When a number of mature trees were illegally cut down in Salthill Park in 2016, it was inevitable that the culprits would be brought to justice, if only because the crime was committed within sight of Salthill Garda Station (in the photo below, the tall aerial is on the roof of the police station ).
In December 2018, the three culprits were convicted for criminal damage and fined a total of €3,000. The two people who had ordered the destruction of the trees were ordered to pay an additional €2,000 compensation to Galway City Council. However, the council had given evidence that it had cost €6,000 to dispose of the trees, so it looks like it is the citizens of Galway that ended up paying for the crime.
