A Dublin man jailed for the continued sexual abuse of his seven-year-old sister more than 30 years ago must wait to hear the outcome of his appeal against conviction.

The 53-year-old man, who cannot be named because of a ruling by Judge Martin Nolan, had pleaded not guilty to 16 counts of indecent assault at the family home on dates between March 1, 1983 and March 1, 1987 when the victim was aged between seven and 11 years old.

He was found guilty by a jury at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court and was sentenced to nine years imprisonment by Judge Martin Nolan on January 12, 2015.

The man moved to appeal his conviction today on a number of grounds.

His barrister, Tara Burns SC, submitted to the Court of Appeal that a corroboration warning should have been given by the trial judge to the jury in respect of the victim's evidence.

Ms Burns said the trial judge's refusal to give a corroboration warning was based on his "policy" of not giving corroboration warnings in sexual cases.

Basing one's judgment on a "general practice" was prohibited, she said, and ought to have been based on the evidence he heard in the case.

Ms Burns said there were discrepancies in the victim's evidence.

Counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions, Roisín Lacey BL, said the trial judge's practice of not giving warnings was entirely in accordance with the pronouncements of the courts.

She said the trial judge was simply iterating the approach he takes and there was no evidential basis in this case for the giving of such a warning.

It was conceded, Ms Lacy said, that there was no corroboration and that there were discrepencies in the evidence but those were quintessential matters for the jury.

Reserving judgment, Mr Justice George Birmingham, who sat with Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan and Mr Justice John Edwards, said the court would deliver its decision as soon as it could.

Ruaidhrí Giblin

File image of a 9mm Makarov (Via Andrey Mironov/Wikicommons)

The Special Criminal Court trial of a Dublin man accused of possession of firearms and ammunition has heard evidence that during a garda interview the man refused to account for the presence of those items in his home.

Previously, the court heard evidence that the firearms and ammunition were found during a Special Detective Unit search of the accused man's home in East Wall, Dublin. 

Pierce Moran (59) of Church Road, East Wall, Dublin 3, is charged with the unlawful possession of various semi-automatic pistols, including an 8mm Knall calibre Valtro model AP29, a 9mm short calibre CZ model 83, a 9mm calibre Makarov PM and a 9mm short calibre Baikal model IZH79-8, as well as a silencer suitable for use with the Makarov pistol and a 12-gauge Beretta model A.300 semi-automatic, sawn-off shotgun at Church Road, East Wall, Dublin 3 on November 15, 2014. 

Mr Moran is also charged with the possession of various firearm magazines, suitable for use in the pistols from the first charge, at the same address on the same date.

Additionally, he is charged with the possession of assorted ammunition, also at the same address and on the same date. 

The court entered on Mr Moran's behalf pleas of not guilty for each of the three charges on the indictment. 

Evidence regarding a garda interview with the accused man, heard yesterday during a voir dire, a trial within a trial to determine the admissibility of evidence, was today ruled admissible by the court's three judges. 

Yesterday, Detective Garda Brian Power told prosecuting counsel Vincent Heneghan BL that he interviewed Mr Moran at Mountjoy garda station on November 17th, 2014.

The court heard that during a sixth interview with Mr Moran, the detective invoked Section 18 of the Criminal Justice Act and told the accused man that a court may draw inferences from his failure to account for certain matters. 

The detective asked Mr Moran if he could account for the presence of the firearms and ammunition at the East Wall premises, the court heard, and Mr Moran replied: "On the advice of my solicitor, I won't be answering at this time."

The prosecution concluded its case today.

Afterward, Hugh Hartnett SC, for Mr Moran, asked the court for a direction in relation to the three counts on the indictment. 

Mr Hartnett's submission was that the prosecution must prove beyond reasonable doubt that Mr Moran had knowledge and control of the firearms and ammunition, the court heard.  

He said that Mr Moran's premises was a two-bedroom flat and that no evidence had been tendered in relation to the second bedroom. He said there was no evidence that the bedroom in which some of the firearms were found was Mr Moran's bedroom. 

Mr Hartnett added that there are no fingerprints to associate the accused with any of the firearms.

In reply, Mr Heneghan said that during the search there was nobody else in the flat and that the items found in the bedroom were not concealed. 

The court has previously heard evidence that detectives found four firearms inside a Dunnes Stores bag beside a bed. 

There is "sufficient evidence" to suggest Mr Moran had control of the items, Mr Heneghan added. 

Mr Justice Paul Butler, presiding with Judge Alison Lindsay and Judge Flann Brennan, said the court will need some time to consider the barristers' submissions.

The trial resumes next Wednesday, April 27. 

