A roundup of today's other courts news in brief
Decision on Bailey warrant reserved
A High Court judge has reserved his decision on an application by the State to endorse a European arrest warrant received from France for the extradition of former journalist Ian Bailey.
The French authorities want to question Mr Bailey in connection with their inquiry into the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier. The body of the 39-year-old French film producer was found outside her holiday home in Toormore near Schull in Co Cork in December 1996.
Mr Bailey, now in his final year of a law degree at UCC, was arrested and questioned twice by gardaí in 1997 and 1998.
He has consistently said he is innocent of any involvement in Ms Toscan du Plantier’s death.
An inquiry, headed by a French judge, was established in France after the Irish Director of Public Prosecutions decided that no charges be preferred against Mr Bailey.
Mr Justice Michael Peart yesterday reserved judgment on the State’s application to endorse the warrant.
Student faces harassment charge
A doctoral student charged with harassment sent e-mails to academic staff at Maynooth NUI which spoke of the Virginia Tech massacre in which 32 people died.
Adeniyi Adekoya, who at the time lived at Earlsfort Court, Lucan, Co Dublin, is pleading not guilty to four charges of harassment in 2007 and 2008, while he was working towards his PhD at Maynooth NUI.
Mr Adekoya, who is representing himself at the trial in Naas Circuit Court, was told several times by Judge Gerard Griffin to restrict his questions to the evidence given by the witnesses and not to make statements.
Prof Gerry Boyle, who supervised Mr Adekoya’s research, said he had met Mr Adekoya several times and given him detailed advice. “Unfortunately, he did not take that advice and the meetings did not go too well.”
Prof Donal O’Neill, who at the time was the acting department head, said he took Mr Adekoya’s e-mail seriously. He found it quite disturbing, notably a reference to “the ugly incident at Virginia Tech”.
He added: “I was in Iowa University when a PhD student killed four staff members and a student.” He contacted the registrar when he saw the e-mail. “Virginia Tech was a well-known event in the media,” he said.
The trial continues.
File into stabbing to be re-examined
A file into the death of a 22-year-old man who was fatally stabbed with a sword is to be resubmitted to the DPP at the request of a coroner after the State Pathologist said the man could have survived for a number of hours after being injured.
Gary Wisely of Glenvara Park, Firhouse, Dublin 24, died a number of hours after he was stabbed three times in the chest at the home of a friend in the early hours of April 10th, 2006.
Dublin County Coroner’s Court heard evidence yesterday of how a man with a sword, who was with two other men, climbed in the window of a sitting room of a house on Swiftbrook Avenue, Tallaght and assaulted Graham Greene, a friend of Mr Wisely’s, who lived in the house with his sister.
A seriously injured Mr Wisely was found by Mr Greene’s sister, Emma, a few hours later near the house. When emergency services arrived Mr Wisely had a weak pulse, but was unresponsive. He was pronounced dead later at Tallaght hospital.