Klass Dirk Meijvogel’s fishing penalty quashed by appeal court

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

The Court of Appeal quashed a confiscation penalty imposed on Klass Dirk Meijvogel over a fishing offence in Irish waters. In its judgment on 25 July 2023, the court found the forfeiture may have been disproportionate.

Meijvogel pleaded not guilty to a single fishing offence. A jury found him guilty by a 10-2 majority at Cork Circuit Criminal Court in 2015.

The offence concerned automatic grading equipment aboard the Wiron 5, of which he was captain. The equipment was fitted in a way that did not ensure the immediate freezing of graded fish and did not prevent marine organisms from being returned to the sea. The case arose from an inspection on 11 February 2015.

On 27 July 2015, Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin ordered the forfeiture of the catch, valued at €344,960, and gear worth €55,000. Meijvogel was also fined €500.

The appeal court found that the judge had been led into error when prosecution counsel and a solicitor for Meijvogel told him he had no discretion and had to order the forfeiture. The court said it would later hear arguments on an appropriate and proportionate penalty.

This report covers an earlier stage of the case. Later developments are not reported here.