SEVERAL judges have issued a total of 18 arrest warrants for a Limerick man who consistently does not turn up in court to answer charges.
Martin O’Reilly of Kilmurray View, Castletroy, was appearing before Judge Patricia Harney in Limerick District Court, where the judge was told there were 18 warrants out for his arrest to answer charges, seven of them issued this year alone.
Warrants were issued in Mallow, Waterford, and Limerick, the court heard.
After being arrested as a result of the warrants, O’Reilly was seeking bail from the court while he waits to face the substantive charges.
He took the witness stand to explain to the court why he had failed to turn up 18 times.
He told the Judge that he had entered a state of deep depression after the death of his brother.
“Then there was what people were saying about me on social media. I just locked myself away from everybody. It was fear of coming back (to court),” he said.
He told the judge that he would promise to turn up on any future occasion he is required to be in court, if she would grant him bail and allow him to answer the charges while at liberty.
But Judge Harney said “you signed a bond every time you got bail, promising that you would turn up for court”.
“You’ve heard the expression ‘fool me once shame on you’, but fool me 18 times? I do not accept it.
“The over-riding consideration in giving someone bail is whether the bail applicant will turn up in court. I can’t satisfy myself there is the slightest chance you will honour your bail bond,” Judge Harney said.
She remanded O’Reilly in custody to appear before the various courts where he had failed to turn up previously.
