The first-ever sitting of the Court of Appeal in Limerick has been described as a “historic first”, representing a major milestone for the Irish judicial system.
Head of the School of Law in UL, Professor Lucy Ann Buckley, says the Court of Appeal’s sitting in Limerick was “a historic first and is really important to help bring justice closer to the community.”
She goes on to explain that the Court of Appeal mainly hears civil and criminal appeals from the High Court.
“In criminal matters, it can hear sentencing appeals, either because a convicted person is appealing the severity of a sentence, or because the DPP is appealing a sentence on grounds of undue leniency… It can also overturn a verdict, fully or partly, and can order a retrial if it thinks appropriate.”
The court, which normally convenes in Dublin, heard evidence and offered judgements on several appeals at Limerick Courthouse, Mulgrave Street, on Thursday, March 6 and Friday, March 7, to improve access to justice for residents in the region.
A spokesman for the Courts Service said that the appearance of the Court of Appeal in Limerick “is a sign that the judges of the courts are bringing traditionally centralised courts to various regions.”
He highlights that arrangements for these visits help prevent the flow of cases from becoming backlogged, and that it improves the efficiency of the court process for gardaí and witnesses.
“The use of the now world-class facilities across the country, means that courts such as the Central Criminal Court and the Court of Appeal, can reduce the need for gardaí and other witnesses to travel and maybe have to stay in Dublin and also reduces the need to transport Prisoners to the CCJ in Dublin.”
Labour Party TD, Conor Sheehan, says “It’s important that these higher courts sit outside of Dublin.”
He continued, “I really hope that we’ll see the criminal court sitting outside of Dublin as well because we’ve seen such a huge investment into our court service in Limerick in the past couple of years.”
The Limerick native expressed an opinion that the courts need to be updated and the Court of Appeal visiting different regions is a step in the right direction.
“It does show a step towards the modernisation of the court service… but it is really unacceptable that at a time where we have never been so short of Gardaí in Limerick, to have so many Gardaí stationed in the courts when in Dublin, this work is carried out by private security teams.”