A 37-year-old man is due back in court next week after being charged in connection with an armed rampage in Dublin.

A nurse at Mercy University Hospital in Cork City was punched in the side of the face by an unruly patient who was being asked by another nurse to calm down. The culprit was yesterday jailed for two years.

The sister of an armed post office raider recognised her brother during the robbery and identified him to gardaí, a court has heard.

A drug addict who took part in a violent raid on a post office which left staff and customers terrified has today been sentenced to eight years for robbery and possession of firearms.