A round-up of today's other stories in brief.
Seven years in jail for drugs smuggler
A man who smuggled cocaine valued at more than €1 million has been jailed for seven years by Judge Michael White at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Sunny Brownson (37), Clonmellon, Westmeath, pleaded guilty to possession of 15 kg of cocaine for sale or supply at Dublin airport on December 16th, 2004.
Det Sgt Martin Halpin told Dominic McGinn, prosecuting, that Brownson was stopped by Customs and Excise officers after arriving on a flight from Lagos via Paris. He had two large suitcases and each contained a smaller case.
Twelve packages of cocaine were found in the lining of the cases, with a street value of €1,050,147.
Brownson told gardaí he "didn't have a clue" where the packages had come from. He suspected that his uncle and another woman were responsible.
Det Sgt Halpin said Brownson held an Irish passport through marriage to an Irish woman, with whom he had a five-year-old daughter. He had worked for seven years as a security guard.
Brownson, who has no previous convictions, told gardaí he travelled to Nigeria for his godfather's funeral and stayed with his uncle whose driver packed his suitcases for his return. He noticed they were unusually heavy but was not suspicious until the drugs were found in Dublin.
His case was originally listed for trial before he entered a late plea of guilty.
Brendan Nix, defending, told Judge White that his client had borrowed €15,000 in Nigeria to set up a business.
Det Sgt Halpin told Mr Nix that he did not know if Brownson had been under pressure to repay a debt. "Ninety-five per cent of the couriers we deal with have financial difficulties which normally leads them to carry out these acts."
Passenger in stolen car gets three years
A passenger in a stolen car who spat twice in a garda's face and said he had "the virus" has been jailed for three years by Judge Michael White at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Simon Gentles (20), who has 36 previous convictions, of Casement Grove, Finglas, spat at Garda Adrian Dunne following his arrest after the stolen vehicle twice rammed a Garda car.
Garda Denis McElligot said the driver of the stolen car later died in prison.
Gentles pleaded guilty to allowing himself to be carried in a stolen vehicle and to three counts of assault on gardaí near Dublin airport on September 16th, 2004.
John Fitzgerald, defending, said Gentles was "out of it" at the time due to taking cocaine and vodka.