A woman avoided being charged with contempt of court after being caught taking a photograph of an accused during a hearing at Letterkenny Circuit Court this week.
A man, an accused person, was in the witness box at the time.
As the man was addressing the court, Judge John Aylmer halted proceedings, believing the woman, who was in the body of courtroom number 1, to have been recording.
Judge Aylmer said it was something that he considered “a very serious matter” and something that was noted to be happening in courts around the country recently.
“There is only one record in the court and that is the DAR (digital audio recording),” Judge Aylmer said.
Gardai spoke to the woman and a short while later State prosecutor, Ms Fiona Crawford BL, told the court that “there was a photograph taken”.
Judge Aylmer suggested that perhaps the woman should seek legal advice.
A detective, who spoke to the woman, confirmed to the court that one photo was taken of the man as she wanted to show it to a relative.
Judge Aylmer said: “If she was recording, other than the photograph, I would be tempted to impose a fine”.
Contempt of court is a behaviour that disrespects or defies the authority of the court, such as taking photographs or recording proceedings.
It can result in serious penalties, including fines or imprisonment, depending on the severity.