22-year-old David Colhoun

The family of a man who escaped from PSNI custody have voiced their unhappiness at the lack of help from the PSNI and Gardai in the search for the missing 22-year-old.

David Colhoun escaped from PSNI custody in the early hours of Sunday morning after his arrest for minor offences.

The PSNI would give no details of how he managed to get away.

It’s understood Mr Colhoun was last seen heading towards the River Mourne, although no-one has of yet come towards the Gardai or PSNI reporting a sighting.

Over one-hundred locals turned out yesterday, spending the day searching the River banks along the Strabane and Lifford border.

His family also brought in a team of divers from Dundalk to search the river.

It was reported yesterday that the PSNI and Foyle Search and Rescue were concentrating there search on the River Mourne.

But family members voiced their unhappiness at the lack of help from the PSNI and Gardai in the search for the missing 22-year-old.

People from Donegal are twice as likely to be hospitalised following a car crash as people from anywhere else in Ireland. The data is included in a report published by the HSE in Dublin North East, which found that the number of non-fatal injuries sustained in crashed is underestimated in official figures.

Public Health Consultant Dr Declan Bedford was one of those who carried out the research.

Speaking on today’s Shaun Doherty Show, he said he wasn’t surprised by the findings………..

Shots have been fired at a van and a car in Dungiven.

Police say the attacks happened between 9 o’clock and 11.30 last night.

The van and car were both parked – tha van at Glen Park and the car on Priory Road.

Possible motives are being investigated, police are appealing for information.

While Irish airspace remains open, UK airspace has closed due to the ash cloud, with flightsd from Derry affected.  Here is the most recent statement from City of Derry Airport -

The volcanic ash cloud in UK airspace has caused disruption to a number of flights operating to / from City of Derry Airport

The following flights have been diverted / cancelled:

Flight No.         Route

FR9884             Liverpool – City of Derry – Diverted to Belfast City

FR9885              City of Derry – Liverpool – Cancelled

FR611               London Stansted – City of Derry – Diverted to Belfast International

FR612               City of Derry – London Stansted – Cancelled

RE287               Dublin – City of Derry – Cancelled

RE288               City of Derry – Dublin – Cancelled

The DUP’s Alderman Maurice Devenney has been elected the new mayor of Derry.

The 52-year-old father of two received the chain of office at Derry City Council’s AGM last night.

He replaces the SDLP’s Colum Eastwood who, at 27,became the youngest person to hold the position in June of last year.

Sinn Fein’s Kevin Campbell has been elected deputy mayor.

Mr Devenney told Highland Radio News this afternoon that he is looking forward to the busy year ahead…..

A memorial stone to Cllr Eddie Fullerton will be unveiled at the Stone Jug in Buncrana this Sunday at 3pm.

The unveiling marks the 20th anniversary of his assassination at his home at Cockhill, Buncrana on 25th May 1991.

Donegal North East Deputy and Buncrana native, Padraig McLaughlin, says Sundays event will be a fitting tribute to the late Councillor Fullerton……..

RTE has issued an apology in the High Court to Donegal filmmaker Neasa Ni Cheanain regarding claims made about her film “Fairytale of Katmandu”.

An interview with Mr Paddy Bushe brodcast on Radio Na Gaeltachta in June 2009 cast doubt on the validity of some of the interviews in the film about poet Cathal O’Searcaigh’s relationships in Nepal. It included suggestions that the filmmaker offered payment to one person to make a false statement, and pressurised another to give pre-scripted answers to certain questions.

In the agreed apology published by the High Court this morning, RTE accepts that these suggestions were entirely incorrect and unfair.

Neasa Ni Chianain says when all else failed,  she was left with no choice but top take the legal route…….

A search has resumed  for a missing 22-year-old in Lifford.

David Colhoun from Lifford, hasn’t been seen since the early hours of Sunday morning.

Mr.Colhoun was being held in custody at Strabane PSNI station in the early hours of Sunday morning. He escaped when officers were putting him from one police car into another. He hasn’t been seen since and hasn’t contacted his family or girlfriend.

It’s understood Mr Colhoun was last seen heading towards the River Foyle, although no-one has of yet come towards the Gardai or PSNI reporting a sighting.

The PSNI checked CCTV footage of businesses in and around Strabane bus station yesterday to see what direction the 22-year-old headed.

Searches along the river bank and surrounding areas were carried out yesterday but there was no sightings of Mr. Colhoun.

The new search began this morning at 8am. The search will be concentrated near Lifford bridge were the river Finn and Mourne meet.

A baby girl was born yesterday 12 hours after her mum said she was attacked by her partner.

Details were revealed at Donegal District Court when Danny Harvey was accused of assaulting Melissa Mullin of Drumlonagher, Donegal town, and causing her harm.

Gda Liam Feeney told the court the girl suffered slight bruising in an assault at 2.30 p.m. on Sunday.

Twelve hours later she gave birth to a baby at 2.30 a.m. yesterday.

Supt Jim Coen said Ms Mullin was the partner of the accused man.

As bail was being set and the court was barring any contact between the parties Gda Feeney said the mother was anxious to speak to her partner re the birth of the child.

Judge Kevin Kilrane made it a condition that contact be made only at the mother’s initiation.

The hearing was adjourned until June 27 and jobless Harvey, 40, of O’Cleirigh Avenue, Donegal, town, was remanded on bail.

ESB crews were last night working to restore electricity to thousands of homes after 25,000 people were left without power by fierce storms that lashed the country.

Power lines across the country were brought down by falling trees in winds of up to 144kmh.

Response crews are expected to reconnect the last affected customers this morning after the high winds and rain abated last night.

The worst affected areas were in the north west where an estimated 14,000 people lost power in Co Donegal.

The wind was at its highest at around 1pm. It battered sections of the coast for much of yesterday morning.

Fallen trees were reported across Co Donegal, causing a number of incidents on the county’s roads. A 40ft container lorry was blown on to its side on the road between Dungloe and Doochary but the driver escaped without injury.

A spokesman for Met Eireann said the winds would die down greatly today with a few scattered showers across the country.

The ESB is warning people not to go near fallen power lines or poles and to report any outages to freephone 1850 372999