Courts / Longford / Report
Appeal court having enough difficulty finding English-speaking judges, president remarks
Summary
The Court of Appeal has adjourned the appeal of Dónall Billings, a 67-year-old from Drumlish, County Longford, to a future list in July. Billings was previously found guilty by the Special Criminal Court of possessing an explosive substance at Longford railway station car park on May 16, 2011. He was also convicted of making false reports on May 16, 18, and 20, 2011, alleging bombs were placed at Busáras, Sinn Féin headquarters, Dublin Castle, and Cork airport during Queen Elizabeth's state visit. Mr Justice Tony Hunt, presiding with Judges Martin Nolan and Cormac Dunne, sentenced Billings to eight-and-a-half years' imprisonment, noting he was not entitled to express low opinions of the Queen through criminality. Concurrent terms were imposed for the false reports. Billings has lodged an appeal against his conviction and sentence. During case management, his barrister, Lyndsay Duffy, formally applied for the appeal to be heard in Irish by three Irish-speaking judges. President of the Court of Appeal, Mr Justice George Birmingham, stated the court faces an "immediate crisis" due to a judge shortage, leaving only five judges available to sit unrestrictedly. He remarked on the difficulty of finding three English-speaking judges, let alone Irish-speaking ones. The matter was adjourned to allow time for the court to reach full composition and determine its linguistic capacity. No final decision on the appeal has been made.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Appeal court having enough difficulty finding English-speaking judges, president remarks. Procedural stage: appeal. Findings: Found guilty
When:
- May 16th, 2011 Incident
- May 16 Incident
- May 18, 2011 Incident
- May 20th Other
- 2018-06-01 Publication
Why: On Thursday, Mr Justice Birmingham said the Court of Appeal was faced with an "immediate crisis" because two of the court's ten judges retired this year and have not been replaced while three more are to retire in the coming weeks and months. CNI source report
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Finding: Found guilty
Outcome: Found guilty; Sentencing him to eight-and-a-half years imprisonment, Mr Justice Tony Hunt, presiding alongside Judge Martin Nolan and Judge Cormac Dunne, said that Billings was "perfectly entitled to hold a low opinion" of Queen Elizabeth and her visit to Ireland but "not entitled to express such an opinion by engaging in criminality". Billings has lodged an appeal against his conviction and sentence.
Places mentioned
- Court of Appeal
- Ireland's appeal court
- Special Criminal Court
Topics
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