In Ballina District Court this week Judge Mary Devins censured a woman who withdrew her complaint on the day the case was supposed to be heard. Inspector Joe Doherty informed the court that the witness had withdrawn the complaint on the morning of the court, but called her to give evidence as a way of explanation.
When asked why she made a complaint, she told the court that she had a fight with her partner at the time which they could not sort out so she made the complaint.
Judge Mary Devins asked her: “Do you realise how stretched Garda resources are in this country. I cannot believe you and the arrogance you have shown. You had a problem in your relationship and you go and make a complaint to the Gardaí about something, you are the one who should be charged here.”
Inspector Doherty told the court: “You can see my reasoning now for calling the witness Judge. Our resources are stretched as far as we can go. We take any complaint in a domestic situation very seriously and carry out a full investigation into them. To have a complaint then withdrawn on the day of court has wasted a lot of our time.”
