Television licence defaulters who failed to turn up in the Dublin District Court today have received fines of over €600 plus costs.
The Court is hearing 330 summons issued by An Post to house occupiers in Dublin who did not have a licence when inspectors called last autumn.
Judge Conal Gibbons imposed the maximum fine of €634 for a first offence and costs of €15 on individuals who failed to turn up in court or buy a licence.
A striking feature of this morning's prosecutions was the number of cases, over 80 of which were struck out because of an inability to serve notice of the proceedings.
This may be explained because many of the prosecutions related to tenants in flat complexes and rental addresses who have moved on since the inspectors called in September 2002.
Cases were also struck out where there were mistakes in the addresses and spellings of individuals' names.
Judge Gibbons also tempered justice with mercy and where individuals turned up in court with proof that they had bought licences, even at the eleventh hour, he imposed small fines or no fines at all.
A number of women pleaded inability to purchase the licence, which now costs €150, because of financial circumstances.
The prosecutions are continuing.