Daniel Hickey

Guns seized from Dublin's gangsters by gardai (File pic)

A SENIOR member of the Kinahan cartel has a huge 'war chest' to have five senior members of the rival Hutch faction murdered.

Sources said the feared gangster - a close associate of Regency Hotel murder victim David Byrne - has up to €500,000 and is determined to kill several criminals he blames for the Regency attack.

"This extremely volatile criminal has demanded that five members of the Hutch organisation be murdered and he has a huge amount of money to pay for this.

"He is leading the feud now," a source said last night.

The bitter feud has already claimed five lives since the murder of Gary Hutch in September 2015.

Gary Hutch

Last night, gardai investigating the murder of Noel 'Kingsize' Duggan by the Kinahan cartel arrested a man in his 40s.

He was being questioned at Ashbourne Garda Station in Co Meath. Duggan - a close pal of Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch - was shot dead in Ratoath on March 23.

Meanwhile, the targets of the volatile Kinahan mobster include a north inner-city gunman who was photographed at the Regency hotel wearing a dress and a blonde wig and the dissident republican who has been nicknamed 'Flat Cap'.

The gunman, a close associate of slain criminal Gary Hutch, wore heavy make-up and was seen tugging at the wig as he made his escape from the chaotic scene where David Byrne was killed and two of his pals seriously wounded.

The Crumlin-based gangster's other targets include a hitman who previously worked on at least two murders for the cartel but is now suspected of being one of the masked AK-47 gunmen who stormed the Regency last February 5.

Another name on the hit list is jailed killer Derek 'Del Boy' Hutch.

Derek 'Del Boy' Hutch

He has been the victim of two vicious attacks in prison - ordered by the Kinahan cartel - since the gun murder of his older brother Gary on the Costa del Sol last September.

That was the shooting that sparked the bitter feud between the two gangs.

The Crumlin gangster who wants Del Boy dead is believed to have put up more than €100,000 for the murder of Hutch mob associate Keith Murtagh (32) on Sheriff Street last Thursday.

But the daylight shooting went horribly wrong and dad-of-three Martin O'Rourke (24), who had no involvement in the feud, was shot dead instead.

Martin O'Rourke

It is understood that convicted armed robber Murtagh became a cartel target because he is "very friendly" with some of the criminals suspected of carrying out the Regency attack.

It was revealed yesterday that Murtagh fled to the UK in the hours after Mr O'Rourke's murder.

Separately, gardai are on alert following the release last week from Mountjoy of Kinahan cartel associate Karl Dempsey.

Crumlin man Dempsey (36) was granted temporary release from a 20-month sentence for his role in a pet shop attack that left a man with a broken nose and a set of keys lodged in his thumb.

Dempsey, who was not due to be released for another three months, was described as being a model inmate.

The convicted heroin dealer is a brother-in-law of gangster 'Fat' Freddie Thomson, being the older brother of Thompson's long-term partner Vicky Dempsey (35).

Karl Dempsey has been a long-term associate of the Kinahan cartel. His most serious conviction came when he was jailed in 1998 for seven years for heroin dealing. In March 2002m he was the subject of a Criminal Assets Bureau order for more than €420,000.

His most recent sentence came after he admitted violent disorder at Purrfect Pets, Longmile Road, on February 5, 2011.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that the victim, Mark Eagers, beat Dempsey to a parking space outside the pet shop and the two engaged in a scuffle.

Dempsey was joined by several other men and the attack began again inside the pet shop.

CCTV showed Dempsey punching Mr Eagers in the back of the head when he entered the store with his girlfriend.

It also showed the victim being kicked and stamped on the head by Dempsey and the others.

Mr Eagers later said he blacked out during the attack and woke up bleeding, with a broken nose and keys lodged in his thumb.

Vicky Dempsey was present during the violence and received a two-year suspended sentence for her role, which involved dragging a woman backwards by the hair.

Ken Foy

Giant rat Clondalkin.JPG

Residents in a housing estate in Dublin have said that they are living in fear due to a rat infestation.

The Kilcronan Court estate in Clondalkin has been overrun with large rats for around a month.

The estate, which is run by the housing agency Cooperative Housing Ireland, has seen the rodent problem spike over the past number of weeks.

"Last week my husband and I saw a rat fighting a blackbird in the middle of the street - it was a size of a Chihuahua dog, I'm not exaggerating," local Marianne Maughan said.

"One of the residents has caught 25 of them in her garden and there was up to 60 swarming around a bin near some apartments recently."

Families in the estate are concerned about the safety of their children.

"We have kids out on the street playing and we are terrified that they will be bitten and contract a disease," Ms Maughan said.

Earlier this year rubbish had accumulated at a childcare facility on the estate, which the housing agency has now removed.

However, Ms Maughan said that she doesn't think that was the source of the problem but that it added to it.

