A round-up of today's other stories in brief.
Youth jailed for possession of weapon
A teenager who beat a schoolboy with a metal bar described as an "appalling instrument" has been sentenced to six-months detention for possession of the weapon.
Gerard Quigley (18), of Belclare Park, Ballymun, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of a spring-loaded bar, intending to injure another, at Ballymun Comprehensive School on September 21st, 2004.
Judge Katherine Delahunt suspended the final three months of the sentence and said Quigley carried out an assault in a school with children around and "could have killed a man".
A prosecution regarding the assault of the schoolboy did not go ahead as the injured party refused to co-operate with gardaí.
Sgt Bernard Young told Bernard Condon BL, prosecuting, that Quigley, who was not a pupil of the school, was seen hanging around outside the comprehensive school with two other males. The principal of the neighbouring gaelscoil asked the teenagers to move away but they refused and laughed at him.
They went into the comprehensive school's yard as pupils came out at the break time. Quigley produced a spring-loaded metal bar and one of his accomplices took a table leg from under his coat. They then attacked a male pupil with the weapons.
Sgt Young said a teacher grabbed Quigley and held him until gardaí arrived. Quigley told the teacher to let him go or he would kill him.
He told gardaí he had a disagreement with the schoolboy over a girl and agreed he hit him six or seven times with the bar but claimed he had been alone at the time of the assault.
Sgt Young said Quigley had eight convictions in the Children's Court at the time of this offence and had since accumulated a further 11 for crimes.
Ulster bank in Dublin robbed
Two men armed with a knife robbed the Ulster Bank branch in Clondalkin, Dublin yesterday.
The men entered the bank on Monastery Road just before 1pm. They threatened staff and left the scene on foot with a small quantity of cash. No one was injured in the incident.
Gardaí have appealed for help from the public. Anyone who was in the area before or after the robbery and saw anything suspicious has been asked to contact Clondalkin Garda Station (01 6667600).
Woman denies murder of son
A Mayo woman has pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to the murder of her baby son and to the attempted murder of her daughter.
It is alleged Mary Collins (31), from Parnell Court, Westport, Co Mayo, murdered her son, Liam, who died on January 16th, 2003, and attempted to drown her daughter during an incident on July 29th, 2002.
Mr Denis Vaughan Buckley SC, prosecuting, said the sole issue in this case was insanity and expert psychiatric witnesses called by both sides in this case were in agreement on most, if not all of the issues.
The jury has been sworn in for the trial on Friday.