A DISTRICT Court judge has apologised for comments he made about the “typical thickness” of Tyrone people.
Judge Seán McBride said his comments were “totally inappropriate” and had been made during a long day’s work.
That matter arose during a hearing at Monaghan District Court last week. A 22-year-old woman from Co Tyrone, Sarah McGrath, had been wrongly summonsed to court because her details matched those of another woman from Co Monaghan.
Judge McBride told her that she could only have the case against her dismissed in the Circuit Court, and she needed €50 to do so. She told the judge that neither she nor her father had €50 with them, as they only had sterling.
He replied: “Yes, you are showing the typical thickness from Tyrone people. I am well used to it through football, growing up in Donegal and different things”.
Earlier he told Ms McGrath to show respect for the court when he saw her shaking her head as he said that the case would have to be dealt with in the Circuit Court.
He later sympathised with Ms McGrath, explaining that he could only refer the application to the Circuit Court.
Speaking at Clones District Court yesterday, Judge McBride said he wished to address his interaction with Ms McGrath as it had received a lot of media coverage.
“During a long day’s work, whilst I was trying to assist a lady who was wrongly prosecuted due to mistaken identity, I regret that I passed a comment that was totally inappropriate about Tyrone people,” he said.
“This comment was never meant to be offensive as I have nothing but regard for the people of Tyrone, but clearly to those reading the articles it came across otherwise. For this I apologise,” he said. The comments received widespread coverage in Northern Ireland. Sinn Féin Assembly member Barry McElduff from Co Tyrone described the comments as a form of racism while Ulster Unionist MLA Billy Armstrong said the comments were “a calculated insult to the people of Co Tyrone”.
This was not the first time that Judge McBride’s comments have caused controversy. Last year, he apologised for saying that he would blow the head off anyone who broke into his home. On another occasion, he said he was offended by a defendant’s address, given as Londonderry.
