More news in brief.
Former Cork district judge dies
The former Cork district court judge Bernard J Carroll, better known as 'Benny', has died. He served as a district court judge from 1969 until 1993, mainly in Cork.
The Co Roscommon native had a distinguished career in private practice before taking up an appointment with the Office of the Chief State Solicitor. He subsequently worked with Cork County Council and as Law Agent for Cork city. He was appointed as a judge of the District Court in 1969.
Judge Carroll served with distinction in the District Court in the South Tipperary/West Waterford area in 1969 before being appointed to Cork city in 1976. He also served for a period of time as a member of the Special Criminal Court.
Mr Carroll was the first district court justice to refer a case to the European Court in the mid-1970s when he questioned the legality of a ministerial order relating to fishing in Irish waters.
He lived in Shanakiel, was a former president of the Southern Law Association and a past president of Cork Golf Club.
Two of his four children followed their father into the legal profession. His son, Tom, is a solicitor with TJ Hegarty & Son in Cork city and his daughter, Joanne, is a barrister.
Eamon Harrington, president of the Southern Law Association said: "Judge Carroll was a most decent judge who always treated the public and practitioners with great courtesy. He had the full respect of all who appeared before him and he will be greatly missed."
Mr Carroll is survived by his wife, Joan, and four children, Tom, Jim, Joanne and Bernard.
His remains will lie in repose at his home in Shanakiel today from 4pm to 7pm. Requiem mass will be held at 12.30pm tomorrow at the Church of the Most Precious Blood, Clogheen.
Two questioned over drugs
Two people who were being questioned by gardaí in Limerick in relation to drugs that were posted from South Africa have been released without charge.
Cannabis with a street value of €120,000 was seized in an apartment in Limerick on Monday night.
It is understood the drugs were posted from South Africa and arrived in Ireland by parcel for collection.
A 30-year-old woman from Fiji and a 32-year-old man from Togo were arrested in the southside of Limerick city on Monday evening and questioned in connection with the seizure.
They were released from Henry Street Garda station on Tuesday night and a file is to be sent to the DPP on the matter.
Man jailed over paedophile images
A security guard who downloaded scenes of child rape and torture among nearly 7,000 paedophile images was jailed yesterday for 12 months.
Francis Scullion (41) was also ordered to serve another 18 months on probation and banned from any unsupervised contact with youngsters after he confessed to repeatedly accessing a deluge of illegal material.
The alcoholic, whose home at Dermott Avenue, Comber, Co Down, was raided last July as part of the mammoth Operation Ore, said he was drawn to the websites purely out of curiosity, but passing sentence at Downpatrick Crown Court Judge Peter Gibson rejected his claims.
"He denied he felt any sexual attraction to children. This is difficult if not impossible to accept," said Mr Gibson.
Of a total 6,744 images and video clips discovered on Scullion's computer equipment, nearly 1,300 were classed as the most serious category four or five. Scullion used his credit card up to a dozen times to access a slew of illegal porn sites.
A psychiatric report described him as a troubled man with a confused sexuality. - (PA)