The Courts

• President Mary McAleese will be asked to appoint nine new judges in a bid to reduce waiting periods for cases to be heard. Two will be assigned to the High Court, two to the Circuit Court and the remainder to the District Court; the president has already sworn in two new High Court judges. Minister for Justice Michael McDowell has yet to nominate the new judges.
• Imposing a seven-year sentence on William O'Brien (21) of Tralee, Co. Kerry for a serious sexual assault, Justice Paul Carney suspended the final three years due to a number of factors, including O'Brien's confession. O'Brien, who had consumed beer and cannabis prior to the attack, was accompanied by his father when he gave himself up to gardaí. Describing the 2004 assault as an "isolated incident", Justice Carney ordered that O'Brien be placed on the sex offenders' register but said he saw no need for post-release supervision.
• Judge James O'Connor was given quite a bit of publicity over remarks made in the course of a trial at Tralee District Court on Wednesday. On convicting Polish national Robert Kwiatkowski (25) of handling a stolen laptop computer, Judge O'Connor gave him 48 hours to leave the country or face a seven-month jail sentence. In doing so he said, "Don't come in here looking for asylum, or whatever status is going, and within ten days be engaged in criminal activity".
• An application by a lesbian couple to have their Canadian marriage recognised in this country has been rejected by the High Court. Dr Katherine Zappone, a public policy consultant from the US, and Dr Anne Louise Gilligan, an academic, had argued that the failure to recognise their marriage breached their rights under the Irish Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights. Justice Elizabeth Dunne did not agree, ruling that marriage, as defined in the Constitution, clearly referred to the union of a man and a woman. The couple expressed disappointment with the outcome and will take time to consider whether they should appeal to the Supreme Court.
• Joseph Keane (18) was charged in Limerick District Court on Wednesday with the murder of Darren Coughlan (18) of Moyross, Limerick in November of last year. Keane is the son of crime boss Kieran Keane who was murdered in 2003. Two other 18-year-olds have already been charged with murdering Mr Coughlan, who died in hospital some days after being beaten by a gang of young people.
• Hassan Hassan (38), the Lebanese partner of murder vicgim Baiba Saulite, appeared before Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on Saturday. He was supposed to be sentenced for abducting his two children from their mother and taking them to Syria. They were later returned to Ireland. Sentencing was adjourned until next week and Hassan was returned to prison where he is serving a sentence for car theft.
• Mark Kavanagh (34) from Dundalk appeared before Dublin District Court on a charge that he caused a breach of the peace. He had earlier entered the headquarters of the Football Association of Ireland, poured petrol over himself and threatened to set the place alight. He was protesting at the FAI's decision to reject Dundalk as a Premier Division club.