Stop granting bail to dangerous criminals

WITHIN the context of the ordeal recently endured by a vulnerable man of retirement age, we must, of course, recognise that the alleged perpetrator has not been charged with any crime. Like anyone else, this man has the right to be deemed innocent until proven guilty.

However, even without knowing if he did, or did not, commit the offence in question, we are nonetheless in possession of some salient facts about him. We know that he has 30 previous convictions. We also know that he is currently on bail, having been arrested and charged with three separate knife crimes between July and October of this year.

Despite such a recent track record, this man was allowed to walk free on every occasion, his liberty unrestricted.

Such is his history that it is almost irrelevant whether he was, or was not, involved in this most recent outrage, an appalling crime of aggravated burglary where a vulnerable man was beaten, held against his will in his own home, and then forced, the following day, to withdraw some €15,000 from his bank and hand it over to his captors.

Indeed, it should be enough to know that this individual already had a string of convictions and was out on bail.

As we pointed out in this newspaper earlier this week, the number of crimes committed in this country by people on bail is simply staggering. There is no other way to describe a toll that amounts to some 60 crimes a day.

There is a very simple test that must be brought into play in this regard. When someone appears in court on a charge, their past record must be scrutinised and taken into immediate account. If that record indicates that such a person presents a danger to the public, then bail must automatically be denied.

No ifs or buts. There must be no exceptions.