The trial of the former assistant Dublin city and county manager George Redmond on a corruption charge, which was due to begin today, has been adjourned until October next after his lawyer yesterday expressed concerns about media reporting of evidence to the Mahon tribunal.
Mr Redmond (82) has pleaded not guilty to receiving £10,000 on a date between June 1st, 1985, and June 1st, 1986, as an inducement or reward for doing or forbearing to do anything in respect of a compulsory purchase order by Dublin City Council on 167 acres of land situated at Bussardstown and Coolmine.
Brendan Grehan SC, for Mr Redmond, told Judge Joseph Matthews that references have been made to his client throughout the Quarryvale module of the Mahon tribunal, particularly during the evidence of Tom Gilmartin.
Mr Grehan applied to have the trial adjourned "to a date in the future with liberty for the Director of Public Prosecutions to apply to fix a trial date" when there was no longer a risk of daily reporting from witnesses who might refer to Mr Redmond "in a derogatory way".
Judge Matthews said the media has a duty to report on matters of public interest, such as the Mahon tribunal, and publication of what is said by witnesses giving evidence is protected by privilege.
Pauline Walley SC, prosecuting, applied for the trial to continue today as planned on the grounds that Mr Redmond "is somewhat notorious because Ireland is such a small country and he is known to almost every adult person for a number of reasons". She suggested that Judge Matthews should be able to advise jurors adequately that they should not serve if they felt they would not be able to determine objectively Mr Redmond's guilt or innocence.
Judge Matthews said that it was fair and reasonable on the balance of justice to adjourn the case to a time when the Quarryvale module of the Mahon tribunal would be over and the evidence of Mr Gilmartin would no longer be in the media spotlight.
He said there was nothing that could be done to stop evidence to the tribunal regarding Mr Redmond. He indicated that media outlets had been very professional in their reporting of the Mahon tribunal and in refraining from reporting on Mr Redmond's upcoming trial.
The judge said the case had to be adjourned because "it's the wrong time" and the "parallel issues of the Mahon tribunal" would make it difficult for Mr Redmond to have a fair trial.