Laois courthouse 'crisis' laid bare in FOI documents

A Circuit Court Judge wrote to the Courts Service warning that Portlaoise Courthouse is at “crisis point” due to rats, mould, damp and cramped conditions.   

Judge Keenan Johnson said consideration should be given to moving the courts from Portlaoise to the more modern courthouse in Tullamore, Co Offaly, if no improvements are made.

Details of correspondence from Circuit Court Judge Keenan Johnson and District Court Judge Andrew Cody to Court Service officials -including one addressed directly to Court Services Chief Executive, Angela Denning- were released to the Leinster Express/Laois Live under Freedom of Information(FOI).

They outlined the concern the judges have for the staff, gardai, legal professionals, prisoners and members of the public due to the condition of Portlaoise Courthouse. Both Judges suggested using an alternative court venue if improvements are not made to the courthouse facilities in Portlaoise, with Judge Cody suggesting Portlaoise Courthouse should be condemned as an unsuitable and unsafe work space. 

The correspondence was sent in June 2024 not long after a rat had crawled into a courtroom while court proceedings were underway and just days after a solicitor had been seriously assaulted in a cell of the building.  

“The unsatisfactory condition of the courthouse building is negatively impacting on everyone who has to work there. Catherine Magner(Portlaoise Courthouse Manager) and the staff in Portlaoise are fantastic public servants who go above and beyond the call of duty to deliver a fast, effective and professional service. It is not acceptable that they have to work in such unsatisfactory conditions,” Judge Johnson wrote in an email addressed to Assistant Secretary, Head of Courts, Tom Ward.  

Judge Johnson said “it is no exaggeration to state that the lack of facilities in Portlaoise and the condition of the existing premises has reached crisis point. At an absolute minimum the premises has to be made habitable, free of vermin and safe to work in, with either the windows being repaired so that they can be opened or the provision of portable air conditioning. In addition to this the premises needs to be repainted and deep cleaned.”

He called for a programme of works to make the building “fit for purpose” as a matter of urgency.  “In tandem with this funding will have to be obtained as a matter of urgency for the new court premises,” he stated.  

“The existing premises are totally inadequate for the level of business that is now conducted in Portlaoise. The new courthouse will need a minimum of four to five courtrooms. Currently Portlaoise only has the benefit of two courtrooms which is completely inadequate and makes the provision of service to the public extremely challenging,” he said. 

He noted “the chamber that serves the District Court in Portlaoise is an absolute horror show. It is damp, mouldy and infested with vermin. It is not fit for human habitation.”   

In the email CC’d to the Chief Executive of the Courts Service, Angela Denning,  Judge Johnson, said a special plea should be made to the Department for funding to carry out “essential repairs” to the building. 

“If this is not feasible, then consideration will have to be given to moving court sittings from Portlaoise to Tullamore. There is precedent for this as Mullingar Court sat in Tullamore for 10 years until the courthouse premises in Mullingar was renovated,” Judge Johnson wrote.

District Court Judge Andrew Cody emailed Ms Denning after a rat emerged in a courtroom while he was sitting at Portlaoise District Court.  

“For the past few days, I have been hearing "scratching" in my chambers in Portlaoise. The maintenance company had requested the attendance of an extermination company. This afternoon at 2pm to everyone's horror a rodent appeared in the courtroom and the consensus among the amateur zoologists present was this was a small rat. Thankfully, the extermination company arrived in the nick of time, and it was "euthanised" and removed to allow us to continue the court list,” Judge Cody wrote. 

He said it wasn’t the first time a rat had been seen in the building as one had appeared during his lunch. 

“To have a place of work with a rat infestation is totally unacceptable for the staff but also for the public who had to dodge a rat at the door as they left the courtroom,” Judge Cody stated. 

He said rats carry disease and can also cause electrical and fire hazards by gnawing through cables and electrical equipment. He described conditions at the courthouse as unacceptable and said the windows don’t open and there is no air conditioning resulting in sweltering conditions.

“We had a serious assault of a solicitor in the cells earlier this week where there appears to be no ability to consult with a prisoner in a safe and secure manner. The cells are inadequate to cope with the number of prisoners and this time last year we had 19 prisoners on one day between the Circuit and District Court and only three cells to accommodate them. The result was several prisoners being held in prison vans, on the street, in sweltering heat,” wrote Judge Cody. 

He pointed out that “unlike other courthouses we have two prisons in Portlaoise, the Midlands Prison and Portlaoise Prison including the National Violence Reduction Unit. Prisoners are regularly brought in for offences committed in prison.”

Judge Cody described the facilities for jurors as “appalling” and said the consultation rooms which are up two and three floors were “virtually useless."     

Judge Cody said “crowd control can be a serious problem particularly when two courts are sitting as the hallway areas are very limited. This often results in assaults and intimidation of witnesses.”

“There are only two courtrooms and due to the unavailability of courtrooms and the volume of business conducted, it is planned to have 16 sittings of Portlaoise District Court in Tullamore next year,” he stated. 

In summary, Judge Cody said Portlaoise Courthouse unsuitable and unsafe for the staff, Judges, the legal profession, Gardai, the public, and prisoners.

Judge Cody said there didn’t appear to be any prospect of a new courthouse being built in Portlaoise in the next seven to ten years. 

“The day is fast approaching when there may be a refusal by Judges to sit in Portlaoise as it should be condemned as an unsuitable and unsafe workplace. I cannot see this courthouse lasting until a new one is built. We are just one major event away from the closure of the courthouse and the risks are omnipresent,” he warned. 

Judge Cody suggested that “in those circumstances, it is my view contingency plans should be put in place to source an alternative venue pending the construction of a long promised new courthouse.” 

In response to Judge Cody’s email, Mr Ward apologised for the conditions and assured Judge Cody that pest control contractors and electrical and mechanical staff would carry out a thorough inspection of the building to ensure it was safe.

“I would agree with you that the facilities in Portlaoise are not at the level to facilitate the delivery of modern courts services. Catherine Magner and her team are continuing to do what they can to deliver the best service possible, bearing in mind that the courthouse was built at a time where service expectations were completely different. Unfortunately, the problems with Portlaoise are not unique but we remain committed to building a modern court facility for the people living in County Laois and neighbouring counties, when resources are available,” he wrote. 

He said the Courts Service continues to advocate for funding to provide new or refurbished courthouses in cities and county towns where facilities remain substandard. 

“Unlike other counties, we own a site in Portlaoise at Kylekiproe which will be used to build a new courthouse once funding becomes available. I am sorry that I cannot give a timeline for this but will keep you and your colleagues up to date with any developments,” Mr Ward wrote. 

The Leinster Express/Laois Live contacted the Court Services to determine whether any additional funding or resources had been allocated to Portlaoise Courthouse following the correspondence. 

A spokesperson said “all courthouses would have an annual programme of works” to keep them maintained. The spokesperson was not aware of any additional specific allocation for Portlaoise Courthouse.