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Mother of Inverin murder victim allowed to make amendment to legal challenge over compensation
Galway Bay fm newsroom – The mother of the victim of a murder which took place in Inverin has been allowed to make a significant amendment as part of her legal challenge over the State’s refusal to pay her compensation.
Magdalena Vonkova, from Prague in the Czech Republic, is the mother of Nicola Vonkova who was murdered when she was 19 by Jakub Fidler in July 2008.
He is serving life imprisonment after pleading guilty in 2010 to murder.
The victim’s mother has brought a High Court challenge against the Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal’s refusal of her application for compensation.
It was refused because Ms Vonkova and Fidler, who had been friends, were residing in the same house at the time of her death.
The compensation scheme provides no money is payable “where the offender and the victim were living together as members of the same household at the time the injuries were inflicted”.
It is claimed that Ms Vonkova and Fidler lived in the same house but were not members of a household in the strict sense, and that the refusal to grant compensation should be quashed.
In a ruling on a preliminary issue in the case, Senan Allen said lawyers for the mother are entitled to amend their claim.
The Judge said he was satisfied to allow another ground on which the compensation scheme can be challenged by the mother.
The additional ground is that the scheme is allegedly incompatible with a person’s right to remedy guaranteed by Article 47 of the European Union’ s Charter of Fundamental Rights and in breach of EU law.
The mother’s lawyers claim the amendment is just and necessary for the purpose of determining the case.
At Fidler’s trial, the Central Criminal court was told in 2010 that Ms Vonkova died from strangulation following a row about spying on Fidler’s computer.
The pair first met in the Czech Republic when they were both working at a Tesco store.
The death has occurred of the former Bishop of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora Martin Drennan, six years after he announced his retirement on health grounds. He was aged 78.
The Galway Diocesan Office confirmed the death this (Saturday) afternoon of the Bishop and Apostolic Administrator Emeritus, who oversaw the Diocese for eleven years.
Born on January 2, 1944 in Piltown, County Kilkenny, he studied for the priesthood at Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth, from where he was ordained to the priesthood in 1968. His brother Michael is also a priest.
Following his ordination, he continued his studies in Rome where he was awarded a Licentiate in both sacred theology and sacred scripture. He returned to Rome in 1980 to become spiritual director at the Pontifical Irish College for the next five years.
He became a lecturer in sacred scripture at Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth, where he continued to teach until his appointment as Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin in 1997 with responsibility for East Wicklow and South Dublin.
Following the retirement of Bishop James McLoughlin, Bishop Drennan was appointed Bishop of Galway and Kilmacduagh and Apostolic Administrator of Kilfenora and he was installed on July 3, 2005 in Galway Cathedral.
Outgoing Cllr Terry O’Flaherty (Ind) is on course to retain her City Council seat – and top the poll in City East.
With 33% of the boxes tallied, Cllr O’Flaherty is polling strongly, particularly in Renmore.
Michael John Crowe is ahead of his running mate Alan Cheevers for the Fianna Fáil vote, according to the early figures, although that could change when Doughiska and Roscam boxes are opened.
The Green Party’s Claire Hillery is on about 7%, with Fine Gael on 10% and Sinn Fein on 5%.
The opening of boxes for the local elections began at 9am this morning in Leisureland when the tallymen (and women) kicked into gear.
As regards the Galway County Council elections, the smaller areas are being opened first which means that the four-seater Connemara North boxes will be first in the pecking order.
It will be followed by Gort-Kinvara (5 seats), Connemara South (5 seats), Athenry-Oranmore (7 seats), Ballinasloe (6 seats), Loughrea (5 seats) and finally Tuam (7 seats).
The boxes in these areas will be opened and tallied in that particular order before being transferred to the Galway Lawn Tennis Club on Threadneedle Road where the counting will commence around mid-morning.
That is when the fun will really begin – although the tallies should give a good indication as to where most of the seats are destined.
As regards the city, the Galway City East boxes were opened first, followed by Galway City Central and finally Galway City West. These votes will be transferred to the Westside Centre by around 11am for counting.
There are 39 seats on Galway County Council to be filled with 18 on Galway City Council. The City Council count is expected to conclude on Saturday night but the County Council count – with seven electoral areas to be filled – could well go into Monday.
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