The Court of Appeal will rule at a later date, on an appeal by Ian Bailey’s partner Jules Thomas, against a High Court ruling allowing a pre-trial hearing which could lead to large parts, and perhaps all, of her action for damages being struck out.

A six-year legal battle by former nun Nora Wall for damages from the State after her wrongful conviction for the rape of a young girl was certified a miscarriage of justice has settled at the High Court.

A High Court judge who, be- fore being appointed to the bench wrote a magazine ar- ticle uerying the source of funding of Libertas — the lobby group founded by busi-nessman Declan Ganley — has been asked not to deal with any pre-trial matters in Mr Ganley’s defamation ac-tion against RTÉ.

Ian Bailey’s partner, Jules Thomas, claims she has suffered psychiatric illness and "incalculable" damage due to alleged actions by gardaí and the State concerning the investigation into the 1996 murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier.

A hearing to determine liability for the substantial legal costs of Ian Bailey’s failed action for damages against the Garda commissioner and the State will proceed next week.

A former garda detective inspector yesterday denied, as an “outrageous lie”, a claim by Marie Farrell he exposed himself to her in the toilets of Schull golf club sometime in summer 1998 while asking wasn’t it a thrill to be “fitting up” Ian Bailey.

A detective inspector has denied that, during their investigation into the 1996 murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier, gardaí made no effort to verify the truth of Ian Bailey’s account of various matters, including how he got scratches on his hands and arms.

Action against the State has run for nine weeks to date and jury is anxious to know a likely finish date

Retired garda John Wilson has agreed that intelligence about journalist Ian Bailey was recorded on the Garda Pulse system when the Garda investigation into the 1996 murder in West Cork of Sophie Toscan du Plantier was continuing.

Retired garda John Wilson yesterday told the High Court Ian Bailey and Jules Thomas had remained under garda surveillance up until recent years at a level usually reserved for active criminal offenders.

Saffron Thomas, an artist and daughter of Ian Bailey’s partner Jules Thomas, yesterday told the High Court her recollection was that Mr Bailey had killed turkeys at their home at The Prairie, Schull, on December 22, 1996 when she was in the vicinity, although not watching him.

Journalist Ian Bailey has denied before the High Court he asked another man whether he knew about "the murder in Schull" before telling him, with a smirk: "That was me".

Journalist Ian Bailey said he believes to this day that there is a French connection to the death of Sophie Toscan du Plantier.

A former journalist who claims he was wrongly made a suspect in the unsolved murder of a French film maker in Ireland has admitted beating his partner three times.

Ian Bailey has told a High Court jury that to his “eternal shame” he was involved in domestic violence in the past against his partner Jules Thomas.

Ian Bailey has told the High Court of his "eternal shame" regarding incidents of domestic violence against his partner Jules Thomas.

Ian Bailey has told the High Court he experienced a “growing sense” that “something was going on” and he was “chosen to be targeted” when hair and other samples were taken from him.

A former journalist who claims he was framed for the unsolved murder of a French film-maker has said he should not have been made a suspect based on what he regards as concocted or manufactured evidence.

Says inability to attend mother’s funeral was ‘the cruellest abuse’

Journalist Ian Bailey’s action for damages against the State over alleged wrongful arrest in connection with the 1996 murder in West Cork of French filmmaker Sophie Toscan du Plantier is expected to formally open before a High Court jury today.

The court heard that Breifne O’Brien’s deceptions first began to come to light when an allegation was made during civil proceedings in 2008 and Mr Justice Peter Kelly referred the matter to the Garda fraud squad.

Businessman Breifne O’Brien used money stolen from investors to pay for an extension to his house, a new car for his wife, and the stamp duty on new properties, in a multi-million euro Ponzi scheme, a court has heard.

Businessman Breifne O’Brien has pleaded guilty to multiple charges of multi-million euro theft and deception totalling over €10m between 2003 and 2008.

Ian Bailey and four of his lawyers were yesterday given permission by the High Court to inspect transcripts of conversations recorded between gardaí at Bandon station and various people, including journalists.

Ten people, including a retired detective garda, have written to the State concerning an application by Ian Bailey to inspect recordings of phone calls between various individuals, including journalists and gardaí, in Bandon Garda Station, the High Court has heard.

Wicklow County Council’s legal team has asked that recordings of phone calls made at Bray Garda Station during the investigation into the deaths of two firefighters be made available to their inquest.

A COURT has heard an apology from a 79-year-old former priest to a woman for the “torture” of sexual abuse he subjected her to from the age of 11.

A YOUNG Dublin mother has been jailed for three years for her role in possessing €1.37 million of heroin found in her car.

A homeless man who started fires at St James Hospital, Heuston Station and James Street causing the evacuation of the station and cancellation of the Luas has been given a seven-year sentence.

A teenager who smashed a glass in the face of a schoolboy leaving him permanently blind in his left eye has been jailed for three years at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

THE family of a six-year-old girl who died in a house fire allegedly caused by an electrical fault settled their action against Sligo Borough Council in the High Court yesterday for a total of €115,000. The award was secured without admission of liability.

A 36 year-old Latvian fisherman who killed a fellow countryman in a fight and threw his body over the side of a fishing trawler into Howth Harbour will be sentenced for manslaughter next week.

A Dublin man on trial at the Central Criminal Court on charges of sexually abusing a young girl in the city over 20 years ago told gardaí there was a "conspiracy" and the alleged victim was being "led on by someone".

A teenage girl has claimed at the Central Criminal Court that she woke to find a Dublin man trying to have sex with her and that he punched her repeatedly in the face when she tried to cry out.

A mother of four who hid a €24,000 stash of heroin in her bra and was then arrested for two further drugs offences while on bail has been given five and a half years in consecutive sentences.

A member of a gang who arrived to rob a bank just after it closed because their stolen get-away car had been delayed in rush-hour traffic has been given a five-year suspended sentence.

A talented footballer and reformed cocaine addict who now lectures transition year students on the dangers of drugs has been readmitted to bail pending sentence on charges of possession of more than €34,000 of cocaine.

A 75-year-old man who raped his then-nine-year-old granddaughter in a Wexford town in 1994 has been jailed for seven years by Mr Justice Paul Carney at the Central Criminal Court.

A consultant psychiatrist has told a jury that after a patient stabbed him in the abdomen with a four inch knife he could smell gut contents and saw that the blade was "smeared right up to the hilt".

A 76-year-old man has pleaded guilty to raping his nine-year-old granddaughter in a Wexford town in 1994.

A separated mother who stole €18,000 from her employer when she ran into financial difficulties after her marriage ended is to be considered for community service after repaying the money.

A teenager with "promising prospects" for international football who was caught with 19 shotgun cartridges has received a one year suspended sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

A teenager with "promising prospects" for international football who was caught with 19 shotgun cartridges has been remanded on bail pending sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.