A round-up of today's other court stories in brief
Fahy jury is sent to hotel for night
A jury in the trial of Galway county councillor Michael Fahy, who is charged with fraud and false accounting over the alleged misappropriation of public funds from Galway County Council for the erection of 1.6km of fencing on his farm, was sent to a hotel last night.
Mr Fahy, who lives with his mother (98), at Caherduff, Ardrahan, south Galway, denies five charges which involve obtaining by false pretences €7,055.15 for Byrne Fencing Ltd from Galway Co Council in 2002l; an attempt to defraud the Council of €7,523.91 in June 2003, by pretending that an invoice for that amount was for works carried out under a public road widening scheme, and by submitting the same invoice in August 2003, for the same amount and purpose.
The jury started its deliberations at 3.30pm yesterday following a five-day trial at Galway Circuit Criminal Court. It was sent to a hotel last night when it could not agree a majority verdict by 7.50pm. The jurors will resume their deliberations this morning.
Brother found not guilty of abuse
A De La Salle Brother has been found not guilty by direction of the trial judge at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court of abusing a former resident of an institution for young offenders over 20 years ago.
The 56-year-old man had pleaded not guilty to three counts of indecent assault, one count of buggery and one count of gross indecency against the then 12-year-old boy at the institution between March 1st, 1985, and September 2nd, 1986.
Judge Desmond Hogan told the jury that having considered lengthy legal submissions, he had decided to withdraw the case from them. The judge instructed the jury to return a verdict of not guilty by direction.
MBE bomb expert guilty of threats
A leading bomb disposal expert given the MBE for gallantry was yesterday convicted in Belfast of threatening to kill two senior police officers and a magistrate. However he walked free from court after his three-month jail term was suspended for two years.
The Belfast Crown Court jury convicted Michael Barker (69) of making threats to kill magistrate Des Perry, chief inspector Carol Forrester and former inspector John Donnelly in 2002.
Judge Derick Rodgers said the case was, "to put it bluntly, utterly bizarre" and that while such offences would normally mean a defendant being sent straight to jail, "I have to ask myself what is the benefit of imprisoning a man of 67 who has done very good work in the bomb disposal area?"
The jury had heard that Chief Insp Forrester received a telephone call from Barker during which he threatened to have her, Mr Perry and Mr Donnelly shot unless motoring charges against him were dropped.
Barker was awarded the MBE in 1972 for gallantry for his work in defusing a bomb the previous year, has been credited with inventing the "wheelbarrow" robot used by the bomb squad and claimed "all the terrorist groups over here, they could not make a bomb which I could not make safe".
Suspended jail term for heroin in attic
A teenager has been given a suspended three-year sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for keeping almost €20,000 in heroin in the attic of his bedroom.
Gary Roe (19), Moatview Court, Priorswood, Dublin, pleaded guilty.