A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Accused gets 18 months in jail for €70,000 welfare fraud
A man who defrauded the State of €70,000 in social welfare payments while he was fully employed has been jailed for 18 months. Andela Konda (40), Rosedale Cresent, Clonee, was caught while working as a chef for the Elephant and Castle restaurant in Temple Bar under a false identity. He had used his real identity to claim social welfare and rent allowance payments over the previous four years.
He was dismissed from his job and social welfare payments were temporarily stopped. Konda is originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo and had been living here legally. He obtained a second PPS number under the false identity of a French national and used it to gain employment with the restaurant.
Judge Katherine Delahunt said the fraud merited a prison term of 18 months on each count, to run concurrently.
Cross-examination ruling challenged
Businessman Denis O'Brien has brought a legal challenge to limitations imposed by the Moriarty tribunal on his lawyers' questioning of Danish telecommunications consultant Prof Michael Andersen.
Mr O'Brien, St Sligma, Malta, claims Mr Justice Michael Moriarty's decision last week to limit, in scope and time, the questioning of Prof Andersen was unfair and violated his rights.
Prof Andersen gave evidence to the tribunal between October 26th and last Friday in relation to the awarding of a mobile phone licence to Esat Digifone in the mid-1990s. Mr O'Brien's proceedings are aimed at having Prof Andersen recalled to be fully cross-examined.
The application was granted on an ex-parte (one side only) basis.
€30,000 awarded to garda for injuries
A garda who was kicked, stamped on and dragged for up to 100m while helping to quell a riot outside a Co Wexford nightclub, has been awarded more than €30,000 damages in the High Court.
Garda Denis Dunbar, Blackwater Garda station,
Co Wexford, told Ms Justice Mary Irvine that he was unrecognisable as a result of head and facial injuries he received after having been knocked unconscious.
He had been left with a permanent scar.