A round-up of today's other court stories in brief
Jury sworn in for Kilkenny assault case
A jury has been sworn in at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for the trial of a Co Kilkenny man accused of sexually assaulting a young girl.
The man (39) has pleaded not guilty to four charges of sexual assault on dates between September 1999 and July 2001 in a house in Kilkenny and once during the same time period in a car on a street in Kilkenny.
The victim, who is scheduled to give her evidence via video link, is now aged 15 but was between nine and 10 years old at the time of the alleged offences.
The hearing continues.
US student claims Latvian raped her
An American student has claimed that a Latvian man (22) raped her in Galway two years ago on Valentine's night after buying her a rose and showing her what he claimed was a war wound on his torso.
The accused has pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to raping and orally raping her at Upper Canal Road on February 15th, 2004.
The alleged victim (24) told prosecuting counsel Alexander Owens SC (with Kathleen Noctor BL) that she met the accused in Shop Street while she walked home along a well-lit route.
She said he raped her shortly after they crossed the bridge at the cathedral and afterwards she went immediately to the nearby University hospital, where she told of the rape.
Sentencing of man (26) next month
A 26-year-old man who had sex with a 14-year-old girl and in a separate incident kidnapped a man in order to rob him will be sentenced next month by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
The male victim was lured into a car and beaten until he revealed the bank card pin number before being released and nearly pushed into Dublin Bay.
Judge Frank O'Donnell heard that Valintan Stan, a native of Romania who has residency in this country, has eight previous convictions here for road traffic and theft offences.
Stan, of St Theresa's Gardens, Rialto, pleaded guilty to unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 15 years in a flat in north Dublin on April 17th, 2003, and to robbery of bank cards and a phone from Iosif Chelaru at Clontarf Road on June 27th, 2003.
Man held over Waterford assault
A 20-year-old man has been arrested in Waterford following a serious assault causing critical injuries to another man.
The 19-year-old injured man, said to be from Ferrybank, Co Kilkenny, was taken to Waterford Regional Hospital by ambulance on Monday evening after it was reported that a man had been beaten unconscious in John's Street.
Galway taxi driver loses his appeal
A Galway taxi driver who engaged in a lewd conversation with a Filipino woman in his taxi failed to have a conviction for breaching public service vehicle (PSV) regulations quashed at an appeal hearing at Galway Circuit Court yesterday.
Father of five Patrick Heffernan (52), Tudor Lawn, Newcastle, denied a charge of breaching PSV regulations by failing to behave in a civil and respectful manner towards healthcare assistant Jennifer Codyre (29) in his taxi on July 19th.