Ireland's Eye: What's going on in the old sod

Flanked by Deputy Peter Kelly, Carey conceded Fianna Fail were "not the flavor of the month" with an increasingly alienated electorate.
- Longford Leader

Plea for sex offender

Local TD (member of Parliament) Brendan Kenneally requested the temporary release of a man awaiting sentencing for a sexual assault charge, so that the man could attend his daughter’s wedding.

The man was in custody awaiting sentence for the sexual assault of his niece, and his family asked Kenneally to make representations on behalf of the man so that he could attend the event.

The Fianna Fail TD has defended the move and said he acted on humanitarian grounds after the man’s relatives pleaded for his help.

“All that was asked for was that the man be left out for a day on humanitarian grounds. I was not seeking to interfere with sentencing,” he told the Irish Independent.

When contacted by the Waterford News & Star Kenneally said he was unable to comment any further due to a bereavement in his family.

The prison service has not revealed if the request was granted.

In total 10 politicians made representations in relation to prisoners since the start of 2010.
- Waterford News & Star

Elderly couple robbed

An elderly Kildangan couple endured a terrifying ordeal when they were held at knifepoint for 90 minutes during a robbery in their home.

The ordeal began for the couple, both of whom are in their sixties, when the front door of their home was kicked in by two armed and masked raiders at approximately 8:40 p.m. on Thursday, November 25.

The husband and wife were held at knifepoint and the man was also physically assaulted by the raiders who demanded money from the couple.

The raiders also smashed mobile phones belonging to the couple and disabled the landline phone in the house before they made their escape with a substantial amount of cash.

They left the scene in the couple’s green Volkswagen Golf van which was found three days later in a secluded area in Kildangan.

The couple suffered from shock and were very traumatized by the ordeal. They were both taken to the Midlands Hospital in Portlaoise where they were detained overnight and treated for minor cuts and bruises.

Gardai believe that the raiders were very familiar with the local area and knew exactly who they were targeting.
- Kildare Nationalist

Violent threats

A Laois man was forced to leave the country after having his life threatened by gangsters, it was claimed.

It’s understood several men in an unidentified Laois town were threatened that they would get “a bullet between the eyes” if they did not leave the country following an alleged fight with relatives of a criminal gang.

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Nster.com