Bench vacancies leave judge with ‘crucifying’ caseload

THE “temporary unavailability” of judges led to one man doing the work of possibly three at Limerick District Court yesterday.

The “crucifying” workload handled on a regular basis by Judge Eamon O’Brien has been compared to the number of cases before the district court in Cork city — where three district court sittings are held on a daily basis.

The appointment of a second district court judge in Limerick had been expected yesterday.

But a spokesman for the Courts Service said the appointment had not been made due to the temporary unavailability of judges, as a result of several vacancies on the district court bench. But for Judge O’Brien, it was business as usual.

Inspector Brendan McDonagh, prosecuting both garda and DPP cases, had 154 files on his bench near the witness box.

He remarked: “It’s back-breaking just to bring the pile of files into the court... I have never come across the type of workload you get in this court and I have been in the force for over 30 years.

“The number of files is astronomic but nothing out of the ordinary for a Wednesday sitting here.” Each file, he said, had to be examined thoroughly before court. “You have to ensure Garda witnesses are available and this is a strain on Garda resources, given the number of gardaí who have to be present in court any day,” he said.

The massive stack of files, however, did not tell the whole story.

During the sitting, bench warrants arrived and had to be dealt with, along with fresh charges in cases brought yesterday.

John Herbert, who handles free legal aid cases, said that, “even at the best of times, with plenty of judges, Limerick District Court would be stretched”.

“In fairness, Judge O’Brien deals with matters as expediently as possible to try and deal with the build-up in cases.”