EVERY WEEKDAY EVENING, TheJournal.ie brings you the five things you need to know before you head out the door.
1. #MAEVE BINCHY Worldwide tributes have been paid to Irish writer Maeve Binchy, who passed away last night at the age of 72. Taoiseach Enda Kenny described the Circle of Friends writer as a “national treasure”, while fellow authors and fans also wrote of their sadness about her passing.
2. #COURTS Treasury Holdings have lost a High Court challenge over the appointment of NAMA receivers over several of its businesses. Treasury’s challenge was rejected this morning by Justice Mary Finlay Geoghegan. NAMA had decided to appoint receivers to companies, properties and debts controlled by Treasury in January. Treasury said it will appeal today’s decision.
3. #SENTENCES Rape crisis groups have said that the six-month custodial sentence handed down to businessman Anthony Lyons yesterday raises questions about the fairness of the criminal justice system. Lyons had five-and-a-half-years of his six-year sentence suspended after being found guilty of sexually attacking a woman in 2010. Dublin Rape Crisis Centre chief executive Ellen O’Malley-Dunlop told TheJournal.ie that six years is not lenient, “but getting him to pay the compensation and suspend the jail time questions the fairness of the system because a resourced person can avoid a custodial sentence by the provision of a large sum of money.”
4. #ENGLAND West Yorkshire Police have said that a 999 call purportedly made by a three-year-old girl in Leeds was a hoax. The girl said her mother was lying on the kitchen floor and was not awake. The girl could not tell the police what her address was, but did tell them her name is ‘Ellie’. Two 10-year-old girls are being questioned by police in relation to the call.
5.#PRIORY HALL Developer Thomas McFeely has won a Supreme Court appeal over Priory Hall. He appealed against his three-month prison sentence and €1 million fine for being found in contempt of court. Chief Justice Susan Denham said she was satisfied McFeely could not be in breach of a court order to carry out repairs because he had been ordered to vacate the site. A group representing Priory Hall residents said: “This verdict makes no practical difference to the residents.” Dublin City Council said that it is focused on finding a solution to the issues at Priory Hall, which was evacuated in October.
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