This article is from page 2 of the 2006-11-07 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 2 JPG
THE dominance of Kilrush crime during the recent sittings of the Circuit Court in Clare does not reflect reality, according to a solicitor based in the town.
The overwhelming majority of cases heard over the past month dealt with crime in Kilrush and surrounding areas.
The trend, according to a senior Garda source, underlines the fact that west Clare is “the crime capital of the county.”
During the sittings, two young men were jailed for three years each for arson – one incident occurred near Kilkee and the other in Kilrush – another was jailed for four years for damaging cars in Kilrush. A young man was handed down a three-year sentence for dangerous driving causing the death of two Kilkee girls, at Carrigaholt.
Another man was given a suspended sentence for throwing a block through a neighbour’s home in Kilrush, as part of a dispute.
Two trials that took place during the Circuit Court sittings resulted in acquittals for Kilrush accused.
Superintendent Joe McKeown said the jail sentences handed down at the Circuit Court should remind people that crime will not be tolerated in Kilrush.
“I think it sends out a message to people that if they commit crime and are caught, they will be facing hefty sentences,” he said.
However, Kilrush-based solicitor Eugene O’Kelly pointed out that the trend during these Circuit Court sittings didn’t necessarily reflect reality.
“The recent court list included quite a number of cases from the Kilrush area that for one reason or other got backed up over a long period of time.
“The fact that the cases have come together is more coincidental than proof that Kilrush has a monopoly on anti-social behaviour.
“I accept there are problems, but we should not just look at the court statistics, but at the underlying factors of deprivation, unemployment and social exclusion,” said Mr O’Kelly.
“The gardaí, the social services and Éirí Corca Baiscinn are all working now in a very co-ordinated way to tackle these issues and that is positive.
“Great work has been done in the John Paul Estate in rejuvenating community spirit,” he said.
“I do think matters are improving. There is a decrease in the number of public order matters in the District Court,” he said.