Rape victim Fiona Doyle said she hopes her meeting with Taoiseach Enda Kenny will be an important step in improving the rights of victims of sex crimes.

JUSTICE Minister Alan Shatter yesterday said a referendum on children’s rights would be held “early in the New Year” as he defended Ireland’s human rights record before the United Nations.

EAMON LEAHY, one of the state’s most high-profile barristers, the husband of government chief whip Mary Hanafin and tipped to be a future Attorney General, was yesterday described as one of the finest minds of his generation following his death at the age of 46.

PRISON authorities are concerned at the increasing use of jails to detain children — some of whom have not even committed any crimes.