More news in brief.
Pharmacists agree to supply methadone
Most of the pharmacists who stopped dispensing methadone to recovering drug addicts last week indicated to the Health Service Executive (HSE) yesterday that they would recommence supplying the heroin substitute to patients within days.
Some began dispensing it again yesterday.
Once they all recommence supplying methadone, talks are expected to take place between the HSE and the Irish Pharmaceutical Union (IPU) in an attempt to resolve the issues that led to the methadone protest.
Some 140 pharmacists in the Dublin and Wicklow area stopped dispensing methadone to about 3,000 recovering drug addicts last week over the HSE's decision to cut the mark-up paid to wholesalers for drugs dispensed by them under the medical-card scheme. They said it would become loss-making for them to dispense drugs to medical-card holders. The HSE says this is not the case.
The pharmacists were also angry at the lack of support for those dispensing methadone and at the fact that the HSE would not discuss the fees they are paid with the IPU.
Court strikes out garda hearing claim
The High Court has ruled that a retired garda cannot sue the State for damages for alleged hearing difficulties resulting from using Uzi submachine guns and revolvers during training.
Mr Justice Kevin Feeney found yesterday that the claim by Michael Faherty, who joined the Garda in 1965 and retired in 1995, could not proceed on grounds of inordinate and inexcusable delay in advancing the claim. On that basis, he granted an application by the State to strike it out.
The judge noted that Mr Faherty had left the force in 1995. His claim for damages was initiated in June 1998 with a plenary summons served in February 1999. A statement of claim was served last March.
In his statement of claim, Mr Faherty said he was exposed to excessive and injurious noise levels and suffered severe personal injury and expense. He alleged there was a failure to provide him with adequate safety devices or to instruct him to wear earplugs.
Woman (38) to go on trial for murder
A woman will go on trial in April next year for the murder of a father of four in Tipperary last February.
Jacqueline Greene (38), Bianconi Drive, Clonmel, Co Tipperary, denies murdering Declan Molloy (35) at Gaffney's Flats, Mitchel Street, Clonmel, on February 21st last.
The victim's body was found with stab wounds in the flat early that morning.
At the Central Criminal Court in Dublin yesterday, Mr Justice Paul Carney set the trial date for April 14th next year.
Gardaí charge man following stabbing
Gardaí in Portlaoise have charged a man in relation to a stabbing incident early on Sunday morning. Nikita Zaitsev (26), an Estonian national, was charged with assault at Portlaoise District Court yesterday.
The incident occurred at a house in the Triogue Manor estate shortly after midnight on Sunday. An Estonian man (35) is in a critical condition at Midlands Regional Hospital in Portlaoise after receiving a stab wound to his chest.
Man pleads guilty to sexual assault
A married Laois man who sexually assaulted a young girl over a number of years has been remanded for sentence later by the Central Criminal Court.
John Phelan (43) of Kilbrecken, Mountrath, pleaded guilty to seven sample charges of indecent and sexual assault of the victim on dates from April 1989 to March 1992 in Co Laois. There were 26 counts on the indictment.
Mr Justice Paul Carney remanded Phelan on continuing bail.
Pedestrian deaths up 12% on last year
The number of pedestrians killed so far this year has jumped by 12 per cent compared with the same period in 2006, from 53 to 60, the Garda said yesterday.
With the evenings getting darker, pedestrians and cyclists have been urged to wear fluorescent or high-visibility clothing.
Seventeen of those killed were 76 years or older, compared with 13 in 2006. Last week 85-year-old Mary Josephine McCarthy died after she was struck by a car after attending Mass in Castlemartyr, Co Cork.
A Garda spokesman said: "we urge people to assist the elderly whenever possible, when crossing roads and indeed when using the roads in general."
A total of 398 motorists were arrested on suspicion of drink driving in the past seven days up to Sunday night, compared with 413 the previous week. "Garda enforcement activities in this area of road safety will continue to be prioritised," a Garda spokesman said.
Lansdowne pitch too small for GAA
The IRFU and FAI will never be able to reciprocate for the GAA's hospitality in hosting rugby and soccer at Croke Park because the pitch in the new stadium at Lansdowne Road will be too short for Gaelic games, writes Frank McDonald.
The €365 million stadium, currently under construction with the help of a State grant of €192 million, will have a pitch area measuring 125 metres long and 80 metres wide - 20 metres shorter in length and eight metres shorter in width than Croke Park's.
A spokesman for the Lansdowne Road Stadium Development Company conceded that the pitch would not be long enough for full GAA championship games, although he believed that "the women's GAA have expressed interest in playing games there".
The GAA is known to be disappointed by the size of the Lansdowne Road pitch, as it would have liked to have the flexibility to stage less crowd-pulling matches on the IRFU/FAI ground in the long term.
Others have held the view that all big matches, in each of the three codes, could be staged at Croke Park while smaller matches, also in whatever code, could be staged at Lansdowne Road. This will now be impossible due to the restricted size of the pitch.
Before the current plan was unveiled two years ago this month, the IRFU had been urged to consider changing the axis of Lansdowne Road from north-south to east-west by incorporating the "back pitch" used by Lansdowne and Wanderers rugby clubs.
However, this was ruled out in favour of developing the new stadium on the axis of the old one, while increasing its footprint by some 20 per cent. It was claimed that a stadium built on an east-west axis would have a more detrimental impact on nearby houses.
Man fined €1,100 for having cocaine
A man was fined €1,100 for possessing €1,000 worth of cocaine. Darren Gilligan (32), Weston Green, Lucan, Dublin, had pleaded guilty at Dublin District Court this year to two charges under the Misuse of Drugs Act of possessing cocaine and posessession of the drug with intent to supply, at Parlickstown Drive, Mulhuddart, Dublin on November 9th last year.
He also admitted failing to attend his court case on October 16th last which resulted in a bench warrant for his arrest being issued.
Defence solicitor Peter Mullen told Judge Aingeal Ní Chonduin yesterday that Gilligan, a father of two, had contacted gardaí and arranged to have the bench warrant executed.
Mr Mullen also said the Gilligan was anxious for the case to be finalised.
He submitted that Gilligan had co-operated with the Probation and Welfare Service.
He also said that Gilligan had not come to Garda attention since and was hoping to find employment once his court case was finished.