A round-up of today's other stories in brief.
Man arrested over murder in Clonakilty
Gardaí yesterday arrested a man for questioning about the murder of a 30-year-old mother of three whose body was found with stab wounds at a flat in Clonakilty, west Cork, last week, writes Barry Roche.
Detectives arrested the man in Cork city yesterday afternoon shortly after 5pm on suspicion of murdering Rose Patterson, whose body was found at the flat at Connolly Street, Clonakilty, at around 11.40am on April 12th.
The man was arrested under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, which allows gardaí to hold suspects for up to 24 hours, and he was brought to Clonakilty Garda station for questioning about the killing.
Gardaí were last night continuing to question the man about the death of Ms Patterson who lived at Park View with her three children Naomi (8), Veronica (5), and son Farhan (18 months).
Gardaí launched a murder inquiry after a postmortem by Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margot Bolster on Friday confirmed Ms Patterson had died a violent death after suffering stab wounds.
A man who was found unconscious at the flat was yesterday discharged from Cork University Hospital where he had undergone treatment for wounds to his wrists and neck.
Man charged with diesel laundering
A 22-year-old south Armagh man was remanded on bail to a further sitting of the District Court in Castleblayney, Co Monaghan, yesterday charged with laundering diesel at Lurganmore near Castleblayney, on April 4th last. The case followed a raid by gardaí and Customs officers on a plant where colouring was being removed from diesel enabling it to be sold for a higher price.
Tyrone Martin, Slate Quarry Road, Cullyhanna, was charged with removing dye from diesel contrary to the Finance Act.
Sentence for stun gun suspended
A convicted drug dealer who bought a stun gun for his own protection has received a two-year suspended sentence from Judge Frank O'Donnell at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
John Alford (42), Ballyfermot Drive, Dublin, pleaded guilty to possession of the firearm at his home on August 9th, 2003.
Judge O'Donnell accepted evidence from Garda David Finnerty that Alford didn't realise it was illegal to have a stun gun and that he had earlier bought it from "a man" because he felt he needed it for his own protection.
He said Alford "had a consistent record of serious offences" after hearing that he received jail terms for drug dealing, possession of a firearm, assault on a garda and burglary.
He sentenced Alford to two years in prison but suspended it on condition that he keep the peace and be of good behaviour for four years.
Garda Finnerty told Judge Frank O'Donnell that a stun gun was capable of emitting an electric shock and was designed to incapacitate a victim for several minutes.
Drug dealer gets five-year sentence
An apprentice plumber who became a drug dealer and stashed cocaine valued at €34,481 in his bedroom after running up gambling debts has received a five-year suspended sentence.
David Spratt (21), Meadowbrook Park, Baldoyle, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of the drugs in a locker in his bedroom at his parents' home on January 27th, 2006.
Judge Joseph Matthews said cocaine was "plaguing our society" but felt "the exceptional and specific circumstances" of this case warranted a departure from the mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years imprisonment.