A round-up of some of the day's other courts news.
Golfer denies slapping girl's bottom
An amateur golfer told a judge yesterday he had not slapped a teenage waitress's bottom following a meal in his Co Wicklow club.
Hugh Donnelly (56) said he had been "absolutely disgusted" when the board of South County Golf Club, Brittas, had accepted an independent investigator's finding that he had slapped the 16-year-old girl's bottom.
Mr Donnelly, who is suing the club for reckless infliction of emotional suffering and defamation of character, said the alleged slapping was supposed to have taken place when the girl had attempted to lift his plate before he had finished dinner. "It never happened," he said in tears.
Donnelly, Watermeadow Park, Old Bawn, Dublin, had categorically denied having slapped her and told the investigator, who had been unable to find a single witness to the alleged slapping, he must have been the victim of mistaken identity.
James Dwyer SC, counsel for Mr Donnelly, said the incident happened on September 25th, 2004, the night before Mr Donnelly had left for Wales to win his first international cap. There were six men and two women around the dinner table and no one had seen the alleged incident happen.
Mr Donnelly told Mr Justice Esmond Smyth he had not heard anything of the incident until October 19th, when he had received a letter from club chairman Vincent Byrne that Siobhán Brown had been appointed to investigate. Ms Brown said the girl had complained he had slapped her.
Seán O'Roe, who had dined with Mr Donnelly on the evening in question, told the court he would have had to be some sort of magician to reach around and slap a waitress because of the manner in which he had been hemmed in at the table.The case has been adjourned until next week.
Man cleared of coercing family
A jury at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court has cleared a man of coercing a mother of three to leave her rented home.
James Ryan (51), South Circular Road, Rialto, had denied that on May 25th, 2002, he used violence and intimidated Margaret Doyle and members of her family with a view to compelling her to leave her place of residence at Glenfield Drive in Clondalkin. Mr Ryan thanked the jury for its not-guilty verdict before leaving the court.
Jury discharged in scaffolder case
The jury in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court trial of a scaffolder, arising from serious injuries to a pedestrian in Grafton Street, has been discharged after failing to reach a verdict.
Derek Daly (45), Whitechurch Place, Ballyboden, had pleaded not guilty to breaching safety and health regulations.
Judge Yvonne Murphy discharged the jury after it announced it was deadlocked following just under three hours of deliberations. It was day five of the hearing.