Church 'serious harm' attack on woman case delayed over solicitors' industrial action

Tom Tuite

Industrial action by solicitors over legal aid reforms has delayed the trial of a Roscommon man accused of severely assaulting a woman at a church in the Midlands.

Sean Bailey (62) was charged earlier over an alleged incident at Corpus Christi Church, Connaught Gardens, Athlone, Westmeath.

Bailey, of Hyde Court, Roscommon, is accused of intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to the alleged female victim, who is in her 30s, on September 12th last year.

The section 4 Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act charge, on conviction, carries a possible life sentence. The Director of Public Prosecutions directed that Bailey face trial on indictment.

The accused, who has yet to enter a plea, was served with the prosecution's evidence at Athlone District Court in June, when a return for trial order was made.

Legal aid was granted, and he came before Judge Cephas Power at Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court on Thursday.

Adjourning the case until October, Judge Power noted that the defence counsel had no instructions. That was due to the deepening dispute between solicitors and the Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan over free legal aid reforms, which came into effect on July 1st.

Bailey stood to confirm his presence but was not required to address the court, which has not yet heard any of the case facts. Judge Power remanded him on continuing bail.

About 10 other cases in Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court, the vast majority of the list, were similarly affected on Thursday.

The new legal aid arrangement provides a flat fee of €520 to solicitors acting for eligible defendants in District Court cases, regardless of the number of appearances, until a case is finalised.

The move has sparked a backlash from solicitors, who have withdrawn their services, crippling the progress of most cases around the country.

On Wednesday, at the Criminal Courts of Justice building in Dublin, the country's busiest courthouse, up to 60 solicitors staged a walkout due to the ongoing dispute.