A roundup of today's other home news in brief
Two held in connection with abduction of bank official
Two men have been arrested in connection with a kidnapping in west Dublin last year. The men, aged in their 30s and 40s, were arrested in Phibsboro and Crumlin by gardaí investigating the abduction of a bank official and her family in Lucan last October.
A Garda spokesman said the men were being questioned by detectives at Ronanstown and Lucan Garda stations under section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act.
An armed gang forced their way into the Bank of Ireland employee’s house in Johnsbridge estate in the early hours of October 23rd, taking her family hostage. The woman was forced to retrieve an undisclosed quantity of money from the Inchicore branch of the bank where she worked.
Leave to challenge Garda job refusal
A man who claims he was refused a post as a crime and policing analyst with the Garda because his brother-in- law has a criminal conviction has secured leave from the High Court to challenge the refusal.
Éanna Kennedy, Curryhills, Prosperous, Kildare, said he learned the conviction was taken into account as being “a matter of relevance to my good character”.
Mr Justice Michael Peart yesterday granted Pat Butler, for Mr Kennedy, leave to bring a judicial review challenge.
Talks with climbers over work on quarry
A Dublin local authority has met climbing groups following complaints about work carried out on climbing routes at Dalkey quarry. Rock climbers had complained that Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council had damaged an area used by climbers by removing rock.
Councillors were told yesterday that staff met the climbers, and constructive dialogue took place. “It was accepted that no deliberate interference with routes used by climbers had been intended,” the council said.
Men cannot see information on them
Two civil servants denied jobs after failing security clearance checks are not entitled to see secret information held on them, the High Court in Belfast has ruled.
A judge refused yesterday to order full disclosure of the details and sources sought by Kevin Kennedy and Francis Devlin as part of their civil actions against the chief constable. Both men claim they are the victims of malicious falsehood and negligent misstatement. However, because Public Interest Immunity certificates have been issued for national security reasons, they have only received edited documents on their cases. Mr Justice Hart ruled there was nothing in them which required police to make further disclosure.
Remanded in custody over shooting death
A man has been remanded in custody in connection with the murder of a father of two.
Robert Egan (26), Dromheath Avenue, Mulhuddart, Dublin, was charged with possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life at Oakview Way, Hartstown, on July 4th last year. He was remanded in custody for three days.
Mr Egan was arrested by gardaí investigating the murder of Wayne Doherty (32), the father shot dead outside his parents’ home in Hartstown after he attempted to stop a dispute.
Mr Egan appeared before Judge Patrick McMahon at a Blanchardstown District Court sitting. The court heard he made no reply when charged and no application for bail was made.
He will reappear in Cloverhill Courthouse on Thursday.
Ex-taxi driver jailed for sexual assault
A former Dublin taxi driver has been given a four-year sentence for sexually assaulting a female passenger on her way home from a Christmas party.
Judge Patrick McCartan said the message must be sent from the courts to people in such professions that they must not abuse their position.
The 51-year-old Cavan resident, who cannot be named, was convicted of the charge by a jury following a three-day trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court last March. He continues to maintain his innocence.
He had pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting the woman outside his cab after driving her to her Dublin home in the early hours of December 11th, 2005.
Gardaí agreed with Barry Hickson, defending, that his client stopped working as a taxi driver after the incident.
Man (47) convicted of teen sex assault
A 47-year-old man has been convicted of sexually assaulting a teenage girl in Tipperary two years ago.
The jury took 2½ hours to find the man guilty of sexual assault on day five of the trial, but Mr Justice Paul Carney sent the jurors home after they failed to return a verdict on a rape charge.
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has pleaded not guilty to charges of rape and sexual assault of the then 15-year-old girl on February 8th or 9th, 2008, in an apartment in Tipperary.
Last week the accused told Paddy McCarthy, defending, that he found the girl and three others in his apartment on his return from the pub.
He said he fell asleep on the couch after drinking cider, woke up and went to his bedroom to find the girl in his bed.
Council to consider renaming park
Dublin City Council is to consider a proposal next month to remove the name of the late Archbishop Dermot Ryan from a public park in Merrion Square, Dublin.
This follows agreement yesterday by the Dublin South East local area committee to change the name from Archbishop Ryan Park to Merrion Square Park.
Labour councillor Mary Freehill said the proposed new name would identify a geographical location rather than commemorating a name.
“Calling it after Archbishop Ryan created a problem in that people did not know where the park was.”