Today's other court stories in brief
Garda age limit to be challenged
The Minister for Justice and the Equality Authority are anxious that a legal challenge relating to the 35-year-old upper age limit for joining the Garda should be heard soon, the High Court was told yesterday.
Complaints of discrimination on grounds of age made by three men who were refused permission to join the force were due to be heard by an Equality Tribunal last August but the hearing is on hold pending the outcome of High Court proceedings by the Minister and the Garda Commissioner.
Paedophile appeals sentence
The Court of Criminal Appeal has reserved judgment on an appeal by a convicted paedophile against the severity of the life sentence imposed on him for raping two boys in a Dublin city centre location between 2004 and 2006.
The life sentence was imposed by Mr Justice Paul Carney at the Central Criminal Court last January on Philip Sullivan (43), of Kildare town with an address at Botanic Road, Glasnevin, Dublin. Sullivan had pleaded guilty to 11 counts including anal rape, attempted anal rape and sexual assault on two young males on dates from April 2004 to July 2006.
Sentencing later for drugs courier
A drugs courier who earned a weekly "wage" of €400 for moving drugs for criminals has had his sentence for possession of €7 million worth of cannabis adjourned at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Stephen Pender (43), who was driving the van in which the drugs were found, failed to show up for his trial on the charges last November and bail money of €50,000, which was put up by his mother-in-law, was forfeited.
Pender, of Glasanaon Road, Finglas, was arrested shortly afterwards and pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis valued at over €7 million, for sale or supply on November 15th, 2005, at Parkgate Street, just before a jury was due to be sworn in for his new trial last July.
A co-accused, David Doyle (21), of Ballygall Parade, Finglas, a passenger in the van, was sentenced to seven years with three suspended last February.
Woman accessed police database
A Northern Ireland civil servant admitted yesterday to using a police criminal database to check on family and friends.
Caroline Stokesberry (29), of Kilmaconnell Road, Castleroe, Coleraine, Co Derry, was given a two-year conditional discharge for the offences committed while she worked at a PSNI station in Belfast.
She had been charged with six counts of obtaining personal data held on the Integrated Criminal Intelligence System without authorisation during 2005-06.
Men used gun in car hijacking
Two Lithuanian men who used a sawn-off shotgun when they hijacked a car in Skerries, Co Dublin, earlier this year will be sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Mykolas Dockevicius (21) and Marius Bardauskas (22) pointed the sawn-off shotgun at the owner, another Lithuanian, who was trying to sell the car, before they seized it with a third accomplice.
Dockevicius, of Greenpark Meadows, Mullingar, Co Westmeath, and Bardauskas, of Oldbridge, Lucan, pleaded guilty to unlawfully seizing the car by force at Milberton on March 22nd, 2008.