News from Ireland - news from around the 32 counties

The independent councillor said as a father, he felt concerned at the sense of anxiety that now existed within the local community, claiming Longford was currently in the grip of a “huge, huge” drugs epidemic.

“I remember a time in Longford when people felt safe to go outside of their doors and to tip into town for a pint,” he complained, as he hit out at dwindling garda resources to combat the problem.
(Source: Longford Leader)

Louth

Two petrol stations were closed and almost 160,000 litres of fuel seized during a nationwide crackdown on laundered fuel and the shadow economy.

The operation by Revenue's customs officers and armed gardai also resulted in the seizure of 39,000 euro under the Proceeds of Crime legislation.

Raids were carried out on Thursday on 10 filling stations, two private residences and a fuel depot in counties Dublin, Galway and Louth.

Officers tackling the illegal trade in mineral oils and shadow economy activity targeted the sale of laundered fuel, unlicensed trading and other tax offences.
(Source: Dundalk Democrat)

Mayo

A Mayo man has been found guilty by a Central Criminal Court jury of regularly sexually assaulting two children in the pub where he worked over eleven years ago.

The 39-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded not guilty to 16 counts of sexual assault and 13 counts of oral rape against one girl, as well as 14 counts of sexual assault, 13 counts of oral rape and one count of anal rape against the second child, between June 1999 and September 2000.

The girls were between eight and ten years old at the time of the alleged offences.

Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan remanded the man in custody and adjourned sentencing to later this month.

Earlier in the trial, the first complainant, now 20 years old, told Ms Deirdre Murphy SC, prosecuting, that she and her best friend would go to her mother’s work place after school and would watch cartoons in a nearby pub where they regularly used the toilet.

She said that they began to be sexually abused together during their visits by the accused who was a bar man.

She said he would give them money and gave her cigarettes and cider. She said she ‘became addicted to smoking’ after that.
(Source: The Mayo News)

Meath

The owner of a family-run shop, robbed by a drug addict armed with a meat cleaver, has said that he has lived in fear since the attack and has now ceased trading.

Last week, Peter Nolan (29) from Celbridge, Co Kildare, was jailed for three years after robbing shops at knifepoint in Summerhill and Baconstown while on heroin in April of this year.

At Trim Circuit Court on Friday, the owner of the Dargan's Gala in Baconstown, Matthew Dargan, told the court of the effect of the robbery: "As a result of that robbery and a number of others over the years, I have decided to cease trading from this weekend. Every customer that comes in, I'm nervous and watching. I've decided I can no longer do it. I am just waiting for another robbery."

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Nster.com