A round-up of other stories in brief...
Fears over safety of missing man
Gardaí are becoming increasingly concerned for the safety of a Co Wicklow man who has been missing for six days.
Stephen O’Meara (26), a father of three from Wicklow town, was last seen on Thursday last week at 6pm.
Gardaí and locals are concentrating their search in areas of woodland between the villages of Rathdrum and Annacurra near Aughrim, in the Wicklow hills.
Despite four days of intensive searching across a wide area, no trace of Mr O’Meara has been found.
Garda spokesman Supt John Gilligan said gardaí would continue their search in the coming days. “It is a huge area we are searching and we have a large team of gardaí involved,” he said.
“We have strong concerns for the safety of the person.”
Youth (15) pleads guilty to gun theft
A 15-year-old youth who stole a double-barrel shotgun during a burglary and has been described as a risk to himself and others was remanded in custody yesterday.
The teenager, who left school at 13, pleaded guilty at the Children’s Court to possessing two knives as weapons and stealing the gun during a house burglary in Lucan, Co Dublin, and to criminal damage to an alarm at the property on January 21st last.
Garda David Moynihan told Judge Elizabeth MacGrath the teenager was observed on Newcastle Road in Lucan in possession of gloves and two kitchen knives. He was arrested and taken to Ronanstown Garda station.
Judge MacGrath remanded him in custody to appear again next week.
Disqualified driver jailed for 12 months
A man with 58 previous convictions who has already been disqualified from driving for 40 years was sentenced yesterday to 12 months in prison and disqualified from driving for a further eight years for continuing to drive while intoxicated.
Imposing the penalties at the holiday sittings of Galway District Court, Judge Conal Gibbons told Patrick Ward (29) from Abbey, Abbeyknockmoy, Tuam, Co Galway, that he had “literally run out of road” following his fifth drink-driving conviction.
Insp Ernie White said Ward had 58 previous convictions and had been disqualified for 40 years at Ardee District Court last October for failing to give a sample.
He said the accused had four drink-driving convictions prior to these latest ones and had been disqualified last September for also refusing to give a sample.