No protocol in place on public access to prisoner

COURT PROCEDURES:THERE WAS no Courts Service protocol in place on whether the public could have access to a prisoner awaiting sentence in a court, a spokesman has said.

“The key issue is whether the prisoner is in custody or whether they have come from their home to be sentenced. If the convicted person is not in custody, anyone can approach them. If this man was in custody, it was a matter for the Prison Service or the prison officers who brought him to court for sentencing on the day.”

Danny Foley, who received good luck wishes and handshakes from up to 50 people as he awaited sentencing in Tralee courthouse on Wednesday, was in custody, having been found guilty two weeks earlier of the sexual assault of a young woman in June last year.

A spokesman for the Irish Prison Service said it had no role in the maintenance of order in the courthouse.

A number of callers to radio yesterday defended the people of Listowel, saying those who showed support to Foley were not representative of the townspeople.

John from Listowel told RTÉ's Livelineprogramme he was "angry" at a caller earlier who had called for a boycott of the town.

“All this talk of boycotting Listowel, we’re not all like that. We’re fairly disgusted Listowel is being dragged down to that level because it’s a very respectable town.”

Niamh, a student also from from Listowel, said: “Just because of the actions of 50 people, whom we don’t even know if they are from Listowel, the rest of us are all being blackened by this, I don’t know either of the people in the case . . . These 50 mostly men don’t represent the people of Listowel. We’re decent normal people getting on with our lives.”