In Short

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

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

Woman (20) charged with scissors attack

A woman charged in connection with a scissors attack on three rugby players in a nightclub was remanded on continuing bail yesterday to May 30th.

Ciara Byrne (20), Darley's Terrace, Donore Avenue, Dublin, was charged with assault causing harm to three St Mary's rugby players at Tramco nightclub, Rathmines, on November 22nd last and with unlawful possession of a scissors.

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Dublin District Court heard a book of evidence in the case was not yet ready and there was no objection from the defence to a further remand for two weeks.

Man faces 40 sex charges

A 70-year-old man appeared in court yesterday on more than 40 charges of rape and indecent assault.

The accused, who cannot be named, is charged with raping two teenage girls and with indecently assaulting a teenage boy on unknown dates between 1969 and 1973.

The offences allegedly occurred in the south Dublin area. Insp Mark Kavanagh said that after he was charged yesterday, the accused had nothing to say.

Judge Ann Ryan remanded him on his own bail to May 30th.

'Walter Mitty' thief gets jail sentence

A thief who for many years preyed on elderly people through false pretences, has been sentenced to 13 years in prison by Judge Frank O'Donnell for another series of similar crimes.

He suspended nine years of the sentence on condition he stay crime-free after his release.

Christopher Doran (56), of Emmet Crescent, Inchicore, was described by Judge O'Donnell at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court as a "Walter Mitty" type character who should patent his guise for gaining entry into houses.

Doran pleaded guilty to six burglaries in the Dublin area between August 15th, 2005 and December 4th, 2006 during which he stole cash and valuables from victims aged from 80 to 95.

He was jailed for three years in 1999 for burglary, theft and larceny, carried out in the same manner.

He has 77 previous convictions since 1964.

Doran's "modus operandi" was to pretend to be an odd-job man, a window cleaner and a man from the waterworks to gain entry into the homes of his elderly victims.

Man accused of attempted rape

A man accused of trying to rape a woman in a lane told gardaí he couldn't understand why a girl would start having sex and then start crying.

The 25-year-old accused has pleaded not guilty to attempted rape of a woman near a Co Donegal town on October 1st, 2006 and to sexually assaulting her on the same occasion.

Det Sgt Sylvester Henry told Paul Coffey SC, prosecuting, that the accused said the complainant "went with him" outside a disco and he offered to take her to get some cigarettes.

They went to his van but he said he did not remember where he had driven after stopping at a nearby service station to buy the cigarettes.

Det Sgt Henry said the accused claimed the sexual activity that followed was consensual. He told gardaí he stopped the sexual activity when she started crying and "going on about her boyfriend".

"You go with a girl and then she starts crying. What are you supposed to do?" the accused said.

Dr Maureen Bonar-Scally told the court that when she examined the accused while he was under questioning he had a large bruise over his eye and bruising to both legs. He also had a significant abrasion to his right index finger.

Another witness told the court she had met the accused in a nightclub on the night of the incident and they had both been pushed to the ground by bouncers running to intervene in a fight. The trial continues.