Courts / Dublin / Report
Five water meter protesters committed to prison for contempt of court
Summary
In a High Court ruling on 19 February 2015, Mr Justice Paul Gilligan committed five water‑meter protesters to prison for contempt of court after they breached a 20‑metre exclusion zone around GMC Sierra installation sites. The court found the protesters' actions amounted to harassment and intimidation of GMC Sierra workers, who had been threatened during meter installation. Damien O'Neill (46) of Coolock and Paul Moore (age not stated) were sentenced to 56 days' imprisonment, the second finding of contempt against them. Mother‑of‑three Bernie Hughes (age not stated) of Finglas, father‑of‑two Derek Byrne (36) of Donaghmede, and father‑of‑three Michael Batty (64) of Raheny were sentenced to 28 days' imprisonment, though Batty's committal was stayed until Tuesday due to his health‑related absence from Ireland. The judge awarded GMC Sierra costs for the five respondents. No other protesters were found in contempt, and the court denied relief to two others.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Five water meter protesters committed to prison for contempt of court. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision
When:
- November 5th Hearing Or Sentence
- December 8 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2015-02-19 Publication
Why: Mother-of-three Bernie Hughes of McKelvey Avenue, Finglas and father-of-two Derek Byrne (36) of Streamville Road, Donaghmede were sent to prison for 28 days, while a fifth man father-of-three Michael Batty (64) of Edenmore Avenue, Raheny had a stay put on his committal to prison until Tuesday because he is currently out of the country for health reasons. CNI source report
Places mentioned
- The High Court
- High Court
- Greenwood Park
- McKelvey Avenue
- Streamville Road
- Donaghmede
- Edenmore Avenue
- Tonlegee Drive
- Mount Olive Road
Topics
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