Another Irish judge is in hot water over comments

During the week an Irish judge was in hot water over some dodgy comments she made about the welfare system, now another judge has made some comments that have resulted in a convicted man walking free.

There must be something in the water of the Irish judicial system as of late, because yet another Irish judge has landed himself in trouble after he made some unnecessary comments.

The outspoken judge in question is Sean MacBride, who in the past has branded himself as the ‘Dirty Harry’ of the Irish judicial system… That already says something about him. Judge MacBride was accused of "exceeding his jurisdiction" during the sentencing of a man over drugs offences at Cavan District Court last April.

Judge MacBride apparently told the man who was in on a drugs charge that he was going to "run him out of town" and that he wouldn’t "pull the wool" over the judge’s eyes.

"If I were a neighbour, I would take the head off you," he said, before handing down an eight-month sentence. Now he really does sound like Dirty Harry.

However, it now transpires that the case was quashed and the convicted man was freed from prison after it was claimed that Judge MacBride had "displayed an antipathy" towards the man.

Irish judges… what will they say next?