The High Court yesterday clearly signalled that bin collection charge protesters who breach court orders restraining interference with refuse collections may face fines as well as imprisonment.
The president of the High Court, Mr Justice Finnegan, yesterday jailed six protesters for 21 days after they refused to give undertakings to obey court orders preventing obstruction of South Dublin County Council refuse depots.
The six were also fined €750 each, and the judge told them to each contribute a further €750 to the legal costs of the council. Two other persons who did give undertakings to obey the court orders in future were told to contribute €200 each towards the council's legal costs.
Mr Justice Finnegan said society would not function unless court orders were obeyed.
He said the motivation of the six persons for ignoring a court order was not a matter for the court. He was well aware that most of these persons were well motivated, but this was not the way to achieve their objectives.
He had recognised the motivation of these persons by the manner in which he had dealt with those who had belatedly agreed to observe the court's order.
However, six persons had chosen to take the view that they would not observe the orders of the court.
Mr Justice Finnegan said it might seem like a good idea to the six in the context of this dispute to refuse to commit themselves to obey court orders. But if the law was brought into disrepute by persons ignoring it with impunity, then society as a whole would suffer and that was a much greater evil than any evil these persons were, in their own view, determined to prevent.
The six who were jailed were named as: Fionn Ryder, Rutland Grove, Crumlin; David Murphy, Elmcastle Park, Kilnamanagh; Oliver Shortt, Glenmaroon Road, Palmerstown; Finian Smyth, Brookview Drive, Tallaght; John Murphy, Cherryfield road, Walkinstown; and Oliver O'Reilly, Balrothery Estate, Tallaght.