Teenager sentenced to life detention
A teenager who used “extreme violence” in kicking a defenceless man to death has been sentenced to life detention with a review after eight years.
The 17-year-old, who can't be named as he is a minor, will come before the Central Criminal Court again in June 2028 when a judge will use probation and education reports and psychological assessments to review his progress and decide whether he can safely return to society.
The sentencing judge said a "significant effort" will be required from State agencies to give hope of rehabilitation, as reports before the court indicate that the boy is at a high risk of violent reoffending.
Californian gunman
The court previously heard that the boy had experienced “17 years of neglect”, cannot articulate the loss, loneliness or rejections he has experienced and that "the only expressive language available to him appears to be anger."
An employee who gunned down nine people at a California rail yard and then killed himself as law enforcement rushed in had talked about killing people at work more than a decade ago, his ex-wife has said.
“I never believed him, and it never happened. Until now,” a tearful Cecilia Nelms told the Associated Press on Wednesday following the 6.30am attack at a light rail depot for the Valley Transportation Authority in Santa Clara, near San Jose.
“When our deputies went through the door, initially he was still firing rounds. When our deputy saw him, he took his life,” Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith told reporters.
Vaccine targets
The Government is “likely” to miss its target of 80 per cent of Ireland’s adult population receiving at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine by the end of June due to supply issues, the Tánaiste said.
However, Leo Varadkar told the Dáil that if the target is missed it will only be by “a few weeks”.
His comments came after Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said it is “unclear” whether the Government will be able to reach its target due to “serious concerns” over the supply of the Janssen vaccine.
During Leaders’ Questions, Mr Varadkar described the vaccination programme as going “really well”, adding that supply is the “only constraint”.
HSE cyberattack costs
The HSE has said that €100 million would be a “small figure” in terms of the total cost of the cyberattack.
Up to 7,000 outpatient appointments a day are being lost as a result of the attack by a criminal gang that has played havoc with the health service, a briefing heard on Thursday.
Chief executive Paul Reid has said he would back an independent investigation into the incident.
Speaking on Thursday, Mr Reid said €100 million would be “a small enough figure” when it comes to the total cost of dealing with the attack.
False widow spider
Spider bites from noble false widows can be so severe that it requires hospital treatment, a new study has revealed.
The threat posed by the noble false widow spider has been debated among spider and healthcare specialists for many years.
The new study, published in the international medical journal Clinical Toxicology, confirms that some bite victims experience symptoms very similar to the true black widow spiders and some severe cases require hospital admission.
Originating from Madeira and the Canary Islands, the noble false widow spider Steatoda nobilis, now has the potential to become one of the world’s most invasive species of spider.
Covid deaths
There have been eight Covid-19 related deaths in the past 12 days, the HSE has confirmed.
There had been no reports of Covid deaths since Friday, May 14th, due to the HSE cyberattack.
Speaking at a weekly briefing on Thursday, the HSE’s chief clinical officer Dr Colm Henry said there had been eight deaths from Covid-19 in the 12 days from the data breach to Wednesday.
This will bring the total number of Covid-19 deaths recorded in May to 43.
Student seeks court order allowing him to sit Leaving Cert without facemask
A High Court challenge has been brought on behalf of a student who wants to sit his Leaving Certificate examinations without having to wear a mask.
In judicial review proceedings against the State Examinations Commission and the Minister for Education and Skills the student seeks various orders including one quashing a decision that he must wear a face covering during the examinations.
The student, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has brought the proceedings through his mother.
In light of the Covid-19 pandemic the wearing face coverings is mandatory for students sitting the Leaving Cert examinations.
He also seeks a declaration that the requirement to wear a mask during the examinations amounts to breach of his Constitutional Rights and rights under the European Convention on Human Rights.
