GARDAI IN Wexford are investigating a robbery which occurred at Wexford Circuit Court on Thursday morning while the court was in session.

The jury of 12 were sitting through a contested case at the time of the break-in, which occurred at around 11 a.m. on the morning in question.

The thief gained entry to the room, which is secured by a locked door with a numerical keypad, and proceeded to make off with one mobile phone and four wallets.

A spokesperson for Wexford Gardai confirmed that property had been taken from the room while the court was in session and said that the investigation into the incident was ongoing.

A spokesperson for the Courts Service confirmed to The Echo that there had been a breach of security at the courthouse but pointed out that the Courts Service was simply a tenant in the Co. Council building and that the Gardai were responsible for security and protection of jury and court users.

He said that the Courts Service was very concerned and had requested the putting in place of addition security precautions following what he referred to as “an unusual occurrence.”

He added that the security and comfort of jurors was of utmost importance and was central to any plans of new courthouses over the past number of years. The new courthouse in Wexford, he said, would follow similar guidelines and would have State of the Art facilities for all court users.

The new courthouse in Wexford will be built through a public-private partnership and it is hoped that the development will go to market by the end of this year for expressions of interest.