from “someone down the street”.
Defence solicitor Garrett Greene said McCloskey had “long-standing difficulties with drugs”.
District Judge Peter King said the defendant had matters at other courts and said “it is quite clear you are labouring under a number of other difficulties”.
McCloskey was given a one month jail sentence, suspended for 18 months, for possessing Class C drugs.