Gilligan loses appeal against prison sentence
Convicted drug dealer John Gilligan has lost a High Court action aimed at securing his release from prison.
In proceedings against the Governor of Portlaoise Prison, the Garda Síochána, the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Attorney General, Gilligan, who in 2001 received a 28-year prison sentence after being convicted of drugs offences at the Special Criminal Court, sought an inquiry under Article 40 of the Constitution that his detention at Portlaoise Prison was unlawful.
However, in a judgment delivered at the High Court today Mr Justice Michael Peart said he was satisfied that Gilligan (whose sentence was subsequently reduced from 28 to 20 years by the Court of Criminal Appeal in 2003) "is detained on foot of a valid warrant", and his detention "is in accordance with the law".
The Judge said that he had inquired into Gilligan's complaint that his detention was unlawful.
However, the Judge said he was refusing to make an order to have Gilligan produced in court because no arguable ground had been put forward by Gilligan to show that his detention is not in accordance with law.
