Sentencing of Redmond adjourned

George Redmond, the former assistant Dublin city and county manager, has had his sentencing on a corruption conviction adjourned until Friday.

Redmond, 79, former Dublin assistant city and county council manager, was due to be sentenced today having been found guilty of two charges of corruption last month.

He denied receiving €14,500 as a bribe in relation to the sale of a right of way on the Lucan bypass between June 1987 and May 1988 and also for accepting the money as a reward for showing favour to one individual.

After hearing submissions for the prosecution and defence at Dublin’s Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Michael White said he would take two days to consider the sentence.

Redmond faces up to seven years in jail.

The court heard that when he was arrested at Dublin airport in 1999 he said his world had ceased to exist.

Since then he has settled a Revenue bill for just under €1m euro, been convicted of failing to make tax returns and had to sell his family home.

Judge White was told that Redmond had been the subject of a barrage of adverse media publicity since his conviction.

Senior counsel Brendan Grehan said the salacious stories in the press could barely be described as fair comment and alleged that many were in grave contempt of court.

Two items in particular, including a poll on a prime time television show, were singled out and have been referred to the Director for Public Prosecutions.

Mr Grehan added that Redmond had “fallen from a great height” from acting council manager to become an icon of corruption.

“The George Redmond led out of this court in handcuffs will forever be the iconic image of corruption in Ireland and he and his family will have to live with that forever,” he said.

“He is in the full glare of publicity, he is in disgrace and will forever remain so within his own community.

“He has lost whatever standing he had in terms of friends and colleagues.”

Mr Grehan also asked Judge White to take into account his client’s age and health.

“Mr Redmond is a frail old man. His medical condition is such that there are a number of factors against him,” he said.

The court heard that Redmond had a heart bypass operation last year, had a stroke in 1992, suffers from arthritis, has had prostate problems and is partially deaf.

Redmond is married with two grown up children. He retired from public service 14 years ago – more than 60 years after he began his career as a junior clerk in Dublin Council (formerly Dublin Corporation).

He has been in custody at Clover Hill prison since his conviction.