Judge with a taste for the controversial

THE ruling in the Brian Curtin case is the latest in a series of headline-attracting decisions from the bench of Judge Carroll Moran.

Six months ago, his no-nonsense approach to the law saw him issue a warrant for the arrest of a Co Kerry garda who failed to appear at the circuit court in Listowel to give evidence in an appeal against a drink-driving conviction.

Non-appearances by gardaí at court hearings are rarely questioned and usually put down to unavoidable absence or a clash of duties, but Judge Moran sent out a clear message that a date with his court is an unmissable obligation.