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Garda Commissioner has not contested station bail policy cases, High Court hears

Summary

In a High Court hearing on 8 July 2024, the Garda Commissioner was not challenged in two separate judicial review cases concerning the alleged unlawful policy of refusing station bail to men accused of breaching domestic violence orders. The first case involved a man in family‑law proceedings who was detained after a former partner alleged he had breached a Protection Order by shouting at her. He was denied station bail, held overnight, and granted bail the next day by a District Court judge. The second case concerned a man arrested for breaching a barring order that prohibited him from entering his residence; he too was denied station bail, held overnight, and released the following day. Both men, represented by Stephen Faulkner, argue that the Commissioner's 2017 Domestic Abuse Policy, which bars station bail for such offences, lacks legal basis, is unlawful and unreasonable.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Garda Commissioner has not contested station bail policy cases, High Court hears. Procedural stage: charge_or_pretrial

When:

• 2024-07-08 Publication

Why: The man, after being refused station bail because of the nature of the charge, was held in custody overnight before being granted bail by a District Court judge the following day. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Charge Or Pretrial Violent Crime

Read the original CNI report