O2 Communications Ireland Ltd will ask the High Court tomorrow for an order to restrain an employee, who had planned to begin work with a rival company next Monday, from taking up a position with any other mobile phone company for a period of six months.
The court was told Fiona Conway has a detailed knowledge of O2's new consumer tariff plans to be launched in the next six months and that O2 feared allowing her take up the position now could have very damaging consequences for O2.
Yesterday Roddy Horan SC, for O2, secured leave from Mr Justice Paul Gilligan to shorten the time for service of the injunction application on Ms Conway, a data quality analyst, and returned the matter to tomorrow.
Mr Horan said Ms Conway, Kilmainham Bank, Emmet Road, Dublin, was due to begin work with Meteor Mobile Comunications Ltd next Monday.
However, under a restrictive covenant with O2, she was bound not to take up an appointment with a competitor until a period of six months had expired from the termination of her employment with O2, he said.
In an affidavit, Yann Ricourt, O2 human resources manager, said Ms Conway was a qualified accountant who worked as a data quality analyst in a business planning role and had detailed knowledge of O2's new tariff plans.
Dublin rape trial nears end
The trial of a young north Dublin man accused of raping a woman near Tamango disco, Portmarnock, has reached its concluding stages at the Central Criminal Court.
All the evidence has been heard and the jury has been asked to return this morning for closing addresses by counsel for the prosecution and defence and for Mr Justice Philip O'Sullivan's charge before it begins its deliberations.
The accused man, who will be 23 next month, has denied raping the young woman, threatening to cause her harm and assaulting her on May 20th, 2001.
The trial has been at hearing for four days.
Girl described as 'strung out'
A heroin-addicted homeless girl, whose mother is currently on holiday and whose father has barred her from the family's house, was yesterday remanded in custody for medical attention.
The 17-year-old girl, from north Dublin city, was brought before the Children's Court in a condition described by her solicitor as "strung out."
She had been arrested on foot of bench warrants for failing to appear in court in relation to a trespassing offence.
Earlier, the girl had been remanded in custody and was later released into the custody of her parents.
Community service for assault
A father of two who left a 16-year-old youth with life-threatening head injuries in an assault has been ordered to carry out 240 hours' community service in lieu of a two-year prison sentence.
Paul O'Beirne (22), of Ballyragget, Co Kilkenny, chased the youth after he caught him trying to steal his girlfriend's car.
He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to recklessly causing serious harm to the youth, on August 6th, 2003.