Month: October 2009

‘A BIZARRE form of recycling’ was how a solicitor described his client’s actions, after he was caught urinat- ing against an off-licence door.

Jason Tucker (23), of The Orchard, Huntsfield, Dooradoyle, Limerick, pleaded guilty to engaging in threat- ening, abusive or insulting behaviour in Kilkee. Ennis District Court heard that he urinated against the front door of an off-licence. When directed by gardai to leave the area, he did so.

Defence solicitor Eugene O’Kelly said, “It was no more than urinat- ing’ and the garda in the case agreed that the accused co-operated with gardai.

Mr O’Kelly said his client’s previ- ous convictions suggest that he has a difficulty with alcohol. “It was a bizarre form of recycling to be uri- nating up against an off-licence,” he said.

He said his client wished to apolo- gise. “He had a lot to drink and there were no public facilities available to him,” said the solicitor.

Judge Timothy Lucey said, “It wasn’t the worse offence under Sec- tion 6 (Public Order Act)” and fined Tucker €250.

McCarthy ‘spiralled out of control

MARKETING support should be made available to make the most of the unique advantage which the US customs pre-clearance facility pro- vides for Shannon, it has been urged.

Welcoming the decision by British Airways to utilise the US pre-clear- ance facilities at Shannon Airport, Fine Gael’s Deputy Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs Pat Breen has called on the Government to provide mar- keting support to promote the facility which he said is “the only such facil- ity in Europe” which has the “poten- tial to create jobs and attract industry to this region”.

He also asked Aer Lingus to recon- sider its decision not to use the facil- ity until a similar one is provided in Dublin. His comments came as the inaugural Brisith Airways business class-only flight used the facility on its way from London City to JFK.

Business passengers will pay fares of up to £6,324 for the luxury service, which will refuel at Shannon and take advantage at the same time of having access to the pre-clearance facility.

Irish-born Chief Executive of Brit- ish Airways, Willie Walsh said that despite the cost of the service, de- mand is “quite good”.

The new service will have two flights daily and feature 32 flat beds in a specially designed cabin, so that passengers can sleep properly on the journey and enjoy every comfort.

Asked what he thought about the Aer Lingus decision to be the only

transatlantic airline not using the facility, the former Aer Lingus CEO said he did not fully understand the reasons behind it.

“But I do genuinely believe that the customs and immigration facility will make a big difference for people flying the Atlantic. It gives so much more flexibility.”

And he was critical of the Govern- ment’s imposition of a €10 travel tax. “I think aviation has been seen as a cash cow to governments. I think it (the departure tax) is going to 1m- pact on the number of people travel- ling to and from Ireland at a time of economic downturn.”

Deputy Breen described the new service as “a welcome boost for the airport”. He said, “I would now urge the Shannon Airport Author-

ity to contact other airlines like Air France, KLM and Luftansa, for ex- ample, to investigate the possibility of those airlines operating similar transit stops through Shannon.”

He added that while British Air- ways, Continental, Delta and US Airways passengers have now all signed up to use pre-clearance facili- ties at Shannon, “Aer Lingus passen- gers continue to have to stand in line for hours on arrival in US airports to clear immigration.”