Paul Murphy does not expect conviction for water charge protest
Anti Austerity Alliance TD Paul Murphy has said that he does not expect to be convicted if he is tried in relation to last year's Jobstown protest.
Earlier, Deputy Murphy lodged formal complaints about the leaking of information that suggests that he and about 20 others will be charged over an anti water charge protest, during which Tánaiste Joan Burton was trapped in her car.
Statement from @paulmurphyAAA about the leak of Jobstown charges pic.twitter.com/UHxC8udzOp
— Gavan Reilly (@gavreilly) August 13, 2015
The TD has taken up the leaks issue with the DPP, the Garda Commissioner and GSOC - and has described it as incredible that the media knew about the charges before those involved.
Gardaí have now launched an investigation into how plans to arrest more than 20 people were leaked to the media.
How many people does Joan Burton think should go to jail because she got delayed for a couple of hours? #laboursway
— Paul Murphy 🏳️⚧️ (@paulmurphy_TD) August 12, 2015
However, Deputy Murphy has said that he does not expect to go to jail.
"I don't think it's very likely, but I'm obviously concerned that I apparently am facing very serious criminal charges, I don't want to be facing those charges" said Deputy Murphy.
Ppl facing potentially serious jail time because of participating in a protest that delayed Joan Burton for a few hours. #youcannotbeserious
— Paul Murphy 🏳️⚧️ (@paulmurphy_TD) August 12, 2015
"Preparing for the court case and the court case itself will take a significant amount of time, time that I could be spending representing my constituency, dealing with the question of homelessness, dealing with the question of water charges," he said.
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