I find this sentence has no possible justification

Go way ouha that.....Reynolds was going through some difficulties at the time.........

I keep laughing at the thread title NGL

That's 18 months more then the guy who ran over my bike - while I was on it - pulling into a garage in Ennis in circa 2003. Had to jump off as the front wheel was being swallowed. Punter had the gall to pretend he had no idea his driver side wheel well had just turned into a trash compactor, then he offered me a 20 to resolve the issue (lol) Sure me being the foreigner I went to the Gards and IDK what came of the guy but clearly not a prosecution (not that I pursued one, just the money to replace the front of the bike); I did get an apology letter in the mail, and the rest of the cash.

it says he was having difficulties but the usually lock em up brigade is out instead sure throw away the keys over one moment of madness

In that moment of madness, they could have killed or caused life altering injuries to the cyclist. Do that with a weapon or fist, and it would be prosecuted as common assault. Using a car as a weapon is assault/no different.

Prison time should be on the cards. To not even get a ban is way too lienent, and shocking that a judge thinks its OK not to impose one.

His insurance wont have as much pity on his circumstances. They will price for the risk he poses to other road users. They and other insurance companies would probably be happier if a ban was handed out.

Judge Martin Nolan

I remember this case around the same time, same sentence (not Judge Nolan as far as I know, but the woman was named Nolan) https://www.irishtimes.com/news/six-year-sentence-over-car-crush-death-1.480217

deserves prison 100%. 3 months you’d serve ? 6 weeks ?

anybody who deliberately drives a car ‘on purpose’ that empty weighs about 1.6 tonnes, into a cyclist who is doing no more then cycling should have their PSV licence revoked, their driving licence revoked and a few months in the joy.

should the cyclist have been in the bus lane ? I’m not sure the rules there I’m not a cyclist but say no…. There is fûck all traffic in that clip, indicate, pull out, overtake and return to the lane. Easy, nobody gets hurt and nobody goes to court….

family circumstances should not absolve you

Seems a new complaints procedure is available to members of the public since the 22nd of October. It's quite specific, but I think someone with enough legal knowhow could lodge an "admissible" complaint against a judge if they wanted.

Had a quick browse of the complaints procedure, has time limits, but you can bring a complaint under a number of headings. Would be useful if they actually advertised this. If a pattern of complaints emerges it may warrant action.

Oi, enough of that!

Except that in this particular instance, the Judge wasn’t Martin Nolan. He was the Judge in a previous case relating to this individual when he handed down a suspended sentence on conviction. Different Judge this time handed down a suspended sentence on conviction -

Imposing sentence today Judge Melanie Greally said if this charge had been dealt with at the same time as the sexual assault count, it would have resulted in a custodial sentence.

However Judge Greally said the court had to consider the length of time since the material was seized and if there would be “undue harshness in imposing a custodial sentence” at this point.

She said the steps taken by Gregan to rehabilitate himself, the lack of subsequent negative Garda attention and the time lapsed since this offence was detected “swing the balance against the immediate imposition of a custodial sentence”.

Judge Greally handed Gregan an 18-month prison sentence, which she suspended for two years on strict conditions, including that he place himself under the supervision of the Probation Service.

Gardaí were investigating the allegation of sexual assault when they searched Gregan’s Rathmines home and found the child abuse material.

At an earlier sentence hearing, Gerardine Small SC, defending, said her client was in a dysfunctional relationship at the time and was suffering from depression.

Small said her client had been attending counselling since the incident and had been placed on the sex offenders register.

In fairness, that guy was the least involved of the group.

Would suggest the other members are looking at circa 10 years