In short

More regional news in brief.

More regional news in brief.

Kerry woman facing charge of assault

A Kerry woman has been sent forward for trial on a charge of assault causing harm to another woman. She has also been warned not to interfere with named witnesses, including two hospital consultants.

Mary Leen Poulawaddra (27), Tralee, appeared before Tralee District Court charged with assaulting Stephanie Walsh on June 7th at Cois Coille, Tralee.

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Her solicitor Pádraig O'Connell said his client would vigorously contest the charge.

Yesterday the court heard the book of evidence had been served. Garda Insp. Martin McCarthy asked the judge that he make an order that neither she "nor anybody on her behalf" interfere with civilian witnesses. They included Ms Walsh and two hospital consultants at Kerry General Hospital.

RTÉ inquiry into breach of security

RTÉ has launched an inquiry into how a woman and her teenage son gained access to one of its top- security mast sites.

A 51-year-old woman from Co Wexford and her 13-year-old son were found by mountain searchers in a canteen adjoining a 100m mast on top of Truskmore mountain in north Co Sligo.

They were discovered when the woman made a 999 call that ended a five-hour search after they vanished when she lost control of her car and it overturned on a narrow road in the Gleniff Valley near Ballintrillick on Tuesday evening.

The woman and her son trekked more than 6km from the crash scene to the unoccupied RTÉ building where she made tea while they awaited rescuers.

An RTÉ spokesman said last night investigators had been dispatched to the site to ascertain what happened.

French skipper fined €12,500

The skipper of a French trawler caught fishing illegally off the west coast by the Naval Service last weekend has been fined €12,500 at Galway Circuit Criminal Court.

The French-registered Arinwas detained on Saturday.

Its skipper Patrice Primot was brought before a special court sitting yesterday where he pleaded guilty to failing to communicate with the Irish authorities of his entering and leaving Ireland's exclusive fishery limits between July 19th and 24th and to retaining on board 300kg of a deep sea fish without holding a deep-sea fishing permit.

IFA warning over quad bikes

The death of a three-year old boy in an accident in north Mayo has led to renewed warnings about the dangers of quad bikes. Luke McHale, Belderrig Mór, Ballycastle, was on a quad machine driven by a relative late on Tuesday evening when he fell off, sustaining injuries which later proved fatal.

IFA regional organiser Roy O'Brien said yesterday quad machines were "highly dangerous" and people should receive training on how to safely use them.