Courthouse to receive video link facilities in next six months

Prisoners will soon be able to attend sittings of Athlone District Court from jail, with video link facilities due to be put in place at the local courthouse in the coming months.

The development, which was mentioned by Judge Seamus Hughes during the last sitting of the district court before Christmas, is regarded as a positive step toward safeguarding the future of court sittings in Athlone, after the opening hours of the district court office were reduced in late 2019.

Currently, defendants who are in custody are brought to and from the court in vans, accompanied by prison officers, for what can often be short hearings in which their case is adjourned for a number of weeks or months.

When one such defendant was brought to court in mid-December, Judge Hughes addressed the prison officers accompanying him, saying, "The prison officers will be pleased to hear that we're getting a video link in Athlone shortly. It will save ye from double parking outside!"

Gerry Curran, a spokesperson for the courts service, said the court in Athlone was one of 49 new locations where video link facilities would be installed next year.

"It is not possible yet to give any actual date of when the technology will be installed in Athlone, but it is expected to be operational within the first 6 months of 2021," he told the Westmeath Independent.

He said the facility "helps to maintain people's access to the court, without them being physically present," and that, since the start of the pandemic, the number of video calls between courts and prisons had quadrupled.

"We've done almost 11,000 (video calls) this year. It stops the Irish Prison Service having to bring prisoners to court for mentions or remands. It increases security because it reduces the number of prisoners coming to court.

"It also reduces costs for the prison service, because they don't have to escort the prisoner, and it reduces the likelihood of Covid being transmitted from the prisons to the court, or vice versa," he added.

In other local court news, Karla Collins, who had been serving as District Court Clerk in Athlone, departed from her role with the courts service on Monday, December 21. She is moving to take up a new position as an Agricultural Officer with the Department of Agriculture.

Margaret O'Rafferty, manager of the Mullingar court office, said Karla had carried out her duties in Athlone in a "very professional, effective, and efficient" manner.

"Coming from an agricultural background, she will blend in excellently in (her new) role. She will be missed by us all in Athlone and Mullingar court office, and no doubt the Department of Agriculture's gain is our loss. Best wishes to Karla in her future career," she said.

A keen all-round sportsperson, Karla plays soccer with Willow Park in Athlone, and gaelic fooball in her home county of Roscommon.

Although currently suffering with a sports injury, she is looking forward to returning to the field of play as soon as she can.