Judge ‘gobsmacked’ at witness going on holiday

A Circuit Court judge has said he is gobsmacked that a State witness went on holidays instead of attending a drugs trial earlier this year.

Judge Tony Hunt said the failure of the forensic scientist to attend court in May had put in jeopardy the trial of a man who is in custody, charged with having €360,000 drugs for sale or supply. He said it was a disgraceful state of affairs, not fair and not appropriate.

The scientist, employed by the Forensic Science Laboratory, ignored a witness summons and, effectively, made a rude gesture to the court that said “to hell with you and he can rot in jail”, Judge Hunt said.