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Convicted rapist James Citro, with an address at Abbots Close, Worle,Weston-Super-Mare, North Somerset, England went on trial last week at the Old Bailey in London, accused of the murder of a Lithuanian woman in London some 13 years ago.
 Nijole Siskeviciene The now accused, 54-year-old James Citro, was originally born James Kennedy and is a native of Nenagh, Country Tipperary. Kennedy was previously jailed for raping two women in his home town of Nenagh in 1978. He was arrested and charged over the Lithuanian divorcee’s death earlier in January this year as part of a police cold case review. A jury was sworn in on Monday last and the trial is expected to last two weeks.
The body of the murdered 44-year-old woman, named as Nijole Siskeviciene, who worked as a hotel chambermaid, was found strangled close to garages near her home in Wembley, Northwest London, on October 20, 1998. Miss Siskeviciene and her teenage son Vytautis Siskevicius, had only moved to the UK the previous year and had then only recently moved to that address the previous week.
James Citro, who changed his surname from Kennedy, has denied murdering Nijole Siskeviciene, 44, in Lancelot Road, Wembley, in October 1998. He was arrested following a drink-driving incident in July 2010 and his DNA was found to match a sample from this earlier attack, the court heard. Kennedy had lived just two doors away from the mother of one at the time of the murder, but denied knowing her when interviewed by police, following house to house inquiries.
However, he would later admit to perverting the course of justice by sending two anonymous letters to police following the killing. Citro used one of these letters to claim that “two dark men,” were seen with the body of Miss Siskeviciene. In the second letter, he passed himself off as an elderly person writing, “A girl was carried out from a house by two black men.” Citro’s DNA was found to match DNA on the letters and police found similar stationery in his home during a subsequent search.
The victim who was raped and strangled, was found by a passerby at around 7.30pm on October 20, 1998, propped up outside garages 200 yards to the rear of Lancelot Crescent, where she resided, prosecution QC Philip Bennetts told jurors. When he was arrested at his home in Weston-super-Mare in January this year, Kennedy, who now walks with the aid of a stick, said ‘Oh my God,‘ and was ‘visibly shaken,‘, the court heard.
Citro was convicted of two rapes in Ireland in 1979 in which the victims were also throttled. Kennedy /Citro, then aged just 21, had offered a 19-year-old girl a lift in his car and raped her, as he tightened a ligature around her neck until she passed out. He then threw her into a lake and when she tried to reach the shore, continuously threw rocks at her.
His later second Irish victim, a 23-year-old, was attacked a month later and raped while Kennedy held his hands around her throat.
On his release from prison in Ireland, James Kennedy (now James Citro) fled to the UK.
His trial continues. See Update
Gardaí are refusing to rule out the possibility that members of both Thurles and  Limerick families are involved in incidents which have elderly residents in Rathdowney, (situated close to the Tipperary border) living in justifiable fear.
Recent unprecedented incidents of crime which include arson, guns being discharged, street altercations and numerous burglaries in the area have rocked the small town and left locals expressing deep shock.
Gardaí are currently conducting an investigation following a suspected arson attack in Rathdowney, which left a rural home completely gutted. Gardaí were called to a fire in a rural secluded house during the early hours of last week. The house was rented by two local men in their mid-20s. No person was injured at the scene and no arrests were made, however there were also reports of gunshots being fired at the scene of the house fire, in which a car was targeted.
Just hours earlier, the previous night, there had also been a serious altercation in the middle of the town, when gardaí ordered the seizure and removal of a vehicle with no tax or insurance. This physical altercation did not involve gardaí, but was between the removal operator and the occupants of the car being seized.
Numerous men were arrested and later released by gardaí, however one local male in his mid 20’s, with an outstanding warrant, is now being detained at the Midland’s Prison.
Gardaí now believe these incidents are all connected and the shooting and arson attack are linked to three recent burglaries in the Conoboro, Rathdowney area along with other reported attempted burglaries. Investigations are continuing.
 Holycross Abbey, Thurles. Thurles Gardaí are investigating the theft of two priceless religious artefact’s from Holycross Abbey yesterday evening (11/10/2011.)
Two persons, their faces covered, armed with a portable angle grinder and other tools entered Holycross Abbey at about 5.00pm yesterday.
