A round-up of other court stories in briefs.
Judgment later in appeal on rape sentence
The Court of Criminal Appeal has reserved judgment on an appeal by a serial rapist against the life sentence he received for sexually attacking a woman just five months after his release from prison after serving a sentence for a previous assault.
In January 2007, Gerard Kelly (45) was jailed for the aggravated sexual assault of a woman in 2004, committed shortly after he had completed a 10-year rape sentence.
Mr Justice Paul Carney imposed a life sentence on Kelly, which he has appealed. Kelly said he had committed the crime so that he could be taken back into prison custody.
Prior to the 10-year sentence in November 1999, Kelly had been jailed in 1987 for eight years in England for rape and aggravated burglary.
Yesterday the three judge appeal court of Mr Justice Joseph Finnegan presiding, with Mr Justice Daniel Herbert and Ms Justice Maureen Clark, reserved judgment in the case.
Counsel for Kelly, Brendan Grehan SC, said Mr Justice Carney had erred by imposing a life sentence on Kelly after he had pleaded guilty to the offence. Counsel for the DPP, Gerard Clarke SC, said Mr Justice Carney had imposed an "appropriate sentence".
Prison term in car death case upheld
The Court of Criminal Appeal has dismissed an appeal by a man against the severity of a four-year prison sentence imposed over an incident in which he crashed his car into a lamppost, causing the death of his best friend.
Stephen O'Reilly, 21, was sentenced last July to four years in jail by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, after the car he was driving was involved in a crash, causing the death of Dan Kenny, 20, of Beechside Drive, Riverchapel, Gorey, Co Wexford.
O'Reilly, an apprentice mechanic of Moss Cottages, Kilternan, Co Dublin, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing the death of Mr Kenny at Ulverton Road, Dalkey, on February 25th, 2006.
Judge Katherine Delahunt imposed a four-year sentence and suspended the final year of the sentence. She also banned O'Reilly from driving for five years.
Yesterday the three judge appeal court rejected O'Reilly's appeal against the severity of the sentence imposed.
Mr Justice Finnegan, presiding said that while O'Reilly had shown genuine remorse for his actions, and came from a good family, the court could not find any error in the sentence imposed by Judge Delahunt.
Garda claims test links house, brothel
A Garda forensics expert has claimed she linked documents found at raids of a Dublin city centre brothel and the Ballsbridge residence of the man accused of running the brothel.
Det Garda Geraldine Butler said she found evidence from the specialised test that one of the sheets of paper seized by gardaí at an apartment at Herbert Lane had been attached to the refill pad confiscated at an apartment at Bachelors Walk allegedly used as a brothel, on October 10th, 2005.
Det Garda Butler added that the handwriting on the pages revealed "no significant differences".
Martin Morgan (44) with an address at Blackstock Road, London, and formerly of Herbert Road, Blanchardstown, has pleaded not guilty to three charges arising out of the brothel allegation.