Courts / Dublin / Report

Jobstown accused may have bail conditions changed to stop them commenting on trials

Date
2017-07-25

Stage
Trial

Primary locality
Tallaght

County
Dublin

Summary

During a pre‑trial hearing at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 25 July 2017, Judge Melanie Greally addressed the defendants remanded on bail in the 2014 Jobstown water protest case. She explained that she was considering changing their bail conditions to prohibit them from commenting on the trials online, citing the need to protect the integrity of the proceedings. The judge noted that the first trial, which concluded in May with the acquittal of all six accused, had seen non‑trials participants post remarks on social media, and that a defendant's commentary near the end of that trial had almost derailed the process. She warned that any attempt to influence the jury selection or public opinion could be treated as contempt of court and lead to prosecution. Lawyers for some defendants objected to linking bail conditions to commentary, but the judge agreed to hear the matter in full on Friday.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Jobstown accused may have bail conditions changed to stop them commenting on trials. Procedural stage: trial

When:

November 15th, 2014 Incident
2017-07-25 Publication

Case subjects

Unnamed defendant 1

Defendant

Outcome: During a pre-trial hearing at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court today, Judge Melanie Greally told lawyers for the accused, who are all remanded on bail awaiting trial, that she wanted to protect the integrity of the upcoming trials.

Unnamed defendant 2

Defendant

Unnamed defendant 3

Defendant

Unnamed defendant 4

Defendant

Unnamed defendant 5

Defendant

Unnamed defendant 6

Defendant