A man being questioned over the murder of missing nanny Aoife Phelan has been released without charge.

Detectives searching for the body of missing pregnant woman Aoife Phelan have now launched a major search at the side of the M7 motorway.

Gardaí are today continuing to search a Co Laois location for missing pregnant woman Aoife Phelan, hours after a man was arrested in connection with her disappearance.

Gardaí in Portlaoise have this afternoon arrested a male in his mid 20s in connection with the disappearance of missing pregnant woman Aoife Phelan.

The State has failed in a bid to increase the four-year sentence for robbery handed down to a Cork man who raped and killed beautician Rachel Kiely more than 10 years ago.

A FORMER prison officer has lost a claim that he was unfairly fired from his job after abandoning his post while minding a prisoner in hospital and having illegal drugs found at his home a few hours later by gardaí.

Cork man Ian Horgan has won his appeal against the conviction he received for the 2005 robbery of a post office.

The man who raped and killed Ballincollig beautician Rachel Kiely was jailed for another eight years today – for carrying out a robbery while out on bail.