“The only thing that’s keeping you in prison is your refusal to sign a bail bond,” Judge Adrian Harris told a defendant who appeared before him at Galway District Court on Monday via video-link from custody.
“Send me up a criminal barrister or solicitor as soon as possible. Get me a barrister, I want to go to the High Court,” the defendant demanded, but the Judge told him that he wasn’t in charge of that end of things.
Martin Burke, 62 An Tornóg, Headford Road, Galway, appeared again before the court. At a previous sitting he insisted that the charge against him, which the Gardaí had emailed to him at the prison, hadn’t arrived. He was advised to take the matter up with the prison governor.
Burke is charged with a series of public order and criminal damage matters which allegedly took place around the city on various dates.
Prosecuting Garda Sgt Damien Prendergast told the Judge that Burke could leave prison immediately if only he signed his bail bond.
“I’ll sign it straight away,” Burke insisted.
“The only obstacle to your release is that you haven’t signed the bond,” Judge Harris told him, and remanded him in custody with consent to bail to the November 16 sitting of the court.
