Mother congratulated on birth

MR JUSTICE Michael Peart congratulated one of the Thomas Cook employees, who had defied his court order, on the birth of her baby yesterday morning.

Avril Boyne gave birth to a baby girl, who has been named Chelsea, in the Coombe hospital shortly after her arrest for defying an injunction to vacate the Thomas Cook shop on Grafton Street, Dublin. Ms Boyne was arrested with her co-workers in the early hours of yesterday. But while her colleagues were detained in the Bridewell Garda station, she was brought immediately to hospital.

Her partner Ian Mahon, who was not a Thomas Cook employee, was also arrested when gardaí broke down the door of the company's offices at 5am and was also charged with contempt of court.

He was brought to the Bridewell but was later escorted by gardaí to the Coombe to attend the birth of his child.

Colleagues of Ms Boyne said Mr Mahon had not been involved in the sit-in, but had only come to the offices because he was worried about his partner's welfare.

"He arrived down because Avril was having pains. That's the only reason he got caught up in this," Antoinette Shevlin, an employee who took part in the sit-in said.