In Short

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

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

Man jailed for rape, assaults of nephew

A "substantial Kildare farmer" who sexually abused his young nephew has been jailed for six years by Mr Justice Barry White at the Central Criminal Court.

Joseph Dempsey (61), Monasterevan, was found guilty by a jury last December of anally raping his nephew once and sexually assaulting him 15 other times. The boy was aged four or five to 13 years when abused from 1984 to 1993. He told the court he was not concerned by his uncle being identified in media reports.

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Mr Justice White imposed four-year concurrent terms on the indecent and sexual assault charges and suspended the final year of those sentences. He directed that Dempsey's name be recorded on the register of sex offenders.

Open verdict in river drowning

A man who was abused as a child at an industrial school in Letterfrack, Co Galway, jumped into the River Liffey and drowned, an inquest into his death has heard.

Anthony Delaney (59), who had been staying at Cedar House homeless accommodation centre in Dublin, had stopped taking his medication for schizophrenia shortly before his death.

Mr Delaney had been awarded compensation from the Residential Institutions Redress Board and was collecting his compensation in instalments from a solicitor's office, Dublin City Coroner's Court heard.

Dublin deputy city coroner Maria Colbert returned an open verdict.

Neighbour stabbed over loud music

A woman who stabbed her neighbour during a row over loud music will be sentenced in June by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Michelle Johnston (24), Santry, pleaded guilty to assaulting Tony Brown at apartments on Oscar Traynor Road, Santry, in June 2004.

Garda Seán McCarthy told Judge Katherine Delahunt that Johnston and Mr Brown were next-door neighbours. Johnston's boyfriend asked a security man in the early morning to ask Mr Brown to turn down his music. He refused and told the security man that his neighbours had annoyed him during the day.

Garda McCarthy said Mr Brown turned down the music at 3.25am when gardaí arrived.

At 4am Johnston's boyfriend and Mr Brown began to fight. As Mr Brown tried to stand up, Michelle Johnston ran towards him with a knife. She said she was going to kill him and she stabbed him in the back.

Mr Brown spent a night in Beaumont Hospital and received three stitches.

Judge Delahunt remanded Johnston on continuing bail and ordered the preparation of a probation and welfare services report.

Speeding case dismissed

A defence lawyer persuaded Castleblayney District Court in Co Monaghan yesterday that speeding prosecutions can be declared defective if the summonses are not issued by gardaí within six months of the alleged breach.

Gerry Jones, solicitor, Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan, claimed that under the legislation contained in section 45 of the Road Traffic Act, as amended, summonses have to be issued within the period. Aidan Lynch, Carrickmacross, was summonsed for speeding on May 26th, 2004.

Judge Flann Brennan dismissed the case.