In Short

A round-up of today's other stories in brief.

A round-up of today's other stories in brief.

Fatal crash bus driver has case adjourned

The bus driver who led gardaí on a 90-minute chase through parts of west in Dublin that resulted in the death of retired schoolteacher Maire Buckley has had his case adjourned until June 22nd.

Peter Clarke, Kiltalawn Court, Jobstown is charged with dangerous driving causing death.

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The application to adjourn proceedings was made by his solicitor Caroline Egan when the case came before the Dublin District Court sitting at Cloverhill Courthouse. It was not opposed by gardaí.

Ms Egan explained that her client is unable to appear.

Child safety officer for Bebo

Bebo, the social networking internet site, has appointed Dr Rachel O'Connell as its first chief safety officer.

As a student in Limerick, Dr O'Connell successfully infiltrated an internet paedophilia ring by posing as a child.

She joins Bebo from the department for forensic and investigative science at the University of Central Lancashire and is considered to be one of Europe's foremost experts in internet safety.

Software designer banned from TCD

A software designer has been banned from Trinity College Dublin after a student he is accused of stalking said she feared he would not leave her alone. Paul Meehan (35), Trinity Plaza, Tara Street, Dublin, denies harassing Eleanor Winters between June 2nd and June 7th last at her home in Dublin.

He was granted bail yesterday on condition that he stay away from her and from the campus.

Ms Winters told Dublin District Court that they had been in the same class in college but said they had no relationship or friendship. His claims that they had spoken "10 or 12 times" were "complete lies".

Slaughtering plant shut down again

A Co Offaly-based slaughtering plant which was closed down in 2004 for breaches of food hygiene legislation has been closed down again by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.

A closure order was served by Offaly County Council on Bilal Irish Meat, Meenwaun, Five Roads, Banagher, and on the company's premises at Queen Street, Dublin, on May 3rd.

To date this order has not been lifted.

It emerged yesterday that the animal slaughter plant was also closed down for "operational and structural reasons" by the food safety authority on December 8th, 2004, but the order was lifted two days later.

Man dies from burns in house fire

The 47-year-old man who was injured in a house fire in Connemara on Sunday has died.

Stephen Nee, Leitir Mór, suffered serious burns in the fire which engulfed his sister's family house in Spiddal in the early hours of last Sunday morning.

Father fined for drunkenness

A father who was found drunk and unconscious in a Tallaght park in Dublin, beside his young child, who was in a buggy, was fined €102 in Tallaght Court.

The 35-year-old man had previously pleaded guilty to being found drunk-in-charge of a child under the age of seven, and to public drunkenness.