Jimmy Martin writes to Judiciary to apologise for burglary crimes comment

A senior official at the Department of Justice has written to the President of the District Court to apologise for remarks he made implying judges do not regard burglary as a serious crime.

Jimmy Martin, assistant secretary in charge of prisons, told the Dáil Public Accounts Committee (PAC) last week that: “Our perception is that the Judiciary did not view burglary as a serious offence.”

When Fine Gael TD John Deasy described his comment as “pretty amazing”, Mr Martin said by way of explanation that although burglary was classed as a serious offence, it was dealt with, in the first instance, in the District Court, which normally deals with lesser crimes.