A DISTRICT Court judge was summonsed to appear before himself yesterday.
Sitting in Cahirciveen courthouse in Co Kerry, Judge James O’Connor was called to answer an allegation that he failed to display a National Car Testing disc on his car while it was parked outside the same courthouse during a previous sitting in July.
When the case was called yesterday, he adjourned it so that an “independent judge” could be appointed to hear the case.
Judge O’Connor, Coolroe, Glenbeigh, Co Kerry, presides over District Court 17, which takes in most of Kerry.
He was summonsed to yesterday’s court to answer an allegation he failed to display a valid NCT disc on July 21st 2011, at New Market Street, Cahirciveen.
The address of the alleged offence is that of the Cahirciveen courthouse and the monthly sitting of the court took place on that day.
The summons in the name Garda Tomás Hurley stated that James O’Connor was to appear yesterday in court to answer an accusation that on the date in question he was using a 2004 car that did not have a valid NCT disc, contrary to the Road Traffic Acts.
Yesterday, after hearing family law matters in his chambers, Judge O’Connor entered the bench at the courthouse shortly after 11.15am.
About 20 people were in court, as was prosecutor Garda Insp Fearghal Patwell, six gardaí, four solicitors and four members of the press.
Court clerk Jane Harrison called the civil list, then the Director of Public Prosecutions’ list. When the case “Garda Hurley versus James O’Connor” was called, the judge’s solicitor, Jean Harrison, stood to say the State was to finalise handing over all documents and details on the matter.
She said she had consulted Garda Insp Patwell on the matter.
Judge O’Connor at once said the court would be contacting the Courts Service to ask the president of the District Court “to get down an independent judge to hear the case”. He then adjourned it to March 15th and moved to the remaining matters on the lists.