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Fifteen homicides and 21 sexual assaults have been carried out since 2007 by suspects who are out on bail, figures show.
In addition, people on bail are suspects behind 871 assaults and 617 firearms or weapons offences committed between the start of 2007 and the end of March 2008.
The figures follow reports in the Irish Examiner last Saturday which showed that the total number of offences carried out by suspects on bail rose from 15,500 in 2004 to nearly 24,200 in 2007.
Those figures were released by Justice Minister Dermot Ahern in the Dáil to Fine Gael justice spokesman Charlie Flanagan.
Further detailed figures sent to FG by the Central Statistics Office recorded a revised and higher figure for 2007, standing at 25,097. This reflects a 60% hike in such offences since 2004.
The CSO data gives a breakdown of the offences committed by suspects already charged with a crime, but on bail pending trial. This includes:
* 13 murder/manslaughter cases in 2007 and 2 in first quarter of 2008.
* 18 rape/sexual assaults in 2007 and 3 in first quarter of 2008.
* 717 assaults in 2007 and 154 in first quarter of 2008.
* 480 firearms/offensive weapons cases in 2007 and 137 in first quarter of 2008.
* A total of 25,097 offences in 2007 and 6,118 in the first quarter of 2008.
A spokesman for the CSO said all the figures were provisional and that there were no figures before 2004 as the facility to enter whether or not a person was on bail was only implemented on the Garda Pulse computer system at the end of 2003.
The CSO figures were released yesterday by Mr Flanagan, who said: “FF should be ashamed of the current bail system, which is releasing dangerous individuals back on to the streets to commit serious crimes.
“The picture for last year is particularly grim, with 13 cases of murder or manslaughter involving suspects out on bail, 18 incidents of rape or sexual assault, and 717 incidents of assault. The Government’s attempts to tackle gangland look laughable when there were 480 incidents of firearms and offensive weapons cases involving suspects out on bail last year.”
Mr Ahern told the Dáil last week that offences by people on bail was a matter of “considerable concern”.
He said over the years the Oireachtas had given a clear signal that the issue must be dealt with firmly.
He said the Bail Act 1997, following the Bail Referendum in 1996, allowed the courts to refuse bail where it was considered necessary to prevent further offences.
He said the Criminal Justice Act 2007, further tightened the right to bail.
Garda associations have expressed concern the courts were not taking on board Garda objections to bail.
By Cormac O'Keeffe
© Examiner Publications (Cork) Limited,
