A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Bus Éireann charged over Meath crash
Bus Éireann appeared in Navan district court yesterday morning to face a summons relating to an accident outside Navan last year that claimed the lives of five schoolgirls, writes Elaine Keogh.
A second identical summons issued against CIÉ was struck out.
The incident happened on the afternoon of May 23rd last year.
Paul Anthony McDermott, counsel for both companies, told the court Bus Éireann was making a formal admission to the court that Bus Éireann/Irish Bus were the owners of the bus in question. State solicitor Michael Finnegan then said the prosecution was consenting to the summons against CIÉ being struck out.
There is just a single summons against Bus Éireann, Dublin Bus Depot, Broadstone, Dublin.
It alleges that the company owned a vehicle which was being driven at Mooretown, Navan and which because of a known defect or of a defect which could have been discovered by the exercise of ordinary care, was a danger to the public while in motion.
Judge John Brophy asked if they would be fighting the case and was told that the DPP is considering further charges and the company would not be in a position to say until the DPP decision is known.
He then adjourned the case until May 3rd when a date for hearing will be set.
Guilty to hijacking car in Co Cork
A 28-year-old father of two has been remanded in custody after he pleaded guilty yesterday to a number of charges relating to the hijacking of a woman's car at knifepoint in Co Cork last year.
Pawel Folta, a native of Poland but with an address at The Green, Dún Eala, Fermoy, pleaded guilty to a total of three offences when he appeared at Cork Circuit Criminal Court yesterday.
Folta pleaded guilty to exercising unlawful control of a car at the Texaco garage, Cork Road, Fermoy, on December 8th last by holding a knife against the body of the woman driver. He also pleaded guilty to producing a knife to intimidate the woman during the hijacking and to the theft of her Nokia mobile phone and some €30 in cash.
Judge Patrick Moran remanded Folta in custody for sentence on May 19th.
FG to select candidates
Fine Gael will select its candidates for the Longford-Westmeath constituency next Sunday.
Over 1,100 party members from the two counties are entitled to vote in the convention in Mullingar. There is speculation they will select two candidates, leaving the way open for party headquarters to add a third candidate. Seven candidates remain in the field - Cllr Nicky McFadden, Cllr Peggy Nolan, Senator James Bannon, Cllr Pat McLoughlin, Cllr Frank McDermott, Cllr Pat Whelan and Pat Burke.
Second Lidl store for Kilkenny
Kilkenny County Council has agreed to re-zone lands designated "industrial" for commercial/retail use to allow the opening of the county's second Lidl store in Thomastown, writes Michael Parsons.
The local planning authority is now expected to approve the application on March 6th.
There were four objections from local businesses but no objections from members of the public.