MORE BAIL MADNESS!

Court hears repeat offender committed crimes while he was out on bail... 15 times

THE shocking failings of Ireland’s bail laws were laid bare yesterday when a judge finally jailed a man who committed crimes while on bail on 15 occasions Judge Gerald Keys refused bail to Damien Sherlock, 26, at Ennis Circuit Court after hearing he has 110 previous convictions

– and 15 of those offences occurred while he was on bail for other crimes.

The latest revelation about our lax bail laws comes as gardaí revealed senior officers are to investigate how Eoin Berkeley was free to brutally rape a Spanish student, despite breaching bail conditions. Berkeley, who was jailed on

Thursday for 14 years, had been on bail in July last year for an offence of criminal damage when he savagely raped the ‘naive’ 18year-old woman.

Previously, he had been seen by gardaí flouting his bail conditions, sources told the Irish Daily Mail, but no move was made to have his bail revoked.

A top-level Garda probe is now under way into how this happened, and Charlie Flanagan has indicated he may review the bail laws in light of the case.

Meanwhile, Sherlock is currently awaiting sentence for an incident where a taxi driver was stabbed in June of last year.

The assault happened after driver Abi Ohiku had a dispute with Damien Sherlock over a fare, after dropping him to his former home at Dromard in Ennis.

During the incident, a brother of Damien Sherlock, Jordan Sherlock, now 18, but 17 at the time, stabbed Mr Ohiku six times.

Damien Sherlock has pleaded guilty to affray as a result of the incident with Mr Ohiku.

He was on bail at the time of that offence.

Three other members of the Sherlock family were involved in the incident: James Sherlock, 49, Declan Sherlock, 23, and Damien Sherlock – all formerly of Dromard, Ennis.

They have amassed a combined total of 155 previous convictions. Damien Sherlock has the vast majority of convictions and they include 14 under the Misuse of Drugs Act, 35 under the Theft Act and six firearms offences.

At a previous court hearing, Jordan Sherlock pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to Mr Ohiku and possession of a knife, while James and Declan Sherlock had pleaded guilty to affray.

In opposing bail yesterday, Garda Noelle Bergin outlined Damien Sherlock’s history of offending while on bail from the age of 18. These included handling stolen property, theft, weapons offences, and a drugs offence.

Counsel for the State, Lorcan Connolly BL, said that taking into account Damien Sherlock being a repeat offender, and his record of offending while on bail, he couldn’t ‘see how the court could accede to the bail application’.

Counsel for Damien Sherlock, Laurence Goucher BL, said that Sherlock was seeking bail as his family is now resident in Leitrim and he is looking to spend time with them before sentence is imposed in January.

Judge Keys said: ‘These offences are serious. Our bail laws would be regarded in other countries as very liberal.

‘When you avail of bail in this country, and if you don’t comply, and offend during period of bail, it leads to a total undermining of the bail laws.’

Judge Keys said that Damien Sherlock committed offences on 15 occasions while on bail.

‘This man was trusted on previous occasions and he didn’t repay that trust,’ he said.

Comment – Page 14

‘These offences are serious’