Month: April 2022

A judge has warned the parents of two “school shy” children that she will send them both to prison unless their children have a 100pc attendance record in school from now on.

Kilrush District Court heard a 15-year-old girl has not attended school at all in the current school year while her 11-year-old brother has missed 80 out of 117 school days.

Judge Mary Larkin was told that the girl’s mother informed a Tusla education welfare officer that her daughter was not attending school because “she didn’t like it” and suffers from “anxiety”.

The welfare officer said that the boy was not attending school because of “headaches” and that he was being bullied at school, but she stated there was no evidence to support the bullying claim.

To read the full story please visit:
https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/judge-threatens-to-jail-parents-of-truant-children-who-missed-school-over-headaches-and-anxiety-41551119.html

A woman who was hit by a train near her home in Co Tipperary as a child a decade ago has settled her High Court action for €400,000.

Mary Ryan was nine-years-old when the incident happened at Tipperary town on the Waterford- Limerick Junction line.

Approving the settlement, reached without admission of liability, Mr Justice Garrett Simons said that if the proceedings were to go to full hearing there was a risk that the award would be less than the €400,000 offered.

This was because the plaintiff, who had a premorbid diagnosis of autism and associated learning disability, might not succeed in persuading the trial judge that there was a causal connection between the 2012 accident and the subsequent health difficulties she suffered, including the onset of epilepsy and a stroke some six years ago, he said.

To read the full story please visit:
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/high-court/woman-hit-by-train-a-decade-ago-settles-high-court-action-for-400-000-1.4848135

A senior barrister accused of murdering a man in a shooting on farmland in Dublin has taken up €100,000 bail and was released from custody on Tuesday, a court has heard.

Law professor Diarmuid Phelan (53) is accused of the murder of father-of-four, Keith Conlon, at Hazelgrove Farm, Kiltalown Lane, Tallaght, on February 22.

The deceased, a dog breeder from Kiltalown Park in Tallaght, was seriously injured in an incident in the Hazelgrove area at the foot of the Dublin mountains.

After the shooting of his dog, Mr Conlon was shot in the back of the head.

Gardaí and emergency services arrived just after 1 pm, and Mr Conlon was rushed to Tallaght University Hospital. He remained on life support until he died two days later.

The High Court refused Mr Phelan bail in March, but the Court of Appeal overturned that decision on Friday. He had to enter into a bond of €50,000, a €50,000 independent surety was required, and he was ordered to obey several conditions.

Today his case was listed before Judge Victor Blake at Cloverhill District Court, but the Trinity College lecturer did not have to attend.

Judge Blake noted from Detective Garda Michael McGrath that Mr Phelan was released from custody after taking up bail on Tuesday.

Detective Garda McGrath applied for a 12-week adjournment to obtain formal directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions. He said all garda statements had been taken, and a ballistic report would be ready soon.

He said the investigation file was near finalisation and would go to the DPP soon.

To read the full story please visit:
https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/barrister-accused-of-murdering-dog-breeder-released-on-100k-bail-41550615.html