DONEGAL waste collector Jim Ferry, who has been evading a High Court arrest warrant since last August, has been given one last chance after presenting himself before a court in Dublin.

 

According to the Irish Times, Ferry, who has been living in Strabane since absconding from court nine months ago, handed himself in to the authorities this morning.

 

“One last chance, one last chance,” barrister Francis Treanor BL said to Mr Justice Max Barrett as Jim Ferry sat at the back of the court with his solicitor, John Geary.

 

Mr Treanor said Ferry, who has been on the run since August 22 when Mr Justice Barrett ordered that he be jailed for contempt for failing to adhere to an earlier order regarding the illegal dump he had been operating at Rossbracken in Letterkenny, was now fully aware of the gravity of his situation.

 

“I can only tell you, judge, that in the last week, I have been able to convince my client that he’s in a very precarious situation,” said Mr Treanor, adding that the fate of the defendant was in the hands of the court.

 

Mr Justice Barrett said Ferry was in contempt when the order to jail him was made in August and he remained in contempt today. The judge, who noted that a uniformed member of the Garda Siochána was in court, said he would adjourn the case until June 12, when a garda would be in court again.

 

Mr Treanor promised that his client would attend then and that he wished to purge his contempt.

 

Mr Treanor told Mr Justice Barrett that Jim Ferry had taken on board the seriousness of his situation.

 

“He understands the ramifications of the order in being at the moment. He’s here this morning to purge his contempt,” said Mr Treanor.