Judge issues warning to Laois woman who went abroad for cosmetic surgery
Portlaoise Courthouse
A WOMAN who was originally granted free legal aid, only to have it revoked after the court learned she had travelled abroad for cosmetic surgery costing €2,700, returned to court last week seeking to have the legal aid certificate reinstated.
The case first came before the court on 3 November last year.
The 32-year-old defendant was charged with the theft of a supersonic hairdryer valued at €200 from Fletcher’s Hardware, Main Street, Portarlington, allegedly committed on 2 January 2025.
At that hearing, solicitor Aonghus McCarthy appeared on behalf of the accused. He informed the court that his client was in receipt of a One-Parent Family Payment and asked the court to grant legal aid, which was granted by Judge Susan Fay.
Following several adjournments, it emerged that the woman, who on the instructions of the court cannot be named, had undergone cosmetic surgery abroad on 2 July, including a tummy tuck, liposuction and a butt lift.
At the last sitting of the case in September and in his application for free legal aid for the woman, solicitor Robert Murphy from Aonghus McCarthy offices handed in a statement of means from his client.
Judge Andrew Cody had asked how much the surgery had cost and how the defendant had paid the clinic for it, to which Mr Murphy said that his client comes from a large family, and they had given her the money. He then asked that if the surgery costs were paid for by family members, would the defendant be able to provide evidence of that?
Mr Murphy said that that family members gave his client cash and she in return lodged that into her bank account.
Judge Cody then adjourned the legal aid application to 8 October and on that date requested that the accused bank statements from March to July this year be produced.
When the case returned to court last week, Mr Murphy handed in bank statements from his client to the court.
Judge Cody noted: “It says there are 77 pages to this statement, but 30 pages are missing from April to July. Is she going to produce them? I asked for all bank statements to be provided from March to July. If I don’t get the full statements by next week 15 October, I will refuse your (Mr Murphy) application for free legal aid.” *The case of the alleged theft, which the accused has pleaded not guilty to, had already been adjourned to 10 November for a full hearing.
