A round-up of today's Irish news in brief
Galway man denies indecent assault charges
A Galway man who allegedly sexually abused a boy in the 1970s “was like a god” in his home town Dublin Circuit Criminal Court has heard.
Paul O’Grady (63), Dublin Road, Tuam, a former teacher, publican and peace commissioner, has pleaded not guilty to 12 charges of indecent assault between 1974 and 1976.
The 48-year-old complainant said Mr O’Grady would often offer him lifts home from the town centre. He said that about the time he started secondary school, Mr O’Grady was driving him home but turned up a side road and stopped the car where he abused him.
The complainant said the abuse continued in similar circumstances for the next three years, happening “every three, four or six weeks”.
The man told Remy Farrell, prosecuting, that he did not tell anyone because O’Grady was “like a god around town.” “He was a teacher, a peace commissioner, a publican, he had his hand in everything.”
He said he did not have the courage to tell anyone.
Ex-prisoner loses defamation claim
A woman who shared prison accommodation with convicted killers including Catherine Nevin has lost a defamation claim against a Sunday newspaper.
Georgina Coleman, Westend Gate, Cookstown, Tallaght, had claimed that in November 2002, Ireland on Sundayhad libelled her by publishing a picture of her celebrating in prison with convicted murderers.
Circuit Court president Judge Matthew Deery told Mark Harty, counsel for Associated Newspapers (Ireland) Ltd, former Ireland on Sundayeditor Paul Drury and journalist Valerie Hanley, that Coleman had failed to prove her case. "There is nothing inaccurate about the article apart from the picture relating to a birthday party rather than a celebration for a new cellmate coming in," Judge Deery said.
He awarded costs against Ms Coleman.
Man convicted of rape, sexual abuse
A man has been convicted by a jury of sexually abusing his daughters and raping one of them when they were young girls in the 1970s and 1980s.
He was found guilty on all counts after just over an hour’s deliberation and a 10-day trial at the Central Criminal Court.
The 78-year-old had pleaded not guilty to unlawful carnal knowledge, buggery and 19 charges of indecent assault against one daughter and 25 counts of indecent assault against another daughter between 1975 and 1981.
Mr Justice George Birmingham thanked the jury of six men and five women for its attention to the case.
He remanded the accused in custody pending sentencing in March.
Judge criticises DPP for trial delay
A Central Criminal Court judge has criticised the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for delaying the progress of a trial by failing to anticipate an issue that arose with a witness in the case.
Mr Justice Barry White told the jury in the trial of a man accused of sexually abusing and neglecting his son: “I am restraining myself from using unparliamentary language that would render the air blue,” as he sent the jurors home for the day due to a delay in receiving documents from the DPP.
Mr Justice White said the DPP should have considered the matter “way, way, way before this point”.
He sent the jury of seven men and five women home after lunch on day four of the trial and asked them to return this morning.
The 52-year-old accused man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has pleaded not guilty to 11 charges of anal rape; 12 charges of oral rape; 24 charges of sexual assault and one charge of the wilful neglect or ill-treatment of the boy between April 11th, 2001 and June 23rd, 2004.
At that time the boy was between 12 and 15 years old.
No asbos issued here in last year
There were no so-called asbos issued in Ireland in 2009 according to statistics released by the Department of Justice, writes Pamela Duncan.
However, at least one case arising out of non-compliance with an asbo (anti-social behaviour order) by an adult is due before the courts.
Since their introduction, three behaviour orders have been issued against juveniles, while another three civil orders have been issued to adults.
However, no asbo was issued in 2009.
Fine Gael spokesman on justice Charlie Flanagan said the low number of behaviour orders and civil orders issued since the introduction of legislation in 2007 was indicative of a process that had “spectacularly underperformed” in its goal to tackle anti-social behaviour.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Justice denied the asbo legislation had failed, noting it set out an incremental procedure to be used by gardaí to address anti-social behaviour.
Robbery ordeal of publican (75)
An elderly man who runs a pub with his brother told yesterday of a two-hour ordeal at the hands of an armed gang who tied him to a chair while waiting for a safe key.
The attack took place at 4.30pm on Sunday at Quigley’s pub near Collooney, Co Sligo, but the alarm was not raised until 6.20pm.
Gardaí said they were looking for a three-man gang who escaped with “a substantial” sum of money.
Laurence Quigley (75), was confronted by two men when he went outside for briquettes for the fire. They dragged him back into his kitchen and demanded the key to the safe.
Mr Quigley, who with his brother Alfie runs a grocery shop, a filling station and a pub, which is closed on Sundays, told the attackers that he was alone in the house and his brother had the key to the safe.
He said: “They bundled me in to the kitchen and they threw me on the floor and one of them kept hitting me on the chest with a piece of rubber. They kept shouting: “where’s the f***ing money.’”