A round-up of today's other home news in brief ...
Family of Polish sailor gets €750,000 award
The family of a Polish seafarer who died following an incident on a ship in Dublin Port in August 2007 have been awarded €750,000 in compensation as a result of a High Court settlement, writes Martin Wall.
Patrycjusz Zawadowicz, a 31-year-old Polish second officer, was hit when one of the cables securing the vessel to its berth snapped.
It broke both of his legs and partially severed his left leg at the knee. He was taken to the Mater hospital and died six days later.
The vessel, the MV Dublin Viking, was owned and operated by Norfolk Line.
The family of the Polish officer was represented by the International Transport Federation (ITF), which said a report on the vessel under the auspices of the Marine Casualty Investigation Board, Ireland, and the Marine Accident Investigation Branch, UK, had identified major defects in operating procedures.
Norfolk Line could not be contacted yesterday.
Mr Zawadowicz is survived by his wife and daughter, who was born shortly after he died. He is also survived by his father, who is a ship’s captain, and his mother Emilia.
Appeal at funeral of murder victim
The family of teenager Darren Bennett, who was murdered in Limerick last week, have appealed to anyone who has information about his death to come forward to gardaí.
The 18-year-old was stabbed to death in a row outside a house at Craeval Park, Moyross, in the early hours of March 18th last.
Hundreds of mourners filled Corpus Christi church in Moyross on Saturday morning for Mr Bennet’s funeral.
Local parish priest Fr Frank O’Dea said the family of the teenager did not want his death avenged.
“I know they feel an understandable anger towards those involved in Darren’s death. Even though they feel a sense of deep grief they are able to say they do not seek revenge for his death,” said Fr O’Dea.
He said tensions in the Moyross estate in the days following the killing had been unwelcome: “Cowardly acts of intimidation carried out in Darren’s name have made it more difficult for his family to grieve properly.”
Warning on bogus repair operators
Gardaí in Cork have started an information campaign aimed at protecting older people from thieves identifying themselves as repairmen following a spate of incidents in recent months where pensioners have been conned by men claiming to be roofers, guttering experts and local authority members.
The Crime Prevention Office at Anglesea Street Garda station in Cork has issued a leaflet with practical advice on how to spot a rogue operator and what a person should do if they are suspicious of a caller.
Gardaí have also been visiting post offices in the city in recent days distributing the leaflet and giving information on the problem to elderly people.
Assault victims give statements
Gardaí have got formal statements of complaint from the four people assaulted following an altercation at Townley Hall woods near Drogheda earlier this month, writes Elaine Keogh.
Two are from the women injured; one alleges she was raped, the other has a broken jaw and nose.
Until recent days neither woman was in a position to make a statement, such was the nature of their injuries.
A spokesman also confirmed that gardaí have the passports of two of the main suspects, and the results of DNA tests are expected in the coming week.
There was much reporting last week relating to the apparent ease with which the five men quizzed about the incident could leave the country. However, gardaí have moved to quell concerns by confirming that two of the men will be unable to do this without their passports.