While the boss enjoys a €3,500 a week wage packet, those further down the society ranks get sent to prison over a small fine.
A single mother from Donegal was recently imprisoned for failing to pay a TV licence fine of €450.
Gardai called at the woman’s residence in early morning and told her that she was for ‘up the road’, a local euphemism for Mountjoy Prison.
She was then taken by taxi to Mountjoy’s Dochas Centre, where she was held for three hours before being given a bus fare back to Donegal.
Sinn Fein’s councillor Gary Doherty strongly criticized the event, rightly questioning the disproportionate costs of court time, a taxi fare from Donegal to Dublin, Garda time, and all other associated expenditure, in relation to the original fine of €450. The councillor added that the woman had already paid over €200 of the imposed fine.
Mr. Doherty has confirmed that he has requested a meeting with the superintendent at Letterkenny Garda Station to find out why the woman was imprisoned in these circumstances.