High Court frees husband jailed over maintenance

A HUSBAND jailed for contempt of court for failing to pay his wife’s maintenance has been freed by the High Court because he had been given no notice that failure to comply might lead to his imprisonment.

Mr Justice Gerard Hogan said proceedings by the husband for his release had raised important issues concerning the district court’s jurisdiction to sentence a defaulting maintenance debtor to pris-on for contempt of court.

He said the man, identified only as DH, had been married to a foreigner since 1993 and the relationship had broken down in 2008. The district court had made an order requiring DH to pay his wife maintenance of €1,000 a month.