IN SHORT

A round-up of today's other world news in brief

A round-up of today's other world news in brief

Northern Bank robbery convict hit by the Cab

A 60-year-old financial adviser convicted last month of money laundering over £3 million stolen in the Northern Bank robbery has been landed with an €880,000 tax bill by the Criminal Assets Bureau (Cab).

The Cab obtained the order against Ted Cunningham from Farran at the High Court in Dublin on April 9th seeking payment of some €880,919.34 in outstanding tax liabilities.

Details of the judgment are published in the current issue of Stubbs Gazette magazine.

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Cunningham was convicted on March 27th at Cork Circuit Criminal Court of a total of 10 counts of money laundering on majority verdicts and was remanded in custody by Judge Con Murphy for sentencing this Friday.

Duo remanded over cocaine haul

Two men have been remanded in custody after they yesterday pleaded guilty to possessing an estimated €500 million worth of cocaine seized by gardaí, Navy and Customs officers in a joint operation off the west Cork coast last year, writes Barry Roche.

Philip Doo (52) from Brixham, Devon, England and Christopher Wiggins (42) with an address at Estepona, Malaga, Spain, pleaded guilty to possessing cocaine for sale or supply on board the sloop, Dances with Waves, on November 5th last.

The men admitted the offence when they were arraigned yesterday afternoon at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.

Prosecution counsel, Tom Creed SC, said that he was seeking to have the men remanded in custody with a view to sentencing going ahead on May 8th.

Judge Patrick Moran granted the State application.

Abuser remanded after guilty plea

A 61-year-old man has been remanded in custody after he yesterday pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting two young girls in addition to possessing and producing child pornography in Co Cork.

Christopher Thomas, from Britain, also known as Christopher Charles Doe, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl and two counts of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl in west Cork between January 1st, 2003 and November 30th, 2004.

Thomas also pleaded guilty to two counts of producing child pornography.

Defence counsel, Tom Creed SC, said that Mr Thomas had attended and completed a course for sex offenders at the Granada Institute.

But so much time had since elapsed that staff at the institute were anxious that he re-attend so that they could review and update his treatment.

Judge Patrick Moran granted the application and remanded Thomas in custody for sentence at the next sittings of Cork Circuit Criminal Court on June 16th and gave the defence liberty to apply for bail whenever an appointment date comes up at the institute.

Two remanded on firearms charge

Two Dublin men were remanded in custody when they appeared in court yesterday charged with firearms offences.

The two, Joseph Redmond (31) of Kilworth Road in Drimnagh and David Roche (25) of Belclare Crescent, Poppintree, Ballymun, appeared at Dublin District Court following their arrest in Dublin on Monday night.

They were charged with possession of a firearm.