The judgment in the application by Philip Sheedy for extended time to lodge an appeal against his sentence has been adjourned to next Monday at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Judge Joseph Mathews was due to give his judgment yesterday, but granted the adjournment on the application of Sheedy's counsel, Mr Patrick MacEntee SC, who said he required time to prepare an additional affidavit with further information for the court.
Mr MacEntee said that, having considered the matter provided for the court at Monday's hearing, he had taken the view that the judgment should be adjourned.
Counsel said he believed Judge Mathews should have this additional information, so that "your lordship will be in a position to have all the material that was appropriate to have before proceeding to judgment".
Mr Peter Charleton SC (with Mr Hugh Hartnett SC and Mr George Birmingham), for the Director of Public Prosecutions, said he was happy to agree to this. He had reviewed all the papers in the case and thought everything was in order, but it might help the court to have such additional information as the appellant wished to place before it.
Mr Patrick Gageby SC, for Sheedy's former solicitor, Mr John Walsh, said his client wished to be furnished with copies of the original affidavit concerning the application and any new one. Mr MacEntee told Judge Mathews this would be done.
The hearing, which was due to start at 10 a.m., did not get under way until shortly before noon and then lasted only about two minutes. Earlier, Mr MacEntee had said a problem had arisen which required consideration and he asked for 30 minutes so that could be done.
The court, in fact, did not sit for more than an hour later when Mr MacEntee made his application to have the matter adjourned. Judge Mathews said if the interests of justice required it he would agree to the adjournment.