A round-up of today's other regional news in brief
Guilty plea to child porn possession
A man who had been given a suspended jail sentence for possession of child pornography has pleaded guilty to committing the same offence again.
In 2008, a 2½-year sentence was imposed on Barry Watters (33), Bay Estate, Dundalk, but was then suspended by the judge on strict conditions.
At the time, Watters had admitted to having more than 260 pornographic movies of children and 7,000 pornographic pictures of children. That offence took place at his home in May 2005.
Yesterday he pleaded guilty to the same offence, which again took place at his home, on April 25th last year. He has already been returned to jail to serve the sentence which had been suspended.
He was brought from Arbour Hill prison to Dundalk Circuit Criminal Court yesterday on the new charges.
Judge Matthew Deery agreed to an application for the case to be adjourned and Watters was remanded in custody for sentencing.
Kingspan workers vote to strike
Co Cavan construction supplier Kingspan has threatened to “relocate” its massive Kingscourt plant if a strike threatened for February 8th goes ahead.
The workers at the plant have voted to strike in a ballot organised by their union, Siptu. The ballot came after the company implemented new working conditions agreed by the Labour Court on January 18th.
In December the Labour Court agreed that Kingspan, one of the largest employers in the region, should go ahead with the recommendations to restore competitiveness and to maintain employment, with some modifications.
Father and son died from fall or wave
A father and son drowned together after they either fell off rocks or were swept into the sea by a freak wave while fishing off the west Cork coast last year, coroner Frank O'Connell has ruled, . He returning a verdict of accidental death into both cases reports Barry Roche. Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margot Bolster said Polish national Piotr Latek (40) and his son Mateus (12) had bruising to their bodies but these injuries did not cause their deaths. They both died, Dr Bolster added, from acute cardio-respiratory failure due to drowning near Cod's Head on the Beara Peninsula on July 12th, 2009.
12-year jail term for cannabis offences
A Co Wexford man convicted of three drugs-related offences with drugs valued at €245,000 has been jailed for 12 years.
Stephen Kelly (40), of Maiden Lane, New Ross, was convicted at Wexford Circuit Court on October 27th last of having cannabis resin for sale or supply. Before sentencing yesterday, Judge Alice Doyle said there was a large amount of drugs involved. She described drugs as the curse of society.
Had this amount of drugs got on to the streets, further devastation would have been caused, she said.