In Short

A round-up of today's other stories in brief

A round-up of today's other stories in brief

Man charged with sexually grooming girl (14) on internet

A police officer told a court yesterday that a 30-year-old man charged with sexually grooming a 14-year-old on the internet told her that he "wanted to marry her and have his baby but he told her to keep it from her parents until she was 16", writes George Jackson.

The detective made the comment at the Magistrate’s Court in Derry when she opposed bail being granted to Jonathan Dowds, an unemployed man from Abercorn Road in the city. The defendant appeared in court charged with meeting the girl with intent to commit a sexual offence against her. He is further charged with abducting the girl. The offences are alleged to have occurred in Derry last Friday.

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Dublin water levels on the rise

Water reservoirs in the Dublin area are returning to sustainable levels but night-time restrictions on supplies will remain in place until further notice.

Dublin City Council and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council said pressure reductions and shut-offs would be imposed on supplies to some consumers from 7pm last night until 7am today and from 7pm tonight through to 7am tomorrow.

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council will review the situation tomorrow, while Fingal County Council said restrictions would continue.

4,500 on Dún Laoghaire housing list

There are almost 4,500 applicants on the social housing waiting list in the Dún Laoghaire Rathdown area, a council meeting heard last night, writes Fiona Gartland.

Councillors at Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council were also told the Government’s property leasing scheme, designed to use vacant housing to provide for social housing needs, could not be operated in the county as no suitable properties had been identified. The council’s director of housing, Charles McNamara, said 3,756 applicants were on the housing waiting list up to December 2010 and a further 696 new applicants would be included on the list for this year.

Haiti survivors' photos on show

A photography exhibition which includes pictures taken by survivors of the Haitian earthquake has gone on display in Dublin.

The exhibition is in the Powerscourt Townhouse Centre, South William Street, Dublin.

Tomorrow will be the first anniversary of the earthquake which devastated the country. Plan Ireland commissioned 22 teenagers to document their lives and environment after the quake and they were given cameras to do so. Photojournalist Natasha Fillion worked with the teenagers.