Courts / Tipperary / Report

Anti-water charge protester spared jail after apologising for breaching court order

Summary

Michael Batty, a water‑meter protester, had been committed to prison for contempt of court in November 2014. He apologised for breaching a court order that barred him from coming within 20 metres of installation works and gave a solemn undertaking to obey the order. Judge Paul Gilligan suspended Batty's 28‑day sentence for six months. The High Court had released his clients on a habeas corpus application. Solicitor Cahir O'Higgins, representing the protest group, noted that the release was a technical victory and that the clients respected the process. The protest group, led by Damien O'Neill and supported by Bernie Hughes, said they would continue to oppose water‑meter installation and that the campaign would move forward. No criticism of the High Court judge was made. The order remains in force.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Anti-water charge protester spared jail after apologising for breaching court order. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• November 5, 2014 Hearing Or Sentence
• 2015-03-09 Publication

Why: As a solicitor acting on behalf of people who find themselves in custody, it's very important we vindicate their entitlements to accessing the justice system correctly and sometimes this involves litigating technical points in order to garner advantage or liberty for the clients in those type of circumstances. CNI source report

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Sentence

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Read the original CNI report