Looking back at 2022: June - Slap in the face to Longford taxpayers
A judge was urged in June to revoke the legal aid of a Longford woman accused of carrying out a feud-related assault ahead of her return to the country after she spent ten days in Turkey getting cosmetic dental treatment done while on free legal aid.
Thirty-five-year-old Teresa Dinnegan, 18 Grian Ard, Longford jetted out to the Aegean coastal city of Izmir after Judge Bernadette Owens relaxed her bail terms for two weeks for the purposes of “dental work” to be carried out.
Ms Dinnegan, who together with two other co-accused, was charged with carrying out an assault on another woman inside Penneys, Longford Shopping Centre on March 16.
All three, who have since had their charges struck out, were arrested and subsequently charged after an alleged brawl broke out in front of shocked customers and staff, resulting in the store’s closure for a number of hours.
Details surrounding Ms Dinnegan's bail while depending on the taxpayer-funded criminal legal aid system has led to calls for a major overhaul.
Fine Gael Senator Micheál Carrigy said the controversy was effectively showing “two fingers to the taxpayers of Longford”.
He said: “When you see people granted bail and given legal aid and then are able to travel abroad on a holiday, I just think there needs to be a review of the free legal aid (system),” said Senator Carrigy.
“I think the judiciary needs to take into consideration the views of local gardaí.
“We can’t have a situation where people have conditions to their bail and then have the ability to leave the country.“
“I don’t agree with it.
“Bail conditions are there for a reason and should be kept and in this case, it needs to be reviewed and revoked.