In Short

A round-up of today's other stories in brief...

A round-up of today's other stories in brief...

Man pleads guilty to fraud charges

A man has pleaded guilty to involvement in an €800,000 fraud which used front companies and false identities to scam companies such as Coca Cola and Unilever.

David Neill (48), Merton Walk, Mount Saint Anne's, Milltown, had originally chosen to go on trial for the offences but later changed his plea to guilty.

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He pleaded guilty to 15 charges relating to the scam, including lodging official documents under false names and obtaining goods on false pretences worth up to €46,500.

The offences took place between May and November 2002. Prosecuting counsel Pauline Walley SC told the court the Director of Public Prosecutions has decided to drop all 49 charges against Neill's co-accused, who was also due to stand trial.

Neill will be sentenced in December.

Injunction given in boxing case

A number of members and officials of Dublin's boxing clubs have secured a High Court injunction preventing the Irish Amateur Boxing Association (IABA) from turning itself into a limited company.

The order applies pending the outcome of a full court action.

The order was granted to individual members of Dublin's boxing clubs, including members of the Dublin County Board of the IABA, by Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan.

It prevents the IABA from winding itself up and transferring all its operations, business and assets to a new company limited by guarantee.

Prisoner appeals remission cut

A prisoner at Wheatfield prison is challenging a decision to cut 14 days off his remission after a mobile phone was found in his cell.

Wayne Wallace, who is serving a seven-year sentence at Wheatfield, has brought a judicial review challenge aimed at overturning a decision by the prison governor last June to reduce his period of remission for 14 days and remove all prison privileges for 28 days.

Wallace contends the penalties are a breach of his constitutional rights.

Suspended term for disorder

A Co Dublin man received a three-year suspended sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for his role in the Love Ulster riots in the city centre two years ago.

John King (32), Ceder Court, Ballybrack, pleaded guilty to violent disorder on February 25th, 2006, on O'Connell Street.

Judge Tony Hunt suspended the term on condition that King keep the peace and be of good behaviour for five years.

Terms for ballot in Mount Carmel strike

Settlement terms have been agreed between union representatives and management in the Mount Carmel private hospital industrial dispute.

Catering staff have been on strike for seven days over plans by the Dublin hospital to outsource its catering.

Siptu spokesman Paul Bell said the proposals would be put to ballot today. Pickets will remain in force while the ballot is conducted.

Tunnel closed for 35 minutes

Smoke billowing from a lorry closed Dublin Port Tunnel for 35 minutes yesterday and activated the tunnel's emergency plan.

According to the National Roads Authorityl, a lorry heading from the port was one kilometre along its 4.5km journey when black smoke billowed from the engine.

Staff sounded the alarm and the northbound tunnel was closed immediately.

An NRA spokesman said the fire brigade was on site within minutes and the vehicle was "assessed and stabilised" before being removed.

Drop in number of bank judgments

The first six months of 2008 showed a dramatic decrease in the number of banks taking out judgments against customers, the publisher of Stubbs Gazette said yesterday.

Speaking on RTÉ News at One, James Treacy said Bank of Ireland judgments had decreased 41 per cent from this time last year, while AIB judgments were down 59 per cent for the same period.

In contrast, the number of revenue judgments and judgments for unpaid telephone and utility bills has seen an increase in the region of 50 per cent, he said.

Spokespersons for both AIB and Bank of Ireland declined to comment.

Arson attack on Garda station

Carna Garda station in Connemara, Co Galway, has been extensively damaged following an arson attack. It was the second attack in a month and gardaí have not ruled out a connection between the incidents.

Supt Tony O'Donnell described the latest attack as "outrageous" and appealed for witnesses. At about 10pm on Sunday the station was set on fire. Two units of Clifden Fire Brigade brought the blaze under control, but lockers and documents were destroyed, along with some Garda uniforms.

'Grace' award for suicide charity

The founder of Console, an Irish suicide charity, has received the Princess Grace of Monaco Humanitarian Award in Monaco. Paul Kelly received the award at the Royal Palace in Monaco from Prince Albert.

Console was set up in 2002 by families bereaved by suicide to help others. It now has offices in Dublin, Galway, Limerick and Waterford.

Young people's service freephone

Children and parents can now make complaints about services for young people in hospitals, schools and public bodies on a freephone number launched yesterday.

The 1800 202040 number was launched by the Ombudsman for Children's Office in an effort to make the complaints process more accessible to children and parents.

Meeting on water contamination

Galway county councillors are to meet representatives of the Rosmuc water committee in Galway this afternoon to discuss the contamination of tap water in the Rosmuc area by cryptosporidium.

Householders in Rosmuc, in south Connemara, and in Letterfrack, in north Connemara, were issued with "boil water" notices last Friday after the discovery of traces of the parasite in the local water. The areas get water from separate sources.