Laois resident facing deportation refused to surrender passport ...again
Portlaoise Courthouse
A MAN was further remanded in custody after he again allegedly refused to surrender his passport to gardaí.
Abel Phillips, Esker, Ballyfin, Portlaoise was back before Portlaoise District Court last week facing a further charge of failing to co-operate with a deportation order under section 20 of the *Passports Act 2008 at the Midlands Prison, Portlaoise on 18 February.
He had been before the previous week’s sitting of the court charged with the same offence, which, allegedly, took place on 11 February.
At the previous sitting of the case, a garda detective attached to the immigration unit at Portlaoise Garda Station told the judge that Mr Phillips was the subject of a deportation order and, allegedly, refused to surrender his passport. He had been renamed to appear in court on 23 February.
When Mr Phillip’s case was called, the same garda detective said she was submitting another charge on the defendant again for allegedly refusing to surrender his passport to gardaí.
She said: “Every time he refuses to surrender his passport, he will be served with another charge.” Judge Susan Fay remanded Mr Phillips in custody to a further sitting of the court.
*Under section 20 of the Passports Act 2008, failing to surrender a passport without a reasonable excuse is an offence.
