A round-up of today's news from the courts
Judgment held on Shannon conviction
The Court of Criminal Appeal has reserved judgment on an appeal by a peace activist against her conviction for taking an axe to a US navy aircraft at Shannon Airport, causing $1.5 million worth of damage.
Mary Kelly (54), Fort Lorenzo, Galway, was convicted in October 2004 of causing criminal damage to the 737 US navy aircraft in January 2003 and of entering Shannon airport illegally.
She received a two-year suspended jail sentence from Judge Carroll Moran at Limerick Circuit Court and was ordered to stay a mile away from Shannon airport and to be of good behaviour for four years.
Ms Kelly, who was staying at the Shannon Peace Camp at the time, appealed against her conviction.
Ms Kelly, representing herself, said yesterday her grounds of appeal included that Judge Moran had erred in law by disallowing her defence of "lawful excuse" and of "justifiable use of force to prevent a crime".
In his charge to the jury, the trial judge had effectively given a direction to convict her of the crime she was on trial for, she submitted.
22 nuisance calls to ex-girlfriend
A man who made 22 calls to a former girlfriend, threatening to kill her and burn out her car, has been ordered to carry out 120 hours of community service and pay a €1,000 fine in lieu of a prison sentence.
Thomas O'Reilly (37), Allenton Way, Tallaght, Dublin, was also ordered by Judge Katherine Delahunt not to have any contact with the woman or be within 150 metres of her home for the next 10 years.
He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to harassing the woman in November and December.
Two years off rape sentence
A Cavan man convicted of raping and sexually assaulting his niece over a decade has had his 12-year sentence reduced by two years at the Court of Criminal Appeal.
The three-judge Court of Criminal Appeal has reduced the sentence on grounds that the term imposed on Charlie Dunne by Mr Justice Paul Carney at the Central Criminal Court last year did not take into account his early admission of guilt.
Dunne (65), Carnalynch, Bailieborough, Co Cavan, had pleaded guilty to raping and sexually assaulting his niece from 1971 to 1982 in Cavan, Dublin and Wicklow.
Mr Justice Adrian Hardiman, presiding, with Mr Justice Éamon de Valera and Mr Justice Michael Peart, said this was "a bad case" involving a large number of "very substantial" offences committed over a lengthy period of time.
However, the appeal court was satisfied Mr Justice Carney had acted erroneously in withholding the discount to which Dunne was entitled for his early plea of guilty. It also had to be taken into account that Dunne was "partially successful" in judicial review proceedings in which he challenged other complaints against him.
HSE sued over ambulance deal
A private ambulance operator has told the High Court that the Health Service Executive (HSE) terminated its contract to provide ambulance services just as it had completed an investment of almost €1 million on the strength of that agreement.
Lifeline Ambulance Service Ltd, Ryebrook Industrial Park, Leixlip, Co Kildare, is seeking a High Court order restoring its alleged two-year contract with the HSE. It is also seeking damages.