Solicitor warned of class action over comments

A solicitor singled out, for special praise, a young woman from the Roma community for her intelligence, but a judge remarked the lawyer could have a class action for defamation on his hands.

The particular web of words was woven during a case at Cork District Court relating to hair-braiding.

Carmen Rosta, aged 22, pleaded guilty to three breaches of casual trading legislation by offering hair-braiding on St Patrick’s Street, Cork.

Inspector Brian O’Donovan said the accused was operating on July 22, 2015, without a casual trading licence, and in an area of the city where casual trading was not permitted.

Solicitor Dennis Healy said Rosta was a young mother of three from the Roma community in Cork. “She was the one more intelligent than most of the others,” he said.

Judge Olann Kelleher interjected that Mr Healy could find himself facing a class action for defam-ation.

Mr Healy continued: “She is very bright.”

Of all the members of the Roma community in Cork, she was the one Mr Healy believed would succeed through education. He knew her since she was a child and she was able to carry out all sorts of calculations.

“But her family saw fit o have her married off at 16. She had three children and her husband is on the run,” Mr Healy said.

“She left school after her Junior Cert. She has become rooted in her community. Someone has to break through from this community at some stage. This is the girl I thought would do it.”

She was fined €200 on the casual trading breach, with two related counts taken into consideration.