Angry residents yesterday spoke with the 98fm Dublin Talks show to highlight their concern.

A spokesman for Cooperative Housing Ireland said it had contacted the local authority and HSE in relation to the rats and placed mechanical traps in the area.

"Independent contractors have been appointed to advise on the best of course of action.

"We will carry out whatever actions are suggested," he said.

The agency has also asked for help from locals to tackle the issue of ongoing dumping in the area.

"Illegal dumping is a serious and ongoing issue in the local area that exacerbates the problem.

"Our local office regularly removes illegally-dumped waste.

"We also inspect the waste in order to try to identify the perpetrators.

"The co-operation of the local community in identifying those responsible for dumping would assist in managing this challenge."

Meanwhile, in Cork an elderly man was bitten on his behind by a rat as he used his toilet, sparking a warning to residents to take care when using the toilet during the floods.

A Cork pensioner was rushed to hospital after a rat bit him on the backside while he sat on the toilet, read the full story here. 

FILE IMAGE OF RAT IN TOILET

A Cork man was rushed to hospital after a rat bit him on the backside while he sat on the toilet.

Now a councillor is now warning others to be careful of rodents - especially at flood times.

The Evening Echo is reporting that Councillor Noel Collins reported the incident to Cork County Council during a Southern Area Meeting.

He had earlier asked them to investigate the possibility of flushing rat poison through the sewer system.

“The flooding resulted in another problem for residents, that of rat infestation, which really upset many families, mentally and physically, and indeed, one elderly gentleman suffered a rat bite to his posterior while using his toilet, and had to receive immediate medical attention,” he said.

He said a plumber found a broken sewer pipe nearby, which is believed to have allowed the rat to enter the system.

At the meeting the council warned that flushing poison through the water system could lead to contamination of other sources.

It was explained that Irish Water are responsible for vermin control within the system.

Cllr Collins added: “I would advise homeowners to keep their toilet seats down when not in use, and to watch their posteriors.”

Trevor Hayden, a pest controller who also works with CRRU, told The Last Word with Matt Cooper on TodayFm: "When they do get into the bowl they can't actually get out. They can't get purchase because it is so slippy and slidy in there that they are stuck in there."

He explained that one of his workers actually found a rat in a toilet bowl on one occasion.

"There's a lot of rats down the drains and with flooding it doesn't help. If you put a camera down there you will see plenty of them."

Mr Hayden said he had heard of two previous cases identical to the one mentioned in Cork County Council.

Residents in a housing estate in Dublin have said that they are living in fear due an infestation of rats the size of Chihuahuas, full story here.

Via Independent

A 45-year-old Dublin man who was arrested on suspicion of withholding information about the gangland murder of Noel 'Kingsize' Duggan remained in garda custody last night.

It is understood the man was arrested on Monday afternoon during a search conducted by gardai seeking evidence about vehicles used in Duggan's killing last month.

The suspect is being detained at Ashbourne Garda Station in Co Meath.

Sources said officers carried out a number of searches in the Clondalkin and Crumlin areas of Dublin.

Father-of-three Duggan, a close friend of Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch, was shot dead in his car outside his house on the Old Mill estate in Ratoath, Co Meath, on the night of March 23.

Monday's arrest is the first directly connected to any of the four murders linked to the bloody Kinahan-Hutch feud.

Since Duggan's shooting, gardai have been involved in a massive investigation which has so far mainly involved the analysis of CCTV.

The cigarette smuggler knew his life was under threat because of his long-standing friendship with Hutch.

A man in dark clothing was seen fleeing the scene. He ran to a waiting dark-coloured BMW on Fairyhouse Road before it sped a short distance to the Cairn Court housing estate, where it was set alight.

The two men got into a dark saloon car, heading in the direction of Ratoath village.

Gardai in Ashbourne have been investigating whether 'Kingsize' was shot dead by the same assassination team that murdered Eddie Hutch in Dublin's north inner city six weeks earlier.

Ken Foy

Vanessa Siatka

The 25-year-old man who ran down a toddler in the Phoenix Park while drunk and high on cocaine will walk free from prison in just three years’ time

Ciaran Lane was yesterday sentenced to seven years in jail for the killing of toddler Vanessa Siatka, with two years suspended.

Along with the fact that he will receive the standard 25 per cent remission, mean that he will be freed from jail in there years and eight months.

Lane, from Ashington Avenue in Cabra had snorted two grammes of cocaine and plied a litre of vodka into himself before running down 23-month-old Vanessa at the Ratra Trangleon the 6^th of April 2015.

Ciaran Lane

Yesterday, the dead child’s mother told of the harrowing last "Goodbye, Mammy" as she held her dying daughter following the hit-and-run.

