More court reports in brief.
Man raped and assaulted daughter
A 65-year-old Cavan man has been remanded for sentence later by the Central Criminal Court for raping and sexually assaulting his daughter more than 30 years ago.
Mr Justice Paul Carney certified that the man is to be registered as a sex offender and directed that a victim impact report be prepared for the sentence hearing in October.
The man pleaded guilty to four sample charges of raping a female under the age of 15 years on dates from 1974 to 1978 in Cavan and a Dublin suburb.
He also admitted 10 sample charges of indecently assaulting her on dates from 1971 to 1982. There were some 80 charges on the indictment.
House subsidence case settled
A case brought by a home owner against a development company and others alleging serious subsidence and cracking was settled prior to a scheduled full hearing at the High Court sitting in Tralee, Co Kerry, yesterday.
Nora Gaire sued Colliswood Developments Ltd and others including Homebond, the national house-building guarantee company, for the near-collapse and subsidence of her semi-detached house at Killeen Wood, Tralee.
The five-year-old house had suffered cracks in the main walls at the back and the single-storey section of the house had subsided substantially, and virtually collapsed, according to papers lodged in court.
Block work had fallen out and a footpath suddenly sloped dangerously.
Ms Gaire was in the house less than a year when she noticed the kitchen floor subsiding.
It was the first time the High Court has sat in Tralee in a civil session.
Mr Justice George Birmingham said it was a great honour to be in the town.
A number of major trials were planned for Tralee later this year, he added.
Jury sworn in for rape trial
A jury has been sworn in at the Central Criminal Court for the trial of a Waterford man for the alleged rape of a third-level student last year.
The 26-year-old accused has pleaded not guilty to eight charges arising out of an alleged incident in Waterford city on November 8th, 2006.
He denies four counts of rape, one of anal rape, one of aggravated sexual assault, one charge alleging a threat to kill or injure her and one of robbing her mobile phone.
The hearing is scheduled to start tomorrow and to continue for at least three days.
Date set for murder trial
The husband of a woman whose body was found floating in the Suir river two weeks after she went missing will go on trial charged with her murder at the Central Criminal Court next January.
Margaret "Meg" Walsh's body was found floating in Meagher's Quay in Waterford city by a couple out walking on October 15th last, two weeks following the last reported sighting of the mother of one.
Gardaí launched a murder investigation after a postmortem examination by State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy revealed that she had died from trauma injuries to the head and torso.
Ms Walsh's husband, John O'Brien (40), first appeared at the District Court in Waterford on June 23rd last charged with her murder at a location unknown within the State.
Mr O'Brien has since been released on bail and is living at the home he shared with his wife at Ballinakill Downs in Waterford city.
It was announced at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin yesterday that the trial would go ahead on January 28th next.
The hearing will take place at a sitting of the court in Waterford.
Teenagers in assault case freed on bail
Two teenage boys from Banbridge accused of tying up a 12-year-old boy and sending pictures to his younger brother's mobile phone were yesterday released on bail.
The young victim claimed he was assaulted and had a urine-soaked sock stuffed in his mouth during an ordeal which allegedly took place in a house in the Co Down town on July 18th.
The pair, both of whom are charged with false imprisonment and assault occasioning actual bodily harm, were told by Mr Justice Weir: "The two of you are teetering on the brink of getting yourselves in a really scummy sort of life." Belfast's High Court was told the pair - one of whom is 15 and the other 16 - decided to tie their young victim up "because he was cheeky to them".
Crown lawyer Barry Valentine told the court the 15-year-old retrieved electrical cable which was used to bind the victim's hands and feet while his co-accused is alleged to have "punched and nipped" the youngster when he was tied up. A defence barrister for the 16-year old branded the incident as "unsavoury" and said his young client's family were "sickened by what has been outlined." The 15-year old's legal representative told the court: "What started off as a scare and a laugh tactic went wrong."
Date set for Kilkenny trial
A date has been set for the trial of a Co Kilkenny woman charged with the murder of her 16-year-old daughter last November. The trial of Lynn Gibbs (46) a psychiatrist from Killure in Gowran is due to start on February 11th next in the Central Criminal Court in Dublin.