Galway turf cutters trials adjourned indefinitely

Galway Bay fm newsroom – The trials of four County Galway turf cutters, which were due to be assigned hearing dates later this year, have now been adjourned indefinitely.
The Director of Public Prosecutions is awaiting the outcome of a High Court review of the validity of similar charges being brought against their Kerry counterparts.
Earlier this year, turf cutters in Kerry sought a judicial review to test the constitutionality of charges brought against them under E.U conservation legislation.
The four Galway men, who were the first to be prosecuted since the EU habitats directive imposed restrictions on turf cutting on 53 Irish bogs in 2011, were due to stand trial at Galway Circuit Criminal Court last March.
43 year old, Michael D’Arcy from Ballycahill, Killimor, 57 year old Padraic Byrne from Main Street, Killimor, 43 year old Pat McDonagh from Portumna and 44 year old Tony Porter from Woodford, face prosecution in relation to alleged incidents of turf cutting at Clonmoylan Bog, near Killimor on May 22nd, 23rd, and August 2nd, 2012.
However, the successful move by two Kerry turf cutters to apply for judicial review of the prosecutions being taken against them, put a stay on the Galway men’s trials pending the High Court’s ruling
Judge Rory McCabe said it would make sense to adjourn the matters generally with liberty to re-enter pending judicial review.