A round-up of today's court news stories in brief
Court rejects physical family contact claim
The High Court has dismissed a claim that remand prisoners have an entitlement to physical contact with their families during prison visits.
Mr Justice Peter Charleton yesterday ruled that John Foy was not entitled to physical contact with his family during their visits to him while he was a remand prisoner at Cloverhill Prison. Foy has since received a lengthy sentence for armed robbery and is detained in another prison.
The court heard Cloverhill Prison operates a policy where family visits to prisoners are generally in closed circumstances. A prisoner is separated from his family by a screen, preventing physical contact.
In his judgment, Mr Justice Charleton said the governor’s decision on the type of visits prisoners can receive related to the management of a prison and was not wholly unreasonable, arbitrary or discriminatory. Therefore, judicial review of it was “not possible”.
Father jailed for abusing daughter
A man who sexually abused his daughter over a two-year period, starting when she was just 11, has received a three-year sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
The 47-year-old man pleaded guilty to eight sample charges of sexually assaulting his daughter at their Dublin home on dates unknown between July 1995 and September 1997. Judge Frank O’Donnell suspended the final year of the three-year sentence and said while any sexual assault was serious, it was “reprehensible” for a father to abuse his own daughter.
Judge O’Donnell said the man’s abuse had an “awful” effect on his daughter, which was exacerbated by some family members turning against the now 25-year-old woman after she made the allegations. He noted the man had co-operated with gardaí.
Coach broke child's wrist with strike
A Glasgow Celtic coach kicked a ball so hard at a 10-year-old goalie that he broke the child’s wrist, the Circuit Civil Court heard yesterday.
Eoin Forde’s dream soccer academy weekend in July 2008, which included tuition by internationally renowned coaches, ended in agony, a judge was told.
Victoria Barrett BL said Eoin, of Effernock Manor, Dublin Road, Trim, Co Meath, had been attending a summer soccer camp at Tully Park, Summerhill Road, Trim when he was injured. His wrist had been placed in a plaster for three weeks.
He has since made a full recovery.
Eoin, through his father Ian, had sued Celtic FC Limited, Celtic Park, Glasgow, and Topflight Sports for Schools Limited, which organises player academies, and trades as Topflight Soccer at Jervis Street, Dublin.
Judge Deery approved a settlement offer of €12,440 and costs made on behalf of both defendants, and directed the money be paid into court funds until Eoin is 18.
Correction
A court report in yesterday’s edition, concerning the sentencing of Glen Douch for transporting a pipe bomb, said incorrectly that the seven-year sentence he received was suspended for four years.
In fact, Judge Hunt did not suspend any part of the seven-year term. On separate charges against Douch, the judge imposed a two-year sentence which he suspended for four years.
The error, which occurred in the editing process, is regretted.