In Short

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

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

Woman gives evidence against coach

A woman who claims she was indecently assaulted by her sports coach as a schoolgirl in the 1970s has told a jury she was infatuated with him and believed they were having a relationship.

The woman, now 43, said she would have "done anything for him", that he was like a father to her and made her feel important. She alleges he would regularly "French kiss" her and fondle her.

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The man, now 58, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has pleaded not guilty to 30 counts of indecently assaulting her at a Dublin school between June 1976 and January 1979 when she was aged from 14 to 16.

She said he was a good coach and had pushed her to do well in her sport. She described him as her mentor and said she had known he was a married man with two children. She trusted her coach and would have done anything for him but changed her view, that they had had a relationship, when she bumped into him in 1998 and she saw that he was coaching children.

Under cross-examination by Fergal Kavanagh SC, defending, she said her relationship with her father had been dysfunctional and she had undergone psycho-logical treatment "on and off" with four of five counsellors since 1983 to help her deal with relationships.

She also said she had alleged she had been sexually abused before these incidents. The trial continues before Judge Yvonne Murphy and a jury at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Priest in 80s seeks to prevent trial

A retired schoolteacher and priest in his 80s has brought High Court proceedings aimed at preventing his trial on 37 charges of indecent assault of three former pupils.

Neither the man nor the school can be named for legal reasons. The DPP is opposing the application.

Deirdre Murphy SC, for the applicant, said the alleged assaults were said to have occurred between 1974 and 1981. She submitted that the delay between the alleged assaults, the making of the complaints and her client's prosecution would prejudice his right to a fair trial and had breached his right to a trial with reasonable expedition.

The lack of specificity and detail in the complaints reduced the defence to one of a simple denial of the allegations, and this compounded the real risk of an unfair trial, Ms Murphy argued.

The hearing continues today before Mr Justice Roderick Murphy.

Independent and Metro settle case

Legal proceedings between the publishers of the giveaway newspaper Metro and Independent News and Media have been settled, the High Court was told yesterday.

In October Mr Justice Frank Clarke granted an injunction to Metro International, Tidnings AB Metro and Fortunegreen Ltd which restrained Independent News and Media from using the word "metro" in its Herald freesheet title.

The judge later varied the injunction to allow Herald AM to use the word "metro edition" on its masthead beside the date and in a much smaller size and style.

Independent News and Media also undertook not to use the words "metro" or "metro edition" in the promotion or advertising of the giveaway newspaper.

Anthony Aston SC, for Metro, said the case had been settled on that basis.