THE SAFETY of one of the busiest criminal courtrooms in the State was queried yesterday by Judge Cyril Kelly, who presides over the daily list at Court 24 at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
He said the courtroom was not suitable for the number of people who attended it. There were only two exits, both on the same side of the room. The air conditioning could not be used when the court was sitting because it was so noisy it drowned out voices, he said.
The conditions in Court 24 and the neighbouring Court 25 have been criticised in the past by various parties including Judge Kelly, who previously described the building as "Dickensian".
Mr Justice Moriarty, who sat in Court 24 for a number of years as a Circuit Court judge before his elevation to the High Court, often criticised the courtroom and its facilities.
Last week, barrister Mr Fergal Foley expressed concern about what might happen in the courtroom - which can be packed with up to 400 people - should a prisoner try to escape using violence.
On November 4th, a teenage prisoner who was present for review of his sentence was passed a syringe while in Court 24 to give to another inmate in St Patrick's Institution. His case was adjourned for a week.
The syringe was discovered a few days later when a prison officer accidentally pricked his finger while searching the teenager's jeans in St Patrick's. The youth's review was refused and he is finishing his four year sentence.