Judge criticises cost of bringing Gilligan to court on mobile charges
A judge today criticised the cost of bringing a charge of having a mobile phone in court against convicted drugs dealer John Gilligan.
Mr Justice Paul Butler, who was presiding at the non-jury Special Criminal Court, said: "Does the DPP not realise that this exercise is costing the State tens of thousands of euro?"
Prosecution counsel Mr Garnet Orange BL replied that the offence arose from a previous trial which took "a considerable period of time" and he added that this may have a bearing on the situation.
Gilligan appeared briefly at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin today and was further remanded on a charge of having a mobile phone in Portlaoise District Court in 2010.
Gilligan (aged 59), whose address was given as "care of Portlaoise Prison", was charged last month with possession of a "mobile telecommunications device" whilst in lawful custody at Portlaoise District Court on March 30,2010.
The native of Ballyfermot, Dublin was cleared in 2001 of the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin in June 1996, but was convicted by the Special Criminal Court in March 2001 of eleven offences of unlawfully importing cannabis resin into the State on various dates between July 1, 1994 and October 6, 1996, and unlawful possession of cannabis resin for sale or supply on the same dates.
Gilligan was originally sentenced to 28 years in prison for the drugs offences, but this was reduced on appeal to 20 years. He was also convicted in June 2002 of threatening to kill two prison officers in March 2001 and was given a two years prison sentence to run consecutively after the 20 years sentence.
In March this year he was also given an eight months prison sentence at Portlaoise District Court for having a Nokia mobile phone in his cell at Portlaoise Prison on July 30, 2008.
Prosecution counsel Mr Garnet Orange BL told the court that the book of evidence was ready in the case and would be served on Gilligan. He said that the book of evidence was a short one.
When he was charged the court heard that the Director of Public Prosecutions had certified that the ordinary courts were inadequate to deal with the case and that he should be charged in the Special Criminal Court.
The court remanded Gilligan in custody until February 17 when the case will be mentioned again.
