More court reports in brief.
Appeal against damages for RTÉ journalist
A Circuit Court judge's decision to award RTÉ crime correspondent Paul Reynolds €60,000 damages for libel has been appealed to the High Court.
Judge Matthew Deery, who is president of the Circuit Court, made the award against the Garda Review and P J Stone, general secretary of the Garda Representative Association.
Mr Reynolds claimed he had been defamed in a leading article in the magazine six years ago after having broken a story about the arrest and questioning by Spanish police of a garda in relation to an alleged assault and rape of a woman in Tenerife.
Mr Reynolds's broadcast had reported that it was understood the garda had had a lot to drink and had been twice ejected from a pub in the Las Americas area of the island.
The court heard the Garda Review article had described Mr Reynolds's report as extremely irresponsible journalism and P J Stone had asked in it: "Is it intended to portray members of the Garda in a particularly unfavourable light?"
Mr Stone and the magazine had entered a defence of fair comment.
Sex offender can be extradited
The High Court has made an order for the extradition of a fugitive sex offender from Britain who was living in Athy, Co Kildare, for the past seven years.
John Murrell (39) was alleged to have failed to report to a probation hostel in Britain where he was sent on his release from prison. He had served 12 months of a two-year sentence for three counts of indecent assault and one count of indecency against a nine year old.
Mr Justice Michael Peart said yesterday he was satisfied to make an order that Murrell be surrendered to the British authorities and he dismissed his appeal.
He also said an attempt by Murrell's brother Alan to bring a prosecution earlier this month in the Dublin District Court against John Murrell for failing to notify gardaí of his whereabouts was a "cynical attempt" to prevent Murrell being extradited.
The judge said Murrell, who is in custody at Wheatfield Prison, has 15 days to appeal the decision.
Murrell went missing after failing to register with the British authorities following his early release from prison in September 2000.
He was traced to Athy by gardaí acting on foot of a European arrest warrant. The authorities were tipped off by locals who recognised Murrell from the BBC's Crimewatch television programme.
Traveller jailed for attack on man
A Traveller who brutally assaulted a man with a brass-topped walking stick and then stripped him in line with a Traveller tradition to "strip him of his dignity" has been sentenced to five years in prison.
Patrick Lee's victim later turned up at DúLaoghaire Garda station with no trousers or shoes to report the assault.
He was also covered in glue because one of his attackers had thrown a glue gun at him.
Lee, also known as Patrick Lee McCann (24), of no fixed abode, had stolen the walking stick from a 45- year-old acquaintance earlier that night.
He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assaulting Charles Maughan (41) at West Pier Halting Site, and to robbing Joe Kenna at Oliver Plunkett Road, both DúLaoghaire, on September 15th, 2006.
Death occurs of HSE chief's mother
The death has taken place of Liz Drumm, mother of the chief executive of the Health Service Executive Prof Brendan Drumm.
She died in St John's Hospital, Sligo, early yesterday.
Her removal takes place this evening and she will be buried after her funeral Mass at Sligo cathedral at noon tomorrow.