A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Two plead guilty to charges over theft of ATM holding €230,000
Two men from Co Down pleaded guilty yesterday at Tralee Circuit Criminal Court to charges relating to the theft of an ATM containing more than €230,000 from a bank wall in Castleisland, Co Kerry, last November.
Christopher Murney (24), Chapel Hill Road, Mayobridge, Co Down, and Thomas Wilson (29), Sea Patrick Villas, Banbridge, Co Down, had been sent forward for trial from the District Court in Killarney.
Both men yesterday pleaded guilty to four charges relating to the incident at Main Street, Castleisland, on November 13th 2010. Both were remanded in custody to appear for sentencing in Tralee on July 15th next.
Farmer (69) dies in accident
A 69-year-old farmer has been killed after an accident on his farm in Co Limerick. Michael Stack suffered head injuries in an incident involving a tractor at Kiltanna, Knockaderry, Co Limerick. The Health and Safety Authority is investigating the accident and a postmortem was carried out at the Mid Western Regional Hospital in Limerick. Mr Stack is survived by his wife Vera and their five children.
Teenager for court over drugs haul
A teenager is to appear in court next month in conncection with the seizure of €60,000 worth of ecstasy at Dublin airport.
The 18-year-old male was stopped by Customs officials after arriving from Charleroi yesterday and some 12,000 tablets were discovered in his baggage. He was arrested and taken to Ballymun Garda station where he was held under Section 2 of the Drug Trafficking Act. He was later released on bail.
Suspect held in mental hospital
A 31-year-old Co Clare man charged with the murder of an Ennis law studetn is being held at the Central Mental Hospital in Dundrum
Joe Heffernan, Cappabeg, Barefield, Co Clare, was due to appear in Ennis District Court yesterday in connection with being charged with the murder of Eoin Ryan (21) at Cappabeg, Barefield, on Tuesday, June 7th.
However, Insp Tom Kennedy told the court that a letter from the Central Mental Hospital explained why Mr Heffernan was not in court for yesterday’s remand hearing.
Insp Kennedy applied for Mr Heffernan to be further remanded in custody to appear before Ennis District Court on Friday, July 8th. Judge Joseph Mangan granted this application.
Solicitor for Mr Heffernan John Casey asked that his client’s legal aid certificate be extended to allow a report on him by clinical forensic psychiatrist Dr Paul O’Connell of the Central Mental Hospital. The judge extended the legal aid cert .
Ex-principal in child porn images case wins appeal against all jail term
A retired secondary school principal, who was caught with about 300 child pornographic images on his computer, has avoided going to prison after a judge suspended a jail term on appeal, reports Barry Roche.Tony Canniffe (63) had been sentenced last year by Judge Con O’Leary at Cork District Court to 10 months in jail with seven months suspended for possession of images of child pornography at his home at Rosegarth, Donnybrook, Douglas, Cork, on October 16th, 2008.
But yesterday Canniffe appealed the sentence to Cork Circuit Court and Judge Con Murphy allowed the appeal, increasing Canniffe’s sentence to 12 months but suspending it in its entirety.
Canniffe had pleaded guilty to possessing 289 child pornography images.`
New plea in case where cyclist died
A man who had pleaded not guilt to dangerous driving causing the death of a cyclist is to be sentenced later at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for careless driving
Saleh Moxamed (39), of Fernwood Avenue, Tallaght, pleaded guilty on day two of his trial to driving without care and attention at the junction of Cunningham Road and Parkgate Street on December 2nd, 2006.
He also pleaded guilty to being the driver of a vehicle involved in injuring Viorica Fistic, and to failing to keep the vehicle at or near the place where the incident occurred.
He had earlier pleaded not guilty to dangerous driving causing the death of Ms Fistic at the same place and date.
Judge Desmond Hogan told the jury a plea would be entered to an amended indictment. He remanded Moxamed on bail for sentencing on October 28th.
Lord Mayor of Cork elected
Fianna Fáil Cllr Terry Shannon was last night elected Lord Mayor of Cork City in succession to Labour’s Cllr Michael O’Connell, writes Barry Roche. Mr Shannon, a close confidant of Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin, has been actively involved in Fianna Fáil for over 20 years. He was first elected to Cork City Council for the South East Ward in 1999 and was re-elected in 2004 and 2009.
Mr Shannon, who lives in Douglas, was elected last night on foot of a pact on the mayoralty agreed in 2009 between Fine Gael, Labour and Fianna Fáil councillors who control 22 votes on the 31-member council.
Meanwhile, Fine Gael Cllr Tim Lombard from Minane Bridge was elected unopposed as Mayor of Cork County yesterday in succession to party colleague Cllr Kevin Murphy from Kinsale, who replaced Clonakilty Cllr Jim Daly upon his election to Dáil Éireann.