In a rural Kerry town, District Court returns after summer recess and there’s an eclectic mix of cases
The KerrymanIt was a brisk day of court in Dingle last Friday, as Judge Catherine Ryan presided over the monthly Dingle District Court.
District Court is for local matters and a small group gathered in the butter-yellow courtroom on the first day after the court’s summer break.
With County Kerry’s usual judge, David Waters, on leave, Judge Ryan sat at the bench.
In all, the session lasted an hour, a relief after a seven-hour day in the chill of Tralee Courthouse two days earlier.
“I know you’re all in a hurry to get to Listowel,” said Judge Ryan, acknowledging the Listowel Races.
In criminal matters, the judge heard a case in for mention regarding a man who allegedly loaded a trolley with €1,306 worth of alcohol and walked out the front door of a Dingle supermarket on March 12.
He returned the next day and did it again, stocking the trolley with €3,528 of alcohol, said Detective Sergeant Chris Manton.
“What kind of a trolley do we have that holds that amount of alcohol?” asked the judge.
“It would be at the upper end,” said Sgt Chris Manton.
“I’ve never heard of one with that amount of alcohol,” said the judge.
“Mostly spirits, judge,” said the defendant’s solicitor, Brendan Ahern.
Two had driving licences renewed after drink driving charges, while a young man had his revoked for three years and 14 days, with a €450 fine.
“Obviously, this is going to have an impact on your life,” Judge Ryan told the man standing in the gallery at the back of the courtroom. The next time, she warned, he could face a prison sentence.
There was a drugs charge for possession of €10 worth of cocaine, for which Judge Ryan convicted and fined the defendant €400.
“It’s an expensive habit,” she said, noting it was a second offence. “It’s going to get more expensive and more serious as time goes on.”
The court heard of a Dingle man who allegedly set off fireworks by his children on Christmas Day, resulting in a ‘superficial burn’ his ex-partner reported to gardai.
“Maybe it’s not unusual in Dingle?” the judge asked about the fireworks.
“Three years in Dingle, I’ve never seen it,” said Sgt Manton.
Then came a man charged for operating a taxi without a licence when his vehicle was in the garage.
As witnessed at the Cahersiveen courthouse earlier this month, the bulk of summons were for unpaid TV licences. These 16 cases were found by an inspector who walked up Goat Street and adjacent Dingle lanes last August and September. Most were withdrawn but five outstanding households had losses totalling €1,280.
Judge Ryan ordered defendants pay €150 fines and cover legal expenses.
The judge renewed annual dance licences, postponed a summons for a groomsman due at a wedding, transferred a bar licence, and renewed permission for a Dingle pub to serve alcohol in the morning, an exemption said to be “a longstanding tradition” from mart days.
Finally, she granted licences for Dingle Food Festival.
“I have only seen it on TV,” she remarked.
“Given that you granted the licence, you should come down and inspect it, judge,” suggested Sgt Manton.
Solicitor Padraig O’Connell thanked Judge Ryan on behalf of Kerry’s solicitors, gardaí and court staff for her service at the county’s courts over the week. And then, it was off to the races.