A former Limerick hurler, who is appealing a two week jail sentence for committing perjury, has been given more time to complete further hours of voluntary community service.
Pat Ryan, 28, from Doon in Co Limerick, was convicted of perjury last March after he took the oath and falsely claimed he had not received a summons for speeding during court proceedings in October 2020.
Gardaí subsequently discovered that he had in fact sent a picture of the summons from his phone to a third party.
District court Judge Patricia Harney imposed a two week jail term on Ryan accusing him of telling a brazen lie in the face of the court.
Ryan, who played senior hurling for Limerick from 2017 and won three All-Ireland medals, is appealing the severity of that sentence.
The court had been told that he had been ignorant of the law and of court matters and had gone into the October 2020 court hearing without taking legal advice.
The court also heard that a jail sentence would have life changing consequences for him - a man who had originally been an elite athlete and part of one of the most successful hurling teams in the country.
During his first appeal hearing, Judge Tom O'Donnell had indicated that he may impose a community service order in lieu of the jail term.
In the circuit court today, he was told that Ryan had commenced community service but that the probation service requires more time to facilitate further engagement with him.
He has completed 40 hours of a suggested 100 hours of voluntary community service.
Judge O'Donnell said he should be given every opportunity to keep to his side of the arrangement and asked that he continue engaging with the probation services to conclude the balance of hours due.
He adjourned the case until 2 November next to assess the progress on the matter before making a final decision on Ryan's appeal.
