A round-up of today's other stories in brief
French trial adjourned until next February
The case against a man and a woman charged in connection with the death of model Katy French has been adjourned at Trim Circuit Court.
Both Kieran Ducie (40), Lambertstown Manor, Kilmessan, Co Meath, and Ann Corcoran (29), Tolka Road, Clonliffe Road, Dublin, are charged with conspiring with persons not before the court to possess cocaine for the purpose of supply in December 2007.
They also face charges of intentionally or recklessly engaging in conduct, the supply of cocaine to Ms French and failure to get medical assistance in timely fashion which created a substantial risk of death or serious harm to another.
Trim Circuit Court was told the trial could take over a week and Judge Michael O’Shea adjourned the case to February 1st. Both were remanded on continuing bail.
Youth for trial on stabbing charge
A Dublin teenager is to be tried before a judge and jury for allegedly stabbing a man during an unprovoked attack.
The 17-year-old has been charged with assault causing harm arising out of an incident in Ballymun, Dublin, in May 2009.
Garda Aidan Kelly told Judge Bryan Smyth that the victim had stopped to talk to the defendant and another youth. “A knife was produced by both males, they assaulted him in an unprovoked attack,” Garda Kelly said. The man suffered four stab wounds to his back which would leave him permanently scarred.
Following his arrest, the youth made “certain admissions”. Pleading for the case to be retained in the jurisdiction of the juvenile rather than the Circuit Court, defence solicitor Adrian Lennon asked the judge to note that his client was aged 16 at the time. Judge Smyth refused and the youth was further remanded in custody.
Judge criticises court conditions
A judge has described the conditions at a court as “laughable” after prisoners were held all day in a prison van because there was no room for them in the courthouse.
Judge John O’Hagan said the physical conditions at Letterkenny Circuit Court in Donegal were simply not good enough.
He said gardaí, the legal profession, court staff and prison officers deserved a “pat on the back” for working under such conditions.
“It is laughable. The physical conditions in this court are just not good enough, in my opinion. We only have one holding cell, and sometimes that cannot be used because court staff have no choice but to store stuff there.
“As a result we have a situation where prisoners are being forced to be kept in a prison van outside the court all day. That is not good,” he added.
Suspended term over cannabis
A psychology student who was caught smuggling €36,000 worth of cannabis into the Republic has been given a six-year suspended sentence by Judge Katherine Delahunt at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Linda Ama (29), Cushlawn Park, Tallaght, originally from Cameroon but living here since 2002, pleaded guilty to possession of 4.5kg of cannabis on February 23rd, 2009, at Dublin airport.
Judge Delahunt ordered 18 months’ probation supervision and random drug testing. The court had heard Ama flew to the Netherlands with no baggage, but had bags on her return on the same day, which raised suspicions.