Basketball stalwart Jimmy Diggins received a standing ovation when he was presented with Basketball Ireland President’s Award at the National Arena on Saturday.

Victims of sexual assaults have been urged to stay off social media over the following day for fear that it could compromise a prosecution.

The two-and-a-half year jail term given to child abuser Tom Humphries last week is not unduly lenient, a sentencing expert has said.

Parents forced to go through the torment of giving birth to babies with fatal foetal abnormalities have spoken about being made to feel like “outcasts” by Ireland because of the country’s strict abortion laws.

The Law Reform Commission is seeking out opinions on the law that deals with children contesting their parent or parents’ will, writes Dan Buckley

Trials and convictions of suspected murderers, rapists, terrorists, and other serious criminals are in jeopardy as the fallout from the Garda bugging scandal becomes clearer.

The Court of Criminal Appeal has found as too harsh the 15-year sentence handed down to a man who assaulted a boy in an unprovoked attack. What is an appropriate sentence, asks Dan Buckley

Supporters of rape victim Fiona Doyle are planning a solidarity rally outside Leinster House this weekend as anger over the handling of her case grows.

The imposition of short sentences serve no purpose given most of them are not actually being served, a top legal expert has said.

The agreement is not as controversial as Lisbon and Nice were, says Tom O’Malley

THE Inspector of Prisons has called for a new courts system which would address the causes of criminality rather than criminalise offenders.

THERE have been growing calls for an inquiry into the overturning of a Galway man’s wrongful conviction for sexual assault after the Department of Public Prosecution said it had lost a file on the case.

AS if things weren’t bad enough for the PDs, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern couldn’t get the name of one of his PD junior ministers right last night at a function in the unfortunate TD’s home city.

Legal concerns may surround the Government’s new proposals for isolation units within prisons for alleged drug barons, it emerged tonight.

A LEADING criminal law expert has predicted that Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy could face legal difficulties if he attempts to discipline an officer savagely condemned in three reports of the Morris Tribunal.

Enda Kenny, Fine Gael leader.

THE High Court is expected to receive applications in the coming week from men seeking to overturn convictions for statutory rape following Tuesday’s landmark ruling by the Supreme Court.

JUDGES sitting in murder, manslaughter and sex cases could curtail what victims or their families can tell the courts about their ordeals.

The Oireachtas Health Committee will today hope to establish political accountability for the illegal nursing home charges scandal when it begins hearings on the issue.

THOUSANDS of motorists could escape penalty points and fines after the High Court ruled yesterday that garda devices used to monitor drivers were in breach of the law.

Junior Minister Tom O’Malley has published figures highlighting a reduction in the length of time people spend on hospital waiting lists.

THERE is considerable public confusion and apprehension about Justice Minister Michael McDowell’s proposal to crack down on alcohol abuse.

PLANS to fine people for being drunk as they try to enter pubs may not work, a legal expert warned yesterday.

IRISH survivors of child abuse by clerics have renewed their call on Cardinal Desmond Connell to resign in the wake of yesterday’s landmark settlement in the High Court.