Three men from Co Mayo have been convicted of false imprisonment, assault and obstruction as they attempted to evade fisheries officers at Belderrig Pier on the North Mayo coast two years ago.
At a sitting of Ballina District Court in July this year, Judge Fiona Lydon also convicted the men of possessing illegally-caught wild Atlantic salmon and nets. Charges of false imprisonment were brought by the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Daniel McHale, of Belderrig Mor in Ballina, was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for two years; Liam McHale of Carnrock in Belmullet was sentenced to four months in prison, also suspended for two years. Joachim McNulty, of Belderrig Beg in Ballina, was sentenced to four months in prison, suspended for two years. The three men were also ordered to pay €2,500 each to charity.
The court heard evidence from fisheries inspector Lonan O’Farrell, that on the evening of July 15th 2020, the men were approached by fisheries officers as they recovered their boat at Belderrig Pier
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The officers suspected the men had illegally-caught salmon and illegal gill nets on board but were obstructed and assaulted when they lawfully attempted to board the vessel. An officer was assaulted and knocked overboard by one of the men, but two colleagues managed to board the vessel.
When the officer swam back to the pier, the court heard that emergency services were contacted and An Garda Síochána quickly arrived on the scene.
With two officers still on board, the men took the boat out to sea and refused to return the boat back to port. A short time later, the men agreed to bring the boat back and the officers were able to get back to the pier, safely.
The boat, ‘An Deiseach’, was later detained in Porturlin Harbour where forensic and salmon scale samples were taken as evidence. Three vehicles on the night belonging to the men in question were also seized.
Francis O’Donnell, CEO of Inland Fisheries Ireland, welcomed the convictions, saying it was one of the most serious incidents that the agency has come across.
“Thanks to the brave actions of our officers, a major illegal fishing gang has been stopped and brought to justice. This is not acceptable and cannot be tolerated in Irish society.”
The fisheries officers nominated the Charlie Bird Fund, Western Alzheimer’s Association and the RNLI to receive the three €2,500 donations.
FIPSed World Boat Angling Championships
*It was a disappointing result for Ireland’s top lure anglers who finished in 15th position at the FIPSed World Boat Angling Championships on the Slapy Reservoir in the Czech Republic, following a late change of venue. the event being originally planned for Poland.
The team of Jacek Gorny, Steven Powell, Andrew Powell, Simon Gibson and David Dennis and manager Tomasz Kurman, gave it their best but found it difficult to compete with nations who enjoyed longer practice sessions, with many fishing in their own high calibre boats.
Finding countable fish was tough going but the team did enjoy some nice zander, a species not known in Ireland. The biggest fish, a pike of 107cm, was caught by the Hungarian team. With catch-and-release to the forefront, all fish brought on-board were measured by stewards and returned unharmed.
Manager Tomasz Kurman, said: “I have to admit being disappointed with our result but extremely proud of the team who worked really hard throughout. I would like to thank NCFFI for their continued support and to our sponsors, Duo Hook, Baltic Lifejackets, Navionics and BKK Hooks International, without whom our representation would not be possible.”
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