Supreme Court defers Lawlor jail term for holiday in US

The Supreme Court has granted a stay on the jail sentence of Dublin West TD Liam Lawlor until early January to allow him travel to New York for a Christmas holiday.

The five-judge Supreme Court had earlier denied an appeal against the seven-day jail sentence imposed on Lawlor by the High Court for his failure to comply with the Flood Tribunal.

However, Lawlor's legal team had told the court that he had booked tickets to travel with his wife to New York next weekend. They intend to spend Christmas with their son Niall, whose wife is due to have a baby soon.

Following the Supreme Court stay, Lawlor will not begin his jail sentence until January 2nd 2002.

A fine of £5,000 imposed in the High Court in July and upheld by the Supreme Court will now not have to be paid until December 31st 2001.

Lawlor was not present in court to hear the ruling.

Chief Justice Mr Justice Ronan Keane had adjourned the case until this afternoon to consider an application by lawyers for Lawlor this morning to postpone the start of his jail term.

This morning, Lawlor was adjudged to have failed to provide the Flood Tribunal with requested financial documents.

In passing sentence in the High Court last July, Mr Justice Thomas Smyth said Mr Lawlor had been given "reasonable time" to comply with the original orders of October and December 2000, but that to date there has been a "wanton lack of frankness and completeness" in the 157 folders of documents that Lawlor had provided.

The sentence is the second given to Lawlor for his failure to comply with the tribunal. In January, Lawlor served a seven-day term in Mountjoy and was fined £10,000 for his non-compliance.