EACH DAY, TheJournal.ie brings you nine things you should know with your morning cup of coffee.
1. #RAPE: The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre has said a suspended sentence handed down to a convicted rapist by a judge last week sends out “a very bad message”. Chief executive Ellen O’Malley-Dunlop said the victim, who contacted her following Friday’s hearing, is devastated that the man “walked free, having been found guilty of raping her”. Judge Garret Sheehan ruled that there were “wholly exceptional circumstances” in this case because the father-of-five has two autistic sons who need 24-hour care, adding that the 52-year-old has “self-rehabilitated”.
2. #TRAGIC: A 21-year-old man drowned while swimming in the river Lee with friends in the early hours of this morning in Cork.
Meanwhile, a 17-year-old is fighting for his life at Kerry General Hospital following a rescue operation from the river Blackwater in Cork yesterday evening. The boy got into difficulty while swimming with two other teens near Knocknagree at about 5.30pm.
3. #ASSAULT: Gardaí in Dublin are investigating an allegation that an Irish soccer player was involved in an unprovoked attack in a nightclub over the weekend. According to the Irish Independent, the professional footballer will be questioned about the assault.
4. #UNEMPLOYMENT: The Minister responsible for the controversial JobBridge scheme has thanked its critics, telling TheJournal.ie that they highlight potential problems and abuses. Joan Burton noted that while the internships offered are not “for everyone”, they have “literally liberated” some people.
5. #BAILOUT: British newspaper The Times reports today that the UK government has given a ‘back-door bailout’ of €11.8 billion to the Irish State via Ulster Bank/Royal Bank of Scotland. See the front page here.
6. #WHO FOOTS THE BILL? The chairman of the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee has said there is a strong case to be made for the State paying for TDs’ spouses to travel on trade missions and other government trips. Speaking on Morning Ireland, John McGuinness was responding to reports that he wanted to bring his wife on foreign visits when he was a junior minister.
7. #REVEALED: A 29-year-old government contractor has been revealed as the man behind one of the biggest leaks in US history. Edward Snowden said he disclosed the information about online monitoring and telephone data collection because he could not allow the government to destroy privacy, Internet freedom and basic liberties.
8. #REVEALED: A wholly different reveal has led to a garda informer receiving a six-figure settlement from the State. The 49-year-old man sued after garda and DPP statements outlining his role as an informer were given to a criminal gang. He was forced to relocate to a European country because of threats to his life, reports the Irish Examiner.
9. #WEATHER WATCH: We were told the good weather would ‘break’ today and we’re hearing it already has in some places. Here’s how Ireland was looking at 8.15am. What’s your money on…the rain or the sun?
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