conviction/probation of offenders act

lettys14

I' looking for a little advice please.. I will be the first to admit that i did a terrible and stupid thing when i was 25. I got into a fight and was taken to court for assaulting another girl. My issue is that i can't remember exactly what happened in court its like a blur, i suppose i was in shock at my own absolute stupidity & also very ashamed.. I now have an interview 8 years later for housekeeping in a munster hospital but i don't know if i should even attend as i' probably wasting both mine & the employers time.. i have looked back through correspondance between my solicitor and I. One letter dated Jan 20th 2005 says

"I refer to the above matter and confirm that you were convicted of the section 2 assault on ***** and the case was adjourned until 16th march 2005 and you were ordered to pay the sum of 250 euro compensation to ***** and the amount of 250 euro to the court poor box"

so from this i'm gathering i have a conviction,, but then i have a letter dated 18th march 2005 which states

"i refer to the above matter & confirm that the probation of offenders act was applied and i paid over the sum of 500 euro to the court clerk. this disposes of the matter"

so i'm wondering do i have a conviction or was i given the probation act or both????

sorry if this is a stupid question but i really would be disgraced if i got the job offer and then didn't get through the garda vetting then

LowKeyReturn

Can't give legal advice but looks like it might be promising. Can you contact the solicitor to find out?

Kristopherus

[MOD SNIP. USER BANNED.]

NoQuarter

Call the Solicitor.

Odysseus

Just to say OP I work with a lot of people who have convictions, never let it prevent you from applying for a job.

Even within my own organisation the HSE I know a lot of professionals who have convictions, some have a long list of them, and they do range from minor to serious.

Then there are the people I actually work with [as oppossed to beside], lots of my client would having a convictions and the get work. The main thing is the what changes you have made with your life since your last conviction and of course the longer the time-frame away from it the better.

Of course some people will hold such things against you; however, there are many professionals out there working in good jobs who have a troubled past.

As I said, some people will hold it against you; but I would say never allow it to prevent you from applying for a job. We all make mistakes the main thing is that you can show that you have moved on.


It would be great if it works out that you don't have a conviction; but it is not the end of the work if you do have one.

lettys14

thank you Odysseus,, What would be your advise as regards mentioning it or not?? should i come out and say i've been in trouble or just keep quiet and let them see what the vetting form says???

LowKeyReturn

If you're asked don't lie, but don't volunteer information you don't need to, especially as you're not sure of your facts.

NoQuarter

You need to find out the exact outcome. Don't go telling anyone you were in trouble if you were given the benefit of the Probation Act.

In the same breath, the opposite applies equally.

Odysseus

lettys14 wrote: »

thank you Odysseus,, What would be your advise as regards mentioning it or not?? should i come out and say i've been in trouble or just keep quiet and let them see what the vetting form says???

Not really advice, but firstly you need to know what your situation is; only then can you address it.

Personally I feel people should be honest in interviews, however, if you don't actually have a conviction why would you mention the incident. However, I f you have one, make sure you know if the employer with look for Garda vetting.

Is that a HSE hospital? I think all HSE jobs require Garda vetting, thankfully you have a bit of distance between now and when the event happens.

If you have a conviction you will find that it follows you every where, but it will not block you from most things, life moves on



Edit: I see vetting is required, in that case I would say don't mention it during the interview, unless asked which is very unlikely. If and when a person is offered the job, that would then be the time to disclose such info.

I think it is better for a person to do an interview which gets them the job based upon them and what they present that day, there is plenty of time to disclose such info after they see you as the person they want.

lettys14

Thanks so much for the replies.. That seems like very sound advice Odysseus thank you. I think thats what i will do.. Yes it is horrible that it will be forever be hanging over me but what is worse is that i have nobody to blame only myself,, it was a very valuable lesson in the consequences of our actions. I a no longer that person, i never really was ,it was just a serious error in judgement on y part but i'm paying dearly for it now,, thank you once again..