Cllr John O’Donnell as he appeared join the RTE Investigates programme.
A COUNTY Councillor has escaped a prison sentence and been ordered to pay a compensation order following another dramatic day in court.
Cllr John O’Donnell said his “good name” had been ruined as he defended a decision to stop paying money to a woman he drove over 16 years ago.
Cllr John O’Donnell’s finances were again laid bare in another remarkable hearing at Letterkenny District Civil Court today in which the politician again claimed to have millions of euro of debts.
Petra Kucklick, a German native from Mill Cottage, Rooskey, Creeslough, is suing O’Donnell for an outstanding €33,000 debt from a personal injury claim.
The court heard today that the councillor had paid €7,600 in 2009 but then stopped making any payments despite a court order.
The politician was at the centre of a scandal in December when he appeared on an RTE Investigates programme in which he appeared to ask for cash for political favours. He has denied the allegations.
Ms Kucklick’s barrister Laura O’Reilly, representing the Legal Aid Board, said Ms Kucklick had been awarded personal injury compensation in 2008 and Mr O’Donnell had stopped paying €200 per week in 2009.
The 2008 judgement related to an incident in 2000 in which Mr O’Donnell had driven over the foot of Ms Kucklick at a building site in the county.
Today’s court heard Cllr O’Donnell had still not handed over details of all of his bank accounts in this state Ms Kucklick.
Judge Paul Kelly heard Laura O’Reilly detail what she said was extravagant expenses including €960 spent at Watson’s Menswear in Letterkenny in December, purchases from River Island and Hollister.
She also said he had spent hundreds of euros at two top Dublin restaurants.
She had earlier asked for O’Donnell to be arrested as he wasn’t in court at 10.30am.
Judge Paul Kelly warned that Cllr O’Donnell could face jail if he failed to comply with the compensation order.
O’Donnell said the media were there to cover the case and ruin his name; he insisted he only had his council salary of €32,000 to live on and was being forced into bankruptcy by Ms Kucklick as she didn’t want to be part of a personal insolvency plan.
He said he would apply for bankruptcy next Monday.
Judge Kelly said that while it appeared that Cllr O’Donnell did have some extravagance in the past he could not punish him for that under the law.
He said he believed the politician could pay Ms Kucklick €100 per week and ordered those payments to be made.
The judge said that if they weren’t he would have “an entirely” different view if the matter was back before him.