Vanessa and her mum were enjoying the spring sunshine with hundreds of other families when tragedy struck.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, the child's mother Katarzyna said at the time she couldn't do anything but watch as her "baby was taken away" from her.

"For me that was the moment time and my heart stopped. The moment the car hit Vanessa it not only swept her away physically, it also took her away from us.

"All I could do was run to my baby. I spoke to her; I told her I loved her and everything would be OK, daddy was on the way.

"I prayed for her but as she lay on the road a small tear came from her eye and I knew in my heart that this was her last 'Goodbye Mammy'."

"Our hearts are shattered, Lukasz and I. Life stopped. We did not know how to exist; how to sleep; how to eat; how to wake up.

"Every day is a nightmare; even to breathe was difficult. I still have nightmares about the accident, they never go away. Without Vanessa we will never be the same, never as happy as we were.

"Vanessa's room is empty; our home is empty; our lives are empty," she said.

She told how she and husband Lukasz had cherished every moment with their baby, and planned their lives together down to the small details.

"When we became pregnant with our baby Vanessa, it was like a present from God. We were so happy as parents to be having a baby together. We began to plan our future together with our baby.

"Vanessa was born on May 11, 2013. That was the best day of our lives. The moment we saw Vanessa, we fell in love with her.

"Every single day Vanessa gave us her love, her smile, and the strength and enthusiasm to exist every day.

"Vanessa was very clever, a very quick learner. Our life centred around Vanessa. Everything myself and Lukasz did in our lives was for Vanessa; was for her future.

"We moved to our new home late in 2014. December that year was our first Christmas together in our new home.

"We picked our new home with Vanessa in mind; with our family in mind; with our future in mind.

"Vanessa had her own bedroom. I remember how excited she was about moving to our new home, having her own bedroom and a new bed. Lukasz and I had lived in Ireland for over 12 years. We had made Ireland our home and we made our home here in Dublin for our family's future."

Recalling the fateful moment that Vanessa was struck by the car driven by Lane, she said: "What started out as a plan to spend my evening with Vanessa in the Phoenix Park - to meet friends, play and pick flowers - ended in a nightmare.

"In one moment we were happy, playing and enjoying ourselves in the park. In the next moment I hear the loud music, a loud engine and everything just happened so quickly.

"I couldn't do anything only watch as my baby was taken away from me.

"For me that was the moment time, and my heart, stopped."

Dart services between Bray and Greystones have been suspended this morning after a body was found on the rail tracks.

The body was discovered between Greystones train station and the first tunnel at Bray Head.

It is unclear at this point what caused the death of the individual.

Dart commuters have been advised to make alternative travel plans due to the incident.

Services between Bray and Greystones have been suspended for the foreseeable future.

Dublin Bus are accepting rail tickets to and from Greystones and bus transfers are being arranged for Greystones to Rosslare services.

A spokesperson for Iarnrod Eireann said that Bray services have not been impacted as a result of the incident.

A convicted sex offender has been arrested over the sexual assault of a boy who is under the age of 12.

The boy was attacked in a laneway in a Mayo town on Thursday of last week.

A suspect, aged in his early 70s, was arrested by investigating gardaí yesterday.

He was being held at Claremorris Garda Station in Co Mayo last night as officers continued their investigations into the incident.

Details of the distressing case only emerged yesterday, but it is understood the boy was lured to the laneway when the suspect allegedly offered him money after initially confronting the victim on the street.

The Irish Independent understands specialist garda interviewers spoke with the boy and took down a detailed account of the alleged incident.

Sources have described the alleged sex attacker as a "prolific sex offender" who previously served a lengthy sentence in the UK for sex abuse-related offences.

It has emerged he was jailed for six years in England in the mid-1990s for a sexual offence in which he abused a young boy in a hotel.

Shockingly, the Irish Independent has learnt the suspect has previous convictions for indecent assault offences committed in England dating from the 1960s. He also served a jail sentence in the 1980s.

After being jailed in the UK, the sex offender moved to Ireland and has been based here since 2001.

It has since emerged that he has lived in various locations around the country, including Dublin, Kerry, Galway and Donegal, as well as Mayo.

Sources have revealed that in some instances, the convicted abuser was forced to move from his temporary home after locals became aware of his past offences.

It is understood that gardaí are hopeful that they will be able to press charges in the Mayo case.

Questioning of the suspect continued yesterday.

Last month, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) released its recorded crime statistics for 2015, with the figures revealing a 15pc increase in the number of sexual offences recorded by gardaí.

Statistics show that recorded sexual offences rose from 2,053 in 2014 to 2,361 in 2015.

Sexual offences involving mentally impaired victims, aggravated sexual assaults and other sex crimes are also on the rise.

