'Free legal aid has the country destroyed' Frustration in Longford over soft approach to serial offenders

​​A Longford town based councillor has called on the Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan to review the soft approach repeatedly being shown to serial offenders by Longford District Court.

Fianna Fáil’s Cllr Kevin Hussey listed four examples of recent court cases whereby the defendants involved had over 100 convictions, but were still given lenient sentences.

He also pointed out that the individuals in question had all availed of free legal aid.

The councillor explained that after having looked into the figures, he estimated that one individual’s 100+ appearances before the district court had cost the state in the region of over €100,000 in free legal aid.

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Cllr Hussey also voiced his frustration with the repeat offenders who engage in regular incidents of public drinking as well as intimidating behaviour towards members of the public, “particularly along the Main Street area from the Post Office to Garvey’s Yard.”

This, the councillor said, was “having a negative impact on local residents, businesses, and visitors to the town.”

He told Monday’s meeting of Longford Municipal District, “We have three to four people standing there (on the street) every single day. They’re annoying people, drinking, giving people abuse. I actively see people walking over to the opposite side because they won't walk past these individuals.”

Holding a document, Cllr Hussey briefly touched on the contents of four court reports. “I won't name names - but it’s all the same court,” he said.

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Honing in on a defendant who had over 100+ convictions for theft, the councillor said the court was told during their recent appearance that the individual was “having a bad day.”

“A bad day!” remarked Cllr Hussey. “God love him, he must have gone through a bad day over 100+ times!”

He continued, “People are trying to run businesses in this town. We have a chemist that has a security guard to stop people from robbing it. It’s absolutely a joke what’s happening up in that (district) court.”

The councillor emphasised that while he was understanding of the fact that people “can make mistakes and get one or two convictions”, the people he had issue with were the repeat offenders.

He added, “The minister should be coming down and asking why these people are walking out the door. That person, walking out the door, 100+ convictions and a large portion of them committed while on bail, he shouldn’t be in this town.”

Cllr Hussey pointed out that serial offenders in receipt of social welfare should not be granted free legal aid.

“Their money should be stopped completely,” he said. “They shouldn’t have a penny if they’ve cost the state and taxpayers. We get up every single day and go to work, some of us do multiple jobs and we have to pay for them? It’s not on.”

Cllr Peggy Nolan also voiced her support, adding how she sees “the usual suspects” outside the court on certain days.

“They’re throwing butts, they’re throwing cans out on the Main Street and they’re laughing. It’s a circus!” she said.

Cllr Martin Monaghan agreed, “It’s the same faces constantly.”

He added, “Free legal aid has this country destroyed. There was €115 million spent on free legal aid last year. €115 million!

"And yet when we look for an extra Garda Reserve or a Garda presence, we’re told budgets, budgets, budgets! It’d be better now to start cutting the free legal aid, cutting the big boys that’s getting the money out of this and start to resource the Gardaí en masse.”

Cllr Monaghan said he talks regularly to Gardaí here (in Longford) and "they’re sick and tired" of seeing the same people before the courts because they receive a slap on the wrist and are given a fine.

“Maybe they are brought to prison for a night but brought back because of lack of spaces. I think our endemic problem, apart from the criminality that’s going on here, is the free legal aid.”