A round-up of other courts stories in brief
10-year term for 2m heroin possession
A Kildare man who was caught with €2 million worth of heroin following a Garda surveillance operation after a suspicious pallet was intercepted by customs officers has been jailed for 10 years.
Paul Drew (24), of Ferns Close, Ferns Bridge, Monasterevin, was observed throughout the day driving in the vicinity of the vehicles that had been carrying the drugs, and gardaí were satisfied that he was in charge of supervising its transportation.
Drew pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of the heroin for sale or supply in Corbally, Saggart on January 25th, 2008.
Pathologist gives evidence in Derry
The State Pathologist, Prof Marie Cassidy, travelled to Coleraine, Co Derry, yesterday to give evidence in the trial of three members of the same family who deny murdering a father of four outside his home in Derry just over two years ago, writes George Jackson.
Prof Cassidy was called as a witness by James Meehan who, along with his wife Brenda Meehan and stepson Seán Devenney, all of them from Dundrean Park in Derry, deny murdering James McFadden at Moyola Drive in Derry on May 5th, 2007.
Mr McFadden (42) died from a ruptured heart following the assault outside his home.
Prof Cassidy told the jury at Derry Crown Court that the injuries sustained by the deceased were more commonly caused by forces applied to the chest.
She said she found no evidence to indicate that the injuries to Mr McFadden had been caused by stamping. The trial continues.
Part acquittal on assault charges
A Co Clare teacher accused of sexually assaulting three boys aged between 10 and 12 years has been acquitted on charges relating to one of the boys.
The jury will continue their deliberations on Monday in relation to the alleged assaults on the other two children. It was day four of the trial. The 38-year-old man has pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to 18 counts of sexually assaulting the boys on dates between September 2002 and June 2004.
Jail for ingesting cocaine pellets
A mother whose teenage son underwent life-saving surgery in order to remove two cocaine pellets from his bowels after they both swallowed the drugs before flying to Ireland has been given a five-year sentence.
Gilmaro Miquel (18), who was given an 11-month sentence, decided to travel with his mother Josefina Liriano (47) after learning she agreed to import the drugs into Ireland from the Netherlands.
Judge Desmond Hogan suspended the final 3½ years of Liriano’s sentence.
Seven years for foiled shop raid
A Georgian national who was tackled and disarmed of his gun by the owner of the shop he raided has been jailed for seven years at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Pakur Pakurian threatened staff in the shop on Dublin’s Granby Lane with a blank firing pistol.
Sergiy Savchak, who had military training, witnessed the raid on CCTV cameras. He confronted Pakurian and managed to disarm him.