Mayo Man Jailed for Serious Assault and Fisheries Offences

Press release, Thursday, 18th May 2016

At a sitting of Achill District Court on 12th May 2016, Judge Mary Devins sentenced a Mayo man to 14 months in prison for serious assault and fishery offences. Michael Duffy, with an address at Bleankeragh, Ballycroy, Co. Mayo, was before the court for sentencing in relation to a poaching incident which occurred on the Owenduff River on 26th June 2015.

At an earlier hearing of the case at Westport District Court on 22nd April 2016, Judge Mary Devins convicted Mr Duffy on a charge of endangerment brought by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) under Section 13 of the Non-Fatal Offences against the Person Act, 1997. Mr Duffy pleaded in relation to five fisheries offences including two charges of assault, possession of a net and illegally caught salmon as well as the use of a vehicle in the commission of an offence.

At the earlier hearing, the court heard that fishery officers had observed Mr Duffy and another man set a net in the Owenduff River, an important salmon and sea trout fishery. They observed Mr Duffy return to the river, haul the net and leave in a vehicle. When the officers went to stop the vehicle, Mr Duffy reversed at speed into a gate that Assistant Inspector Gerry Stadler had closed, causing serious injury to him.

The gate was left hanging on the back of the vehicle, and Mr Duffy and the other man got out of the car and removed the gate, before driving off and leaving the injured officer lying on the road bleeding from his head. Assistant Inspector Stadler was brought to hospital with severe whiplash and shoulder injuries, which resulted in him requiring surgery and being unable to work for over nine months. Commenting at the April hearing, Judge Devins deemed Mr Duffy’s evidence “contemptuous” and “contemptible”.

At the sitting in May, Judge Devins sentenced Mr Duffy to a total of 14 months in prison, including two consecutive sentences of six months in respect of the endangerment charge prosecuted by the DPP and assault charges brought by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI). Two one-month prison sentences, also to run consecutively, were imposed in respect of the possession of a net and illegally caught salmon. The charge relating to the use of a vehicle in the commission of an offence was taken into account. Fines totalling €1,200 were imposed, with costs amounting to €750. In the event of an appeal, recognisances were fixed on Mr Duffy’s own bond of €600 with an independent surety of €2,400.

Mr Duffy’s co-defendant, Mr Michael Joe Gallagher of Knockmoyleen, will be sentenced in July, in respect of possession of a net and illegally caught salmon.

Dr Ciaran Byrne, CEO of Inland Fisheries Ireland, commended the fisheries officers involved, in particular Assistant Inspector Stadler. He said: “This case highlights the dangers fishery officers face on a daily basis when enforcing fisheries legislation to protect Ireland’s precious wild salmon stocks and I must commend and thank them for their actions.

“The need to protect salmon stocks in the Tullaghan Bay complex which includes Carrowmore Lake and the Owenmore and Owenduff Rivers is particularly important as the mixed stock salmon fishery in Tullaghan Bay and the Owenmore River is closed to local draft net fishermen because of declining salmon runs.”

Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has a confidential hotline number to enable members of the general public to report incidents - 1890 34 74 24 or 1890 FISH 24. This phone line is designed to encourage the reporting of incidents of illegal fishing, water pollution and invasive species.

For more information, visit www.fisheriesireland.ie.

ENDS

Further Information:

Suzanne Campion
Head of Business Development
Inland Fisheries Ireland
Anglesea Street,
Clonmel, Co. Tipperary.
Tel: 052 6180055 Fax: 052 6123971
Email: suzanne.campion@fisheriesireland.ie Website: www.fisheriesireland.ie

Note for Editors:

Inland Fisheries Ireland is a statutory body operating under the aegis of the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and was established under the Fisheries Act on 1st July 2010. Its principal function is the protection and conservation of the inland fisheries resource. IFI will promote, support, facilitate and advise the Minister on, the conservation, protection, management, development and improvement of inland fisheries, including sea angling and develop and advise the Minister on policy and national strategies relating to inland fisheries and sea angling.

Salmon and sea trout angling in Ireland is worth €210 million to the economy and supports over 3,200 jobs. The Owenduff River is an important tourism angling resource in an isolated part of north Mayo, providing valuable income and employment to local people in an area of high unemployment. More information is available here: http://www.fisheriesireland.ie/socio-economics/527-the-economic-contribution-of-salmon-and-sea-trout-angling-in-ireland.