Man granted legal aid has borrowed €10,000 for dental treatment abroad, Cork court told

The accused has succeeded in having his bail terms amended to allow him to travel abroad for dental treatment

Mallow courthouse heard that the accused man had already booked flights to Turkey and the trip would be a follow-up to an appointment he had already attended.  File picture: Larry Cummins

A man facing a number of charges before the district court has succeeded in having his bail terms amended to allow him to travel abroad for dental treatment. 

The man in his 40s, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared at a recent sitting of Mallow District Court.

Sergeant Linda O’Leary said the accused man was seeking the court’s permission to vary the terms of the bail he was granted to enable him to travel to Turkey for a week to undergo dental work.

The court heard that the accused man had already booked flights to Turkey and the trip would be a follow-up to an appointment he had already attended. 

The court was told that the dental work would cost him €10,000 and was the cheapest option as he had serious problems with his teeth and wanted implants as opposed to dentures. 

The court also heard that the man was granted legal aid for his case at a previous court appearance. The court heard that the man had taken out a credit union loan to pay for the dental procedures and attended the first appointment in July. 

Judge Colm Roberts said he had been relying on solicitors to tell him if their clients needed and would qualify for legal aid and added it seemed a loan for teeth was seen as more important than a loan for legal representation. 

The application to vary the bail conditions was granted.

This article is funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme