Judge throws out parking Pay and Display summonses

A Judge has thrown out 40 summonses for pay and display offences around the City, due to an administrative error.

Judge Alan Mitchell previously dismissed or adjourned these matters on the basis that Galway City Council’s bylaws had not been properly published in Iris Oifigiúl – the Government’s official gazette.

At a Special sitting of Galway District Court on Wednesday, solicitor for the local authority, Edward Molloy, produced a folder to the court, which contained a copy of the order. He confirmed that the City Council would be relying on it for the purposes of prosecution.

However, within a minute, the Judge had flicked through the pages and handed it back. He said that there was a glaring error – the document was not a copy of the original, as it had not been dated or signed by the City Manager and officials.

“This isn’t a publication, as required [by law],” he said.

“Unfortunately, due to some small administrative error, what is published is not the actual bylaw, as it is not signed.”

The Judge  advised any persons who were in court for pay and display violations that their cases would not be going ahead and in the region of 40 summonses were dismissed.
For the rest of this story, see this week’s Galway City Tribune. Buy a digital edition of this week’s paper here, or download the app for Android or iPhone.