High Court Orders Release of Man Charged with Coca Cola Theft

A man was released from prison after the High Court found that his detention following a district court hearing did not amount to a fair hearing.

Sean O'Hanlon, who had been charged with the theft of two cans of Coca-Cola valued at €3.60, had been detained in Cloverhill Prison since 22 July.

The High Court judge, Mr Justice Garrett Simons, reviewed the transcript of the Dundalk District Court hearing and found that O'Hanlon was not given a fair opportunity to respond to the Garda objection to his release.

O'Hanlon had apologized for the theft and said it would not happen again, but the judge found that this response was not sufficient to address the concerns raised by the Garda.

The judge also noted that O'Hanlon's bail had been revoked in relation to other charges without him being given notice or an opportunity to answer the application.