METRO Thursday, October 29, 2009 D Join Sandycove Squash Club For full details contact 01-280 9645 email:sandycovetsc@eircom.net www.sandycovetsc.ie A PROJECT to give old, abandoned bicycles a new lease of life aims to remove 200 car trips a week from the citys streets. The Dublin Institute of Technology scheme revamped 18 bikes left at DIT car parks and put them to use as pool bikes, available for students and staff for free for travel between DIT campus locations. It offers an alternative to the Dublin Bikes scheme for students, half of whom dont have access to a credit card, Brian Gormley, Head of Campus Life in DIT said, adding that the bikes were pimped with the help of local bike shops and Rothar Bikes for the Community. Bike plan to replace 200 car trips a week A HOCKEY team in the US was banished temporarily from a city ice rink after players engaged in a game of strip hockey shedding a piece of uniform every time a practice shot missed its mark. One 17-year- old player with the Idaho Junior Steelheads even shed his underwear briefly to moon another player. A DUNNES Stores employee who left a man with a partially amputated finger has received a two-year suspended sentence for assault. Brendan McCormack, 20, bit fingers on both of Frank Stacys hands during an unprovoked assault, leaving one finger so badly injured it required partial amputation. McCormack, of St Columbas Road, Greenhills, pleaded guilty to assaulting Mr Stacy, 22, outside The Spawell nightclub, Templeogue on February 4, 2006. Judge Katherine Delahunt suspended his sentence on condition he attends counselling and pays 5,000 to his victim. Bite assault man gets two years suspended METRODigest Conall Moy-Kelly, Mary Kate Smith and Jamie OShea get ready to deliver sports equipment to schools and clubs. This year 1.28million worth of sports equipment was donated by SuperValu stores and their customers for the Kids in Action programme Picture: Maxwells Pairs trial for murder of farmer collapsesBY CON DOHERTY THE trial of two brothers accused of murder- ing a neighbouring farmer has collapsed. Daniel-Joseph DJ Byrne, 38, and 32-year- old Jason Byrne from Hammer Lane, Bor- ness, Mountmellick in Co Laois had both pleaded not guilty to murdering 49-year-old Eddie Dempsey, who died on October 11, 2007. Mr Justice George Birmingham discharged the jury of six men and six women yesterday after telling them both legal teams in the case had been discussing matters in their absence. The difficulties identified are insuperable... it is now clear the trial has to come to a halt, he said, adding the situation was extremely unfortunate but seemed to be unavoidable. Mr Justice Birmingham said that the only way he could mark his regret was to exempt them from jury service for life. The trial will now proceed at a future date before a different jury. Mr Dempsey, a married father-of-two, died in Portlaoise hospital ten months after being attacked on December 18, 2006. During the trial, his brother John Dempsey told the jury he saw the Byrne brothers turn on Eddie and beat him after inviting him onto their land to retrieve a stray cow. He accused Jason Byrne of beating Eddie on the legs with a brush handle, while DJ used a shovel handle to beat his head with the great- est power... as hard as he could swing. He said he had to drag his brother out of the yard and help him stand before garda arrived and brought him to hospital. Under cross-examination, he denied Eddie had been told four times not to come on to the Byrnes property. He also denied his brother had accused the Byrne brothers of stealing cattle, calling Jason Byrne scum and telling DJ Byrne there was bad and dirty breeding in him. Nine freed over 50m cigarettesNINE men arrested in connection with the biggest every seizure of illegal cigarettes in Europe have been freed. However, a file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). The nine, including seven Irish nationals aged between 19 and their mid-40s, one Lithuanian in his 50s and one Ukrainian in his 40s, were detained in Co Louth following the seizure of 120million cigarettes smuggled into Ireland aboard a cargo vessel. The ship, which was kept under surveillance from when it left the Philippines until it docked, was taken to Dublin Port yesterday where the cigarettes, estimated to be worth 50million, were unloaded. It is thought the shipment was organised by criminals operating on both sides of the border, and a link to dissident Republicans is also being investigated. Record haul: Garda survey the MV Anne Scan after it docked in Dublin Port with its load of 120million illegal cigarettes Picture: PA index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html