In Short

A round-up of other court stories in brief

A round-up of other court stories in brief

Man sentenced for sexual relationship with girl (14)

A 30-year-old Carlow man who had an 18-month sexual relationship with a 14-year-old schoolgirl and “groomed and lured her with words of flattery” has been handed an 18-month sentence.

Judge Patrick McCartan allowed Gareth Griffin two weeks in order to put his family affairs in order with his sentence to commence on August 4th. Griffin of Park Avenue, Phelim Wood, Tullow, Co Carlow, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to seven counts of sexual activity with the teenager on dates between August 2007 and July 2008.

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Garda Colin Rochford told Tara Burns, SC, prosecuting that Griffin, who was 27 at the time, got to know the 14-year-old when she visited a friend at the apartment complex where he and his partner of 10 years lived.

Man gets 10 years for drug offence

A father of three with no previous convictions has been jailed for 10 years for possession of €658,000 worth of cannabis.

Thomas Carroll (32) was not known to gardaí and has been in full employment all his adult life, the court heard.

Carroll of The Strand, Donabate, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession with intent to supply 94kg of cannabis on April 7th, 2009. Defence counsel Mr Paul Greene SC said his client had been a force for good in his community and in his family.

Gardaí investigate woman's death

Gardaí are investigating the death of a woman in Cork city yesterday. At 7am they were called to Carroll’s Quay after young women fell from an apartment.

She was taken to Cork University Hospital where she later died.

Gardaí have appealed for witnesses who may have been in the vicinity of Camden Court Apartments in the north city centre between 6.30am and 7am.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Mayfield Garda station on 021-4558510.

Armed robbery foiled by off-duty garda

An armed robbery at Donnybrook post office was foiled yesterday by an off-duty garda. At about 2.30pm a gunman wearing a balaclava walked into the Dublin 4 post office.

He threatened staff with a shotgun and escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash.

As he made his escape an off-duty garda apprehended the man, in his 40s. Uniformed gardaí arrived at the scene shortly afterwards to assist in the arrest . They recovered the cash and the shotgun. Nobody was injured during the raid.