Customs officials have this afternoon seized the vehicle of a woman who was the subject of a six hour stand-off in Buncrana yesterday .

Friends of Ms Margaret Davin says16 customs officers arrived at her house this afternoon to seize her northern registered car despite claims that she had been given a caution yesterday.

This time Ms Davin’s was refused access to her vehicle, a van was parked at the entrance of her home to prevent the cars removal, but was subsequently removed by the direction of the gardai.

Ms Davin’s friend, Ryan Stewart, the creator of a popular anti VRT page on Facebook has been giving his version of events…..

Earlier today, an official from the Revenue and Customs Service has suggested non payment of VRT is a bigger problem in Donegal than elsewhere in the country.

The comments were made in a BBC interview after yesterday’s stand off in Buncrana between customs officers and a woman  who refused to leave her car.

So far, the Revenue and Customs Press Office has not made a spokesperson available for interview to Highland Radio, despite requests from both the news team and the Shaun Doherty Show.

However, one official did speak to the BBC this morning, suggesting that there is a higher rate of non-payment of VRT in Donegal than elsewhere in the country.

In the course of that interview, Sean Kelleher suggested the issue is highlighted more in this region is because customs are intensifying their operations in the Donegal area.

Mr Kelleher said the law is clear, and those who do not comply are vigorously pursued. The issue was brought into sharp focus when, over a two day period last month, over 1,000 vehicles were stopped.  69 were seized and 96 warnings were issued.

Buncrana is to recieve a major tourism boost this summer with news that the town is stage the headline act of the Topaz Donegal International Rally.

20,000 extra thousand visitors are expected to descend on Buncrana for two back to back stages which are the first hosted by the town in almost 30 years.

In total 70,000 people are expected to attend the rally which will be held over three days  from Friday June 18th.

The Clerk of the Course, Danny Gormley, says Buncrana’s inclusion is a major boost:

A soldier who was the victim of a prank in which a pizza he ate was “spiked” with cannabis has now been refused an extension of his Army contract, the High Court heard.

Two years ago, 32-year-old Private John White of Belldoo, Strabane, Co Tyrone, brought a successful High Court challenge to his discharge after testing positive for drugs because of the prank by an acquaintance.

A judge ruled that the decision to discharge him was “fundamentally flawed” and fair procedures had not been followed.

Yesterday, the High Court heard that after returning to his career, Pte White later sought an extension of service but was refused.

It was an attempt by his authorities to say “you beat us in the High Court and we are getting you this way”, Pte White’s counsel, Ross Maguire, told the court yesterday.

In his 2008 case, the court heard he had tested positive for cannabis following a random drug test at Finner Camp, Donegal, on October 6, 2005.

Sometime later, he was approached by an acquaintance who explained to him that, as a prank or practical joke, he had put cannabis resin on a pizza which Pte White had consumed.

Yesterday, Mr Justice Michael Peart was told that when he returned to his career, he later applied for an extension of service, but was refused.

Mr Justice Peart granted Pte White’s lawyers permission to challenge the decision in judicial review proceedings against the Minister for Defence. The order will act as a stay on his discharge.

Less than 1 in 10 drivers involved in serious car crashes were tested for alcohol between 2003 and 2005

The PARC road safety group is appearing before an Oireachtas Committee on transport this afternoon to discuss the Road Traffic Bill 2009.

Chairwoman and founder of Parc Susan Grey says that drivers involved in serious crashes have got to be tested for alcohol.

A 27-year-old man who was arrested by police in Derry on Tuesday has been charged with a firearms related offence.

He is due to appear at Derry Magistrates Court on June 10.

The man was detained in a PSNI operation investigating terrorist related activity in the Derry area.

The police said a 26-year-old man arrested in the same operation in the city has been released without charge.

A court has heard that a  group of protestors went beyond peaceful protest when they broke into the offices of a weapons software company in Derry.

Nine women and five men aged between 25 and 66 face charges over the incident at the Raytheon plant on the Branch Road in January 2009.

Two of the nine women on trial are from the republic including 35-year-old Sharron Meenan from  Fahan,

All nine women deny a charge of burglary with intent to cause criminal damage.

Opening the case at Belfast Crown Court, prosecuting QC Paul Ramsey said the women chained themselves together.

When inside they chanted against bombing in the Middle East and Gaza.

The court was told that after they were arrested and released, each of the women attended voluntarily to be interviewed by police, adding that during police questioning, all of them admitted to breaking into Raytheon in order to cause damage to the main computer server.

The five men face various charges including causing criminal damage, burglary,  impersonating a police officer and of  obstructing and resisting police.

The trial is expected to last for three weeks.

A stand off between a woman and customs officials, who attempted to seize her car in Buncrana has ended.

According to local council Padraig McLoughlain the woman was in the town to fulfill a court appearance to give evidence on behalf of gardai this morning.

However the stand-off was sparked when customs officials attempted to seize her northern registered vehicle – a large group gathered in support of the women.

Gardai and customs who attended the scene have now left.

Councillor McLoughlainn, who is at the scene, says the situation is a disgrace:

Councillor Barry O’Neill has been called on to resign his position as chair of the Donegal VEC if he doesn’t issue an apology for comments he made following his election yesterday.

Councillor Dessie Larkin has claimed Councillor O’Neil has cast a dark shadow over the VEC and how it is run by suggesting that there has been cronyism in how teacher were appointed to roles in the past.

Today Councillor O’Neill has declined to withdraw his comments stating that Councillor Dessie Larkin is acting like a baby.

A claim for damages against the chief constable and the NI Secretary brought by the husband of one of the victims of the Omagh bomb has been struck out.

Laurence Rush brought the case over “the failures in the apprehension, detection and pre-emptive arrest of the Real IRA members who planted the bomb”.

A high court judge today  stated that those who committed the civil wrong against Mr Rush, as a result of which he tragically lost his wife, were the members of the Real IRA who organised and carried out the Omagh bombing. He added that “It was not the police or the secretary of state”.

The former detective whose book “Breaking the Silence” has been instrumental in securing an audit of child protection in the Raphoe diocese says he feels he had to write the book to give the victims of abuse a voice.

Confirming that Raphoe would be among the first audits to be finished, Ian Elliot of the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church said it follows meetings with the author Martin Ridge, as well as Bishop Philip Boyce. Me Ridge was one of the key investigators in the Fr Eugene Greene investigation, and has written of how the investigation was obstructed.

Speaking on today’s Shaun Doherty Show, Mr Ridge said he believes there have been suicides in Donegal as a result of abuse, and the failure of the church to address it……..