A Westmeath man on trial for possessing child pornography has claimed in evidence that because an Asian female in an image wore a school uniform did not mean she was a school girl.

A man who drove at speeds of up to 160 kph under the influence of drugs and alcohol has been jailed for five years for dangerous driving causing the death of his 15-year-old cousin with whom he was reared.

The unlicensed and uninsured driver of a car with six occupants which crashed, killing a 19-year-old passenger, has been given a two-year sentence with 15 months suspended by Judge Murphy Yvonne at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

A former director of the Irish Aviation Authority and member of Shannon Town Commissioners has been jailed for two-and-a-half years by Judge Elizabeth Dunne for having cocaine valued €50,000.