Curtin case – Judge cannot remain on the bench

AS a staunch critic of this Government when criticism was warranted, this newspaper wholeheartedly welcomes the no-nonsense Dáil statement of Taoiseach Bertie Ahern spelling out the stark options facing Judge Brian Curtin.

Despite his acquittal on a charge of possessing child pornography on his computer, the Government's blunt message to the Circuit Court judge is either to prove his innocence, resign without financial compensation or be impeached.

This decisive action is clearly in response to growing public concern over the State's handling of the Curtin case. The prospect of the Dáil moving to impeach the judge is now a live possibility.