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Irish judge From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Martin Edward Nolan[1] (born 12 June 1959)[2] is an Irish judge who has served as a Judge of the Circuit Court since May 2007. He previously served as a Judge of the District Court from 2004 to 2007.[3]
Martin Nolan | |
---|---|
Judge of the Circuit Court | |
Assumed office 21 May 2007 | |
Nominated by | Government of Ireland |
Appointed by | Mary McAleese |
Judge of the District Court | |
In office 5 July 2004 – 21 May 2007 | |
Nominated by | Government of Ireland |
Appointed by | Mary McAleese |
Personal details | |
Born | Martin Edward Nolan 12 June 1959 Wexford, Ireland |
Children | 4 |
Alma mater | |
He sits as a judge presiding over the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Nolan grew up in County Wexford, playing Gaelic football for Oylegate–Glenbrien GAA and the Wexford minor (under-18) team.[4][2]
Nolan was a member of the Garda Síochána from 1979 to 1989, based in Rathfarnham and Tallaght.[5][2]
Nolan studied at the King's Inns and was called to the Bar in 1989. He worked in a mixed practice including criminal, civil and family law.
He was appointed a District Court judge in 2004.[5] He was nominated to the Circuit Court in May 2007.[4]
Judge Nolan has attracted controversy for the perceived leniency of some of the sentences he has passed, particularly in the areas of Child Sexual Abuse Material or child sexual assault. An online petition to remove him from the bench attracted thousands of signatures.[6] Examples of supposedly lenient sentences include:
He has also been criticised for some sentences viewed as excessive:
A 2023 Irish Times article by Mary Carolan discussed Nolan, saying that he passes about 40 sentences a week, out of which perhaps one or two of those is appealed by the offender and one, or fewer, by the Director of Public Prosecutions. However, she said that there is no centralised sentencing database in the Republic of Ireland that would allow for a proper analysis of sentences handed down by Judge Nolan.[5]
Nolan's house has been burgled twice; on one occasion in 2015 he had to recuse himself from a case as the offender had previously been given a suspended sentence by Nolan.[17][18] He is married and has four children.[2]
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