Man hunting deer near Kildare/Wicklow border ordered to pay donation to charity
Carlow Courthouse
A TULLOW man who was out deer hunting was ordered to pay a donation to charity when he appeared before Carlow District Court last week. John Nolan, 57 Hillbrook Estate, Tullow pleaded guilty to a charge of entering land to hunt wild animals without permission at Valleymount, Co Wicklow on 12 December 2020.
Sergeant Hud Kelly told the court that agents from the National Parks and Wildlife Service received a report of illegal hunting at Granamore, Valleymount and that upon investigation they found Mr Nolan and two others in a vehicle with a deer carcass.
He continued that the defendant claimed that the deer had been killed at a different location earlier but that witnesses heard gunshots in Granamore.
Sgt Kelly added that two other defendants involved in the incident had already been dealt with in court, where they were ordered to pay money to charity.
Defending solicitor Chris Hogan told Judge Geraldine Carthy that his client had the role of “spotter” that day and didn’t have a gun on him so he was “less criminally culpable” than the other two people.
He said that Mr Nolan was actively involved in a charity for homeless people in Dublin by providing them with food and that he had raised thousands of euros for charity over the past two years.
Mr Nolan then told Judge Carthy that he would have €500 available to donate to a charity so she adjourned the matter until 4 December for him to gather up the money.
