A round-up of today's other stories in brief...
McNulty theft conviction quashed
Bundoran town councillor Florence McNulty has had a theft conviction quashed.
She was told by Judge John O'Hagan that he was allowing her appeal against the conviction when the prosecution said it didn't have any witnesses present at Donegal Circuit Court.
State solicitor Ciaran Liddy told the judge the prosecution was under the impression the case wouldn't be heard until later in the week. Witnesses were not in court and equipment wouldn't be installed until later to show CCTV footage.
The judge refused an adjournment, agreeing with defence submissions that the prosecution had a number of earlier opportunities to make its position known.
He told Ms McNulty - who sits on Bundoran council in her maiden name, Doherty - that he was allowing her appeal.
Cllr McNulty was ordered to pay €1,000 fine and €500 compensation last September when she was convicted at Ballyshannon District Court of the theft of a €280 ladies' trouser suit, property of Geraldine McGrath, in the local Post Office in October 2005. Ms McGrath left it on the floor in a bag after buying it in a nearby shop.
Gardaí later found the suit in the Palace Hotel, Bundoran, which Cllr McNulty runs with her husband. She denied theft, insisting the bag was left behind by somebody in the Post Office queue ahead of her and she picked it up with the intention of finding its owner - but she put it in her car and forgot about it.
Fourth sentence for 21-year-old
A 21-year-old man jailed for his part in a savage attack on two Lithuanian men in 2004, which left one of them in a coma, has been jailed for a further two years for an assault on his friend.
Michael Rae, of Kippure Road, Finglas, pleaded guilty to assaulting John Kenna at Eccles Street on September 9th, 2004.
Judge Michael White heard that this was Rae's fourth conviction for assault causing harm.
€450,000 for bereaved mother
The High Court has approved a €450,000 settlement for a bereaved mother and her three children following the death of their 29-year-old father. He was a passenger in a car which crashed into a wall while being driven at speed by an uninsured driver under the influence of alcohol and cocaine.
David Fowler died when the car in which he was a passenger hit a wall at Huntstown Road, Blanchardstown, three years ago. John Rogers SC, for Mr Fowler's partner, told the court the crash appeared to have been caused by speeding by the driver of the car, who also died.
Mr Fowler's younger brother, Gerard, was the only survivor of the crash. The deceased driver, Patrick Dowling, was under the influence of alcohol and drugs with toxicology reports showing traces of cocaine in his bloodstream, counsel added.
Man jailed for 'minding' cocaine
An English man who was "minding" €15,000 worth of cocaine for a "major player" to whom he owed £20,000 (€29,000) after he "wrote off" his BMW, has been jailed for five years by Judge Desmond Hogan.
Jonathan Lowey (23), of Ivernia Road, Liverpool, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to having possession of the drugs for sale or supply at Premier Court, Finglas, on June 23rd, 2006.
Judge Hogan said it was becoming more and more common that gardaí were asked to accept that a defendant was "minding drugs for somebody" when they are not provided with any names or details to follow up on.
He said there was "some evidence" to suggest that Lowey was at the lowest end of the ladder but added that he was still trusted to come to Ireland to look after a substantial quantity of drugs and money.
AG sees role to help citizen children
The State should be able to take legal steps to attempt to protect the rights of an Irish citizen child in situations such as the Tristan Dowse case, Attorney General Rory Brady said yesterday. At the launch of the Law Reform Commission's consultation paper on inter-country adoptions, he said he agreed with key points in the paper relating to the role of the State and Attorney General.
The commission said it was "entirely appropriate" that the Attorney General should institute proceedings in an Irish court with respect to a citizen child where a situation such as the Dowse case comes to the attention of the Irish authorities.
Mr Brady agreed it would not be practical to place a general duty on the Attorney General to protect the rights of Irish citizen children living outside the State. But in cases where the care of a child was in question, the State did have a role. "It may be particularly appropriate for the Irish courts to exercise jurisdiction that directs the parents to take appropriate steps, in the foreign country, to secure the child's rights. That may, in an appropriate situation, require them making available assets and other financial support for the welfare of their child," Mr Brady said.
Marian Keyes wins fiction prize
Dublin writer Marian Keyes won the Popular Fiction Award at the Galaxy British Book Awards in London last night for her novel Anybody Out There.
The book of the year was The Dangerous Book For Boys by brothers Conn and Hal Iggulden, a children's how-to guide extolling such old-fashioned pastimes as playing conkers and climbing trees.
Call for single body to help immigrants
An Oireachtas committee has said a single Government department should be given responsibility for the integration of immigrants into the Irish labour market and society. The Joint Committee on European Affairs, chaired by John Deasy TD, said the next government should designate one department to take care of the needs of immigrants so that measures to ensure a smooth transition for new arrivals are taken in a "co-ordinated and timely fashion".
The committee made a similar recommendation in its first report in March 2005 and, since then, has held meetings with immigration experts and commissioned a study on best practices in other European countries. It also calls for a national forum on integration to ensure continuing dialogue and consultation between State representatives and immigrants' organisations.
Gleeson to chair UCC body
University College Cork has appointed former attorney general Dermot Gleeson SC as chairman of the Governing Body.
Mr Gleeson, who served as attorney general from 1994 to 1997, has also served on the boards of Allied Irish Banks plc, Independent News and Media Plc, the Gate Theatre and the National Museum of Ireland.
A native of Cork, where his father was a barrister and subsequently a Circuit Court Judge, Mr Gleeson (58) is married with four children and lives in Dublin. He was based in Cork for seven years as a junior counsel prior to taking silk in 1979. The president of UCC, Dr Michael Murphy, said Mr Gleeson would bring a vast array of proven skills to the governing body.
Ireland to host ag-biotech show
Over 1,000 delegates are expected to attend the International Ag-Biotech Conference, which will be held for the first time in Ireland in 2008. The conference, to be held in August, will provide a forum for internationally-renowned speakers to address the challenges facing the global biotechnology industry, according to Teagasc.