AN IRISH grandmother has been jailed for 90 days for repeatedly refusing to wear a face mask.
66-year-old Margaret Buttimer, from Bandon in County Cork, has appeared in court several times over her continued refusal to wear a face mask in a shop, which is mandatory to slow the spread of Covid-19.
In May of this year, Ms Buttimer was jailed for a weekend for continuously refusing to wear a mask, and also refused to wear one when she appeared before the judge, leading to her being jailed for contempt of court.
During that initial hearing, it was heard how Ms Buttimer verbally abused staff members and said she only answered to God, not Irish laws on Covid-19.
While out on bail, Ms Buttimer continued to attend shops without a face mask and refused to wear one when approached by staff.
At a new hearing yesterday she faced trial for multiple offences of not wearing a face mask in indoor public spaces, including shops, where the use of PPE has been mandatory since 2020.
Ms Buttimer's family have reportedly been concerned about her behaviour in recent months, and medical reports were submitted to court, The Irish Examiner reports.
The 66-year-old grandmother was sentenced for multiple offences between May and July, including a 14-day term which was deemed served after Ms Buttimer had spent the past 12 days in prison.
She was also sentenced to 30 days in prison for one offence, and 60 days in prison for another offence, to be served consecutively.
The 66-year-old will now serve a sentence of 90 days in prison; Ms Buttimer's solicitors have said they will not appeal the conviction or sentence.
