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Enniscorthy and District

Enniscorthy

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WEDNESDAY 8TH JULY 2009 TEL: 053 92 59900 FAX: 053 92 33506 PRICE €2.00

ENNISCORTHY DIARY - PAGES 28-29 • ADAMSTOWN SHOW RESULTS - PAGES 98 & 99

A TEENAGER who hasspent over a year in soli-tary confinement, as hislife in prison is underthreat, has been sentenced,along with his accomplice,to a further jail term forsetting fire to Bunclodynational school.

Arthur Rellis, (19), ofCarrig Bán, Bunclody andPatrick Somers, (21), of 36Pairc Mhuire, Ferns plead-ed guilty to causing€80,000 worth of damageto Our Lady of LourdesNational School, HospitalHill, Bunclody on Decem-ber 20, 2007, at the CircuitCourt this week.

Garda Dan Whelan saidthe men gained access tothe school by breaking awindow and were seenrunning from the premiseswhen it was alight. He said“extensive damage” hadbeen caused by the blazewhen the fire spread to theschool’s ceiling.

Garda Whelan said

Somers has 17 previousconvictions, including rob-bery, burglary, assault andcriminal damage. Rellis,who was on bail at thetime of the offence, alsohas a long list of previousconvictions and was most

recently sentenced to twoand a half years in prisonfor robbery in April last.

Rosario Boyle, S.C,defending Rellis, said herclient “was not the ring-leader” and said investi-gating Gardaí had been ofthe opinion that he did notinstigate the offence.

Ms. Boyle said Rellisdenied starting the fire andsaid he had merely brokeninto the school to steal ahi-fi. Ms. Boyle said Rel-lis has been in St. Patrick’sInstitute since April 142008 and is serving hissentence in solitary con-finement on “23-hour

lockdown”. “I am concerned about

the effect of 23-hour lock-down on his mental state.It raises issues of humanrights,” said Ms. Boyle,who called her client togive evidence.

Ctd. page 3

School arsonistsreceive jail term

Judge Alice Doyle

The school after the fire.

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UP TO 70 witnesseswill be called in the caseagainst a Wexford-basedGarda facing corruptionand deception charges.

Garda John Joe Synnott(52), Camblin Hill, NewRoss, is facing numerousserious charges includingfalsifying official recordsfor a bogus insuranceclaim and possession of astolen car.

State Prosecutor PhillipSheahan, B.L., told thisweek’s sitting of WexfordCircuit Court there wasno prospect of the casegoing ahead, in the nearfuture, as the trial couldtake three weeks.

John O’Kelly, S.C.,agreed and said the Statecould call up to 70 wit-nesses: “If everything iscontested it will take inexcess of three weeks.”

When the case waslast called, Synnott suc-cessfully applied forlegal aid to help him

contest the seriouscharges.

Judge Alice Doyleadjourned the matteruntil October.

Over 70witnessesfor three-week trial

Garda John JoeSynnott

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