The Supreme Court has reserved judgment on an appeal by both sides against parts of a High Court decision last year in a dispute between the North Eastern Health Board and surgeon Pawan K Rajpal.
The difficulties arose within the surgical department at Cavan General Hospital.
Dr Rajpal is appealing a High Court decision of May 2004 which refused to set aside his suspension from the surgical department by the Minister for Health. Since the High Court judgment, the Minister has lifted his suspension but Dr Rajpal has not returned to work because, he says, unreasonable conditions have been attached.
The North Eastern Health Board is appealing the judgment insofar as it set aside the decision of its chief executive to request the Minister to set up an inquiry into the doctor.
Five years for holding firearms
A man who was found with three firearms in the Dublin mountains has been jailed for five years by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Dean Furlong (35), Inchicore, pleaded guilty to two charges of possession of firearms on Ballybrack Road, Glencullen, and at his home on May 19th, 2003.
PSNI applies for extradition order
The PSNI has brought an application before the High Court in Dublin seeking the extradition to the North of a woman charged with the murder of her boyfriend in Belfast three years ago.
The proceedings against Sarah Jayne Delaney (29) were adjourned yesterday until June 8th. It is alleged that Ms Delaney absconded from Northern Ireland while on bail.
Ms Delaney, Eglantine Avenue, Belfast, who is a native of Manchester, was arrested by gardaí earlier this year, three years after she allegedly absconded. She was charged in the North with the murder on March 18th, 2002, of William James Shaw at a premises in Camden Street, Belfast.
The extradition is the first of its kind involving the Republic and Britain.
'Brilliant conman' to be deported
A convicted Nigerian fraudster, described as a "brilliant and bright conman", has been given a six-year suspended sentence by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after he undertook to leave the jurisdiction.
Judge Frank O'Donnell advised Andrew Jacobs (34) with addresses at Priory Green and Priory Way in Celbridge and at Ashtown Road in Castleknock, that if he returns to Ireland "under any identity" in the next six years, he will be sent to prison to serve his sentence. Jacobs used four different aliases to secure a car loan and credit cards, costing the institutions involved €10,930.