More news in brief.
Man hit by car after assault in vehicle
A MAN in his 20s was in a critical condition in hospital in Limerick last night following a serious assault early yesterday.
The attack took place at about 2.20am when an argument broke out between three men sitting in a car at Crecora Avenue, Ballinacurra Weston.
It is understood the victim was assaulted inside the vehicle before he was pushed out onto the road and struck by the car as it was driven from the scene.
Gardaí confirmed that the victim was found at the scene a short time later with serious injuries.
The car involved in the incident was found badly damaged and crashed against a wall a short distance away.
The man was in a critical condition in hospital yesterday. The other men in the vehicle fled the scene on foot.
Bail for girl who stole fake tan
A 15-YEAR-OLD girl who was caught stealing a bottle of fake tan has been remanded on bail.
She pleaded guilty at the Children's Court yesterday to theft of the fake tan, worth €50, at a pharmacy in Crumlin, Dublin, on April 30th. The girl was identified from CCTV.
Man assaulted garda with bottle
A Wicklow man who hit a garda over the head with a glass bottle while another garda was trying to arrest his younger sister, has been sentenced to 240 hours of community service.
Raymond Martin (24), of Killarney Road, Bray pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault causing harm to Garda Thomas Devereux and to being drunk in public.
Martin, a father of two, had 11 previous convictions but had never been imprisoned before.
€113m bill for personal injury claims
Personal injury claimants received €113 million in compensation in the first six months of this year, a new report has revealed.
A total of 4,652 individuals shared the amount, with the highest sum awarded amounting to €519,784 and the lowest to €1,000, according to the mid-year report of InjuriesBoard.ie.
The board assesses the amount of compensation due to a person who has suffered a personal injury. It was established in 2004 to reduce litigation costs.
The average claimant received €24,320 in compensation in the first six months of this year, compared to €22,057 in the corresponding period last year. Some 20 per cent of claimants received in excess of €30,000, while 7 per cent of the claimants handled by the body were awarded less than €10,000.
Workers to lose jobs at eBay
Online auction firm eBay yesterday announced plans to lay off 10 per cent of its global workforce, equating to job losses for about 1,000 full-time employees and several hundred temporary staff. The job cuts were announced in an effort to reduce costs and strengthen the firm's ability to continue investing in growth.
A spokesman for the company said there would be less than 10 job losses among eBay Ireland's 1,600-strong workforce, adding "less than half the cuts will be full-time positions". He said the Irish job cuts would have no affect on the ebay.ie website, which is continuing to grow.
Grants to boost security scheme
Voluntary organisations in 23 counties have received funding under a scheme which aims to improve the security of older people.
Some 46 groups were allocated grants under the 10th tranche of payments for the Scheme of Community Support for Older People, which is administered by the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.
Funding is available towards the costs of monitored alarm systems, security lighting, locks and smoke alarms. So far this year €2.7million has been distributed.
Mater hospital plan criticised
The Government has been urged again by the Tallaght Hospital Action Group to review its plan to build one large national children's hospital on the Mater site in north Dublin.
In its pre-budget submission the group said the proposal could put lives at risk, and would mean there would be no overnight beds for children on the southside of Dublin and beyond.
Pupil stole from vice-principal
A pupil who stole €50 from the wallet of his school vice-principal was given a six-month sentence by Judge Bryan Smyth at the Dublin Children's Court yesterday.
The 16-year-old boy had pleaded guilty at the Children's Court to the theft, which happened in a school in west Dublin, in 2006. He was aged 14 at the time.
The sentence was suspended on condition that the teenager kept the peace for six months.