In short

A round-up of today's other Ireland news in brief

A round-up of today's other Ireland news in brief

Irishman (20) drowns in Toronto

A 20-year-old Irishman drowned in Toronto, Canada, yesterday morning after getting into difficulties while swimming in Lake Ontario.

The man had gone swimming with two friends at about 8am local time. The alarm was raised when he failed to resurface.

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Toronto’s marine police unit pulled him from the water near Centre Island.

He was taken to St Michael’s Hospital in Toronto where he was pronounced dead.

Local media reported that the man had been camping with a group of 10 friends by the lakeside.

The Department of Foreign Affairs have yet to release details of his name or address.

Family await details of death

The family of the 48-year-old Kerryman who died in a shooting incident in California on Sunday, yesterday said they had still not been told the circumstances of his death.

John O’Sullivan, a father-of-five and a native of Valentia Island, died after an incident at a neighbour’s house. Alan, a younger brother, said John who was the eldest in the family of eight, had not been home to Valentia in 13 years but kept in regular contact with the family. They were making arrangements yesterday to fly to California and intend to bring his body home to bury him on the island.

File for DPP over attack on man (63)

Gardaí are preparing a file for the DPP over an attack on a 63-year-old man at his home in Charlestown, Co Mayo.

The man sustained a broken leg in the attack which occurred during a robbery at his home in Park View housing estate on Sunday night.

He is a bachelor who lived alone, is recovering at Mayo General Hospital.

A small sum of money was taken from the house.

A suspect, who is in his 20s, was arrested on Monday under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act.

He was released yesterday.

Prisoner ran drug ring from jail cell

A prisoner in Britain who ran an international cocaine ring from his jail cell via Cork was sentenced yesterday to 18-years in jail.

Judge Bryn Holloway said it raised questions over the controls on George Moon (62), who led the operation from behind bars in a Doncaster jail.

He was jailed for 18 years after admitting importing cocaine with a 100 per cent purity from South America. Moon had already been jailed for drugs offences.

He arranged for up to three kilos worth of cocaine with a street value of about £300,000 to be smuggled into England and Ireland.

Judge criticises abuse case delay

A judge yesterday criticised a delay by the Northern Ireland Public Prosecution Service in progressing a case against a pensioner who faces child sex abuse charges. The defendant, William Roddy, (70), Queen Street in Derry, is charged with gross indecency with a child, meeting a child following grooming and possessing an indecent image of a child. He is alleged to have committed the offences between September 2005 and last January. Judge Peter Prenter described as “unacceptable” the prosecution’s failure to progress the case because prosecution solicitors were on leave.