A round-up of today's other courts news in brief
Garda admits false claim of crime
A garda is to be sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for making a false statement that an offence had been committed.
Niamh O’Connor (24), Rathnure, Enniscorthy, Co Wexford and Ballinteer, Dublin, pleaded guilty to making a false statement at Donnybrook Garda station on December 28th, 2007, intending to show that an offence had been committed.
Judge Katherine Delahunt remanded O’Connor on continuing bail until her sentence date in June when full facts will be heard in the case.
Firm sues over patent on stents
An Israeli company which claims it owns a patent for coronary stents has brought a legal action alleging breach of its patent by companies operating a stent- manufacturing plant in Co Tipperary.
The proceedings by Medinol Ltd, with registered offices in Tel Aviv, against Abbott Ireland and Abbott Vascular International BVBA, were transferred to the Commercial Court yesterday by Mr Justice Peter Kelly.
Medinol has brought similar proceedings against companies in Germany and the Netherlands.
Abbott Ireland is a Bermuda-registered company and carries on business in Clonmel, Co Tipperary. Abbott Vascular is a Belgian-registered company.
Medinol claims it is the registered owner of a European patent concerning flexible expendable stents, small metallic devices used, for example, to support blood vessels affected by lesions.
It claims the defendants have infringed its patent in manufacturing at their Clonmel base various stent systems and offering these for sale.
It is claimed the defendants were written to early last month calling on them to cease the alleged infringing acts immediately, to deliver up the alleged infringing products and to compensate Medinol but the required undertakings had not been provided.
Cigarette smuggler jailed
A man who brought 22,000 cigarettes into Ireland without paying excise duty on them has been given a six- month sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Kristian Malarz (32), Millfield Manor, Newbridge, originally from Poland, pleaded guilty to evading excise duty on the cigarettes valued at €7,632 at Dublin airport on March 23rd, 2007.
Judge Katherine Delahunt said that this type of offence was coming before the courts on a much more regular basis and represented a serious loss to the State bearing in mind the value of the cigarettes. Judge Delahunt imposed a six-month sentence and ordered the destruction of the cigarettes.
Customs officer Niall Jennings said Malarz had just arrived on a flight from Warsaw when the cigarettes were found in his luggage.
Malarz had no previous convictions.
Drug dealer has €55,000 seized
A drug dealer who was caught with crack cocaine, heroin and a small calibre rifle has had over €55,000 in cash confiscated by the State because it was the proceeds of crime.
Matthew Kearns (22), Palmerstown Woods, Clondalkin, Dublin, was arrested at his home after gardaí searched his house and found the money hidden in his garden shed.