Virgin Media removes episode of programme which showed man's body

High Court Reporters

Virgin Media TV has removed from its streaming service an episode of a programme which is at the centre of a High Court dispute over the use of footage of a man's dead body as he lay on the floor of his flat during an ambulance call-out.

Two sisters of the deceased, Bernard Slean, had brought proceedings over the programme entitled First Timers on the Frontline after footage of their brother's body was included in one episode.

Jennifer McCaffrey and Alison Lynch claim there was a trespass on the flat at Ayrfield, Dublin, on October 8th 2025, as well as a breach of privacy.

The sisters owned the apartment jointly with their brother as part of family wishes that Bernard would live there as long as he had addiction issues, the court heard previously.

The sisters' case is against Virgin and the independent filmmakers who made the series, Alley Cat Films Ltd.

The sisters first wanted an injunction that the material be taken down from the streaming service and from social media.

Alley Cat gave an undertaking last week not to publish the material pending further order, but Virgin disputed the breach of privacy claim and said there was a counter-balancing public interest in the broadcast.

The court was due to hear on Wednesday the sisters' application for an injunction that the material be taken down.

However, their barrister Conor Bowman SC told the court Virgin's director of programming, Anthony Niland, had stated in an affidavit that the episode had been taken down from the streaming service and the material from social media and would not be published pending resolution of the dispute.

In view of that, counsel said, it had been agreed there was no need to proceed with the injunction application.

Judge Brian Cregan noted the undertakings and struck out the injunction proceedings. The alleged breach of privacy and trespass proceedings remain to be dealt with.
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