Today's other stories in brief
Teenagers re-arrested over killing
The pensioner found dead in his Co Tyrone home early last Saturday has been named as 78-year-old Francis O'Neill, a former psychiatric nurse. He lived alone and was known to his friends and neighbours simply as Frank, writes Dan Keenan, Northern News Editor.
Two teenagers, originally arrested in connection with a burglary, have been re-arrested as part of the investigation into his murder.
The 16-year-old juvenile and an 18-year-old man were taken in yesterday by the PSNI. Police say they will increase patrols in the Brook Valley area of Omagh where Mr O’Neill lived. His house had been ransacked.
No plans yet for assault case visit
Australian police investigating an unprovoked assault in Sydney on a young Cork man who was in a coma for seven months say they have no plans to send detectives to Ireland to interview the victim who recently regained consciousness.
However, they may reconsider the matter when his health improves. New South Wales police are still appealing for help to locate a New Zealand man they believe may be able to assist with their inquiries into the assault on David Keohane (29) of Ballyvolane, Co Cork.
Mr Keohane woke from a coma on St Patrick’s Day at Cork University Hospital, seven months after he was assaulted and left for dead on the side of the road in Sydney.
State funding for local forum
A package worth €1.3 million for local communities was announced yesterday by Minister of State for the Environment Michael Kitt.
The allocation will support the Irish national community and voluntary forum, representing county and city councils.
Mr Kitt said local community and voluntary organisation participation and input was important to the development of effective and inclusive local authority policy.
Ryanair jet lands on Italy taxiway
An investigation is taking place after a Ryanair jet landed on a taxiway instead of a runway at an airport on the Italian island of Sardinia.
The incident occurred on Sunday at Cagliari and involved a scheduled Ryanair flight from Girona airport in Spain to the Italian island.
Flight FR-9265, a Boeing 737-800 jet, landed on the taxiway instead of the runway at about 11.30am on Sunday. The taxiway was clear at the time. The taxiway was only recently redesignated and had been used as the airport’s primary runway while Cagliari’s main runway was closed for maintenance for 18 months.
The runway was changed back to a taxiway status last Thursday. In a statement, Ryanair said the aircraft landed safely as directed by air traffic control and passengers disembarked normally.
Court supports payout to officer
The Labour Court has backed an €8,000 compensation award to a female prison officer made by an equality officer who found she had been discriminated against on the grounds of disability.
The court was told the officer, who suffered from a depressive illness, had complained to the prison governor that she was being bullied and abused by a fellow female prison officer.
The officer joined the Prison Service in October 2002 on two years probation.
By the time her probationary period was due to expire she had been absent on sick leave for 70 days and the probation was extended for six months. By the time the extension was due to expire she had accrued 158 days’ sick leave since she had joined the service so the prison governor extended her probation by a further six months. The court agreed that the woman had been discriminated against by the extension of her probation.