The Court of Criminal Appeal will give its judgment next Wednesday on the attempt by former assistant Dublin city and county manager George Redmond to have his conviction for corruption overturned.
Redmond (80) is serving a 12-month sentence, effective from last November 19th, and is expected to be released some time next month irrespective of the outcome of his appeal. The CCA heard the appeal earlier this month and reserved its decision.
Redmond was jailed on December 19th last after being found guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court of accepting a £10,000 bribe in the 1980s from garage owner Brendan Fassnidge over a right of way at Palmerstown from Dublin County Council. The sentence was backdated to November 19th, 2003, when he went into custody.
Health board and gynaecologist sued
A woman who claims her ectopic pregnancy ruptured while she was at home, hours after she was examined in hospital by a gynaecologist who allegedly failed to diagnose it, has brought a High Court action for damages.
Ms Marie Long claims she suffered severe internal bleeding and has been left with defective vision in her right eye as a result of the alleged negligence.
Ms Long (40), Dromore, Cabra Road, Thurles, Co Tipperary, is suing the South Eastern Health Board and gynaecologist Mr Brendan Powell of St Joseph's Hospital, Clonmel, Co Tipperary.
It is claimed she sustained a ruptured tubal pregnancy and that the defendants failed to take adequate steps at the time of the examination on her first admission.
The defendants deny any negligence or any breach of duty. They deny that Ms Long had a suspected ectopic pregnancy on the date of her referral to the hospital as alleged, and plead that the necessity of carrying out an emergency laparotomy on June 3rd, 1992, was not caused by any lack of care or skill by the defendants.
If Ms Long did sustain the alleged injuries, which is denied, the board pleads these were due to her medical condition and not to any failure on its part.
Dr Powell has also denied that he performed an ultrasound scan on Ms Long and pleads that he arranged for it to be performed. The hearing before Mr Justice de Valera resumes on Tuesday.
Man pleads guilty to violent disorder
A man has pleaded guilty at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to violent disorder and having a knife in a bar brawl in which another man was stabbed.
Patrick Doyle (24), Seaview Avenue, East Wall, Dublin, was found not guilty by the direction of Judge Frank O'Donnell of assault causing serious harm to Mr William Johnson on January 7th, 2002, four days into his trial. He had originally denied all three charges.
Mr Johnson was stabbed in a brawl at O'Reilly's pub, formerly the Chancery Inn, on Inn's Quay shortly before 10 a.m. when two groups of men started fighting.
Judge O'Donnell told the jury that he came to the decision to direct them to find the accused not guilty on the substantial count because he felt the medical evidence could not prove where the serious harm to Mr Johnson was inflicted.
Judge O'Donnell adjourned the case for sentence until October 13th and remanded Doyle on continuing bail.