Temperatures between 12-17 degrees are expected today as this spell of spring sunshine continues.

The average temperature for this time of year is around 13 degrees so enjoyit while it lasts.

South and east coasts will experience temperatures a few degrees lower than 14 to 17 degrees due to cool onshore breezes.

Tonight will be a dry night with clear spells, Met Eireann says, though it will be rather cold with a touch of grass frost in parts of the North and East.

Temperatures in those areas will be at their lowest at two or three degrees. Elsewhere, temperatures will be between four  to five degrees.

Tomorrow will bring cloud over Munster and parts of Leinster and some patchy rain in areas like Cork and Kerry. It will be brighter elsewhere, though overall, conditions will be more hazy than recent days.

A man is to appear in Tallaght District Court this morning charged in connection with a seizure of cannabis.

Gardai seized the drugs, worth an estimated €220,000, pending analysis, following a planned search of a premises at Russell Downs in Jobstown, Dublin.

The raid was carried out yesterday at 2pm.

A 37-year-old man was arrested at the scene. 

Paul Gascoigne has said he is back to his "best" after suffering a "two-day blip" in his ongoing struggle with alcoholism.

The former England footballer, who has had a drink problem for more than 20 years, told ITV's Good Morning Britain on Wednesday that he was doing "all right" and had been clean for 11 months.

In March, Gascoigne was photographed clutching a bottle of gin and being escorted by a police officer in his home town of Poole, Dorset. Later, more photographs emerged of the ex-Tottenham player, showing cuts and bruising to his nose, lip and forehead.

Speaking openly to show presenters Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid, Gascoigne was smartly dressed, with Morgan telling him: "You look good, mate."

Shrugging off his recent relapse as nothing more than a "blip", the 48-year-old said he had been sober for months and was "back to my best".

However, he admitted that he only realised the seriousness of his recent relapse after seeing stories in the newspapers.

"After that last one [relapse] I said to someone, 'God I'm glad the papers didn't get hold of it' and then they sent us a photo and I went, 'oof'," he said.

"Sometimes that helps seeing us that way because I didn't realise I was in... When I'm actually in it, I don't realise how bad I actually am."

During the interview Gascoigne said he had only been in rehab three times for "the drink", but added: "Where I live ... a lot of people who have this addiction are allowed to get on with it.

"I'm doing all right, you mentioned there so many times in rehab but people forget I've been there for Red Bull, I've been for Calpol, I've been for no reason sometimes. I think I've only been in rehab really seriously three times for the drink side of it you know."

Gascoigne talked in depth about his treatment at the Providence Projects, an alcohol treatment centre in Bournemouth, where he said he received "fantastic" support and counselling.

"The Providence Projects ... the support I get from them is fantastic and sometimes I feel embarrassed getting the support because there's people who aren't fortunate that live on the streets with my illness and they don't really get the support, so sometimes to help myself I go and help another person.

"Every day I try and do three good deeds, if it's giving someone a fiver, a pack of cigarettes you know even a little sandwich."

Asked by Morgan if he felt it was right for people to compare him to George Best, Gascoigne said: "He's passed away, I'm not, I'm still here.

"I think I have a great personality and it's only me that lets myself down. Years ago when I used to relapse, often when I first finished playing football, I used to blame everybody for my relapse.

"Today I don't do it. I blame myself. I don't like it when I do, I'm not like George Best and I'm not like Kenny Sansom for instance, they didn't want to stop - I do want to stop and there has been good periods where I've been happy and now I'm back to being really happy and myself and I'm one of them."

During the interview, Dr Hilary Jones told Gascoigne that his behaviour was typical of someone suffering from adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

"I've met Paul over the years, he knows he's an alcoholic, he's always known he's an alcoholic," he said.

"The problems of OCD, substance abuse, problems other than alcohol ... adult ADHD fits your description really well.

"It's not an excuse, it's an explanation."

Alex Silvestre speaks in the first interview since his brother Joao Carvalho's death (PHOTO: RTE Primetime)

The heartbroken brother of tragic MMA fighter Joao Carvalho has spoken of his pain after the tragic end to his bout with Charlie Ward at the National Stadium in Dublin earlier this month.

MMA was rocked by the death of Carvalho after he collapsed following his defeat against Ward, with his brother Alex Silvestre speaking out in an interview with RTE’s Prime Time.

“I was very worried about my brother when my referee stopped the fight,” he stated. “I see my brother on the floor and I know something is very wrong.

“I saw my brother coming outside the cage and I text him a few minutes after the fight. I still keep this message with me. I want to know if everything is alright with him.

“Always a few minutes after (a fight) he texts to say everything is alright, but not this time. I am still waiting for this text.

