Latest news with #Newry
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Irish Times
Armagh footballer Aidan Nugent ordered to stand trial over sexual assault charges
Armagh All-Ireland winner Aidan Nugent was on Tuesday ordered to stand trial in the crown court, facing eight charges of sexual assault. Appearing in the dock of Armagh Magistrates Court, sitting in Newry, the 31-year-old confirmed he was aware of the charges against him, all of them alleged to have been committed in the US on November 17th, 2024. Mr Nugent, from the Cullyhanna Road in Newtownhamilton, faces seven charges of sexual assault and one of sexual assault involving penetration, alleged to have been committed against a single complainant. It is understood to be the crown's case the offences were committed when the Armagh GAA team travelled to Miami in Florida. They were celebrating Armagh's first All-Ireland title in 22 years after beating Galway at Croke Park July . READ MORE Mr Nugent's defence solicitor Patrick Higgins has emphasised that during formal police interviews, the defendant claimed that 'any sexual activity was consensual'. Mr Higgins has also said that when Mr Nugent was charged with the offences he replied: 'I deny the allegations - it was consensual'. During a brief preliminary inquiry court on Tuesday , the legal step necessary for any case to be returned to the crown court, a prosecuting lawyer submitted there is a prima facie case against Mr Nugent. Mr Higgins conceded the point but declared that Mr Nugent 'strenuously denies the allegations.' The court clerk told Mr Nugent he had the right to comment on the charges or to call evidence on his own behalf, but he declined. Returning the case to Newry Crown Court, district judge Anne Marshall freed Mr Nugent on £500 (€575) bail and ordered him to appear for his arraignment on October 2nd. Applying for legal aid to be extended to allow a senior barrister to be instructed, Mr Higgins told the judge that was on the basis that one of the charges carried a potential sentence of life imprisonment. He also contended that 'all of the people involved in this are in the public eye' and that if Mr Nugent is convicted, there is not only a risk to his reputation 'but also a risk to his liberty and livelihood.' Judge Marshall told the solicitor she would rule on his application later on Tuesday.
BBC News
2 days ago
- BBC News
Rathfriland: Three people charged following serious assaults
Three people have been charged after two serious assaults in County Down on received a report just after 21:10 BST on Sunday that a woman was found with facial injuries by a member of the public in the Newry Street area of woman said she had been held her against her will and assaulted in a property in the Dromore Street, officers attended the address and found a man, who also had facial injuries.A 25-year-old woman, a 23-year-old man and another man aged 29 will appear before Newry Magistrates Court on Tuesday. The woman has been charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm, false imprisonment, robbery, theft and theft of a vehicle.A 23-year-old man is charged with two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, false imprisonment, theft, theft of a vehicle and robbery, While the older male faces charges, including two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, false imprisonment, non-fatal strangulation, theft, theft of a vehicle and robbery.
BreakingNews.ie
2 days ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Man (34) pleads guilty over links to importing explosives, guns and ammo
A 34-year-old man has pleaded guilty to facilitating a criminal organisation to import explosives, firearms and ammunition into the State. Mark McCourt, with an address at Edenerieve, Newry, Co Down, appeared before the Special Criminal Court on Monday where his defence counsel Brendan Grehan SC said he could be arraigned on six counts on the basis that they are sample counts. Advertisement McCourt pleaded guilty that between February 10, 2023 and July 19th, 2024, both dates inclusive, within the State, with knowledge of the existence of a criminal organisation, did participate in or contribute to activity intending to facilitate the commission by the said criminal organisation or any of its members, of a serious offence, to wit the importation in the State of Firearms and Ammunition and Explosives. He further admitted to unlawfully having in his possession two .233 Remington Calibre barrels from AR-15 pattern semi-automatic rifles in circumstances giving rise to a reasonable inference that he did not possess it for a lawful purpose on July 19 2024 at John St, Blackstick, Ardee, Co Louth. McCourt also pleaded guilty on the same date at the same location to unlawfully having in his possession nine assorted 9mm luger calibre barrels, eight frames for Sig Sauer semi-automatic pistols, a frame for a Canik semi-automatic pistol and four slides for a Sig Sauer model P320 9mm Lugar Calibre semi-automatic pistol in circumstances giving rise to a reasonable inference that he did not possess it for a lawful purpose. Mr Grehan requested that a governor's report be sought in respect of his client and asked that a date for sentencing be fixed before the end of term. Advertisement Ms Justice Karen O'Connor directed that a governor's report be prepared and set a date of Monday July 28 for the sentence hearing.
