STAR WARS fundraiser to help orphaned children of Jason Corbett

A STAR WARS fundraiser tonight is to use "the force" to raise funds for the orphaned children and family of slain Limerick man Jason Corbett.

STAR WARS fundraiser to help orphaned children of Jason Corbett

By David Raleigh

A STAR WARS fundraiser tonight is to use "the force" to raise funds for the orphaned children and family of slain Limerick man Jason Corbett.

Jedi knights will battle Stormtrooper soldiers at the Odeon, Limerick, and pose for pictures with cinema goers at a special VIP screening of new Star Wars movie, The Force Awakens.

Jason Corbett, 36, was found dead in his home in North Carolina last August after he sustained serious head injuries.

His wife Molly Martens and her father Thomas, a former FBI investigator, have been questioned by police over the death, but they have not been officially named as suspects.

A file has been prepared for the District Attorney's Office in Davidson County, North Carolina, to consider whether or not charges will be made against Ms Martens, and or, her father.

Following his death, Mr Corbett's children, Jack (11) and Sarah (10) whose mother Mags died from cancer, were placed in the care of his sister Treacy Lynch and her husband David, following a prolonged custody battle with Ms Martens, the children's stepmother.

Limerick duo, Jason Nash and Mike Buckley, who help raise funds for Mid-West charities, came up with the idea of a Star Wars fundraiser.

All monies raised will go towards the "Jason's Journey" charity set up by Mr Corbett's family, after they were hit with massive legal bills from the custody battle in the US courts.

The family have incurred legal costs of over €130,000, in addition to other travel and accommodation costs.

Around €30,000 has been raised to date.

Jason Nash, who is one of Mr Corbett's son's rugby coaches at Young Munsters RFC, said: "Why we decided to raise money for Jason's Journey is because his son Jack plays rugby with my son Brandon for the Young Munster U-12 team."

"Myself and my friend Mike Buckley have raised money for all sorts of charities including Crumlin Children's Hospital, and for kids with Autism, and we always try to do it with a big production and try something different," he explained.

"I got in touch with the people who have Star Wars costumes and they're a coming down for tonight's event. It's a ticket-only event at the Odeon Cinema," he added.

Around 160 tickets have been sold for tonight's special movie screening.

Those lucky enough to be attending the Star Wars themed event will get to meet their favourite Star Wars characters before watching the movie.

"Jack plays in the out-half position and out on the wing, and he's showing plenty of promise," Mr Nash added.

"He's actually very tasty on the pitch and he's not frightened of the contact side of the game," he said.

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