“When I see my brother on his bed (in the hospital) I know its very serious.

“On Monday when the doctor come to speak with us about doing some final test for my brother, I’m scared because I start to think I have lost my boy.

"A first test was carried out but he’s still the same. No reaction or nothing, you know.

"Before a second test was carried out, I was told 'if he not react, am so sorry, there is nothing more I can do for your brother'.

“I know the second test just confirms that which everyone knows now. At this moment I know and realise my brother is not with me anymore.”

Silvestre was critical of the treatment he has received in the two weeks since the passing of his beloved brother, as he revealed he has not been allowed to take his body back to his native Portugal.

“I don’t know what’s happened. No one gives us answers. It’s nine days,” he added. 

“It’s too much. I want to go home and take my brother with me, to give rest to him and everyone

“My brother comes from a different country. He’s here in Ireland – no one cares about anything.

“No one comes to us to ask what’s happened. No one comes to us to give any explanation to say ‘you’ll stay here with your brother for one or two weeks more’. I don’t know why.”

Irish MMA star Conor McGregor was in attendance at the tragic fight, with his apparent shock retirement announcement on Monday evening coming amid rumours that he was left shell-shocked by the tragedy that took place in his hometown.

Brother of MMA fighter Joao Carvalho tells RTÉ "I know something [was] wrong with my brother" after watching fight. https://t.co/nvufsFHwmJ

— RTÉ News Now (@RTENewsNow) April 19, 2016

Two men are in custody following an armed robbery at a Post Office in Courtown in Co Wexford which occurred yesterday afternoon at 4:20pm.

Two males entered the premises wearing gloves and one was carrying what appeared to be a firearm.

They threatened a female staff member and demanded cash.

Following a struggle with the staff member the suspected offenders removed a cash drawer and stole a small quantity of cash.

Gardaí responding to the incident arrested one man a short distance from the scene and a firearm was recovered.

The second man was arrested a short time later.

The men, one in his late teens and the other in his 20s, are currently detained under Section 30 of The Offences Against the State Act, 1939 at Enniscorthy Garda Station
 

Tony McGregor

The controversy surrounding Conor McGregor's 'retirement' has taken another twist after his father Tony stated that, as far as he was aware, his son has retired from Mixed Martial Arts.

McGregor's father today poured fuel on the fire surrounding rumours of him quitting MMA by saying his son has retired.

The last word we heard is he's retired. That's the latest word " Tony McGregor told Independent.ie from his Lucan home.

But Mr McGregor said he was going on what social media is saying, and the only one who could really clarify the matter was Conor himself.

"The news broke to us at the same time as everyone else," he said.

"We have spoken but we can't disclose anything," he added.

"All his social media followers are in the same boat (seeking clarification). Everybody wants to know."

"He's in Iceland. Go and talk to him."

Asked if Conor had told him directly that he is retiring, Tony McGregor said "No".

The UFC featherweight champion will not be a part of the biggest night in the promotion's history after being dramatically pulled from UFC 200.

The 27-year-old sent the world of MMA into a spin with a tweet suggesting that he has called time on his fighting career. A tweet which was backed up by his coach John Kavanagh.

McGregor is currently in a training camp in Iceland.

The UFC has since announced that the Crumlin fighter will not now face Nate Diaz on July 9.

The American choked out McGregor at UFC 196 to hand the Dubliner his first UFC defeat.

In a statement the UFC claimed that McGregor was pulled from the bout for refusing to take part in pre-fight media activities.

“Is Conor McGregor retiring? Only he can answer that question. I don’t know,” UFC president Dana White said. “But Conor McGregor is not fighting at UFC 200.

"He’s in Iceland training and he felt leaving right now would hurt his training and getting ready for this fight. But every other fighter on the card was coming. I get accused of coddling Conor all the time, but at the end of the day I respect Conor.

"But it doesn’t make you exempt for showing up for the press conferences and all the promotional stuff that we have to do. We spend a lot of money with this stuff, and you have to do it, man.

“Obviously we still have a good relationship with Conor. I respect Conor as a fighter and I like him as a person. But you can’t decide to not show up for this things. You have to do them.”

White's version of events would appear to be backed up by an McGregor gave an Icelandic journalist who questioned him after the retirement tweet was sent.

McGregor was approached by Icelandic media outlet MMA Frettir but was not pleased with being questioned.

He is being quoted as saying: "No, I'm retired, f**k interviews."

What this whole episode means for the career of the biggest name in UFC, only time will tell.

Conor Feehan

Police have made 11 arrests after a woman reported being sexually assaulted by a gang in a car park at Bluewater shopping centre in Ken, UK.

Kent Police are investigating reports that the victim, in her 20s, was attacked between 6.30pm and 9pm on Sunday March 6, a force spokesman said.

