The fall-out from the High Court decision striking down a summons for a road traffic offence because the court clerk had not been properly appointed had led to personal catastrophes in some cases, the Fine Gael spokesman on justice, Mr Jim Higgins, said. He said that a woman had gone before Dun Laoghaire district court last Tuesday seeking an extension to a barring order, while her husband was before the same court charged with breaking the previous order. Although the barring order was extended to January, the husband's breach of the previous order was not dealt with.

When the woman returned to her house, she found that her husband had retaken possession of it, and she was now in a local women's refuge with her two children and her grandchild. Mr Higgins, who was speaking on the adjournment, said it was also a nightmare for the relatives of the waitress who died tragically when the contents of the desert tray she was carrying at a wedding caught fire, causing her severe burns. The case was dismissed this week because of the court clerk ruling, he added.