A round-up of today's other court stories in brief
Mother (36) left baby outside pub
An alcoholic mother who abandoned her four-month-old baby outside a Dublin pub while the child's father was inside drinking, has been put on probation for 12 months on her own bond.
The 36-year-old woman, who cannot be named to protect the child's identity, was convicted by a jury in March of abandoning the baby outside the Belgard Pub, Tallaght, on April 26th, 2003.
In Dublin Circuit Criminal Court yesterday, Judge Michael White noted she was engaging well with the Probation and Welfare Service and looking after her child. He said she must remain alcohol-free or she would be in trouble again.
Businessman fined over tax charges
A self-employed businessman who owed €400,000 to the Revenue Commissioners after failing to make tax returns for three years, has been given a two-year suspended sentence and fined €9,000.
John Peters (56), of Culmore Road, Palmerstown, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to three counts of failing to make returns for three of the tax years between 1995 and 2001.
Judge Hogan said he took into account Peters' compliance with the agreement to pay the Revenue Commissioners as well as the fact that he had depleted his business assets. He added that while Peters had previous convictions, they were accrued a long time ago.
Killed friend in drink-fuelled row
A Lithuanian man who stabbed his friend to death in a drink-fuelled row six days after arriving in the country, was convicted of manslaughter in the Central Criminal Court yesterday.
Donatus Sutkus (23), of no fixed abode, had pleaded not guilty to murdering Andrius Zakarauskas (26), at St Joseph's Villas in Dublin on November 20th, 2004.
Mr Justice Paul Carney remanded Sutkus in custody and adjourned sentence until July 17th.
€60,000 strapped to woman's body
A Chinese couple who were stopped leaving Ireland with some €60,000 cash last August, have been jailed by Judge Miriam Reynolds at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for theft and handling stolen property.
Det Garda Bernard Connaughton told the court the couple were stopped at Dublin airport by gardaí after it was found that the man's passport was out of date.
The €60,000 cash was found strapped to his girlfriend's body and an investigation revealed she had stolen €24,745 on August 11th last, from her employer, Frank Dempsey, at the Tropical Juice Fruit Bar in Blanchardstown Shopping Centre, where she had worked for three years.
Jing Zahu (25) pleaded guilty to handling the €24,745 cash on August 12th, knowing it was stolen or being reckless as to it being stolen, and his girlfriend, Na Cai (24), admitted stealing the €24,745.
Both had an address at Railway Avenue, Inchicore.
Garda Connaughton told the court that Na claimed that more than €9,000 of the cash was her own savings from her wages and Jing also claimed some of the money as his own.
Jing received a one-year sentence, to run consecutive to a two-year sentence imposed by Galway Circuit Criminal Court in April for other fraud crimes.
Na was jailed for one year.