- Available for Confidential Consultations
Being let out is a relief and it is often misread as the end of the matter. Frequently it is the beginning.
Released without charge, no file. It is over unless something new emerges. Released, file to the DPP. The Gardaí have finished questioning and are sending the case to the Director of Public Prosecutions for a decision. That decision can take months. Nothing appears to be happening and then the Gardai receive a direction from the DPP to charge you with an offence. Charged and bailed. You are charged immediately, brought to the next sitting of the District Court and ordinarily granted bail with conditions.
If somebody is charged and released on station bail there will usually be no conditions except to attend every Court Appearance. If you are charged before the District Court and granted bail there are ordinarily condition such as signing on at a station. A curfew. Staying away from named people or places. Surrendering a passport. Breaching a condition is a separate matter from the original allegation and it damages the bail position when the case reaches court. If a condition is impossible to keep, that is something to raise before it is broken, not after.
People relax. They talk about it. They contact people they should not contact. They post about it. The file is still open. Anything said or done in that period can end up in it.
Write down everything while it is fresh. What was asked, what was said, who was present, timings. Memory degrades fast and this may matter in a year. Do not contact the complainant. Not to apologise, not to explain, not through anybody else. It is the most common serious mistake made at this stage.
086 076 2191.
