A former Sinn Féin councillor who physically and mentally tortured a man he believed was trying to defraud him has been jailed for 12 years by the Special Criminal Court.

The Special Criminal Court has accepted allegations that a former Sinn Féin Councillor claimed he was in the IRA and threatened the family of a man he had falsely imprisoned and waterboarded.

A former Sinn Féin councillor who waterboarded and threatened to kill a man who he believed was trying to defraud him was not a friend of Sinn Féin TDs Mary Lou Mc Donald and Gerry Adams, the Special Criminal Court was told today.

A former Sinn Féín Councillor and his father are due to be sentenced today for falsely imprisoning and threatening to kill a con artist.

A former Sinn Féin councillor waterboarded and threatened to kill a man who he believed was trying to defraud him, the Special Criminal Court heard yesterday.

An exhibition at the Crawford showcases Cork’s place in the Arts and Crafts movement, writes Colette Sheridan

A Dunkathel area home within reach of Cork city comes with optional multiple acres, says Tommy Barker.

A young woman had to jump out of a moving car onto a busy road when the vehicle was stolen from a garage forecourt while she was in the back seat.

Environmentalists are ramping up pressure on Coillte to end the use of a hazardous pesticide in State forests.

A senior Sinn Féin TD has rejected claims his party is suffering from an internal bullying crisis, after a former Dublin councillor claimed he was forced out of the party just days after a separate scandal in Cork.

Loved by camera-ready celebrities, contouring is supposed to sculpt the face into a symmetrical ideal of beauty. So what does TV3’s Anna Daly think?

An Irish-based drugs gang was behind the shipment of €50.5m of cocaine concealed in banana boat which was seized at a port in southern England.

Violinist Aoife will lead her sisters Jenny and Lisa, and father William, in the orchestra at Lismore Music Festival, says Nicki ffrench Davis.

A man shot dead in the second gangland-style gun attack in a day survived a similar attempt on his life last year.

A battle for customers is looming in the private health insurance market following the arrival of a fourth insurance provider.

A comprehensive ten-point win for the hot favourites in this Leinster SHC quarter-final in Mullingar yesterday but a whopping 4-12 conceded to the underdogs.

St Mary’s claimed their first Hogan Cup success with a stunning performance at Croke Park on Saturday.

Three goals from Cian McMonagle fired St Mary’s Edenderry to victory over holders Dundalk Colleges in this Leinster Colleges SAFC semi-final at Navan’s Pairc Tailteann.

SPECIALIST pork rib processor Ribworld has been purchased out of receivership by M&M Walshe — part of the Callan Bacon Group — in a deal that secures the 65 jobs at the processing plant in Clonmel, Co Tipperary.

AN INSURANCE scheme that compensates victims of pharmaceutical injuries in Finland is being examined by parents of children in Ireland who developed a chronic sleep disorder after being immunised against swine flu.

There is no mental health treatment centre here capable of caring for a teenage girl whose violent temper has resulted in 30 convictions for assault, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court has heard.

THE summer heat brought around 40,000 visitors to one of the country’s biggest home and garden shows — but it was the freezing winter which concerned many gardening enthusiasts.

Antrim 2-25 Westmeath 1-19

CONSUMERS must ‘start looking twice’ at their health insurance premiums from now on to get the best value for money.

IRISH workers are facing a pension deficit of over €20 billion a year, a pan-European survey has established.

Irish workers need to bank an extra €9,100 a year to financially survive retirement, a report on the pensions timebomb said today.

AVIVA Ireland said it is satisfied with the rate at which premiums are set and said it is not concerned with cost-cutting measures.

THE country’s largest private health insurance provider has warned that older customers will end up paying more for their healthcare unless a new “robust mechanism” is introduced to overhaul the health insurance sector.

A YOUNG Irish woman has described how she and her friends were lucky to escape serious harm when freak weather conditions caused a Thai plane to crash land, injuring passengers and killing the pilot.

SUNWAY is in the midst of promoting Kenya — with a range of packages designed to suit all tastes.

The EU Commission has approved Ireland's scheme of levies and tax relief in the health insurance sector, primarily aimed at making health insurance affordable for older people by decreasing the risk differentials for health insurers between old and young customers.

Dublin 3-21 Westmeath 0-11

Westmeath 2-12 Carlow 0-12

A MAN who was driving a stolen car when it crashed 14 years ago resulting in the death of his friend will not face prosecution, it finally emerged yesterday.

A MAN was questioned yesterday in connection with the brutal gangland murder of a young man in west Dublin about a year ago.

A then 17-year-old youth who "held cannabis and cocaine valued almost €32,000 for someone" and had a list of names with amounts of up to €5,000 marked against them has escaped with a suspended sentence.

A YOUNG woman who witnessed the brutal murder of her boyfriend on Tuesday night was too traumatised to talk to gardaí yesterday.

Gardaí investigating the death of Damien Dowdall are appealing for information about a silver-coloured saloon car with a 03 D registration plate.

THE young man brutally killed in his home by close-range shotgun blasts was not a criminal, but had been seen with drug gang members who gardaí said “don’t need many reasons to kill a young fella”.

Tearful parents today visited the scene where their son was shot dead in the first gun murder in Ireland of 2007.

A 22-year-old man has been shot dead in a gangland-style assassination in the Clondalkin area of Dublin.