The judge overseeing television licensing proceedings in Dublin said the significant number of defendants who failed to appear in court forced him to adopt a “draconian” approach by ordering gardaí to arrest them for “no shows”, reports RTE.
His comments came after 35 of the 150 defendants failed to appear in court for a television license hearing, leading to arrest warrants being issued for them.
In his opening statement at Dublin District Court today, Judge Anthony Halpin added that he wants Garda Commissioner Drew Harris to prioritize the orders he issues to deliberately avoid their cases.
By then, judges will usually impose fines of €150 and orders of €100 towards costs within three months.
“So if An Garda Síochána turns up at your door and arrests you and brings you to the earliest possible sitting of the District Court, you have only yourself to blame,” Judge Halpin warned, reports RTE.
TV owners who failed to pay the annual license fee of €160 were sued by post. A special weekly list considers cases in the capital in which a judge has observed a “dramatic and exceptional” drop and commented that “the patience of the court can be exhausted”, reports RTE.
Over the summer, Judge Halpin criticized RTÉ for what he described as elitism, “Godlike personalities”, and “freeloaders” while defendants were “crippled with the cost of living”, reports RTE.
Today, four men had their hearing adjourned to give them a chance to pay, while the others paid their fees and received strike-offs before appearing in court.
However, before he considers the cases, he must make some important comments, the judge said.
“I have on many occasions emphasised the legal fact that all citizens who have a TV or a device capable of capturing terrestrial broadcasts or programmes have a legal obligation to be in possession of an up-to-date and current TV licence.”
“That is the law, and the law is the law and one must have respect for the law, and one must obey the law,” he said.
Judge Halpin said he had directed the Courts Service to contact the Garda Commissioner and request that the execution of court orders be prioritized “as a matter of urgency”.
“So if An Garda Síochána turns up at your door and arrests you and brings you to the earliest possible sitting of the District Court, you have only yourself to blame. It is not my preferred choice in proceeding in this manner, but the sudden and unprecedented surge in renewal defaulters is so profound that I have little option to do otherwise,” reports RTE.
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