Two very different pictures of Mr Liam Lawlor were painted by his constituents in Lucan, Co Dublin, last night.
Some saw him as a tireless worker for his constituents while others saw him as a man who thumbed his nose at the courts and the public and got off lightly.
"What's one week in jail? It's a holiday for him," said taxi-driver Mr John Dunne. "And u£10,000 is nothing to a man like him. If you do the crime, do the time," he said.
Mr Willie Stapleton said the court had imposed a far worse penalty on Mr Lawlor when it decided on costs: "He has to pay all the costs, and they could run into millions, so that will hurt him far more than a week in jail."
Mr Brian Lynch said Mr Lawlor was getting an unfair press, and this was influencing public opinion. "I think it's disgusting the way he is being treated." He referred to an industrial dispute in Concrete Products of Ireland in the 1970s and said Mr Lawlor was the only public representative who worked to find a solution.
"His work record here in Lucan will stand to him. Hundreds of people go to him in Lucan and he is always available. He has helped people get council houses on all estates in Lucan. I think people should stand by him and I think he should be elected with an increased majority," he said.
However, Ms Yvonne Burke said she had "absolutely no sympathy for him, especially given his position. One week is an insult to the public. And there's no fear he will be sent to Mountjoy either. He'll probably go to Castlerea."
In the shops and pubs of Lucan, Mr Lawlor was the only topic of conversation yesterday. When the Six One news came on in Kenny's Pub, there was a silence while people heard the details of his sentence.
"The judge had no choice. Liam Lawlor had backed himself into a corner. Will he co-operate with the tribunal now? He better co-operate, after this," said Mr Gerry McGarry from Leixlip. "He shouldn't get any special treatment."
Mr McGarry said he wouldn't be surprised if Mr Lawlor retained his seat. "Is he the sacrificial lamb? You see Charlie Haughey and Ray Burke and none of them are getting jail. He could get in again on a sympathetic vote. You would never know how people would see it."
One man, who did not want to be identified, said Mr Lawlor had put in a lot of work for Lucan. "He's no better or worse than any other politician. None of them are saints." Another man said Mr Lawlor had greatly helped him and his family and he could not fault him.
Mr Milo Connaughton said he never heard any complaints about the Dublin West deputy until the planning allegations were made. "He was good for Lucan. He did good work for the area," he said. Mr Eddie Shanahan agreed. "He's a good politician and a good worker. Liam Lawlor helped to grow Lucan into what it is today."
Another man who didn't wish to be identified compared Mr Lawlor's situation in West Dublin to Michael Lowry's in Tipperary North. "He put a lot of effort into Lucan and he wasn't the worst of them. People are fed up with the tribunals and what they are costing."
Liam Lawlor could surprise everyone in the next election, according to Mr Tom Brennan. "He was always a fighter. He fought elections with the late Brian Lenihan and he survived. If I were a betting man, I wouldn't bet against him."
Mr Liam Lawlor TD will not be the first Dail deputy to be jailed, writes Judith Crosbie.
The Independent Dublin TD, Mr Tony Gregory, was arrested and jailed for one day in the 1980s for failing to sign a bond to keep the peace for six months.
Mr Gregory had been asked to sign the bond after he pleaded guilty in July 1987 to using words or behaviour with intent to provoke a breach of the peace during a street traders' demonstration two years earlier. Two Clann na Talmhan TDs were jailed in the 1940s for a month each arising out of incitement charges after land disturbances.
Two other TDs were also jailed in the 1940s. Jim Larkin was jailed for bankruptcy while Henry Coyle, a member of Cumman na nGaedheal, was jailed over financial problems and lost his seat as a result.