A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Truck driver injured by flying steel wedge awarded €80,000
The High Court has awarded €80,000 damages to a truck driver who was almost “decapitated” and suffered serious facial injuries after being struck by a flying steel wedge.
Mr Justice John MacMenamin said Keith Dowling (38), Kildangan, Co Kildare, had suffered permanent damage to his nose and face after a steel wedge 14 inches long and six inches wide “shot out like an arrow” and struck him while a co-worker was hammering in the wedge to secure the ballast weight on a trailer.
Man found guilty of raping niece
A Cavan man has been convicted by a Central Criminal Court jury of sexually assaulting and raping his niece while she was a teenager.
The 58-year-old accused had pleaded not guilty to 14 charges of sex assault and one of rape on dates between May 25th, 2002 and April 30th, 2004. The girl was 13 at the time.
The jury of six men and six women took almost six hours to reach the verdicts on day four of the trial. Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy thanked the members of the jury.
He excused them from further jury duty “for 10 years beyond the normal period of time”.
He remanded the accused in custody and adjourned the case for sentence on April 4th.
Man's extradition case adjourned
A Co Louth man, who three years ago was found guilty by a Spanish court of the manslaughter of his wife, has had extradition proceedings against him further adjourned for a week.
Michael Dermot McArdle (41), Heynestown, Dundalk, is wanted by Spanish authorities to serve a two- year sentence for causing the death of Kelly Ann Corcoran more than 10 years ago.
The mother-of-two died after she fell from a balcony while on a family holiday in Marbella on the Costa del Sol on February 11th, 2000.
McArdle was convicted in Malaga in October 2008 but was allowed to return to Ireland pending an appeal. He was due to report to the Spanish authorities to begin his sentence last September, but failed to do so. A European arrest warrant was issued by a Spanish judge.