A round-up of today's other court stories, in brief
Man admits killing aboard Howth trawler
A man has pleaded guilty to killing a fisherman on a trawler in Howth Harbour, Co Dublin two years ago. Sergejs Lavrinovics (35), of no fixed address, pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty of the manslaughter of Igors Bondarenko (35), a Latvian fisherman, in late 2006 on the trawler Miraculous, which was berthed in Howth Harbour. Andrijans Ubelis and Freddy Grenzman pleaded guilty to assisting Lavrinovics by throwing the body overboard. The men will be sentenced in February.
Appeal fails over killing of mother
The Court of Criminal Appeal has dismissed an appeal by a Limerick man against the severity of a life sentence imposed on him for the manslaughter of his mother. The court ruled the life sentence imposed on Damien Donnan, which was initially suspended in its entirety, was correct given the "extreme circumstances" in this "most unusual" and tragic case.
Donnan (26), De Valera Park, Limerick, was found guilty in 2002 of the manslaughter of his mother Jennifer Donnan in April 2000. He was acquitted on a charge of murder. The trial heard he strangled his mother during a fight over a cigarette.
Man behind €1m corporate fraud
The "front man" of a complex fraud in which front companies and false identities were used to scam almost €1 million from leading businesses has had his sentencing adjourned at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. David Neill (49) used the false identities "Mark Roche" and "David Roche" during the €800,000 fraud whose victims included multinationals and one Irish company which had to close due to its €423,186 losses.
Neill, Merton Walk, Mount Saint Annes, Milltown, Dublin pleaded guilty to 15 charges relating to the scam.
Inspector Declan Daly said big multinationals were defrauded, including Robert Roberts, which lost €161,300 and Coca Cola, €53,700.
Defence counsel Sean Guerin submitted that Neill, a father of two, had not benefited in any significant way from the fraud and wished to apologise to his victims.
Jail for attack on prison officers
A man who assaulted two prison officers leaving both with broken noses has been sentenced to 15 months in prison. John Coleman (35) Greenfort Gardens, Clondalkin, Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assaulting Dermot Donovan and Liam Hammersley at Cloverhill Prison on November 26th, 2005.
Term for drugs and burglary
An addict who has been "in and out of jail for the last 13 years" has been given a seven-year sentence for burglary and possessing shotgun ammunition and drugs. Samuel Hutch (33) Cardiff Bridge Avenue, Finglas Dublin pleaded guilty to the offences.