This article is from page 4 of the 2009-05-26 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 4 JPG
COUNTY Clare’s top prosecut- ing barrister, Stephen Coughlan BL earned almost €200,000 in fees to prosecute cases on behalf of the State last year.
New figures released by the Dti- rector of Public Prosecutions (DPP) show that Mr Coughlan last year received €195,475. The amount re- ceived by Mr Coughlan appeared in the top ten amounts paid out by the DPP to barristers in 2008.
The payout – inclusive of VAT – to
Mr Coughlan follows the DPP pay- ing him €164,980 to prosecute cases on behalf of the DPP at Ennis and Kilrush Circuit Courts in 2007 and €130,030 paid to prosecute cases in 2006.
The 18 per cent increase in fees se- cured by Mr Coughlan last year can be attributed to the role he played in the State’s prosecution team in the trial of former Killaloe doctor, Pas- chal Carmody for deception.
Over five weeks last summer, Mr Coughlan acted as junior counsel in this case over five weeks.
Mr Coughlan’s senior colleague in that case, Denis Vaughan Buckley SC received the fourth highest amount of any barrister in the country last year when he earned €264,791.
The monies received by Mr Cough- lan were part of €13 million paid out to senior and junior counsel last year by the DPP for the prosecution of cases in the criminal courts across the country.
The vast number of cases that Mr Coughlan would deal with would be pleas of guilt by the defendant.
The figures released by the DPP
also show that the prosecution team in the ‘Lying Eyes’ conspiracy to murder trial feature prominently on the list.
Ennis woman, Sharon Collins and Las Vegas poker player, Essam Eid were both jailed after the eight week long trial and the figures show that the lead prosecutor in the case, Tom O’Connell SC received €294,511 in fees to prosecute cases while his colleague in the trial, while his col- league, Una Ni Raifeartaigh BL re- ceived €170,528 in fees last year from the DPP.