



Two men arrested for a three-county crime spree released after appearance in Galway court deemed ‘erroneous’





TWO men arrested following a crime spree in three counties have walked free from Garda custody after it emerged their appearance before a Galway court after their arrest was ‘erroneous’.

Martin Maughan of Knock Road, Kiltimagh, and Paddy Maughan of Cordarragh, Kiltimagh, were arrested in Knock on Saturday, November 12, in connection with burglary and theft offences in Headford, Cloonfad and Belcarra.

The two men were brought before Galway District Court on Monday, November 14, where they were charged and remanded in custody to appear before yesterday’s (Wednesday’s) sitting of Castlebar District Court.

Martin Maughan was charged with burglary in Cloonfad, theft from The Griffin Inn, Cloonfad, the unauthorised taking of a vehicle in Headford, as well as the handling of stolen property – a caravan allegedly taken from the Belcarra area on Saturday, November 12.

Paddy Maughan was also charged with burglary and theft from the same locations in Cloonfad, the unauthorised theft of a vehicle in Headford, handling of stolen goods and the theft of a motor vehicle from Kennedy’s Garage in Ballina.

When the two men appeared before Judge Mary Devins in Castlebar District Court, she questioned why the two men had been brought to Galway on Monday, when she had been sitting in Ballina District Court.

Judge Devins said that under the legislation, a person charged with an offence shall on arrest be brought before a Justice of the District Court having jurisdiction to deal with it, if a Justice is immediately available.

She explained she had been sitting in Ballina that Monday and that there had therefore been no reason to bring the two men to Galway. She questioned the decision to ‘run to Galway’ with the two defendants, saying if a phone call had been made to the District Court office, the Gardaí would have known she was sitting in Ballina.

She stated that even if she had not been sitting in Ballina, a phone call should have been made to the District Court office to ask for a special sitting.

She ruled the two defendants’ appearance in Galway District Court was erroneous and made no order in relation to the further remand of the pair, who were released from custody and walked free from court.