Tag-switch farmer's plea is rejected

A Co Meath farmer sentenced to three years' imprisonment for having cattle in his possesion with ear tags belonging to other …

A Co Meath farmer sentenced to three years' imprisonment for having cattle in his possesion with ear tags belonging to other animals could have undermined the agricultural industry, Mr Justice Fennelly said in the Court of Criminal Appeal yesterday.

He turned down an appeal against severity of sentence.

The appeal was lodged by Kevin Tuite (34), of Trim, Co Meath, who pleaded guilty at Mullingar Circuit Court last December to a number of charges relating to having animals in his possession on May 3rd, 2001, with ear tags belonging to other animals.

Mr Colm Smyth SC, for Tuite, said the Circuit Court judge had not given full credit for his client's guilty plea.

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The court was told he had lost his house and lands, while 91 cattle had had to be slaughtered as a result of the offence, with no compensation.

Mr Smyth said his client had received a lifelong punishment and was now impoverished and unemployable. He had been ostracised within the community.

Mr Alexander Owens SC, for the DPP, said it might have been Mr Tuite's first offence but it was a spectacular one in the midst of a major foot-and-mouth emergency.

Seven-year jail term reactivated

A man who went on a violent crime spree of robbery and false imprisonment after being released early from a nine-year sentence had seven years of that sentence reactivated at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Joseph Shannon (32), Lower Buckingham Street, Dublin, will serve that seven years concurrently with another for seven years for the new series of crimes committed in 2002.

Judge Joseph Matthews described Shannon as "a man who is not safe to let anywhere near the community for the foreseeable future."

He was addicted to hard drugs and was indifferent to people's feelings. The new crimes included false imprisonment and robbery of jewellery, cash and other items valued at more than €172,000.

Shannon had served just two years of a nine-year sentence imposed in 1998 by Judge Matthews at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court before the final seven years were suspended in December 2001.

The court heard Shannon had 28 previous convictions dating back to 1987 for offences including larceny and burglary.

Droppings found on food-mixer

The husband and wife owners of a Thai restaurant where rat droppings were found on a food mixer were yesterday fined a total of €10,538 and ordered to pay €3,300 legal costs.

Patrick Hennessy and his wife, Mo, owners of Bangkok Cafe, Parnell Street, Dublin, did not appear in court to face 13 breaches of the food hygiene regulations on October 29th, 2003.

They were summonsed after a health officer found old and new rat droppings on the blades of a food processor which had been left in the filthy kitchen.

Congealed grease, sludge and waste were found in food preparation areas while pools of stagnant water had been allowed to gather in areas of the kitchen floor.

Judge John Coughlan said photographs of the premises were enough evidence for him to convict the pair, who have a previous conviction for similar breaches.