SLIGO international show jumper Michael Kearins has been released from custody after a charge of allegedly handling a stolen horse was dropped.

The Sligo Champion reported that Kearins (43) of Koolwijkerbroek, Gelderland, The Netherlands had been in custody since May on a charge that on a date unknown between January 1st, 2022 and May 25th, 2022, both dates inclusive, that within the State he knowingly handled a stolen horse, Currina Diamond Tiara. The accused had been served with a book of evidence in the matter with a trial date for December at Sligo Circuit Court.

At a sitting of Mullingar Circuit Court last Friday, the charge against Kearins was withdrawn by the State.

Commenting on the outcome, Kevin Winters of KRW Law told The Sligo Champion: “We are pleased that this matter has finally come to an end and that Michael has been cleared of the allegations against him.

“We were always confident that this day would come for Michael and his family, but that confidence does not diminish the very real human cost of what he has endured.

“Michael enjoys a reputation as one of Ireland’s international show jumpers. He now wants to get back to work, return to his family and begin rebuilding his life after spending a prolonged period in custody for an offence of which he maintains, and has always maintained, his innocence.

“Tragically, he missed the birth of his newborn daughter. Those are precious moments that can never be recovered. The time he has spent in custody is time he will never get back, and the consequences for him and his family have been profound.

“While Michael understandably wants to put this experience behind him and move forward, we are actively considering a complaint to Fiosrú concerning the decision to prosecute in the first place. There are serious issues regarding the integrity of the prosecution evidence which, in our view, warrant careful and independent scrutiny.”