A round-up of other court stories in brief...
State seizes €40,320 from drug dealer
A Co Down convicted drug dealer has had more than €40,000 of his money seized by the State after Judge Katherine Delahunt said she was satisfied it represented the proceeds of crime.
Richard Ferguson (46), Old Gransha Road, Bangor, was stopped by Customs officers at Dublin airport on November 25th, 2008.
When officers searched his car in the public car park, they found heroin and a plastic bag containing €40,320. He was later fined in the District Court for possession of heroin.
Dominic McGinn, for the Revenue, said Ferguson told Customs officers in November 2008 that most of the cash came from the sale of property he had in Spain and a conversion of sterling into €10,000 which he had earned from his kitchen- fitting business. He said he intended to reinvest the cash in lands and property in Spain.
Mr McGinn said Ferguson took some time to supply documentation to the Revenue in relation to the Spanish property sale and his company accounts.
Bank statements relating to Ferguson’s accounts showed that 15 months before the seizure of the cash, €30,000 was withdrawn and the balance remained at €7,000 and did not show any lodgement from the sale of the Spanish property.
Colm Ó Briain, defending, said there were no traces of drugs on the money that was confiscated by Customs nor was there any evidence of criminal activity, apart from Ferguson’s recreational drug use, since 1996.
Homeless mother settles action
A homeless mother of four who claimed that Waterford County Council has failed in its duty to provide her with accommodation has settled her High Court action.
Carmel Allen, Cappoquin, Co Waterford, had in judicial review proceedings sought a direction requiring the council to place her name on a scheme of priority for local authority accommodation.
She also sought a declaration that the failure of the council to do so breached her rights under the Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights.
The case was settled before Mr Justice John Hedigan yesterday.
The terms were not revealed.
Teacher on trial for molesting boys
The principal of a Co Clare school has told the trial of a teacher accused of sexually assaulting three boys that the man had “proved to be a good teacher” after joining the school. The man has pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to 18 counts of sexually assaulting the boys between September 2002 and June 2004.
The principal said he received a complaint in June 2004 alleging inappropriate touching of one of the boys.
The teacher left on administrative leave which was “a leave of absence with pay and with no indication of guilt”.
Case against school settled
The parents of a mildly dyslexic boy who claimed his primary school was refusing to operate specialist IT education support required by him have settled their High Court action.
The case was brought against the board of management of a national school in Co Limerick aimed at having it introduce and operate specialist educational equipment for the 10-year-old boy.
It was agreed that the appropriate technologies will be available to the boy in the school environment.