Father spent one night in jail before paying alimony

A father jailed for three weeks by a judge for not paying maintenance for his two children spent only one night in Limerick Prison before he handed over €6,490, it has emerged.

The Clare man had been jailed for 21 days at the Family Law Court in Ennis by Judge Patrick Durcan for failing to pay arrears owed on the €90-a-week maintenance due to his estranged partner for their children.

The man, who has received €266,000 in two personal injury claims, told the judge that he could only afford to pay back €10 a week.

The jailing for non-payment of maintenance is extremely rare. The Irish Prison Service confirms that one individual was jailed for not making maintenance payments in 2015. In 2014, five men were jailed.

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The man had arrived to court in a car valued at €60,000, though he denied that he owned it, saying that it belonged to his mother.

He got €234,000 from a successful personal injury claim in 2013 and an additional €23,000 from another claim in 2015.

In January, solicitor, Shiofra Hassett, appearing for the man’s partner, said that no agreement had been made to reduce the weekly payments.

“He made a unilateral decision to reduce arrears. He is clearly in better financial circumstances than my client,” Ms Hassett said.