Other court stories in brief
Court quashes Garda ruling on gun owner
A gun owner has secured a High Court order quashing a Garda decision imposing conditions on his certificate for possession of a 9mm pistol.
Patrick McDevitt, of Newmills, Letterkenny, Co Donegal, secured the order in settlement of his action against Supt James Gallagher and Supt Francis Clerkin.
Mr McDevitt, a farmer and chairman of Glenswilly Game Preservation Society, said in an affidavit he was also a member of the National Association of Regional Games Council and was involved in game hunting and target shooting for more than 40 years.
He said Supt Clerkin had made a decision requiring him to comply with certain conditions including that the firearm would only be used for target shooting events at competitions at approved firing ranges.
Murder trial told of beatings
The mother of a Brazilian teenager accused of murdering his stepfather has told the Central Criminal Court sitting in Dundalk that she did not report her husband beating her, because she was afraid of being deported.
Her son, Andre "Junio" Bastos (18), who lived with the couple in a mobile home at Bellewstown, Co Meath, denies the murder and manslaughter of Claudio Fernandes (33) on August 9th last year.
He was found on the main street in Duleek, Co Meath, with the blade of a knife embedded in his skull 11 days earlier.
When arrested Mr Bastos told gardaí he was afraid his stepfather was going to beat him and had beaten his mother in the past. He accepted he had stabbed him.
His mother, Maura Bastos, yesterday said that he had previously attacked her son after he had intervened to stop Mr Fernandes strangling her. When her husband was sober they got on well but with drink he became violent.
Explanation over tax money sought
A barrister has been given two weeks by the High Court to give a full explanation as to what happened to a sum of €635,000 which a company claimed to have given him to pay to the Revenue Commissioners in settlement of its tax liabilities.
Ardline Aircon has claimed it gave Patrick Russell, then acting as a tax adviser to the company, the money for the Revenue but that the Revenue never received it.
In court yesterday, the liquidator of Ardline sought an order committing
Mr Russell, Steelstown, Rathcoole, Co Dublin, to prison for contempt of a court order last February requiring him to outline on affidavit how he dealt with money received from the company.
Youth on drugs charge gets bail
A teenager charged over a seizure of ecstasy tablets, worth nearly €46,000, wept in court before being released on conditional bail by Judge Patrick McMahon at the Dublin Children's Court.
The unemployed 17-year-old youth was charged on Tuesday with possessing a quantity of ecstasy tablets for sale or supply, at his home in Loughlinstown, south Co Dublin, on February 17th last. He was aged 16 at the time.
Gardaí said they were seeking an independent surety of €5,000 but his solicitor said his family was unable to raise it.
The judge agreed to grant bail without a surety and remanded him to appear again next week.