A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Man dies in three-car collision
Gardaí in Limerick are investigating a fatal road crash at Cloughnadromin, Ballysimon, yesterday afternoon.
The male driver of a car was fatally injured following a three-car collision.
The male driver of another car was seriously injured and taken to Limerick Regional Hospital.
Murderer fails to have case referred
The Court of Criminal Appeal has rejected an application by a Nigerian man, jailed for life after he bludgeoned his wife to death with a lump hammer, to have his case referred to the Supreme Court on a point of public importance.
In July 2006 Goodwill Udechukwu was found guilty by a jury at the Central Criminal Court of the murder of Jamaican mother-of-two Natasha Gray.
He was sentenced to life imprisonment by Mr Justice Kevin O'Higgins. Last May, the appeal court rejected his appeal against the conviction.
Pieter Le Vert BL, for Udechukwu, yesterday asked the Court of Criminal Appeal to refer a point of law in the case for determination by the Supreme Court.
However, the three-judge appeal court dismissed the application.
Court dismisses murder appeal
An appeal by a Limerick man against his conviction for the murder of a father of four children has been dismissed by the Court of Criminal Appeal.
Derek McNamara (38), St Ita's Street, St Mary's Park, a father of six described as a central figure in Limerick's criminal underworld, was convicted last year at the Central Criminal Court of the murder of Martin O'Donoghue (35) at Broad Street, Limerick, on August 9th, 2004. Mr Justice Paul Carney imposed the mandatory life sentence.
Yesterday, the three-judge appeal court dismissed McNamara's appeal against his conviction.
Man faces sentence on rape charges
A Malaysian chef will be sentenced early next year at the Central Criminal Court for orally raping two women in Dublin south city suburbs.
Asogan Kanagasabai (27), from Kuala Lumpar and with no fixed address here, has pleaded guilty to orally raping one victim on January 31st last and a second woman on February 5th.
Mr Justice Paul Carney certified Kanagasabai for registration as a sex offender and directed the preparation of victim impact reports.
Firms lodge case on 'defective' infill
Four construction companies are seeking to be indemnified by three companies in the Lagan Group for the estimated €20 million costs of repairing damage allegedly caused by the use of "defective" infill in the construction of houses on three estates in Co Dublin.
The proceedings came before the Commercial Court yesterday and relate to houses on estates at Drynam Hall, Kettles Lane, Kinsealy, Co Dublin; Beaupark, Clongriffin, Dublin 13; and Myrtle, The Coast, Baldoyle, Dublin 13.
Mr Justice Peter Kelly admitted to the Commercial Court list the proceedings by Hansfield Developments, Viking Construction, Menolly Properties and Menolly Homes against Irish Asphalt Ltd, Lagan Holdings Ltd and Lagan Construction Ltd.
€500,000 State aid for Bangladesh
Michael Kitt TD, Minister of State for Overseas Development, has announced that Irish Aid will make up to €500,000 available to assist those affected by the devastating cyclone in Bangladesh.
Cyclone Sidr has destroyed homes, crops and livestock, displacing tens of thousands of people.
Drug addict gets two years for assault
A drug addict who threatened to kill a security guard and two gardaí while trying to find his former girlfriend and later spat at gardaí while waiting to be taken to court has been given a three-year sentence.
Jason Hempenstall (29), Finglas Wood Road, Finglas, told a building site security guard: "I represent the Provos and if you are still here at six this evening I am warning you, you are dead".
Hempenstall pleaded guilty to issuing threats to kill or cause serious harm to Patrick James Grogan at Shangan Road and two gardaí at Ballymun Garda station, as well as assaulting two more gardaí at Dublin District Court, all on March 13th, 2007.
Judge Katherine Delahunt imposed a three-year sentence with the final year suspended.
10-year sentence for drug offence
A "hard-working family man" and cocaine addict, who had his three-year-old son in the car with him when caught with a cache of the drug valued at more than €564,000, has been jailed for 10 years by Judge Patricia Ryan at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Brian Nelson (32), a plumber and father of two, Cooley Road, Drimnagh, pleaded guilty to possession of the drugs, worth an estimated €564,473, at South Circular Road on March 6th, 2006.
Two acquitted of rape and robbery
Two Dublin men have been acquitted at the Central Criminal Court of raping and robbing a foreign national woman in a city centre apartment last year. Mr Justice Barry White directed the jury, which was sworn in on October 30th, to acquit them following 13 days of legal argument in its absence. The men, aged 35 and 30, had pleaded not guilty to raping a foreign national female and robbing her of €950 in cash and four mobile phones in her apartment on August 24th, 2006. The 35-year-old man denied assaulting the woman causing her harm on the same occasion.
Murder accused on unrelated charges
A man who is currently in custody charged with the murder of Swiss language student Manuela Riedo, appeared before Galway District Court yesterday on other unrelated charges.
Gerard Barry (27), St James Crescent, Mervue, Galway, and Tur Uisce, Doughiska, Galway, faces charges of assaulting Garda Jason Kelly at Eyre Square, Galway, on March 31st and with being drunk in public, on the same date. He is further charged with breaching the peace.
Judge Mary Fahy remanded him on continuing bail on those charges to appear before the court again next Monday.