The artefact’s taken, were a 14th century silver cross approximately 12 inches in height, hanging from a chain and containing two crosses and two dark stones and a cross described as being 12 inches in height, standing on its own base and made from gold and bronze.
Both thieves left the scene a short time later and were observed getting into a wine or red VW Touareg vehicle, with the partial registration number 06 OY or 06 LK driven by a third party.
This jeep headed toward Yellow Lough area and was later discovered set alight. A dark coloured saloon car was observed in the vicinity of the burnt out vehicle.
Gardaí would like anybody with any information, to contact them immediately and are appealing for witnesses to contact them at Thurles Garda station at Tel: 0504 25100.
The Holy Cross Abbey (Mainistir na Croise Naofa) is a beautifully restored Cistercian monastery in the village of Holycross, five miles from Thurles town. Situated on the River Suir (Abhainn na Siúire) this Abbey takes its name from a relic of the True Cross or Holy Rood. The fragment of that Holy Rood was brought to Ireland by the French Plantagenet Queen Isabella of Angouleme, in approximately 1233.
As part of the controversial JobBridge Internship Scheme, jobs are now being offered to unqualified interns to take up employment in the Thurles Garda Central Vetting Unit, which deals with highly sensitive and confidential information. The jobs, (No Experience Required) entitled ‘General Office Administrator‘ will involve the use of internal Garda IT systems.
The 16 positions being advertised will earn each successful applicants approximately €50 a week more than they currently obtain through their current social welfare payments and applicants are required to have a high level of competency and proficiency in computer and keyboard skills, as well as proficiency in interpersonal and communication skills.
According to the advert posted on September 27th, the person recruited will also be assigned a ‘Mentor,’ to monitor their progress over a nine-month period of employment. These new recruited staff will be indirectly responsible for determining whether certain prospective employees are suitable to be allowed to work with children or other vulnerable people.
The advert on JobBridge emphasises the discreet nature of the job, requesting that the employee must: “Have a high level of personal responsibility and integrity and the ability to observe confidentiality in respect of the work conducted at the Garda Central Vetting Unit.”
This initiative has been criticised by members of the Gardaí, who state that it does not seem appropriate that such personnel would have people literally coming off the dole temporarily into what has to rank as a most sensitive area of activity, with access to the PULSE garda system (Police Using Leading Systems Effectively) to undertake routine background checks on members of the public.
The JobBridge Scheme has come in for much criticism since its launch in July, with a number of the country’s most profitable companies using it to fill vacancies, thus raising concerns that employees were simply being laid off and replaced with cheaper State subsidised staff.
Recently Aer Lingus was forced to dismiss concerns when it sought an “Air Safety Assistant” under this internship scheme, following concerns that the candidate would be used to oversee safety management. Tesco Supermarket were also forced to defend itself, having advertised for six interns to fill shelves according to its merchandising plans and to ensure that customers do not have to queue.
This recruitment comes at a time when only 400 of a recommended 1,000 redundancies sought in the Gardaí and required by the IMF, have been achieved.
 Michael Lowry The journalist and broadcaster Sam Smyth has been awarded legal costs against local politician Michael Lowry following his successful defence in a defamation case that was before the Courts this week. The defamation case related to comments made by Sam Smyth, in a national newspaper and on television, that Michael Lowry had been “caught with his hand in the till” and went on to suggest that he was a thief, a corrupt politician, dishonest, untrustworthy and unfit to have been a Minister and a TD.
In the defamation case Michael Lowry had alleged Sam Smyth had made false and defamatory remarks about him in the Irish Independent newspaper and on TV3’s ‘Tonight With Vincent Browne’ current affairs programme last year.
However, during the court case Sam Smyth had defended his comments and argued that they were true and based on his honest opinion and constituted fair and reasonable publication in matters of public interest. He has also claimed that what had been discovered about Michael Lowry during the McCracken and Moriarty tribunals had led inevitably to the conclusion that he was indeed corrupt, dishonest, untrustworthy and both unfit and unsuitable to be a minister and TD.
In Court this week, Judge Margaret Heneghan told Counsel for Sam Smyth that his client was entitled to his costs and refused to grant a stay on her order pending an appeal of all issues to the High Court. The legal costs awarded to Sam Smyth are understood to be in the tens of thousands of euros.
Source: RTE.ie
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