The 11 people arrested have been freed on police bail pending further inquiries - as bosses at the centre near Dartford said they have a vast security network in place.

A police spokesman said: "Kent Police is investigating after receiving a report that a woman in her 20s was sexually assaulted in a car park at Bluewater between 6.30pm and 9pm on 6 March.

"As part of ongoing inquiries, 11 arrests have been made in connection with the inquiry."

A spokesman for Bluewater, which is the fourth largest shopping centre in the UK, said: "Kent Police is investigating an incident that took place in a Bluewater car park on March 6.

"From day one this has been a police matter and therefore we can't and don't comment on an ongoing investigation.

"The safety and well-being of our staff and guests is our highest priority. Bluewater's security procedures are regularly reviewed and tested, and we have a 24-hour security team and dedicated on-site Kent Police officers.

"As well as extensive CCTV across the whole of Bluewater, our car parks are patrolled and we have security vehicles that provide a further visible presence."

Central Criminal Court

A child who was allegedly raped by his father and made to have sex with his mother said he didn't previously tell gardai or the trial about his father locking him into a “cage” like box because he forgot.

The now 12 year old has so far spent six days giving evidence via video-link at the Central Criminal Court about alleged abuse by his parents in their Waterford home.

He has alleged his father raped him, sexually abused him with a hot poker and forced him to have sex with his mother over the course of several years from when he was about six years old.

The father is alleged to have filmed some of these incidents and shown them to others.

He is further alleged to have held a gun to the child's head and to have left him locked in a box.

The parents face a total of 82 charges of abuse between 2007 and 2011 in Waterford. The father and mother have pleaded not guilty to 16 counts each of sexual exploitation and one charge each of child cruelty.

The mother has also denied 16 counts of sexual assault while the father denies 16 counts of anal rape and 16 counts of sexual assault with a poker.

The complainant previously alleged that his father had locked him into a wooden box when he was six years old.

Today he told Colman Cody SC, defending, that he was locked into a second box because the first one “failed”.

He said the second box had metal bars and was “cage like”.

“It was exactly the same (as the first box) except it had metal bars for a window. And it was a lot bigger than the last one,” he said.

He told gardai that his father had bought the first box at Woodies DIY store and that he had to assemble it.

He said after it “failed” his father burned this first box.

He said the incidents with the two boxes happened on different days.

He said it was dark inside the box and he was really scared.

He said: “It felt like two days. I didn’t get anything to eat or drink.”

He said he thought his father nailed the box shut because he could hear “bang bang bang” on top.

He told counsel that he didn't describe the allegation about the “cage box” to investigating gardai or in his evidence last week because he forgot.

“I forgot to mention about the second box,” he said. Asked why he replied: “Because I’m not perfect. I had something else on my mind”

He also described escaping from one of the boxes. He said his dad put the keys for the box on a desk and left the shed, locking it behind him.

“Luckily the bars of the box were wide enough to put my arm through,” the boy said before he told the jury that he managed to pick a stick up from the floor, which he used to hook the key from the desk.

He got the key and using his other hand he managed to unlock the lock.

He told Mr Cody that this took him about one and half minutes.

He said it was a single key, an old fashioned type one with a ring which allowed him to use the stick to hook it.

He said once he managed to get out of the box, he was still in the shed because his father had locked it.

He said he remembered the box years later when he was watching a film which depicted an animal poacher locking a gorilla into a cage.

The trial continues with the boy's evidence on Thursday before Mr Justice Robert Eagar and a jury.

10 workmen were murdered by the IRA on their way home from work

A republican informer at the heart of IRA operations in the 1970s could be called to give evidence to an inquest into a sectarian massacre, a barrister said.

Sean O'Callaghan disclosed information about IRA decision-making contained in a book about the mass shooting at Kingsmill in south Armagh, according to a lawyer for one of the 10 victims.

The textile factory workers were shot dead by the armed group after they were ambushed as they returned from work in 1976.

Their minibus was stopped and those on board asked their religion, with the sole Catholic allowed to flee.

Neil Rafferty QC said Mr O'Callaghan did not seem adverse to giving court evidence.

He said: "This is a man that was at the heart of the IRA decision-making processes in the 1970s."

The victims were stopped as they travelled along the Whitecross to Bessbrook road in rural south Armagh on January 5 1976 - one of the worst years of the Troubles. A total of 11 were shot.

Then father-of-three Alan Black was the only person to survive but was seriously wounded and spent months recovering in hospital.

The 10 who died were John Bryans, Robert Chambers, Reginald Chapman, Walter Chapman, Robert Freeburn, Joseph Lemmon, John McConville, James McWhirter, Robert Samuel Walker and Kenneth Worton.

