A round-up of other court stories in brief...
Inquiry into man's death in custody
The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission has begun an investigation after an intoxicated man died in Garda custody in Meath on Thursday night, writes Conor Lally.
A postmortem has indicated that the man (52) died from complications due to alcohol consumption.
He was taken into custody in Navan, Co Meath, on Thursday night after gardaí were called to a suspected minor public order incident at a supermarket in the town. He was taken to the local Garda station for the night. He was intoxicated when taken into custody.
When gardaí went to check on him late on Thursday night, they were unable to wake him and medical attention was summoned. He was pronounced dead at the station.
The matter was referred to the commission, as is usual with all cases involving loss of life in Garda custody.
Carthy family settle case against State
The family of John Carthy, who was shot dead by gardaí in Abbeylara, Co Longford, have settled their action against the State and Garda.
The Irish Times understands Mr Carthy’s mother, Rose, and his sister, Marie, received €175,000, plus legal costs. The settlement was reached in December but news of it only broke yesterday.
Mr Carthy (27) was shot dead by members of the Emergency Response Unit after an armed siege at his Abbeylara home in April 2000. Mr Carthy was armed and discharged a number of shots at gardaí.
The Barr tribunal criticised many aspects of the Garda’s handling of the case.
10 years for having kilo of cocaine
A Dublin man has been jailed for 10 years for possessing 1kg of cocaine at a Garda checkpoint between Lucan and Clonee nearly three years ago.
Daniel Goulding (25), Whitechapel Grove, Clonsilla, was convicted by a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court jury after a six-day trial last month of possessing cocaine worth about €70,000 on the Ongar Road, Castleheany, in June 2006.
Gynaecologist to pay costs
A consultant gynaecologist who failed to secure an injunction stopping a private medical clinic preventing her using its facilities “in the interest of public safety” must pay the costs of the application, the High Court ruled yesterday.
Mr Justice Michael Peart had last November refused to grant Dr Andrea Hermann, Rockbarton Court, Salthill, Co Galway, an injunction, to apply pending the outcome of a full action, restraining the Galway clinic, Doughiska Ltd, suspending her admission rights and withdrawing operating theatre facilities.
Mr Justice Peart yesterday awarded the clinic its costs of the injunction application.
Sex abuse trial set to proceed
The High Court has cleared the way for the trial of a 73-year-old man accused of sexually abusing three teenagers more than 35 years ago. Mr Justice Michael Peart yesterday dismissed the man’s application to stop his trial on charges of indecent assault and rape related to alleged offences between January 1969 and August 1973.
A man and two women had made complaints to the Garda in late 2004 and the man was charged in 2007.
Mr Justice Peart ruled that the man had not made out a real risk of an unfair trial.