It’s a case of slip, slap (and a judge’s misdirected slop of sanitiser) in our courtrooms

Courts Service logs almost 100 ‘incidents’ nationally for 2021

A JUDGE who got hand sanitiser in her eye, a masked intruder who tried to force their way into judicial chambers, a solicitor who was struck by their client, and a barrister who shouted so loud he set off a court alarm were among the accidents and incidents logged by the Courts Service last year.

The Courts Service recorded almost 100 incidents in its official log for 2021, with prisoners escaping, jurors falling ill and a lengthy list of other slips, trips, and falls.

In one incident last April, a ‘person wearing a tracksuit and mask’ attempted to gain entry to a judge’s chambers at the Four Courts in Dublin. An account of the incident stated: ‘Failed and left the site. Garda station called twice. They did not attend.’

Another attempted judicial attack was also foiled after an ‘inebriated person’ with a broken bottle went looking for a certain judge at Mullingar courthouse.

‘Gardaí arrested the person and took him to the garda station,’ said the official log.

Actual assaults were also reported, with one solicitor in Limerick ‘struck… in the face’ by a person they were representing in May.

Two escape attempts – one successful, the other not – were also logged.

A prisoner in handcuffs ran out the vehicle gate at the Criminal Courts of Justice and was pursued by two prison warders. They were ‘caught and brought back to the building’.

Another prisoner in July made good their escape, however, after they slipped out of a van parking area when a shutter was not fully closed. ‘They were pursued but not caught,’ stated the log.

In another case, a person became abusive and aggressive at a court sitting and was removed from court. However, that was not the end of the matter as one of their ‘offspring’ jumped the divisional gate and also had to be taken from the courthouse.

Members of the public were not the only ones to become obstreperous. A ‘duress alarm’ was activated in one courtroom because a male barrister was shouting so loud last October, according to the log.

A coolant leak after a van crashed into a bollard was reported at the Criminal Courts of Justice. According to the log, an officer of the prison service later slipped on the spill.

A bomb threat was also made by a person who was putting flags up outside the Criminal Courts last March. Gardaí were notified.

There were several pandemicrelated incidents, with one person becoming aggressive after being asked to put on a mask.

‘Garda intervened and the person was handcuffed,’ said an official note.

And even the use of hand sanitiser was not without risk, as one judge was reported to have got some in ‘her eye by mistake’.

More unusual incidents included damage to a bench at Drogheda courthouse after a skateboarder applied wax to it.

‘Used the bench for… tricks,’ noted the official log.

A spitting incident was logged as well when someone spat from a balcony in the Criminal Courts, aiming at security staff below.

A spokesman for the Courts Service said: ‘The Courts Service has 103 buildings in its nationwide estate. We continuously manage the safety arrangements for all properties, including keeping a register and the reporting of incidents.’

Barrister shouted so loud he set off a ‘duress alarm’