A round-up of today's other stories in brief...
Solicitor fined for not having TV licence
A solicitor who challenged a TV licence inspector's claim that he saw a television through the window of the solicitor's office was yesterday fined €155.
James Sweeney admitted not having a licence at his New Cabra Road, Dublin, office but claimed inspector Paul Brennan could not have been able to see whether he had a television or not.
Mr Brennan told Dublin District Court he spotted the television through the front window as he walked up the garden path on the night of November 18th, 2005.
Mr Sweeney said there was no "garden path" and no front window. There had been a television in a basement but it would not have been possible to see it.
Judge Dympna Cusack said the case for An Post was unanswerable.
Lawlor house sale case adjourned
The High Court has adjourned for four weeks an application by a Dublin solicitor to cancel an order for the sale of the late Liam Lawlor's house.
The Mahon tribunal is opposing the order on grounds that the sale is necessary to meet its costs of a legal action brought unsuccessfully against it by the late TD.
Solicitor Dermot Coyne yesterday asked the court to vacate an earlier order - granted to Mr Coyne - to sell Mr Lawlor's €4 million-plus family home in Lucan on grounds that the €265,000 debt owed to him for legal advice had been since settled in full.
However, the Mahon tribunal, which is owed €575,000 arising from an unsuccessful legal action taken by the late politician against the inquiry, asked the court not to discharge the order.
Mr Justice MacMenamin adjourned the matter to February 13th.
Charged with IRA membership
A Dublin man arrested as part of a Special Branch investigation into dissident republicans was charged with membership of the IRA at the Special Criminal Court last night.
Joseph Clarke (36), of Forestwood Close, Santry Avenue, was charged with membership of an unlawful organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army, otherwise Óglaigh na hÉireann, otherwise the IRA on January 9th.
Det Sgt Donal Prenty of the Special Detective Unit gave evidence of arresting Mr Clarke at Blackrock at 3.40pm yesterday.
Sgt Prenty said he believed that Mr Clarke was a member of the IRA on January 9th when he arrested him.
He said that after caution, Mr Clarke made no reply to the charge.
Maze escaper asks court to halt trial
Maze prison escaper Brendan McFarlane is to appeal to the Supreme Court to prevent his trial going ahead on charges connected with the 1983 kidnapping of supermarket boss Don Tidey.
The Special Criminal Court was told yesterday that his lawyers are preparing to lodge an appeal to the Supreme Court against a High Court ruling last month that his trial should go ahead.
The court yesterday remanded Mr McFarlane on continuing bail until February 20th next.
Mr McFarlane (55) was charged in January 1998 with falsely imprisoning Mr Tidey in 1983 and with possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life at Derrada Wood, Ballinamore, Co Leitrim, in November and December 1983.