A round-up of today's other stories in brief...
Brothers cleared of TB test interference
Two brothers have been acquitted on a combined total of 100 charges relating to alleged interference with a test for bovine tuberculosis after a judge directed a jury to find them not guilty of the offences.
Maurice (49) and Gerard Power (44), Ballyvolane, Ballinadee, Bandon, Co Cork, had pleaded not guilty when they were arraigned on 10 sample charges from the 100 on the indictment at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.
After seven days of hearings, Judge Con O’Leary yesterday directed the jury of nine men and three women to find the two men not guilty of all charges.
Man convicted for role in armed raid
A man charged in connection with an armed robbery at the home of a Co Limerick businessman, whose family was robbed at gunpoint and locked in a hot press, has been found guilty for his role in the raid.
Declan Whyte (23), Ballywire, Kilross, Co Tipperary, was convicted by a jury at Limerick Circuit Court of the false imprisonment and theft of €14,000 from Séamus Morrissey, Galbally, Co Limerick, on September 19th, 2007. He had denied the charges.
Judge Carroll Moran adjourned sentencing until May 24th and remanded Whyte in custody.
Whiskey valued €270,000 stolen
Gardaí in Co Louth are investigating the theft of a consignment of 18,900 bottles of whiskey worth about €270,000.
The “Finnegan Whiskey” was stolen from a premises in Carlingford on Saturday, February 5th.
A Garda spokesman said the product was not available on the Irish market.
The label on the front of the bottle is printed in Irish and the label on the back is in French, apart from the words “Finnegan Finest Irish Whiskey”. Each front label has a picture of a Neolithic stone figure.
Anyone with information has been asked to contact gardaí at Carlingford or the Garda confidential line at 1-800 666 111.
Wind not raising energy cost – study
Wind energy does not increase the cost of wholesale electricity prices, according to a new study from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland and grid operator EirGrid.
The study follows a 5 per cent public service obligation (PSO) levy imposed by the ESB last October.
The ESB said the levy was to support wind energy schemes, among other energy investments. It accounted for an additional payment of about €2.73 a month on household bills.
Yesterday the authority and EirGrid insisted their study showed “growing levels of wind generation on the Irish electricity network are not adding to the wholesale price of electricity”.
The analysis showed wind generation lowered wholesale prices by more than €70 million, which almost exactly offsets the costs of the PSO levy.
Offaly family settles case against HSE
The family of a woman who died of a heart attack four days after being wrongly discharged from hospital where she had gone with chest pains has secured €334,000 in settlement of a High Court case.
Paul O’Brien, The Green, Clara, Co Offaly, had sued the HSE arising from the death of his wife Teresa at the Midland Regional Hospital, Tullamore, on September 27th, 2004. Liability was conceded.
John Shortt SC, for Mr O’Brien, said Ms O’Brien was admitted to hospital on September 21st, 2004. She underwent tests and the consultant doctor directed an X-ray be taken and she was not to be discharged.
A senior house officer carried out stress tests, the results of which were given to a doctor but he did not correlate them with the direction not to discharge Ms O’Brien. The stress tests were also misread.