In Short

A round up of today's other stories in brief...

Mountjoy killing jury sent to hotel

The jury in the trial of a Mountjoy prisoner accused of murdering another inmate by stabbing him in the heart has been sent to a hotel overnight after failing to reach a verdict following three hours of deliberation.

Declan O'Reilly (28) of Parnell Road, Crumlin, Dublin, has pleaded not guilty in the Central Criminal Court in Dublin to murdering Derek Glennon on D wing of the prison on June 25th, 2007.

Mr Justice Kevin O'Higgins told the jury on the fifth day of the trial that it would resume deliberation this morning.

Buyers' agency welcomes fine

A decision by Dublin District Court to convict and fine a retailer for failing to display prices on products on sale in his shop has been welcomed by the National Consumer Agency (NCA), writes Steven Carroll.

Ann Fitzgerald, the chief executive of the NCA, said she was pleased by the conviction and that she would like to see retailers display prices without the need for intervention by the agency. She said the NCA carried out regular checks and if retailers were found not to be displaying prices, fines or prosecutions would follow.

Ms Fitzgerald was speaking after Mark Power, of Power's Londis Supermarket, Edenmore Shopping Centre, Dublin 5, was ordered to pay €1,300 in fines and costs by Judge Timothy Lucey for failing to display prices.

Jury rejects 2 ecstasy defence

A 55-year-old father of seven has been convicted of possessing almost €50,000 worth of ecstasy in Cork last year after a jury rejected his defence that gardaí had overestimated the value of the drugs, writes Barry Roche.

John Heaphy had admitted possessing 4,700 ecstasy tablets for sale or supply at Rathpeacon but he had denied that he possessed more than €13,000 worth of the drug.

Heaphy had called four ecstasy users to testify that they had bought ecstasy tablets for as little as €2 a tablet on various occasions and that gardaí were grossly overvaluing the drugs at €10 per tablet.

Crackdown on illegal hauliers

A Garda crackdown on illegal activity in the haulage industry is to target the use of rebated green diesel, unlicensed hauliers and illegal carriage of waste, the Garda said yesterday, writes Tim O'Brien.

The campaign, which is to begin immediately, follows a meeting between licensed hauliers the Irish Road Haulage Association and Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey, on rising fuel prices. The legitimate hauliers want those who save money by breaking the rules to be put off the road.

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times