Four hospitalised after vehicle ploughs into crowd at Donegal festival
A number of people are recovering in hospital after a van ploughed into a crowd at a festival in Co Donegal on Wednesday evening.
Four people were rushed to Letterkenny University Hospital following the incident at the Clonmany Festival.
Hundreds of people were on the town's main street when the incident occurred at approximately 6.30pm.
Gardaí confirmed the driver of the vehicle suffered a "health incident" just moments before the collision. It is understood he then lost control of the van and struck the pedestrians.
At least one of those injured is believed to have been a marshal at the event.
At least five ambulances and other emergency services attended the scenes and brought the injured to hospital.
Bill to make stalking a standalone offence approved by Government
A new system of court orders to restrain stalking behaviour and protect victims has been introduced as part of a new Bill approved by Government.
The Criminal Justice Bill will allow the courts to be able to issue civil restraining orders against stalkers. The orders will not require a criminal prosecution and are easier for victims to obtain.
The wide-ranging Bill will also increase the maximum sentence for assault causing harm from five years to 10 years, allow life sentences for conspiracy to murder, make stalking and non-fatal strangulation standalone offences, and expand the existing harassment offence.
The Bill will now be brought before the Oireachtas and is expected to become law in the Autumn.
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said: “Stalking is an extremely serious and intrusive crime that can cause devastating psychological distress.
Almost 900 adopted people and birth parents apply to new contact register
Almost 900 adopted people and birth parents applied to the new Contact Preference Register CPR last month following the commencement of the Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022.
A total of 891 people have applied to the register which allows legal entitlement to full and unrestricted access to birth certificates, birth, early life, care, and medical information for any person who was adopted, boarded out, had their birth illegally registered, or who otherwise has questions in relation to their origins.
Applications to the Register can be made by those wishing to make contact, to request privacy, or to seek or share information with a relative.
The Adoption Authority of Ireland operates the CPR.
Of the 891 people who applied to register their preferences in relation to contact, 786 applications were from adoptees, 90 were from birth parents, and 15 were other relatives.
Gang and drug feuds responsible for prison violence, says former Mountjoy governor
The former governor of Mountjoy Prison, John Lonergan has warned that gang and drug feuds are responsible for violence in prisons, adding that if someone was determined to attack another prisoner, they would get the opportunity.
His comments come after an inmate, Robert O'Connor (34) died following an assault at the prison last Friday.
O'Connor, from Snowdrop Walk, Darndale in Dublin, died in hospital on Tuesday night. He was attacked in his cell on Friday evening and sustained serious head injuries.
Mr Lonergan told RTÉ Radio's Morning Ireland that there was no guarantee that such attacks will never happen again.
Any individual incarcerated should be able to expect that their safety was guaranteed, Mr Lonergan said, however, he added the reality was that there was always a risk.
On rare occasions, people suffered severe injuries and death, while beatings were pretty common, he explained.
Child in North Dublin foster care not visited for three years, Hiqa report finds
A child in a north Dublin foster care service had not been visited by a social worker for over three years, according to a Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) report published on Thursday.
The inspection report found that there were “at least 63 children overdue a statutory visit at the time of inspection” and there were four further cases whereby it was unclear if they had an up-to-date visit.
The thematic inspection of foster services in North Dublin was escalated to a risk-based inspection when HIQA identified that there was a lack of statutory visits to children in care and supervision and support visits to foster carers.
Following the inspection four standards were found to be non-compliant.
The report found that children were not visited within required time frames. Children were visited in line with regulations in only 40 per cent of the files reviewed by inspectors.
