This article is from page 19 of the 2009-07-28 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 19 JPG
A MAN who was taken into custody for arriving in court half an hour late was found not guilty of theft by order co) rei Le rexes ;
Judge Sean O Donnabhain told defendant Patrick Murphy (20) of Tiermanna, Mullagh that he had “no right to keep the members of the jury waiting.” The judge ordered him to be taken into custody when he ar- rived at llam for a case which was due to go ahead at 10.30 am.
Mr Murphy told the judge that he had to “thumb a lift” into court and that was why he was late.
He was before the circuit court on a charge of stealing a mobile phone valued €200 in Mullagh on January 4 last. But when the case was due to start, Stephen Coughlan, BL for the State, asked that the woman who made the complaint about the theft, Fiona Hoey, be called.
Mr Coughlan said that she had not been seen in the court and was not answering her mobile, although she had been contacted by gardai. As she was the only witness for the State in the case, the judge directed the jury that he should be found not guilty.