Lawyer shocked when he overheard a conversation between lawyers on the floor through a hearing aid – The Irish Times

The Court service has disabled a loop induction hearing aid system in a Cork courthouse after a barrister was shocked to discover he could eavesdrop on a conversation between lawyers from a floor directly below him.

A private conversation between lawyers in the bar of the Courts of Criminal Justice on Anglesea Street in Cork was overheard by another lawyer wearing his own hearing aid. This raised concerns that there was a listening device under a panel in the ceiling of the room.

However, the Courts Service has said that no such device exists. In a statement, the Courts Service said it is providing loop induction hearing systems to help people who use hearing aids hear proceedings and meetings better.

“Part of this technology involves wearing a device, supplied by us, and usually worn with a neck strap. Recently in Anglesea Street, a lawyer wearing one of these devices left the courtroom while still wearing the device and went to another room in the building.

“In many courthouses there are two hearing systems. Firstly, there is the infrared system: this ensures that users can only hear the proceedings within the privacy of the courtroom.

“Users must wear a special cord to which the hearing aid is connected. The system only works on line of sight – which ensures that it only works in the immediate area (i.e. the courtroom).

“The second system is a standard loop system. The attorney who had set his hearing aid to the courtroom loop system left the courtroom where the infrared system stopped working (as designed) and his hearing aid instead picked up the “other” loop system on the floor directly below him. When we were informed of this, we disabled the system.”

The Courts Service has confirmed that the system will remain disabled in the future unless its use is specifically requested.