Lawlor given three months suspended

Independent TD Liam Lawlor has been given a three-month jail sentence for contempt of court.

The High Court has ruled that Deputy Lawlor must spend one week of the term in prison. The rest of the sentence is suspended.

Mr Lawlor is also fined £10,000.

The judge at the centre of the case found that Mr Lawlor intentionally breached a court order last October.

It took Justice Smyth 89 minutes to read out his ruling, which said that he was in no doubt that Mr Lawlor was in contempt of court.

Justice Smyth said nobody was above the law and nobody was untouchable and nobody would make a scarecrow of the law.

He said the statutory fine of £10,000 was several multiples too low in this case for Deputy Lawlor as what he called a public representative.

He imposed a jail sentence of three months one week of which must be served in jail. The remaining sentence is suspended.

Mr Lawlor must start the jail term by Wednesday if no appeal is lodged in the meantime.