In Short

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

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

Convent demolition case deferred

A case taken by Dublin City Council against a developer, who illegally demolished a 19th-century convent in Terenure almost two years ago, will be heard in court in September, writes Genevieve Carbery.

The former Presentation Convent in Terenure, south Dublin, was demolished on November 4th, 2006, when the council was considering proposals to make it a protected structure.

READ MORE

The council ordered the developer to stop unauthorised work on the site and to rebuild the former convent, issuing an enforcement notice in November 2006.

When the convent was not rebuilt by July 31st, 2007, the council started legal proceedings against both Kimpton Vale Ltd and the company's secretary, Lawrence Keegan, Parkmore House, Auburn Drive, Castleknock, for failing to comply with the enforcement notice.

At Dublin District Court yesterday, a solicitor for the developer asked Judge Patrick McMahon to adjourn the case because the defence side was not yet ready to proceed.

Man alleges sex abuse by Brother

A man who alleges he was sexually abused in a Galway industrial school some 40 years ago pointed out a Christian Brother who is on trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court as the person who regularly assaulted him.

The 72-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to 35 counts of indecently assaulting six boys between 1967 and 1973 when they were residents at the school.

The man - the second of the six complainants to give evidence - told Fergal Foley, prosecuting, that the abuse happened in the classrooms, a storeroom and in the shower.

The trial continues with legal argument.

Man acquitted of raping girl

A Tallaght man has been acquitted by a jury at the Central Criminal Court of raping a teenage student following a party in his home while his parents slept in the next room.

The jury found the 29-year- old man not guilty of anally raping the then 17-year-old girl and of sexual assault her in June 2007, in Tallaght.

Courtney release case adjourned

A legal action aimed at securing the release of former Army private Seán Courtney, who has served 15 years of a life sentence for the murder of Dublin woman Patricia O'Toole in the Dublin mountains, has been adjourned at the High Court.

The proceedings by Courtney were mentioned yesterday before Ms Justice Mary Laffoy, who adjourned the case to the next court list to fix dates for hearing.

Courtney (41) was in court and his counsel said there was "no reality" of the case being heard before the new legal term starts in October.

Security guard to be sentenced

A security guard will be sentenced in November for the manslaughter of a man who died four days after he hit him a single blow in the city centre two years ago.

Wojciech Kuzma (29), a Polish national, a father of one, Sackville Court, Blessington Street, hit Alan Barbour (27) once, mistakenly believing that he had thrown a drink at him.

Mr Barbour hit his head on the ground and died four days later without regaining consciousness, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard.