A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Seven-year term for man caught with €34,000 worth of cocaine
A man who said he developed a cocaine addiction after becoming unemployed has been sentenced to seven years at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for storing €34,060 of the drug.
Gary Richardson (29) of Deansrath Road, Clondalkin, pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine for sale or supply at his home on May 29, 2009.
Garda Ciaran O’Neill said gardaí searched Richardson’s home and found 486 grammes of cocaine. Richardson told the gardaí he had got the drugs that day from a person he did not want to name and was only supposed to hold them for a few hours. Judge Katherine Delahunt sentenced him to seven years with the final two suspended for a further seven years.
GAA footballer assaulted motorist
A Wicklow GAA footballer punched a motorist in the face in a road rage incident , Wicklow District Court heard yesterday. Dean Odlum (24), Newtownmountkennedy, pleaded guilty to assaulting John Gorman at Roundwood on December 7th, 2009.
The court heard Odlum was driving on Main Street when another car came near him; he applied his brakes and matters escalated.
Odlum has to pay €500 to a charity in Bray.
Man found guilty in fatal driving case
A 38-year-old man was found guilty of dangerous driving causing death after a four-day trial at Wicklow Circuit Criminal Court which ended yesterday.
Anthony Leahy, with addresses at Main Street and Vartry Heights, Roundwood, had pleaded not guilty to dangerous driving causing the death of another local man, pedestrian George Johnstown, at Main Street, Roundwood, on November 4th, 2007. The case was adjourned to March 15th next.
Guilty of witness intimidation
A youth will be sentenced next week for attempting to intimidate a victim, who had part of his ear bitten off, to drop the charges.
Dean Chalkey (18) tried to kick down the victim’s door and broke a car window. Another man has already pleaded guilty to biting the victim’s ear in a random attack. This other accused faces sentence next year.
Chalkey, of Coultry Park, Ballymun, pleaded guilty to intimidation of a witness. Judge Katherine Delahunt said he faces a “significant sentence” when he appears before the court next week.
Farmer died while setting fire to gorse
An elderly Kerry farmer died while setting fire to gorse bushes on his farm, an inquest into his death in Cahirciveen found yesterday, Michael O’Shea (80), Derrinedin, Mastergeehy, had told his sister, Sheila, at lunchtime on February 11th this year that he was setting off to burn gorse, scrub and withered grass in a field.
Later that afternoon, Ms O’Shea found her brother lying face downwards with extensive burns to his body.
The inquest jury returned a verdict of accidental death.