A farmer whose six month jail sentence for possessing illegal drug promoters was doubled in the Circuit Court was given leave by the High Court yesterday to challenge the sentence.
Ronald Armitage, Uskane House, Borrisokane, Co Tipperary, appeared before Athlone District Court last October, where he admitted charges relating to the possession of prohibited substances.
He was fired £12,000 and sentenced to six months in prison.
When Armitage brought an appeal before Athlone Circuit Court in November last, his jail sentence was doubled and the fines of £12,000 were allowed to stand.
Yesterday, Mr Justice Geoghegan gave leave to Armitage to seek judicial review on the ground that it was alleged the Circuit Court judge had expressly refused to give credit for Armitage's plea of guilty.
Mr Justice Geoghegan said he would direct that the granting of leave to seek judicial review would act as a stay of execution on the Circuit Court order.
A Kildare man who claims he is bisexual has been found guilty by a Central Criminal Court jury of raping a young man in a dark laneway in 1994.
Philip Sullivan (33), a doorman at a pub, of Lourdesville, Kildare, was remanded in custody by Mr Justice Moriarty for sentence on February 17th next. The jury took 45 minutes to reach a unanimous verdict after the three day trial.
Sullivan had denied sexually assaulting the victim on February 5th, 1994.