Slap on the hand for poaching and assaulting Fishery officers....

Chopperdog 2

Taken from the IFI website;

An angler has narrowly avoided jail for assaulting two fishery officers and failing to buy  fishing permits for the Cloongee Fishery on the River Moy near Foxford. Nick McKeown with an addresses at Ardrass, Attymass, Foxford, Co. Mayo was prosecuted by Inland Fisheries Ireland at a sitting of Ballina District Court on the 9th December 2013.
McKeown failed to attend the hearing but was represented by his solicitor, Mr. Charlie Gilmartin. Judge Kevin Kilrane proceeded in McKeown’s absence and, after hearing the evidence from Fisheries Officers Geoffrey Thornton, Eddie Doherty and Assistant Inspector Pat Armstrong, convicted him of fishing without a permit on four separate dates and assault on two fishery officers in 2011.
Mr. Gilmartin explained his client’s actions by indicating that there had been some confusion as to the ownership of fishing rights on Cloongee Fishery. Solicitor Henry Hewson, acting for IFI, presented an Order from Castlebar Circuit Court confirming that IFI held title to the fishing rights on that section of the River Moy since its purchase by the former North Western Regional Fisheries Board in 2004.The Judge heard evidence that McKeown was also found fishing at Clongee without a permit on a number of dates after the Circuit Court ruling in 2012.
Judge Kilrane took a dim view of the defendant’s actions and felt that a fine might not be appropriate in this case. A warrant was issued for McKeown’s arrest so that he could be brought before the Court for sentencing. However, McKeown arrived at the Court late and the Judge agreed to sit again in order to deal with the matter. Judge Kilrane indicated that he would not impose a prison sentence if McKeown gave a written undertaking to the Court that he would not fish illegally.
Judge Kilrane adjourned sentencing to the 8th December 2014 with liberty for IFI to re-enter if there is a breach of the undertaking signed.



It makes me wonder how fishery officers can be expected to do their jobs and not receive any enforcement or back up by the judiciary.

Am I missing something here? No fine, no sentence, not even community service......

Just a promise not to do it again??

DANNY22XX

I guess the Judge isnt a fan of Fishing

Zzippy

This was actually a good result. The judge doesn't normally sit in Mayo, the regular judge would probably have thrown the case out. Sentencing has just been deferred for a year, if he steps out of line in that time he goes to jail, if he doesn't he will hopefully still get a conviction and fine.

SeaFields

He might had had a fishing rod on hand at the time but I would be very reluctant to refer to that man as ’an angler' as the article does.