A Circuit Court judge in Tralee has told defendants if they intend on pleading guilty, they should do so early and not take up space in the court’s trial list.
Judge Ronan Munro told defendants on the recent callover list that he wants them to engage with their legal advisers early and think about whether they want to plead guilty or not.
Judge Munro said he wants people coming before him facing charges to know he will give them additional credit for pleading guilty early, compared to those who plead guilty when their trial is about to begin.
During the callover, cases which had previously been adjourned or recently sent forward to the Circuit Court are called, defendants must attend, and the court schedules the next available date to hear or mention the case.
Judge Ronan Munro came into a packed courtroom for the recent callover at Tralee Circuit Court, and told defendants that he has recently been handing down heavy sentences to people who pleaded guilty very late in proceedings.
He said he will give defendants a chance now, even those who had been before the court for some time and had their matters adjourned, to enter what he will consider an early guilty plea over the following 21 days.
He said there were people facing charges that had been in the trial list all along, only to plead guilty on the day their trial was due to begin.
When a defendant pleads guilty, a trial by jury is no longer required to convict them and they can then be sentenced for their crimes.
Judge Munro said the earlier someone pleads guilty, the more credit he will give them in sentencing – meaning they would get a less severe punishment than if they waited until their trial was due to start.
The first defendant to reap the benefit of this was 28-year-old John Mulvihill of Clieveragh, Listowel, who pleaded guilty to one count of criminal damage.
Judge Munro told his barrister Katie O’Connell to remind him when he is sentencing Mr Mulvihill to give him additional credit for entering an early guilty plea and not taking up space in the court’s list of cases for trial.
Judge Munro told the defendants present from the 97 cases in the list that if they want to plead not guilty and require a jury for trial, the court will find a date for their case to go ahead.
