Tralee: Nobody answered the door at the Tralee home of Circuit Court Judge Brian Curtin yesterday afternoon. The bungalow, which sits towards the end of a cul-de-sac in Ard-na-Lí estate, is where Judge Curtin has lived for 20 years.
An elderly man believed to be the judge's father was seen calling briefly to the house in the afternoon. Judge Curtin's car, a navy S-Class 1996 Mercedes, was parked in the driveway, its tax disc out of date since January. The judge is in the middle of a two-year ban for drink driving, having been convicted at Tralee District Court in December 2004.
Judge Curtin leads a quiet life these days. He has avoided the kind of public attention that his solicitor Robert Pierse told the court in December 2004 had led to him being "assaulted, abused and spat upon on the street" after allegations about child pornography were brought against him, though he had been acquitted of the charges. In April 2005 a local man was convicted at Tralee District Court of assaulting the judge on a street in town the previous year.
Garda sources say there have been no further complaints about any such behaviour towards the judge and he has not come to their attention in any way.
Neighbours yesterday were protective of the judge. A visit from two photographers and a reporter brought several to their front gardens. A young man said he did not feel comfortable about giving details about his neighbour. He confirmed the general feeling of everyone minding their own business in Ard-na-Lí.