Irish Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
FD Technologies to stop trading on Friday as court sanctions €626m sale
The last day of share trading in FD Technologies, the Newry-based data and analytics company, will be Friday, after Northern Ireland's high court rubber-stamped its £541.6 million (€626 million) sale to US private equity firm TA Associates. The structure of the deal, by way of a so-called scheme of arrangement, required sanctioning from the court after it was approved by FD Technologies shareholders at the end of June. FD Technologies said in a statement that it expects dealing on the stock to end on Friday afternoon in Dublin and London. The company is on track to be officially delisted next Tuesday. The company's remaining business is KX, which analyses large data sets in real time to help companies predict and respond to market conditions across the various business areas. READ MORE FD Technologies' board urged that shareholders support the TA Associates deal, saying that the operation may be hampered by 'uncertain public markets' if it needs to accelerate investment to capture opportunities in artificial intelligence (AI). The deal with TA Associates, first announced in May, follows a big restructuring at the Dublin-listed company last year. This led to the group selling its former core First Derivatives division to US software group EPAM in a £236.1 million transaction and the spin-off of another business, called MRP , into a merger. It subsequently returned £120 million to shareholders in January through a stock buyback deal.
Irish Independent
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Family raising money to return belongings of Irishman who drowned in Canada
The GoFundMe page was set up after Stuart Doonan, from Drumquin, drowned on June 10. The 30-year-old got into difficulty in water near his accommodation in Montreal and was laid to rest yesterday. His devastated sister Stacey remembered her brother as 'the heart and soul of the family' on the online fundraising page which has received over €4,300 in donations. 'We are grateful for all the invaluable help and support we are receiving in getting Stuart home from the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust, we now face the challenge of bringing his belongings home,' she said. 'We have to navigate the process of getting his personal belongings home as he lived in Montreal for four years. 'We would appreciate any support in doing this.' The family has raised around 95pc of the original target amount and has promised that any money left over will be donated to the charity that helps families repatriate the remains of loved ones who died abroad. 'Excess funds will be going to the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust (Newry) who have and continue to be a great support to the family,' Stacey said. The trust was set up by the parents of Newry man Kevin Bell, who died in New York in 2013, and has assisted over 1,700 families. The charity covers many of the practicalities involved in repatriation, from liaising with funeral directors overseas to ensuring all necessary documentation is in place, easing some of the burden on loved ones during an already traumatic time. Tributes poured in online from those who knew Stuart both at home and in Canada. Friends remembered him as a warm, kind, and generous young man who loved life and made a lasting impression on everyone who encountered him. Leeds-based music promoter Bad Owl Presents paid an emotional tribute to the one-time regular at their events before 'he recently moved away to follow his dream of living and working in Canada'. 'He brought an excitement and passion to our shows, was a huge advocate of the scene and always had a daft story to regale to us in between bands,' they posted online. 'He will be very much missed and our thoughts go out to his friends and his family.' A death notice described Stuart as a 'dearly beloved son of David and Carol' and 'a devoted brother of Clara (John), Stacey (Will) and the late baby Andrew'. 'A much-loved grandson of Robert and the late Florence and the late Tommy and Jennifer. A dear nephew and cousin,' it added. The fundraising campaign remains open as relatives and friends prepare to pay their respects to Stuart. 'We are devastated about the circumstances surrounding his passing,' Stacey said. 'Stuart was full of life and full of love, the heart and soul of our family and he will be sorely missed by us all. 'Stuart loved his life in Montreal and saw a future there.'
