Judge says appeal by Strabane doctor against conviction for assault on police becoming ‘a circus.

A judge at Derry Crown Court has said the appeal of a Strabane doctor against her conviction for assault on police was becoming ‘a circus.’
Judge Philip Babington made his remarks during another hearing into the appeal by 32-year-old Dr Eireann Kerr, who now resides in Belfast, who was convicted of committing four offences of assault and resisting arrest inside Derry’s Strand Road Police Headquarters following a Christmas works party night out with medical colleagues on 13 December, 2013.
Dr Dr Eireann Kerr was convicted of the offences, including assault on police and resisting arrest, even though the court was told that there were traces of the date rape drug GHB in her system and that it was believed her drink had been spiked.
The case was listed for mention today and a prosecution barrister said that the Director of Public Prosecutions had yet to reply to a letter received from the defence.
The judge asked did it take the Director longer to reply to a letter than anyone else?
He said that he was not going to set a date for the appeal hearing unless he was sure that it was actually going to go ahead.
He said the case seemed to be ‘going round and round in circles’ and it was running out of time for it to be dealt with before the summer recess.
The prosecution barrister said that new evidence had been served on the defence and also that the Director had to give ‘full consideration and full thought’ to the reply to the points raised.
The case was adjourned until June 25.