Other stories in brief.
Disturbance in basement cell disrupts court
A Dublin court was disrupted yesterday after a serious disturbance among prisoners in a basement cell. A fight broke out between about six prisoners waiting to be called from the cells below Dublin District Court Number 44.
They pulled water pipes from the wall, causing a cell to be flooded, and tried to pull a security gate off its hinges. A solicitor holding a consultation with a client narrowly escaped getting caught up in the melee.
Judge Cormac Dunne, who was sitting in Court 44, suspended proceedings while gardaí and additional prison officers were called in to quell the disturbance.
After about 45 minutes, the court resumed and a number of prisoners were brought before the court with their hands cuffed behind their backs. When their original cases were dealt with, they were brought back to the cell area.
Charges against a number of individuals for damage to the cells are expected to follow.
Man to face trial over airport hoax
An unemployed man charged with making a hoax bomb threat at Dublin airport is to be tried in the Circuit Court.
John McHugh (48), Mountjoy Square, Dublin, was charged with knowingly making a false statement or report tending to give rise to an apprehension for the safety of persons or property at the airport on July 4th last. The airport was closed for two hours and serious inconvenience was caused to passengers.
Dublin District Court heard yesterday the DPP had directed trial on indictment (in the Circuit Court) and he sought eight weeks for preparation of a book of evidence.
Mr McHugh was remanded on €1,000 bail to appear again on November 24th.
Boy (16) in court on gun charge
A 16-year-old boy arrested in connection with the shooting of a Garda sergeant on Wednesday, was brought before the Dublin Children's Court yesterday charged with possession of a shotgun and ammunition.
Det Garda Michael McNulty told Judge Catherine Murphy that the boy, who is from the west of Ireland, was arrested at St Agnes' Road, Crumlin, Dublin, on Thursday night.
The teenager was charged with possessing a 12-gauge single-barrel shotgun, at Monasterboice Road, Crumlin, on September 27th.
He also faces a charge of allowing himself to be carried in a stolen vehicle on the same date.
The teenager was remanded in custody to St Patrick's Institution.
Rent fraud charge struck out
A charge against a man accused of involvement in the fraudulent renting of an apartment in Dublin was struck out yesterday because of a delay in obtaining DPP directions.
The charge against Richard Deane (54), Kilmore Road, Raheny, Dublin, is likely to be re-entered shortly as the State is awaiting documentary evidence in relation to it.
Ecumenical service for ageing week
An ecumenical service will take place at 3.30pm tomorrow in Dublin's Christ Church Cathedral to mark Positive Ageing Week.
The Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin, Dr John Neill, will give an address at the service.
Couple tied up in armed raid on home
Gardaí in Kildare were last night searching for two men who entered a house armed with a handgun and knife and tied up a man and woman before removing a safe from the premises. The incident occurred on the outskirts of Kill, Co Kildare, between 10.30am and 11.45am yesterday.
Gardaí have yet to establish the value of any cash or valuables in the stolen safe.
Two men wearing balaclavas managed to escape in a four-wheel drive vehicle which was later recovered nearby. The getaway vehicle is now being examined.
FBI source need not attend court
An American who is under a Real IRA death threat was told yesterday that he does not have to attend court to give evidence at the multi-million pound Omagh bomb compensation case.
In the High Court in Belfast, Mr Justice Morgan ruled that David Rupert, who infiltrated the dissident republican organisation, can give his evidence by video-link from America, where he is under FBI protection.
The judge had previously been told there would be a severe risk to Mr Rupert's life if he was to give evidence in person at the £14 million hearing.
It was claimed he was living at a secret address in the USA for his own protection as his evidence would amount of a "devastating exposure" of the Real IRA.
Mr Justice Morgan also announced that the case, brought by relatives of the 29 people killed and the scores injured in the 1998 atrocity, will start on April 16th, 2007.
The hearing is expected to last at least two months.
Nurses withdraw strike threat
The threat of industrial action by psychiatric nurses next month has been withdrawn by Siptu Nursing and the Psychiatric Nurses Association.
The unions had threatened to take action on October 9th over the failure of the authorities in the health service to make sufficient progress on a compensation scheme for psychiatric nurses assaulted at work.
Following the intervention of the Labour Relations Commission yesterday, the unions received clarification which, a statement said, went some way towards addressing the issue. However, both unions say they will continue to pursue a number of outstanding issues through the Labour Court.
Fatal collision in Carlingford
A 78-year-old man has died following a collision with an articulated vehicle at Millgrange, Greenore, Carlingford, Co Louth, yesterday morning.
Gardaí in Carlingford are investigating the collision, which occurred around 11.30am yesterday.
Free legal aid delays reduced
Waiting times for appointments with free legal aid solicitors have fallen to four months or under throughout the State, according to the Legal Aid Board.
The backlog of appointments has been reduced from 2,200 at the end of 2004 to under 1,000 at the end of last year, the board says in its latest annual report.
Kilkenny, Portlaoise, Tralee and Letterkenny have the longest waiting times, at four months. The legal aid centre in Longford reports no waiting times.
Some 70 per cent of the advice given by the board related to family law, and 60 per cent of its court work related to divorce, separation and nullity issues.
The chairwoman of the board, Anne Colley, said the progress in cutting waiting lists had made the concept of "access to justice" more meaningful. She hoped recent increases in financial eligibility levels would have helped less well-off people.