Courts / Ireland / Report

Prison Service asked to attend court and clarify Covid disruption

Summary

In a Central Criminal Court hearing on 16 November 2021, a senior counsel requested that a representative of the Irish Prison Service attend to explain why his client could not be produced for trial. The counsel argued that the client, remanded at Cloverhill Prison, could not be brought to court or via video link because the prison had been locked down for Covid testing. He said that communications through media and informal channels were insufficient for a client entitled to a trial. Justice Paul McDermott agreed to invite a senior Prison Service member to clarify the lockdown situation and the inability to produce prisoners. The court registrar was instructed to forward the request to the Prison Service before adjournment. The judge noted that Covid‑19 outbreaks in the prison network were causing ongoing disruption to criminal cases. The matter was adjourned to the next day.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Prison Service asked to attend court and clarify Covid disruption. Procedural stage: charge_or_pretrial

When:

• 2021-11-16 Publication

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Charge Or Pretrial

Read the original CNI report