Judge defends sentence in Allen case

The retired judge who caused outrage by punishing Tim Allen with community service for having child pornography has defended his ruling and said the controversy was fuelled by media misreporting.

Michael Pattwell, who stepped down last year after 21 years on the District Court bench, said the sentence of 240 hours community service and a €40,000 charity donation was heavier than English sentence recommendations.

He said he was subjected to personal abuse and rumours after the Jan 2003 case, in which the husband of celebrity chef Darina Allen pleaded guilty to having child pornography on his computer.