High Court ruling due in water protest contempt case

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

The High Court was due to decide on Wednesday morning whether three anti-water charge protesters had breached a court order and should face imprisonment or a fine. Mr Justice Paul Gilligan said he would rule on the alleged breaches and any sanctions. The proceedings were reported on 24 November 2014.

GMC Sierra alleged that the men had breached restrictions requiring people to stay at least 20 metres from its workstations and prohibiting interference with company vehicles entering or leaving. The company’s lawyers argued that video footage and oral testimony established breaches in Dublin 13 on 11 November beyond reasonable doubt. The men denied acting unlawfully. Their lawyers disputed whether GMC Sierra had properly authenticated the footage.

The judge struck out GMC Sierra’s application against another man because the documents needed to attach and commit him had not been properly served.

Chief Superintendent Fergus Healy said gardaí had obtained legal advice that the Public Order Act did not cover the enclosed workstation area because it was not considered public. He said the Act applied outside the barriers. He described the dispute between the company and the protesters as civil, saying gardaí relied on water service legislation, under which interfering with a water meter installer was an offence. He said officers had received instructions concerning interference with contractors, but did not reveal their contents.