News from around the 32 counties of Ireland

Derry

The murder of a woman for which the Yorkshire Ripper had been blamed was carried out by |a Londonderry man, it has emerged. Christopher Smith, who was born Alexander Smyth in Derry, was linked to the murder by DNA evidence. Joan Harrison was found battered and raped in a garage 35 years ago in Preston, Lancashire, in a killing linked to Peter |Sutcliffe. Detectives across the country are to investigate whether he may have been behind other unsolved serious crimes.
(Source: Belfast Telegraph)

Donegal

A Donegal couple who had been given a present of a two week luxurious holiday in Egypt were evacuated from their resort last week as fears grew for the safety of Irish citizens there. Patricia and Vincent Callaghan had been holidaying in the Sharm El Sheikh resort and had booked their holiday last July. However, just days into their trip, they were caught up in the ongoing protests against the country’s president, Hosni Mubarak.
(Source: Donegal Democrat)

Down

Family and friends of two soldiers killed in Afghanistan clutched flowers and wept as their loved ones were returned home. The bodies of Ranger David Dalzell, 20, of the 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment, and Warrant Officer Class 2 (Company Sergeant Major) Colin Beckett, 36, of 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment, were flown into RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire then passed through the nearby town of Wootton Bassett.  Ranger Dalzell, from Bangor in County Down, was killed recently in an "operational accident" in the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand province.
(Source: Belfast Telegraph)

Dublin

Motorists in Dun Laoghaire paid out a staggering €6.2m in parking fees and fines last year -- a 50pc increase on 2009. The 2010 figure of €6,225,334 was revealed in Dun Laoghaire/ Rathdown County Council documents obtained by Independent Cllr Victor Boyhan. Cllr Boyhan criticised the charges as "nothing but a stealth tax". "Almost all of this was collected in Dun Laoghaire. There has been aggressive targeting of motorists," said Mr Boyhan. "During the snow in December people who had to abandon their cars found tickets on their windscreens the next morning."
(Source: The Evening Hearld)

Fermanagh

A Fermanagh man has appeared before the High Court in Dublin in connection with extradition proceedings brought by the Belgian authorities. Cyril McGuinness was convicted and sentenced to jail there in connection with the theft of a number of heavy vehicles and plant machinery subsequently brought to Ireland. Mr McGuinness (45), Teemore Road, Derrylin, Co Fermanagh, is wanted to serve a seven-year prison sentence imposed in Belgium for his role in the machinery theft.
(Source: Irish Times)

Galway

Soldiers at Renmore Barracks have been assured that there are no plans to transfer 160 of them to Athlone despite two Irish Army briefings over the past week which indicated a significant downgrading of the facility. Minister for Defence Éamon Ó Cuív told the Galway City Tribune recently that there were no plans in place for a mass transfer of troops from Dun Ui Mhaoiliosa to the Midlands, claiming that members of the Defence Forces may have “misunderstood” the briefings.
(Source: Galway City Tribune)

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