In Short

A round-up of today's other stories in brief.

A round-up of today's other stories in brief.

Teenager case 'too serious' for junior court

A teenager hijacked a car and forced a woman to drive at speed as he held an implement to her throat in front of her small child, a court has heard.

The 17-year-old west Dublin boy is facing charges at the Children's Court for theft of a car from the Liffey Valley shopping centre and theft of a jersey from the vehicle on March 17th last.

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He is also charged that on the same day he stole another woman's car from the shopping centre and stole her handbag, €150 in cash and her mobile phone.

He then abandoned the car and jumped into the back seat of another woman's car. He sat beside her small child and held an implement to the woman's throat. A Garda witness said the youth screamed obscenities at the woman. Gardaí arrived and as the car was held up in traffic the youth fled.

Judge Bryan Smyth held that the case was too serious to be dealt with in the Children's Court and ordered that it be forwarded for trial on indictment to the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court instead.

Mountjoy rioter released on bail

One of the men involved in holding six prison officers hostage for over 50 hours at Mountjoy Jail in 1997 has been released on bail on strict conditions after a suspended portion of his sentence was reactivated.

Stephen Galvin (31), Kilmore Road, Knocknaheeny, Co Cork, who has spent 16 years of his life behind bars, was jailed in February 2000 for six years by now retired Judge Dominic Lynch at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for his role in the Mountjoy Jail matter.Galvin was serving a 10-year sentence imposed in 1992 for robbery at the time and Det Supt Hubert Collins told Judge Lynch that he was a primary actor in the riot. Judge Desmond Hogan heard Galvin had become addicted while in custody and the case had been re-entered due to "probation concern".

Lawyer seeks data on intoxilyser

More than 50 alleged drink driving cases involving the intoxilyser machine have been adjourned in Dungarvan District Court, Co Waterford, pending information sought by the defence over the calibration of the machine.

The legal challenge on Wednesday was begun by solicitor Pat Gordon, the Burgery, Abbeyside, Dungarvan, concerning the Lion Intoxilyser 6000 IRL and certificates issued by the Medical Bureau of Road Safety which tests the machine Judge Terence Finn adjourned the cases for two weeks.