Pulse error gave man 13 extra convictions

Pulse error gave man 13 extra convictions

A Mayo man who maintained he was falsely convicted of a host of charges has been vindicated.
Christopher Burke of Woodfield, Kilkelly, previously appeared at Ballyhaunis District Court, sitting in Castlebar, charged with non display of tax on January 20, 2014, in Kilkelly.
During proceedings, the court was told that Mr Burke had a total of 16 previous convictions, including drink driving and giving a false name to gardaí.
Mr Burke told the court that most of the convictions against him, dating back to 2002, had never happened.
Mr Burke said he had met with sergeants over the past five years in an attempt to get the convictions removed from Pulse, the computer system used by an Garda SíochΡna, but had failed to do so.
At last week’s sitting of Claremorris District Court in Castlebar, Garda John Hughes confirmed that 13 of the 16 convictions attributed to Mr Burke on the Garda Pulse system were inaccurate.
Judge Mary Devins told the court that the Pulse inaccuracies were ‘very serious’.
“It’s very serious when a man is brought before court for a minor road traffic offence and you are told he has 16 previous convictions,” said Judge Devins, before striking out the driving-without-tax charge.

Stolen rail
Meanwhile, in a separate case heard by Judge Rory MacCabe last Thursday, February 5, Mr Burke was given until June 18, 2015, to pay €5,000 in compensation for the removal of rail from the old railway line near Kiltimagh on September 28, 2012.
Last July, Mr Burke was ordered to pay the compensation for the theft, which caused an estimated €30,000 worth of damages, but he had failed to do so due to financial difficulties, the court heard.