Journalist Toby Harnden wrote a book about the IRA in south Armagh called Bandit Country: The IRA And South Armagh, thought by lawyers for the victims to contain Mr O'Callaghan's recollections on Kingsmill.

Mr Rafferty represents the family of Mr Worton and sought to hear evidence from Mr O'Callaghan directly.

He said: "Could I ask to extend a written invitation to ascertain whether or not he is prepared to give evidence?"

The attack was claimed by a little-known republican paramilitary group considered a front for the supposedly-on-ceasefire IRA.

However in 2011 the Historical Enquiries Team of independent detectives found the IRA had been responsible, targeting the workmen because of their religion.

No one has ever been convicted.

The original inquest in 1978 lasted just 30 minutes and recorded an open verdict, but after a long campaign for justice by Mr Black and victims' families, the new inquest was ordered by Northern Ireland's Attorney General, John Larkin, in 2013.

It has been listed to start at Laganside Court in Belfast on May 23.

Gary Mulvany leaving court today

A DRUG smuggler, who fraudulently claimed almost €30,000 in benefits for three years when he was living in Lanzarote, has been given a chance to avoid a jail sentence.

Gary Mulvany (37), who now resides at an apartment in Summerhill, in Dublin 1, has been convicted of benefit fraud in a prosecution brought by the Department of Social Protection. The offence can result in a fine of up to €2,500 and or a six-month sentence.

Dublin District Court heard he failed to tell the social welfare authorities that from July 2008 until May 2011 he was not living in the country while he continued claiming disability allowance.

Judge John O'Neill was told his fraud came to light after Mulvany was stopped as he stepped off a flight at Knock Airport. Customs officers carried out a search and recovered drugs which resulted in him getting a three-year suspended sentence at Castlebar Circuit Court for possessing drugs for the purpose of supply.

As a consequence of that arrest, social welfare authorities became aware of his time in Lanzarote, said prosecution solicitor Joseph Maguire.

The court heard he unlawfully received €29,520, has repaid €3,948 leaving €25,572 outstanding. Some €28 a week is now being deducted from his disability allowance to pay back the social welfare authorities and at the current rate it will take 17 years.

Defence solicitor Brian Keenan asked the court to note that Mulvany has not come to further adverse attention and that a positive probation report had been furnished to the court. Mr Keenan said his client has turned his life around.

Judge John O'Neill noted that Mulvany had engaged with the Probation Service. He adjourned the case until July for an updated report on the defendant's suitability for a community service order.

At an earlier stage the judge, who was furnished with pre-sentence reports on the accused, said Mulvany had a childhood "that no youngster should have gone through".

Defence solicitor Brian Keenan had told Judge O'Neill his client is a person "with a long history of offending going back 15 years".

He had also said the case relates to Mulvany failing to notify the social welfare office that had been living in Lanzarote. Mr Keenan said that Mulvany had previously been a heroin addict but has detoxed and he has HIV.

Judge O'Neill was also told the 37-year-old moved to the Spanish island and "did not realise he should have notified the department". Mr Keenan has also said Mulvany was apologetic for his behaviour. Mulvany had contested the charge but was found guilty of the offences.

Dave Mahon

Lawyers for David Mahon have made an application at the Central Criminal Court to adjourn his trial for murder, due to begin next Monday, so that he can have a hip replacement.

The judge said that he will need a sworn affidavit from Mr Mahon's consultant surgeon regarding the "urgency" of the operation before he can consider adjourning the trial. 

David Mahon (44), of Ongar Village, Clonsilla, Dublin 15, is charged with murdering 23-year-old Dean Fitzpatrick on May 26, 2013 at Northern Cross on Dublin's Malahide Road.

Today, Sean Guerin SC, for Mr Mahon, told Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy that his client has had two hip replacements and that one of the replacements "hasn't taken".

Mr Guerin said that his client is waiting for an operation, scheduled to take place in two weeks' time. 

The trial is expected to last two weeks, the court heard. 

The barrister presented letters from Mr Mahon's consultant surgeon and his G.P. to the court. 

The G.P.'s letter said the failure of the existing replacement was causing Mr Mahon "severe pain", the court was told.  

Mr Justice McCarthy said that he could not adjourn the trial on the basis of letters from the surgeon and G.P.

"I'm not prepared to adjourn on the basis of a report," the judge said.  

He told Mr Guerin that he needed a sworn affidavit from Mr Mahon's surgeon, highlighting the "urgency" of the operation and that it cannot be postponed, before he could consider adjourning the trial. 

The case is listed for mention again on Friday morning, April 22, when the surgeon's sworn affidavit is expected to be presented to the court. 

Daniel Hickey